Barnes Announces Power & Energy Department New Hires

Today, Commonwealth released the following statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2012

Contact: Samuel R. Barnes (517) 262-8258

National Engineering Firm Grows

Power Generation & Energy Team

JACKSON, MI – Commonwealth Associates, Inc.’s Power Generation and Energy Department Manager and Vice President, Samuel R. Barnes, P.E., is pleased to announce the department’s newest hires.

William McCourtie, P.E. is a Senior Mechanical Engineer, formerly with HDR.  McCourtie has decades of experience in the development, design, and construction of power plants of all fuel types.  Engineering Specialist, Chuck Haglund, has officially joined the team and will initially be working on loan to the Substation Department.  Haglund brings a wealth of experience and is a tremendous asset to the Power and Energy team.  Prior to coming to Commonwealth, he was with Black & Veatch.  Courtney VanHemert is the department’s new Administrative Assistant.  VanHemert is completing her studies in Business Administration at Jackson Community College. 

“Bill, Chuck, and Courtney are terrific additions to this department.  Bill and Chuck’s depth of expertise is consistent with what people have come to expect from their interactions with Commonwealth.  The same can be said for Courtney’s professionalism and commitment to excellence, and it is my privilege to work alongside them as we continue growing this part of our business,” said Barnes.

Commonwealth offers a complete package of engineering and consulting services for clients and is proud to be listed among the 2012 Top 40 Design Firms by EC&M Magazine and the 2012 Top 500 Design Firms by Engineering News-Record (ENR).  Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, the company maintains principal offices in Mount Vernon, Washington and Atlanta, Georgia, along with offices in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Roanoke, Virginia, and Oakland, California.

For more information, please visit: www.cai-engr.com.

On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/commonwealthassociates

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/caiengr_dot_com

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Conferences, Speakers, and Expos -- Oh My!

This week, we're in sunny Orlando, Florida, for the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Expo.  It's certainly warm and only getting hotter as our booth visitors can register to win a hot new Kindle Fire.  On top of that, we're spicing things up by giving away tasty spice blend packets again this year.  You can find great recipes on our website to put those spices to the test.

Next week, we'll be in Baltimore, Maryland, for Electric Power 2012 where Commonwealth's Vice President of Power & Energy, Sam Barnes, will be co-presenting "My Coal Ash Pond Will Be Closed - What Do I Do With the Wastewater?" in a session about power plant wastewater and environmental compliance.

Last week, Commonwealth's Ian Hutt co-presented "Using Locational Marginal Prices to Estimate Real-Time Emissions From Electricity Use" to the Michigan Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals with Michelle Rogers, a graduate student at Wayne State University.

So, as you can see, we're not letting any grass grow under our feet.  Check back often to learn more about what we're doing to share knowledge, actively participate in the industry, and have fun in the process. 

WE'RE HIRING!

NEW! 

Power Generation & Energy Group Job Listings

Lead Mechanical Engineer

Department: Power Generation & Energy
Location: Jackson, MI
Reports to: Department Manager


Responsible for:
- Guiding junior-level engineers and designers in mechanical engineering design and engineering study efforts. 
- Working on challenging assignments that include investigating, trouble-shooting, and solving mechanical engineering issues involving boilers, balance of plant equipment, air pollution control equipment, steam turbines, gas turbines and water treatment systems. 
- Routine work, to include: developing integrated systems designs and performing supporting calculations; preparing technical specifications for mechanical engineering equipment; preparing engineering studies; performing independent reviews of work performed by others, including calculations and drawing preparation; coordinating and providing guidance to other engineers, project managers, client personnel, and suppliers to ensure a complete and timely design; performing reviews of existing facilities to propose upgrades and replacements and presenting findings and recommendations to clients and peers; and mentoring less-experienced engineers. 
- Potential project management of smaller projects. 

Requirements:
- 10 or more years of experience in the design of mechanical engineering systems for non-commercial heavy-industrial plants (power or chemical), with a focus on integrated, detailed system design for new plants, modifications, or replacements. Past experience should include selection of equipment, piping materials, and control philosophy, as well as preparation of performance sizing calculations and specifications. Sound working knowledge of heat balances or piping design is a plus. 
- Candidates must hold a BSME or MSME degree from an ABET-accredited university; be able to coordinate their work with others; have good leadership, communication, analytical and organizational skills; and have experience in serving as firm/client liaison in a support or lead engineering role. 


Construction, commissioning, and start-up experience is a plus.


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Instrumentation & Controls Engineer 
Department: Power Generation & Energy
Location: Jackson, MI
Reports to: Department Manager


This position offers you a great opportunity to be a part of an I&C engineering and design team engaged in design of distributed control systems, modifications to new and existing power generation facilities, and plant controls betterment projects. The ideal candidate will have experience with instrumentation and final control elements, distributed control systems, and programmable logic controllers as applied to power plant systems. Experience with logic diagrams, instrumentation installation details, piping and instrument diagrams, motor control schematics, specifications, studies, and cost estimating is desired. 


Requirements:
- 10+ years of applicable experience
- BS or MS degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited university
- Registration as a professional engineer. 
- Must have good communication, analytical, organizational and computer skills and be able to coordinate your work with others. 


We are looking for a person who has leadership skills, pays attention to accuracy, is detail oriented, can be responsible for self-directed learning, consistently meets deadlines, is able to work on several projects at a time, and can deliver both large and small projects.

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Business Unit News - Power Generation & Energy Group

Barnes to lead veteran team as Commonwealth 

expands power generation services

JACKSON, MI – Commonwealth Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that Samuel R. Barnes, P.E. has joined the company as Vice President of the Power Generation & Energy Group.  “With over 21 years’ experience in the design, installation, and project management of power generation projects, Sam is a tremendous asset to our team,” stated Commonwealth President, Dennis F. DeCosta, P.E. 

Barnes is a registered professional mechanical engineer in the state of Michigan and received his B.S. from the University of Michigan.  Prior to joining Commonwealth, he served as Vice President and Director of Engineering at HDR Engineering/Cummins & Barnard, Inc., in Ann Arbor.  DeCosta continued, “Sam brings the level of expertise in power generation that our clients have come to trust and expect from us in our other service areas, most notably our transmission and distribution work.  He was the obvious choice to lead our expansion into this area.”  “Commonwealth is an exceptional organization known in the industry for its technical excellence, strong client relationships, and professional integrity.  I am pleased to be able to serve in this new capacity and to build a best-in-class group for our clients,” commented Barnes.  Steven P. Yambor, P.E., widely considered a veteran in the power generation industry, stated, “Personally, I saw the vision, knew the potential, and, having previously worked with Sam, knew this was where I wanted to be.”

Commonwealth offers a complete package of engineering and consulting services for clients and is proud to be listed among the 2011 Top 40 Design Firms by EC&M Magazine and the 2011 Top 500 Design Firms by ENR.com.  The company maintains principal offices in Mount Vernon, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; and Jackson, Michigan, along with satellites in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio and Roanoke, Virginia.

For more information:, please visit: www.cai-engr.com.

On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/commonwealthassociates

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/caiengr_dot_com

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Coal ash pond closing? What now? Find out in Baltimore!

ELECTRIC POWER 2012, which will be held this year from May 15-17, in Baltimore, Maryland, is the largest coal power conference in the U.S.  Commonwealth's own Sam Barnes,  Vice President of Power Generation & Energy, will be a featured speaker.  Don't miss it!  See details below....  EP12 Session 8B Water & Wastewater Issues Wednesday, May 16 8:00 - 9:30 AM Rm 328 This session explores current and anticipated solutions to environmental challenges associated with power plant wastewater, including case studies covering ash pond water and wet FGD blowdown treatment.   Session Sub-Topics: Wet FGD Blowdown Treatment Coal Ash Pond Water Treatment Wastewater Characterizations Chair: Dr. Jerry Pell, Environmental Scientist. Project Manager; Office of Electricity (OE), U.S. Department of Energy Co-Chair: Ira Brodsky, AQCS Specialist, URS Corporation Speaker(s): My Coal Ash Pond Will Be Closed - What Do I Do With the Wastewater? Sam Barnes, Vice President - Power Generation and Energy, Commonwealth Associates, Inc. Passive Treatment of Coal Ash Leachate Eric McCleary, Restoration Ecologist, Greenhorne & O'Mara Inc. The Current and Future Use of Deep Injection Well Technology in the Power Generation Industry Edward McCullers, GM Deep Well Operations, Layne Christensen Company Co-Author(s): David McNabb, CEO, McNabb Hydrogeologic Consulting, Inc. Mark McNeal, CEO, ASRus, LLC Chemistry Data Collection for Statistical Analysis Matthew Heermann, Sargent & Lundy LLC ----- Speaker Bio

Sam Barnes is Vice President - Power Generation and Energy, Commonwealth Associates, Inc. He has 21 years of experience in the power industry. As a mechanical engineer and a project manager Sam has been involved in design, consulting and development of coal and gas fired plants. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSME and is a trustee on the board of Jackson Community College. Best Practice Story:  Whether or not coal ash becomes classified as hazardous waste, coal plant owners may be looking at converting their ash systems from wet to dry for any number of reasons. But what does this do to the plant's water mass balance and where will the process wastewater go? There are some steps that should be followed so that all effects are taken into consideration. First, start by characterizing the plant's wastewater flows for both quantity and quality. Future considerations that could add or take away from wastewater generation must be documented. Once a clear picture of the amount and nature of wastewater is known, modifications can be reviewed that will minimize the amount of wastewater generated. Modifications may include both physical changes and operational changes. Once wastewater generation has been minimized, treatment before release to an outfall must be considered. The final step is evaluation of appropriate treatment options and choosing the one that balances compliance, project cost and operating and maintenance costs. This paper will also address upcoming regulatory issues that will likely decide the extent of treatment necessary. The most likely treatment scenarios will also be addressed. -----