[Racer X 69]

A Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad train lead by four 3,000 HP Electro-Motive diesel locomotives is framed by the farms and hills of Indiana County Pennsylvania. The huge Homer City Generating Station, one of the largest and now cleanest, coal fired plants in the United States is in the background. The tallest chimney, over 1200 feet, is the third tallest in North America, however it is no longer in use. Replaced by the chimney with the steam coming out.

The photo was taken with a Pentax K-3 and a Vivitar (Komine) Close Focus 28mm F2.0 lens I recently bought off a Pentax forum member. My K-3 overexposed with all stop down metering lenses in bright light, so I dialed in negative 1.3 stops.

The three towers to the left look like nuclear power plant cooling towers. Is the power plant a combination coal/nuclear plant?

[steamloco76]

The three towers to the left look like nuclear power plant cooling towers. Is the power plant a combination coal/nuclear plant?

The wasp wasted towers are parabolic cooling towers for the water used to generate the steam which powers the giant turbines in the plant. Coal, oil,
natural gas and nuclear power plants which use steam turbines to turn the generators must cool the water before piping it back through to be reheated. The towers are open around the base with about 40-60 feet (height) worth of cedar or composite slats which which the hot water flows over to allow it to cool. The parabolic shape of the towers uses the Venturi effect to draw cool air through the open areas at the bottom over the falling superheated water and exhausting the steam vapor produced out the top. SO-what you see is just plain old steam.

The steam coming from the second tallest chimney is due to the type of emissions "scrubber" used on that unit. A wet limestone slurry is sprayed trough the super hot coal exhaust. The reaction bonds the sulphur and CO2 along with some NOX to the limestone effectively turning it into a gypsum like substance which is then buried along with the pulverized "fly ash" created by burning coal. The two identical height chimneys also have limestone based emissions scrubbers, however they use a slightly less effect dry limestone reaction method.

[goatsNdonkey]

Coal power plants along the Illinois river have cooling structures, but they usually don't look like the cooling towers at nuclear plants.

[steamloco76]

Coal power plants along the Illinois river have cooling structures, but they usually don't look like the cooling towers at nuclear plants.

The coal power plants in my area were built between 1962 and 1977. These plants adopted the high strength, efficient, low maintenance parabolic cooling towers then being used in nuclear power plant construction. Older call fired plants and many recent ones use multiple smaller, water grids with either short parabolic stacks or fan drawn air stacks for cooling. These eliminate the huge vapor clouds created by big parabolic towers.

[scratchpaddy]

I actually got to go into a hyperbolic cooling tower at an unfinished nuclear power plant in Alabama. Only the largest power plants use them, and since nuclear power plants tend to be the largest, that's what people associate them with. Their presence just means the plant needs to cool a huge amount of steam. Not all nuclear power plants use them.

These are the slats at the bottom seamloco mentioned. Otherwise, it was a vast, empty space 550 feet tall.



---------- Post added 07-27-19 at 01:05 PM ----------

More on topic, here's some power coming from neither coal nor uranium.

[goatsNdonkey]

The coal power plants in my area were built between 1962 and 1977. These plants adopted the high strength, efficient, low maintenance parabolic cooling towers then being used in nuclear power plant construction. Older call fired plants and many recent ones use multiple smaller, water grids with either short parabolic stacks or fan drawn air stacks for cooling. These eliminate the huge vapor clouds created by big parabolic towers.

Yes, billowing clouds of vapor.

[Just1MoreDave]

My canoe is done and back in the water for the first time in 25 years or so. It was built in 1944 and my dad bought it in 1967. It took me two years to replace 34 of the 52 ribs, 70% of the planks, stems, gunwales, seats and keel. Then a lot of sanding and 7 coats of varnish for the interior. The exterior was canvassed, filled, faired, primed and painted with 4 coats of red. I made the paddle in the fourth shot. The last shot is my dad in 1969, the summer after he fiberglassed the exterior.

[edom31]

Seen in the Bronx

[Racer X 69]

Seen in the Bronx

The right rear tire needs some air.

And I wonder how long a car like that will last in the Bronx.

[Racer X 69]

My canoe is done and back in the water for the first time in 25 years or so. It was built in 1944 and my dad bought it in 1967. It took me two years to replace 34 of the 52 ribs, 70% of the planks, stems, gunwales, seats and keel. Then a lot of sanding and 7 coats of varnish for the interior. The exterior was canvassed, filled, faired, primed and painted with 4 coats of red. I made the paddle in the fourth shot. The last shot is my dad in 1969, the summer after he fiberglassed the exterior.

You did an awesome job Dave. Nice work!

Did I mention I have two Old Town kayaks? Not nearly as old or cool as your canoe, they are only about 14 years old. We use them mostly for traveling down the river we live on, but also take them out on local lakes.

[edom31]

And I wonder how long a car like that will last in the Bronx.

It was south 3rd Ave by the 3rd Ave Bridge, so likely it has to be moved... Did not see the plates, so I do not know if it was a passer-by (doing what there?). Nice looking little Corvette nevertheless.

I do note the third party spoiler (Greenwood).

[scratchpaddy]

The right rear tire needs some air.

And I wonder how long a car like that will last in the Bronx.

At least the plastic body has nothing to fear when it comes to door dings.

[Racer X 69]

At least the plastic body has nothing to fear when it comes to door dings.

Or rust.

[paulh]

More on topic, here's some power coming from neither coal nor uranium.

That is one fabulous image, scratch!

[Cuthbert]

Moby dick!

Pentax LX, A 35-210mm, Portra 160.