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Created Wastes Ignored
Re: Waste Feeds Generators, The PEGG, March 2002.
I am quite surprised at the misinformation in this article.
It implies that there will be a halt to burning of waste wood
(biomass) at these facilities. "Burning no more,"
reads the photo caption. However, the fact of the matter is
that the waste heat boiler burns the biomass and produces
both solid and gaseous emissions.
There is a clear intention not to discuss these emissions.
In fact the flow diagram on page 12 fails to show the off-gases
from the boiler stack and does not address where the ash from
the boiler goes. For example, it does not mention how the
acids produced in the combustion process are handled or the
combustion efficiency of the boiler.
As a member of APEGGA I am concerned about this type of reporting.
It is one-sided and is not engineering oriented. It is at
best an advertisement for the parties involved.
Tony Galloway, P.Eng.
Calgary
Court Decision Response Unnecessary
Re: APEGGA's response to the court's decision in the case
of Willy McCaffrey (APEGGA's Mandate Has Not Changed. . .,
The PEGG, March 2002.)
My goodness! Such outrage. Your response reminds me of the
kid in the sandbox whose toy was just taken. Imagine - an
authority greater than yourselves with the audacity to disagree
with you. Outrageous indeed!
Murray D. Weatherhead, P.Eng.
Calgary
Why the Infomercial?
Re: Trusting That Gut Feeling, The PEGG, March 2002.
I would like to know when the PEGG became a venue for "infomercials"
disguised as articles. The article ended with a description
of an upcoming leadership retreat, and gave a website. A
visit to the website results in viewing an advertisement
for a three-day course
costing $2,400 (well, only $2,200 for early registration).
Is this the kind of article we are to expect from now on in
The PEGG? Is
this part of a plan to completely deplete readership?
Karl Miller, P.Eng.
Calgary
As Long as It's Correct
Re: Stop Mixing Measurement Systems, Readers' Forum, The
PEGG, April 2002.
Kevin Moorman, P.Eng., bashes mixing different systems of
measurement and the
very use of the imperial system. While he makes some valid
points, I
cannot accept his overly agitated tone and misplaced passion.
This matter is
certainly not as hot as he sees it.
The imperial system is archaic, yes; but it has served the
mankind for
centuries and for that alone, it deserves some respect. We
are not the first
nor the last people here; we are living in an environment
created by
previous generations, and these generations mostly used the
imperial system.
To me, when dealing with existing facilities, 20 feet makes
a lot more sense
than 6,096 mm, 40 p.s.f. sounds more natural than 1.9 kPa;
and when I drive on
Icefields Parkway and see a sign saying that vehicles over
4,550 kg are
prohibited on this road, I can't help laughing. Those who
mindlessly
converted 10,000 pounds to the metric system forgot that 10,000
is a round
number, and is appropriate here, whereas after seeing the
4,550, one can only
ask: "How on earth did they manage to calculate it with
such precision?" It
is just one of the myriad examples around us when common sense
is sacrificed
to a political campaign.
I was born and trained as engineer in Russia, and till age
33 I never
knew what a foot and a pound was; still, it didn't make me
a genius to
figure that out when I started practicing in Canada. I often
use mixed units
in the same formula in my calculations, and it's OK as long
as you are
careful with the conversion factors.
But the same holds true when you use any system of measurement;
not to confuse meters with millimeters, kN/mm2 with MPa, and
so on. And this problem is not unique to Canada. In early
1980s when the Soviet Union signed SI convention, there was
an attempt, in the weather forecasts, to call the atmospheric
pressure in hectopascals.
Guess what? In three months it was all rolled back to millimeters
of mercury.
Custom and tradition are real factors, not to be taken lightly.
Mr. Moorman says that he "cannot accept any argument
against switching to SI." Probably so; but who cares?
Good designs, as well as bad designs, can
be prepared using any system of measurement.
Konstantin Ashkinadze, P.Eng.
Edmonton
Kyoto Position Needed
Re: A Busy Year of Building Your Association, President's
Notebook, the PEGG, April 2002.
While I am hesitant to criticize President Dale Miller, P.Eng.,
and the APEGGA
Council in discharging their essentially volunteer duties,
I must challenge
the assertion that "there still remains no dominant issue
threatening APEGGA." How could the President and Council
have arrived at
this state of denial?
I am referring to the Alberta government's position of rejecting
the Kyoto protocols, and APEGGA's reaction to that decision:
apparently none. In my opinion APEGGA should either be opposing
the provincial decision or actively pursuing a reassessment
of the 1992 Rio/1997 Kyoto action recommendation process.
Since Kyoto strikes at the heart of APEGGA's Mission, protecting
the public, I would have hoped that Council would have acted
in full confidence of membership support.
H. Neal Collins, P.Eng.
Calgary
Editor's Note: Although Council has not
been involved in the current debate over Kyoto, in the July
1999 edition of The PEGG, the following policy statement on
climate change was published:
APEGGA's professional membership represents a broad spectrum
of individual positions on climate change. APEGGA remains
neutral with respect to specific climate change targets. APEGGA
does not favour any specific sector's position.
However, in response to the climate change issue, APEGGA does
support:
1) the efficient and responsible use of our energy and natural
resources
2) continuing dialogue to facilitate understanding among APEGGA
members and with the broader public
3) ongoing awareness of, and due regard for, linkages between
climate change and other environmental concerns. APEGGA's
Environmental Guideline provides further guidance to its members
4) continuing research to develop cost-effective and socially
acceptable technologies to address climate change concerns
5) key business and individual consumer actions to improve
energy efficiency as identified in Alberta's Strategy for
Action on Climate Change.
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