The IAPWS Power Cycle Chemistry Group (PCC) is the primary IAPWS Working Group interested in water/steam related chemistry for steam power cycles in conventional fossil, combined cycle, nuclear, solar thermal, and geothermal power cycles, along with other industrial process applications of steam including biomass and electrical boilers and other non-conventional and emerging steam generation technologies.
Membership of PCC is made up of global water/steam experts, researchers, designers, users and other interested persons. Currently over 20 different countries are represented in PCC. The PCC working group was established by IAPWS in 1990.
The key purpose of PCC is to provide technical guidance, obtained by the international consensus of experts working across the whole water/steam industry across all these areas, and to make this technical guidance freely and easily available across the world. The current suite of documents covers the key requirements for the effective management of steam power cycle chemistry, including feedwater and boiler water treatments, steam purity requirements, on-line monitoring instrumentation, corrosion product monitoring and the application of film-forming substances. The documents are written in formats that allow plant operators to customize the guidance for each type of plant. Approved and issued IAPWS PCC Technical Guidance Documents are available to download, for free, from the IAPWS website at http://www.iapws.org/techguide.html.
The PCC working group also produces White Papers that collate and develop the available technical information on particular subjects of interest to the Association as a preliminary stage before a Technical Guidance Document can be developed. Whilst it is emphasised that White Papers have no formal status within IAPWS, they are valuable reference documents for researchers and plant operators.
The IAPWS PCC Working Group also provides an opportunity for industry experts to meet annually and discuss research, emerging industry issues and new technologies and to identify areas of future industry research. The identification of industrial research is via the IAPWS Certified Research Needs (ICRN) process with PCC developing ICRNs to help guide and promote research in the identified areas. IAPWS ICRNs represent the considered opinion of experts in the field that research on a particular subject is needed. They are often developed as a response to a lack of adequate data on a particular issue related to its fundamental understanding and basis for industrial applications. They consist of a statement of the problem, a statement of the industrial need, a contact person, and an expiration date. No funding is available from IAPWS, but the ICRNs may be copied and attached to proposals to funding agencies. Current ICRNs can be reviewed on the IAPWS website at http://www.iapws.org/icrn.html.
In some specific cases, IAPWS can facilitate International Collaboration projects on scientific and technical matters of importance to the Association. These projects must be international in nature and involve at least two Members or Associate Members of the Association. Recent PCC projects include boiler electrochemical corrosion studies and corrosion product monitoring at flexible plants.
As well as meeting at the annual IAPWS meeting to share knowledge and experiences and collaboratively work on future Technical Guidance Documents and ICRNs, PCC members engage throughout the year at other IAPWS supported meetings and conferences, webinars and specific task group meetings and calls. Examples of other IAPWS supported events include the European HRSG Forum, the International Conference on Film Forming Substances and the Australasian Boiler and HRSG User Group. Details of future IAPWS annual meetings can be found here.
Membership of the PCC working group is completely open. Anyone working or who has an interest in water/steam related chemistry for steam power cycles in conventional fossil, combined cycle, nuclear, solar thermal and geothermal power cycles, along with other industrial process applications of steam including biomass and electrical boilers and other non-conventional and emerging steam generation technologies is welcome to attend PCC meetings and to contribute to PCC work.
if you have any questions or interest in participating in PCC, please feel free to contact any of the members of the PCC Executive or an IAPWS national contact, and we’d be happy to discuss with you.
Working Group officers:
Chair: David Addison (New Zealand),
david.addison@thermalchemistry.com
Vice-Chair: Paul McCann (United Kingdom),
Paul.McCann@uniper.energy
Vice-Chair: Kirk Buecher (USA),
Kirk.Buecher@mt.com
Vice-Chair: Taro Ichihara (Japan),
taro.ichihara.jp@mhi.com
This page updated July 2, 2024
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