Solution from RuleStream helps power plants meet rigid EPA standards
Wakefield, MA — November 8, 2004 — The Babcock & Wilcox Co. (B&W) said that it is now using a solution from rules-driven product management (RPM) solutions provider RuleStream Corp. to accelerate the sale and design of the company's specialized wet desulfurization systems — often referred to as scrubbers.
B&W is a supplier of power generation and environmental cleanup equipment, providing design, engineering, manufacturing, construction services, project management, start-up and aftermarket products and services for electric utilities and industries worldwide.
B&W said the RuleStream solution has accelerated its engineered-to-order wet scrubber program, streamlining the request for proposal (RFP) and design processes associated with this highly customized product. Wet scrubbers are quickly becoming a necessity for utility companies to reduce power plant sulfur dioxide emissions, according to B&W. As a result, the industry is better equipped to meet increasingly stringent air quality standards.
A wet scrubber is a very complex piece of equipment that has to be designed around specific emissions characteristics and a variety of [Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] regulations, and must be closely integrated into the existing plant systems, said Kip Alexander, manager of B&W's Engineering Systems department. Because of these unique requirements, our proposals must be detailed and accurate, and we must be able to produce them in a timely manner. RuleStream helps us produce more comprehensive design proposals faster, and with the utmost confidence.
Alexander went on to say that because the proposals B&W generates are based on actual engineered-to-order designs, his company is minimizing many of the risks involved in preparing preliminary designs and estimating costs for today's fast-turnaround proposals. RuleStream has already reduced our header design time from days to hours and shortened the header structural design by more than a week, he said. We continue to implement additional projects and expect the same positive results.
