Alps Welding can meet the changing needs of the power industry

Power generation is one industry in particular where equipment manufacturers must be flexible, as new technologies and opportunities often arise.

For instance, according to an article recently published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a team of mechanical and aerospace engineers from UCLA are working on a new solution for energy storage. The system uses a combination of compressed air storage and thermal energy storage technology.

New energy storage method

According to a UCLA professor on the team, Pirouz Kavenhpour, this type of system is an ideal way to store power from wind turbines and solar panels.

“Compressor energy storage works cheap when you have an alternative source like solar or wind. You store high-pressure air in a container and, when you need it, then you just deploy the pressurized air to a turbine to use for electricity.”

UCLA says one of the main challenges with this type of compressed air storage is that it generates a lot of heat. As a result, the pressure vessels have to be made from materials that will stand up to both the high pressures and temperatures. This requirement can make the process too expensive. The team is continuing to develop the technology with the ultimate goal of bringing it to the market.

Manufacturing for the future

Alps Welding is one ASME member that is well equipped to meet the changing needs of the power generation industry. The company prides itself on its manufacturing flexibility, and has experience serving markets ranging from food processing to oil and gas extraction and refining. For more than 40 years, the company has been custom fabricating a wide variety of equipment, such as pressure vessels, stacks, heat exchangers, piping systems and more.

Alps Welding works with a wide range of materials to offer solutions for any requirement. No matter if the project involves high or low temperature extremes, sour service or highly corrosive environments, the company can build the appropriate equipment. Some of the materials it typically works with include a range of carbon and stainless steels, Monel, Hastelloy and titanium. 

For more information on the company’s capabilities, contact Alps Welding.

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