Babcock & Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed capacity in over 90 countries around the world.[1] During World War II, over half of the American US Navy fleet was powered by Babcock & Wilcox boilers.[2]
The company has its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina with major operations in Lynchburg, Virginia; Barberton, Ohio; West Point, Mississippi; Mount Vernon, Indiana; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Erwin, Tennessee; Euclid, Ohio; and, Cambridge, Ontario.
Business units
Nuclear Energy Group
B&W Nuclear Energy, Inc. (B&W NE) was formed in 2010 by the merger of two B&W business units, Nuclear Power Generation Group (B&W NPG) and Modular Nuclear Energy (B&W MNE). The combined company will specialize in providing products and services to the North American and worldwide commercial nuclear power industry, including the recently announced mPower modular nuclear reactor. B&W is the only North American company to continuously manufacture nuclear steam generators for the commercial nuclear power industry since the 1950s. B&W NE's headquarters are located in Charlotte, NC.
Nuclear Operations Group
B&W Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. (B&W NOG) specializes in the design and manufacture of nuclear products and services for U.S. government applications. B&W NOG has four operating locations throughout the United States. B&W NOG's Barberton, Ohio, and Mount Vernon, Indiana, locations specialize in the design and manufacture of large, heavy components. B&W NOG facilities in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Euclid, Ohio, design and supply components for United States government programs. Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) is a subsidiary of B&W NOG, located in Erwin, Tennessee. B&W NOG's headquarters are located in Lynchburg, Virginia.[3]
Power Generation Group
B&W Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG) is based in Barberton, Ohio and provides engineering, design, construction and manufacturing services to the fossil and renewable power generation sectors and to heavy industry worldwide. B&W PGG and its subsidiaries have facilities in Ohio; Indiana; Mississippi; Beijing, China; Esbjerg, Denmark; and technology licensees around the world.[4]
Technical Services Group
B&W Technical Services Group, Inc. (B&W TSG) manages complex, high-consequence nuclear and national security operations, including nuclear production facilities and the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. B&W TSG also provides a broad range of technical services to the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration's operations. Headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia and with regional offices in Oak Ridge, Tenn., B&W TSG operates three businesses: managing and operating large manufacturing or site closure contracts for the U.S. government, facilitating laboratory services and managing technical services.[5] B&W TSG operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, and is a member of the Los Alamos National Security, LLC. They hold the contract to manage the Pantex plant in Texas, alongside Honeywell and Bechtel Corporation. They are also a part of Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS), which was awarded the Management & Operation (M&O) contract to operate Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, on May 8, 2007, to commence on October 1, 2007. This boiler is internally fired and water tube boiler.
Other related companies
- B&W Technical Services Clinch River, LLC
- Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
- Los Alamos National Security, LLC
- B&W Technical Services Pantex, LLC (Pantex)
- B&W Technical Services Y-12, LLC (Y-12)
- Bechtel BWXT Idaho (Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project)
- Battelle Energy Alliance Idaho National Laboratory
- UT-Battelle, LLC
- DM Petroleum Operations Company (Strategic Petroleum Reserve)
- Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
- Generation mPower, LLC
- Diamond Power International, Inc.
- B&W Canada, Ltd.
- Intech International, Inc.
History
- In 1867, Providence, Rhode Island, residents Stephen Wilcox and his partner George Herman Babcock patented the Babcock & Wilcox Non-Explosive Boiler, which used tubing to generate higher pressures and was more efficient than existing designs.[2]
- In 1891, Babcock & Wilcox Ltd is established as a separate United Kingdom company, to be responsible for all sales outside the US and Cuba.[6]
- In 1898, Robert Jurenka and Alois Seidl signed an agreement with the British Babcock & Wilcox Ltd to make the Berlin, Germany Babcock sales office into a subsidiary of the British company; a factory in Oberhausen in the Ruhr district made the boiler designed by the American engineers.[7]
- In 1902 the New York City's first subway is powered by B&W boilers.[8]
- During 1907 and 1909 Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet were powered by B&W Boilers.
- In 1929 B&W installs the world's first commercial size recovery boiler using the magnesium bisulfite process in Quebec, Canada.[9]
- Between 1941 and 1945 B&W designed and delivered 4,100 marine boilers for combat and merchant ships, including 95 percent of the US fleet in Tokyo Bay at Japanese surrender.
- In 1942, the company developed the cyclone furnace.
- Between 1943 and 1945 B&W provided components, materials and process development for Manhattan Project.[2]
- Between 1953 and 1955 B&W designed and fabricated components for USS Nautilus (SSN-571), world’s first nuclear-powered submarine .
- In 1961 B&W designed and supplied reactors for world’s first commercial nuclear ship NS Savannah.
- In 1962 B&W designed and furnished reactor systems for first commercial reactor, Indian Point, using HEU 233.
- In 1975 B&W designed and built components for liquid metal fast breeder reactors.
- In 1975 the long term business agreements with the British Babcock & Wilcox Ltd were ended. Subsequently, the British company was renamed Babcock International Group plc.
- In 1978 B&W designed and built the nuclear reactor that was involved in the Three Mile Island accident.
- In 1999 B&W was awarded the contract to develop fuel cells and steam reforming for US Navy.
- On February 22, 2000, B&W filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in part as a result of thousands of claims for personal injury due to prolonged exposure to asbestos and asbestos fibers. Claims included asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. As a condition of emerging from bankruptcy, B&W created a trust fund to compensate victims, but for amounts far less than settlements paid in individual personal injury lawsuits.[10]
- After B&W emerged from bankruptcy in 2006, B&W and BWX Technologies, both subsidiaries of the McDermott International, Inc., merged on 26 November 2007 to form The Babcock and Wilcox Companies, headed by President John Fees. The old company logo was changed.
- On June 10, 2009, B&W unveiled B&W Modular Nuclear Energy, LLC (B&W MNE).[11] On the same day, B&W MNE announced its plans to design and develop the B&W mPower reactor, a modular, scalable nuclear reactor. The B&W mPower reactor design is a 125 megawatt, passively safe Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) (a Generation III reactor) with a below-ground containment structure.[12] The reactor is set to be manufactured in a factory, shipped by rail, then buried underground.[13][14]
- On May 12, 2010, B&W announced that it and its subsidiaries would be spun off from its parent company, McDermott International, Inc.[15]
- On August 2, 2010, B&W began trading on the New York Stock Exchange as BWC.[16]
See also
References
- ^ "B&W Power Generation Group: Facts and Figures". http://www.babcock.com/business_units/power_gen_group/facts.html. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ a b c "About B&W - History". http://www.babcock.com/about/history.html. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ http://www.babcock.com/library/pdf/E4011000.pdf Nuclear Operations for a Secure Tomorrow
- ^ http://www.babcock.com/library/pdf/E1013191.pdf Power Generation for the Future
- ^ http://www.babcock.com/library/pdf/E3011000.pdf Technical Services that Deliver Solutions
- ^ "Records of Babcock International Group plc." Glasgow University Archive Services
- ^ "Deutsche Babcock AG--Company History". fundinguniverse.com. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/DEUTSCHE-BABCOCK-AG-Company-History.html. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Records of Babcock International Group plc, boiler makers and engineers, England". http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/0609babcock.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ "B&W Power Generation Group: Company History". http://www.babcock.com/business_units/power_gen_group/facts_co_history.html. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Babcock+&+Wilcox+Bankruptcy+Reorganization+Bar+Date+Notice+and+Claims...-a067463016 Babcock & Wilcox Bankruptcy Reorganization Bar Date Notice and Claims Process Begins; Includes Apollo and Parks Township, Pennsylvania Nuclear Contamination And Radiation Claims
- ^ http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/47655382.html Babcock & Wilcox plans modular reactor
- ^ http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-BandW_unveils_modular_reactor_design-1006095.html B&W unveils modular nuclear power design
- ^ DiSavino, Scott (Jun 10, 2009). "McDermott B&W unit unveils small nuclear reactor". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN1044654820090610. Retrieved Jun 10, 2009.
- ^ Katherine Ling and GreenWire (June 10, 2009). "Company Calls New Small Nuclear Reactor a 'Game Changer'". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/06/10/10greenwire-company-calls-new-small-nuclear-reactor-a-game-45123.html. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ Gentry, B.:http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/business/local/article/fees_bw_spinoff_aiming_for_june_30_completion/26899/, The News & Advance, May 12, 2010
- ^ "The Babcock & Wilcox Company Begins Trading Today on the New York Stock Exchange". BUSINESS WIRE. Aug 2, 2010. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=236851&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1455002&highlight=. Retrieved Aug 4, 2010.
External links