The Las Vegas convention center will welcome exhibitors and delegates to POWER-GEN International and MUCLEAR POWER International. POWER-GEN International and NUCLEAR POWER International return to Las Vegas in December for the first time since 2005. It's a safe bet you'll find something of interest in the days of technical tours, workshops, conference sessions and exhibit hall openings that will be offered.

Returning this year is the highly popular and successful Energy Provider registration program. Here's how* it works. Any entity that generates electricity qualifies for the program. For a single $1,000 registration fee, Energy Providers may send an unlimited number of delegates to both POWER-GEN International and NUCLEAR POWER International. That includes Keynote Sessions, conference sessions, exhibition hall access and delegate lunches. Discounts are also available for pre-conference workshops. For details, contact me at 918-831-9866 or by email at davidw(R) pennwell.com.

Speaking of pre-conference workshops, they get underway on Sunday, Dec. 6, with four courses. "Basic Gas Turbine Metallurgy and Component RePaLr" explains superalloy materials, component damage experienced from service exposure, techniques used to analyze the remaining life of components removed from service, protective coatings, component repair technologies and quality assurance of repairs. The seminar includes many case study examples and involves attendees in developing component repair solutions.

"Understanding Fossil Power Plant Performance Using First Principles Models" is designed to provide attendees with an appreciation for how power plant components operate and interact with one another from a thermal performance perspective. Each trainee will be provided with a computer having an interactive, first principles fossil plant model complete with a boiler heat transfer model, utility reheat steam rurbine, feedwater heater train, condenser, feed pumps and steam seal system. Participants will make changes to the plant model and learn about their cascading effects on surrounding components, as well as overall plant performance.

"An Introduction to the Design, Operation and Evaluation of Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants" is for energy industry professionals interested in parabolic trough solar power plant technology and project development. This seminar provides project developers, power industry engineers and executives with an understanding of the principles of design, performance and economic evaluation of parabolic trough power plants, including thermal energy storage and hybridization with natural gas.

"Power Plant Construction Management - A Guide to Survival" is a perennial favorite among new construction and outage management personnel with responsibilities for planning, developing and/or mnning major power plant construction projects. In today's power plant construction world, safety, cash flow, change orders and schedule are the parameters for success; this one-day course will cover the management of all of diese.