Contact: Mel Torre
Phone: (212) 591-8157
E-mail: torrem@asme.org

NEW YORK, May 12, 2003 - An electric power facility in Eddystone, Pa., one of the earliest large-scale power plants in the United States to use supercritical steam for higher efficiencies, will receive a special recognition from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME International).

The 120,000-member ASME will name the Eddystone Unit 1 a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark at a ceremony to be held May 17, 2003, at the site of the power plant on the Delaware River in Eddystone. ASME landmarks are selected as examples of progress in the history of mechanical engineering.

The coal-fired Eddystone Unit 1, built in 1960, incorporated nascent engineering methodologies and thinking regarding steam power. Engineers who designed the plant reworked the thermodynamics, applying high temperatures and pressures to large machine components in an effort to gain efficiency. The process required an entirely new approach to sizing the steam turbines, as well as major innovations in the seals, shaft and control valves.

In later years, engineers assigned to Eddystone Unit 1 reduced the temperature and pressure conditions slightly, providing significant cost improvements and creating the model for today's supercritical steam generating power facilities.

Eddystone Unit 1, a 325 MW facility, currently operates along with three other electric power plants in the Eddystone Generating Station owned by Exelon Generation. The four plants can provide power to about 1.5 million residents in the Philadelphia area.

Eddystone Unit 1 and Unit 2, both coal-burning units, have been retrofitted for pollution control. Eddystone Unit 3 and Unit 4 operate on oil or natural gas, depending on market conditions.

The dedication ceremony on May 17 will commence at 11 am. The ceremony will include an oral history of the power plant and presentation of a bronze plaque to Exelon.

Eddystone Unit 1 power plant in 1960 "was the most efficient in the nation," says the ASME plaque. "The knowledge gained from its successful operation made it the model for today's high-efficiency steam electric stations."

ASME International sponsors the Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks program. Since its inception in 1971, 226 designations have been placed on its roster. They include landmarks, sites and collections of importance in the history of mechanical engineering.

The 120,000-member ASME International is a worldwide engineering society focused on technical, educational and research issues. It conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds some 30 technical conferences and 200 professional development courses each year, and sets many industrial and manufacturing standards.