| Show Serving Utah’s Great Pahvant Valley Delta Utah $1500 In out of months $800 and $900 (In Advance) IPP Start-u- p but for the They call it thousands of IPP construction workers it is more accurately the beginning of the end the last five percent of work on the 750 megawatt Unit which will bring to life the technological wonders of a modern steam electric generating plant The term is deceptive in another way Though it connotates the simplicity of turning the key in your car of a sophisticated turignition bine powered generator is an 18 month process preceeded by no less than two year’s planning A special team of 51 engineers augmented by a corps of testing technicians and the operating trainees under the Intermountain Power Service Corporation comprise the group The task of coordinating this small army falls to Jeff Vaughn a 16 year veteran of power plant construction with LA Water and Power Unique opportunity Vaughn said that for he and his team is a unique opportunity which Copy Vol 75 No 32 Februarj 1985 14 Team works to roll the turbine! only few engineers experience "Often engineers are off in some far distant office with few chances to see the of their work gives us the chance to actually see it all come construction together: design is It etc engineering testing very satisfying to see the application of your technical direction and it makes you a better engineer” It is unlikely that Vaughn and his team will have much time to reflect on the joys of the job however Looming efforts is a Jularge behind all 1986 deadline for commercial ly power production and the knowledge that for everyday past that date the project will be accumulating up to $2 million in interest debt "We have a lot of pressure to get this plant on line We won’t have any time to wonder about how the plant should or shouldn’t have been built We have to take what we find and if it doesn’t work we have to find a solution and then move on Workaround is a term we will be using more and more" Vaughn said process The process of 1) verifying construction 2) doing all electrical checks and 3) energizing all of the 500 subsystems has already begun Kickoff was in December when power from the high voltage Mona Transmission line was converted down to a useable level Just last week new pumps began drawing water from the DMAD Reservoir to fill up the 90 acre reserve pond at the plant site Many small steps like these will be taken gradually as the team attempts to work toward major schedule: goals of the in the boiler re December the steam lines January run of turbine July March the turbine for commercial power on Unit 2 will begin January 1986 The five main systems in the generating station use three natural resources: coal water and air The five coal are combustion systems steamwater cooling water emission Gold Mine ends short but successful venture in Drum Mountains Though it has been a successful effort the latest chapter in the history of Millard County gold mining is coming to an end just 18 months after it began Since March of last year Western States Minerals has extracted over 5 million tons of rock from a lonely ridge in the Drum Mountains 35 miles northwest of Delta But mine officials claim that by May of this year all of the best deposits on the claim will be exhausted Progect Manager John Danio said exploration for other reserves in the area are being conducted by his company but there are no significant finds yet that would extend the life of the operation which originally was only pected to last until the end of 1984 “It is to everyone’s advantage to continue the life of this mine but we have to weigh the price of gold against the cost of mining and right now unless we can find some exceptional reserves we will unfortunately close this mine in May” Danio said Low grade ore The pit mine operation uses a relatively new process to extract disseminated gold ore from limestone sediment This type of low grade gold ore can be profitably tracted using this system if the selling price is right Since the spectacular prices of five years ago gold has dipped to a paltry $300 an ounce making s for such an operation the more marginal V USPS 25t The mine has been the source of for over 50 people employment of whom throughout its operation-3- 5 were trained locally as heavy equipment operators A team of six employees will stay at the site through 1985 to process the stock of ore at the mine Future prospects Prospects of future large scale gold mining operations in Millard County is a question looming large in the minds of hundreds of prospectors throughout the West Deseret area Though the Drum Mountain Mine is proof that low grade gold ore can be mined profitably development of other known deposits in this area have not yet been deemed w'orth the risk Mike Shubat of the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey said that gold ore has been very successful in several areas of Central was where the process Nevada pioneered just 20 years ago Western State’s Drum Mine however is one of Utah’s first successful ventures into the area “No one knows the potential for gold mining in Utah’s west desert It could be there is just more gold in Nevada but on the other hand there has not been as much exploration in Utah” Shubat said Though the mining slump will not help prospects for future Millard County operations Shubat explained that gold remains one of the few minerals which continues to haunt the dreams of west desert prospectors “Right with the mining slump gold is the thing of interest even with the down That’s because these new process can turn a profit off low grade ore” he said and waste disposal Complex coordination These systems work in complex coordination toward a basically simple end: the heat from burning coal turns water to steam The steam spins a turbine which is attached to an electrical generator producing electrical power But within the closed loop which recycles 6 million pounds of water power needed every hour to produce 750 megawatts there are 500 subsystems and this is where it really gets complicated is really a test ot planning "Start-uand teamwork” Vaughn said “A process like this can get to be organized confusion But am impressed with the has amount of planning this seen and the quality of the team of engineers that have been put together to accomplish this thing” II your not an IPP worker you won’t hear much about the team in the next few months as they go about the tedious business of checking and rechecking every connection joint and bearing in the vast complex of Unit Steam pipe hlowout Then sometime in January you will literallbe hearing a lot from y a sonic blast as the team cranks up the steam pumps and blows out the pipes "It is likely you will be able to hear the noise in Delta" Vaughn said “And it will be uncomfortable to be at the plant during the short bursts" Blowing out the steam pipes protects the precious turbine blades from bits of material which would pit and damage it It also signals the approaching task of rolling the tut bine lor the first time which will occur sometime in the spring ol 1986 'I he turbine will be shut dow n alter an initial test run so that beatings can be checked pollution controls Then spected and leaks mended somewhere around the end of June the word ill go out to roll the tut bine and then as Manager aughn said "It'll be Miller Time” S now only price even is a simple process of ore removal followed by a more complicated chemical extraction process done on the mine site After the ore is blasted out of the pit it is piled several feet deep on a graded surface A cyanide solution sprayed over the pile leaches through the ore and runs off to a collecting pond From there the "pregnant” solution is pumped to the top of metal towers filled with activated charcoal which absorbs the minute quantities of gold Danio explained that a traditional hard rock mining process requires at least Vi to Vi ounces of gold per ton to be profitable The dissiminated gold in the limestone sediment is a tenth of that amount After the charcoal has absorbed the gold the solution is removed to a "strip tank” and heated This separates the gold from the carbon and makes a high cells grade solution then takes the gold out of solution and back to solid form Finally electrolytic furnaces melt the ore so that it can he poured into relatively pure (80 percent) “dore’ ” bars Newly elected Second ice President of the Utah Tire Chief's Association is shbv seen Delta Tire Chief Bryce here posing by a brand new $22000 quick responseoff road fire truck 1 he truck was paid in part by IPP Impact Mitigation funding and is the first of is three new trucks the department slated to receive Delta Fire Chief gets appointment to association position Delta Fire Chief Bryce Ashby has been elected Second Vice President of the Utah State Fire Chief’s Association for the year This is the first time a rural fire duel has been elected to such a position in the association The association is active in keeping chiefs abreast of developments in techniques and technologv Chief Ashby has been active in the group during the past seven years that he has been Delta’s ire Chief He has served the Delta Fire department for IT years Chief Ashby started with the department when it had but one truck and a 15 member force Todav the departand ment's numbers sophistication have grown to meet the demands of a growing population The chief supervises a 25 member voluteer force equipped with the lustest New in protective gear and equipment tire trucks added to the department's inventory will soon be housed in an panded garage across from the city building “Ten years ago we would respond to about 25 calls in a year ast year we responded to 87 calls and many of them were of the more serious structure and hie threatening variety" the Chief sard In addition the department has doubled the number of inspections it conducts each year and has attempted to dissuninate fire prevention information to the general public as well as advanced training to its own volunteers Takes State! DeltaMillard Too Champs (See story page 7) Fric Searle Millard Champ 132 lbs Niel Pikyavit Millard Champ Unlimited Andrew Nielson Delta Champ 98 lbs Delta's triumphant wrestling coach I add Holman holds aloft the hiatus which returns to its rightful place after a 2 trophy I |
