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The study's objective is to evaluate and compare the sustainability of power production techniques for India's transition to clean power generation. It specifically focuses on coal-based power generation with emission control technologies, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and compares it with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the environmental impact of electricity generation in each scenario. Inventory data has been collected for each case through plant visits, emission modelling, and literature searches. The study evaluated midpoint and endpoint impact indicators utilizing the ReCiPe (H) assessment methodology. The economic viability of all the cases was determined by calculating the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The results showed that retrofitting an existing power plant with flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) reduced efficiency by 30%, required 1.2 times more auxiliary power, and increased heat rates. The LCA results showed that the global warming potential (GwP) for FGD and CCS together was 0.614 kg CO2 eq. per kWh of power generation. On the other hand, the GwP for the solar PV system was much lower, at 0.043 kg CO2 eq. per kWh. There were trade-offs in both cases, but solar PV plants are more environmentally friendly than thermal power plants equipped with CCS systems in almost all categories. Furthermore, the LCOE results showed Rs 3.87 per kWh for an on-grid solar PV plant and Rs 5.33 for thermal power, with CCS and FGD showing solar as an economically more feasible option. Retrofitting thermal power facilities with emission control technology is necessary to achieve net zero emissions, but transition to renewable energy sources is inevitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aspiration to reach the net zero carbon target has initiated new ideas for the sustainable development of the world economy. However, it has also accelerated the formation of stranded assets in high-carbon-emitting companies. Taking a Chinese thermal power company as an example, this paper proposes a model to estimate the degree of impairment loss for thermal power companies by integrating the net present value model with forward-looking carbon emission pathways under different policy intervention scenarios. The results show that under the low-carbon transition scenario with different policy interventions, the percentage of impairment loss of thermal power companies reaches up to 64.09%. Furthermore, impairment losses formed by stranded assets in the thermal power sector impose a severe shock on the national economy, as most of the impairment losses will ultimately be borne by the state treasury. Compared with conventional thermal power generation, new-energy power generation has a weak performance in delaying company bankruptcy caused by stranded assets. Therefore, in the process of a low-carbon transition, governmental departments should focus on the impairment loss of thermal power companies caused by stranded assets and should further integrate "green support" and "brown punishment" policies to effectively promote the low-carbon transition of thermal power companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation aims to develop the green methodology based on phytoextracts to enrich coal quality in thermal power stations. High ash content in domestic coals is one of the serious problems in thermal power generation in India. This results in high specific coal consumption, transportation losses, environmental issues, increase in operational problems in generating stations, etc. Coal beneficiation technologies are based on physical and chemical methods. The chemical methods of reducing ash content are costly, hazardous, and difficult to handle in large scale. In this context, "biomethods" based on treating the coal with "bio-extracts" of the plants to increase the quality of coal are interesting. The bio-extract of Citrus limon plant is identified to effectively decrease the content of metal oxides (ash) in 212-μ fine coal powder on digestion under "condensate distillation (100 °C)" for optimum period of 1.0 h in the pH range 4–6. The method is applied to the coals of various sources used in Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (Dr NTTPS), Vijayawada, India. The percentage of ash content in the coal is decreased to the designed levels of the boilers of Dr NTTPS, and thereby, optimum combinations of fixed carbon with volatile matter are achieved for ideal combustion. The coals before and after treatment are characterized by XRD and IR analysis in addition to proximate and ultimate analysis. A prototype simulator is designed with the optimum conditions established at the laboratory scale. To apply the finding for the entire power station, modifications are suggested in the crusher house of thermal power station. The developed method is effective in reducing the cost of power generation from Rs 2.38 to Rs 1.91 per unit of power. This results in savings of many crores of rupees per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous penetration of renewable energies, thermal power plants are facing more frequent and wider variable load operation. The control of high order, large inertia superheated steam temperature processes in power plants is facing a great challenge. Therefore, a phase compensation based active disturbance rejection control (PC-ADRC) strategy for a class of high-order, large-inertia processes is proposed. Firstly, the working principles and control problems of SST system are illustrated. Then, the phase compensation (PC) network model is derived carefully by low-frequency approximation. A model simplification method is presented, in which the PC is adopted to compensate process dynamics and obtain reduced-order plant equivalently. To facilitate engineering applications, its simple implementation and equivalent model analysis for the PC-ADRC system are also given. At last, the stability and robustness of the PC-ADRC control system are theoretically studied. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed controller can effectively improve the robustness and fast response ability of the high-order process control system.

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The rapid penetration of intermittent renewable power puts pressure on the stability and reliability of power grids. To address this tissue, coal-fired power plants play an increasingly important role in providing the peak shaving service. Moreover, the high-level layout of turbine can significantly reduce the amount of high temperature resistant materials and thus improve the economics of ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plants. The exergy and exergy economic models were developed to obtain the performance of ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plants with high-level layout of turbine under load-cycling operation conditions. By analyzing the exergy economic of coal-fired power plants under different loads, and the distribution of irreversibilities was obtained. The results show that the exergy efficiency of the high pressure turbine can be improved by optimizing the parameters. Moreover, the cost of electricity per unit with the high-level layout is 0.332 4 yuan/(kW⋅h). The exergy price of electricity generation decreases with the increase of load.

Copyright of Power Generation Technology is the property of Power Generation Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aiming at the frequent occurrence of induced draft fan faults in thermal power units, a kind of induced draft fan fault warning method based on big data analysis was proposed.Taking the induced draft fan of a 330 MW thermal power unit as the research object, 11 kinds of characteristic information closely related to its working state were extracted. After data pretreatment, a state prediction model of the induced draft fan was established based on BP neural network, and its error met the requirements of engineering. Using distributed control system (DCS) and safety instrumentation system (SIS), a set of induced draft fan state warning system was designed, and the visual interface of this warning system was developed. When the measured value of a certain feature information exceeds the safety threshold of the predicted value of the model, the system will remind the operator to carry out maintenance and troubleshooting, so as to realize an effective early warning of the induced draft fan fault.

The high pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the air preheater in coal-fired power plants has always been a problem that plagues the operation of the power plant. If the pressure difference of the air preheater can be predicted in advance and adjusted in time, it will be beneficial to the safe operation of the power plant. Based on the distributed control system (DCS) big data of a 660 MW coal-fired boiler, the BP neural network and support vector regression (SVR) methods were used to model the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of air preheater in the power plant.Comparing the prediction results of the two models, it is found that the BP neural network model is more suitable for the prediction of the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the air preheater under the background of big data. Aiming at the inherent shortcomings of BP neural network model such as local optimization and slow convergence speed, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) was used to improve it, and a PSO-BP neural network model was proposed. The results show that the PSO-BP neural network model has the best comprehensive performance, the highest accuracy in predicting the change in the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the air preheater, and the strongest generalization ability.

[Display omitted] Gallium-based room-temperature liquid metals (LMs) have unique physicochemical properties; however, their high surface tension, low flowability, and high corrosiveness to other materials limit their advanced processing (including precise shaping) and application. Consequently, LM-rich free-flowing powders, named "dry LMs" that offer the inherent advantages of dry powders, should play a critical role in expanding the application scope of LMs. A general method of preparing silica-nanoparticle-stabilized LMs in the form of LM-rich powders (>95 wt% LM) is developed. Dry LMs can be simply prepared by mixing LMs with silica nanoparticles in a planetary centrifugal mixer in the absence of solvents. As a sustainable dry-process route alternative to wet-process routes, this ecofriendly and simple method of dry LM fabrication has several advantages, e.g., high throughput, scalability, and low toxicity owing to the lack of organic dispersion agents and milling media. Moreover, the unique photothermal properties of dry LMs are used for photothermal electric power generation. Thus, dry LMs not only pave the way for the use of LMs in powder form but also provide a new opportunity for expanding their application scope in energy conversion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal power generation is the largest source of electricity and CO2 emission in China. CO2 emission reduction in thermal power generation industry is an important guarantee for the smooth realization of the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutralization”. In order to explore the development path of China’s thermal power generation technology under the background of “carbon peaking and carbon neutralization”, combined with the analysis of development process of China’s thermal power generation industry and the prospect of China’s medium and long-term power consumption structure, we predicted that China’s thermal power generation technology will change from focusing on high parameter and high efficiency to peak shaving flexibility. Through the discussion and study of the ultra-high parameter thermal power generation technology, flexible peak shaving technology, IGCC/IGFC technology, it is found that the development of ultra-high parameter thermal power generation technology is limited by high temperature resistant materials. Moreover, the flexible transformation can effectively extend the life cycle of thermal power generation technology. IGCC/IGFC power generation technology was believed to be a clean-coal power generation technology with high efficiency and flexibility, and the application scenario of coal-gas (oil)-electricity integrated energy base was further proposed. Looking forward to 2060, it is suggested to strengthen the study of coal gasification/purification technology, fuel cell power generation technology and IGFC system integrated control technology, to help China achieve carbon neutralization

Copyright of Power Generation Technology is the property of Power Generation Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Power Generation Technology is the property of Power Generation Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coal combustion remains the primary source of thermal power generation, contributing to approximately half of China's electricity supply. As China strives towards the goals of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality", the issue of carbon emissions ascends to critical importance in the thermal power industry. The delicate balance between preserving electricity production capacity and curbing carbon emissions presents a considerable challenge to thermal power enterprise management. This paper models the incentive and organizational dilemmas arising from these conflicting tasks in thermal power generation enterprises, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of single-agent and multi-agent systems. Two practical scenarios are examined: (1) the "Two Mountains" theory propounded by the Chinese government, which attaches equal importance to thermal power production and carbon emission control, and (2) the 2022 Chinese summer electricity crisis, in which thermal power production takes on a dominant role. Through comparative static analysis of both single-agent and multi-agent models under these circumstances, this study concludes that, in the first scenario, the multi-agent model outperforms the single-agent model by enhancing agent effort levels and bolstering government revenue. However, when power supply emerges as the chief concern of thermal power enterprises, centralized management of a single-agent is more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering for Thermal Energy & Power / Reneng Dongli Gongcheng is the property of Journal of Engineering for Thermal Energy & Power and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Power Generation Technology is the property of Power Generation Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the regional health loss due to the air pollution of a coal-fired power plant is analyzed by using the atmospheric dispersion model. AERMOD was used to simulate the increment concentration map of point source emission, and the GIS geographic information system was used to displace the distribution of air pollution concentration and regional health loss in grid receptors. The data of the continuous automatic monitoring facilities and the source of pollution sources were analyzed. Moreover, the effects of emissions, seasons, population, and distance on the simulated concentration were evaluated. The various influencing factors of air pollution concentration were evaluated.the R2 value of the empty product prediction map in summer has a better correlation with the concentration from monitor station, between 0.38 and 0.83, and the sulphur dioxide correlation has the best R2 value of 0.83. AERMOD was used to combined with pollutant emissions, weather, and terrain data, to simulate the distribution of rising concentration values due to coal-fired power plant emissions within the research area, and the study used the simulated rising concentration values to calculate the health loss. [1] The study used health loss of 25,647,291,161 NTD/year and medical loss of 319,153,198 NTD/year.

Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is an important alternative fuel that can help the State of California meet several greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and renewable energy targets. Despite considerable potential, current RNG use on national and state levels are not significant. RNG production potential in California through thermochemical conversion was evaluated as part of this project by assessing technical biomass availability in the state. Biomass feedstocks are defined broadly and include most carbonaceous matter including waste. The types of waste biomass available in the state are classified into three categories: municipal solid waste (MSW), agricultural residue and forest residue. A total of 32.1 million metric tonnes per year (MMT/year) of biomass is estimated to be technically available in the state. The energy content of this biomass is equivalent to approximately 602.4 million mmbtu/year. A survey of current renewable electricity generation and curtailment trends in California was conducted. Real-time data show significant curtailment throughout the year totaling more than 1,300 GWh from 2016 to early 2019. Power to gas and other forms of long-term storage integrated into the electric grid can mitigate these losses and enable smooth integration of additional renewables into the grid. Oxygen/air blown gasification, hydrogasification and pyrolysis are the three major technology options available for thermochemical biomass conversion to a gaseous fuel, including RNG. Although there are no commercial thermochemical biomass to RNG conversion facilities in operation, a number of gasification and pyrolysis technologies are undergoing pilot scale demonstration and development. Design basis for two thermochemical and power to gas conversion projects were developed as part of this project. Life cycle and economic analysis were conducted for the recommended processes.View the NCST Project Webpage

With the increasingly severe environmental problems, cleaner production has become one of the necessary means to alleviate the problem. The "near-zero emission" technology of thermal power generation is an active attempt of traditional power generation enterprises to further improve the level of clean coal utilization and promote the flue gas emission from conventional management to lean management. The analysis and evaluation of "near-zero emission" technology of thermal power generation in China are conducive to enhancing the scientific understanding of the overall situation of air pollution in China and thus further analyzing the current situation and future development path of thermal power emissions. In this paper, the intelligent prediction algorithm is used to predict and evaluate the emission scale of soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other air pollutants in China and the thermal power industry in the future, which reflects the urgency of the promotion of "near-zero emission" of thermal power from the macro level. In addition, based on Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT) and coevolutionary algorithm, the strategy selection of several virtual power generation groups under different policy conditions is simulated around the promotion of "near-zero emission" of thermal power. The results show that the policy subsidy plays an important role in promoting technology popularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wet electrostatic precipitation technology can effectively reduce the concentration of soot emission during thermal power generation. In order to study the effect of spray on the internal flow field of wet electrostatic precipitator during operation, the position of nozzle and the internal flow field of the wet electrostatic precipitator before and after using the nozzle were simulated by using the computational particle fluid dynamics (CPFD) method, the flow field, droplet distribution and spray trajectory were analyzed. The results show that when the nozzle is started, the velocity of flue gas near the nozzle is increased, and the velocity field of flue gas in the honeycomb tube is uneven. When the nozzle is arranged in the tube, it will accelerate the velocity of flue gas in the tube, which is not conducive to dust capture. The research results provide a theoretical reference for the adjustment of atomization region in practical engineering.

Coal blending models usually take the composition or properties of coal as constraints to optimize the cost of mixed coal for the blending scheme in power plant. Properties of coal are essentially not optimized with this kind of blending model. Therefore, the maximum likelihood quality of design coal of boiler was defined, when the compositions of raw coal can be regarded as random variables. A multi-objective optimization model of coal properties and cost based on chance constraint was established. Pareto fronts of the multi-objective model were presented by genetic algorithm. Analysis of Pareto fronts shows that the optimal data of coal properties and cost are reasonable, and the chance constraints are met well. The blending model can employ the stability of mixed coal as the optimization objective additionally. According to different characteristics of the generator unit and the actual coal to be blended, the optimization model can have different objectives and constraint combinations, which means the good flexibility and practicability.

Cyclone separator is the main equipment for particle removal and screening in thermal power plants, and its internal flow characteristics directly affect the performance of cyclone separator. In order to study the influence of the structural difference of the upper cylindrical section of the cyclone separator on its internal particle motion, the numerical simulation of gas-solid two-phase coupled motion in a linear and a spiral separator was carried out by using computational particle fluid dynamics (CPFD). The results show that the average air velocity of the straight section of the spiral separator is higher than that of the linear separator. At the same time, the outlet speed is large. Within a certain inlet velocity range, the spiral separator is slightly superior in separation effect. The research results provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of later practical engineering technology transformation.

Supercritical carbon dioxide cycle can be utilized in thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, solar thermal power generation and other fields of power generation technology. As a novel power cycle system, it can replace the current widely used steam turbine or gas turbine generators. Before entering commercial application, the advantages of supercritical carbon dioxide cycle technology in various application scenarios and its potential social and economic benefits have to be discussed. By analyzing the characteristics and advantages of supercritical carbon dioxide cycle, this paper explored the feasibility of combining supercritical carbon dioxide cycle with fossil energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, biomass energy, waste heat and other heat sources. A variety of power generation system schemes were put forward, which can provide a reference for future commercial application of supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. With the development of supercritical carbon dioxide cycle technology and the further reduction of equipment cost, the benefits of simplified system, compact structure and high efficiency will become more prominent.

A major challenge for business people in the field of globalisation is how to understand human resource management practices. It's an obvious view that people are the assets of business entity irrespective of business. Managing people is not an easy task, since psychological factors speaks louder. Generally, the labour cum machine intensive industry should promptly set the people resourcing policies and practices. The thermal power generation units also need to frame the people resourcing practices in genuine. Accessing the opinion of employees about the people resourcing practices, in the select thermal power generation units of Tuticorin and satisfaction level of employees about the people resourcing practices are the core objectives. Analysis is done using Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal Wallis test. The researcher culminated that it is imperative for the thermal power generating units to realize the significance and intensity of people resourcing practices and ameliorate in all paths of work life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, there are many electricity production methods. Thermal power plants are still widely used for electricity production from hydrocarbon sources as one of the electricity generation options. Due to their complex structure, thermal power plants are composed of sections that interact with each other, and they are called units. A change in the performance of any unit or equipment affects the operation of the entire plant positively or negatively. Therefore, performance monitoring and evaluation systems are designed to support the measurement and monitoring of the performance of plant and equipment. In order to increase the availability of the plant, equipment-based maintenance plans should be prepared according to the maintenance needs of the equipment. In this study, a power plant performance monitoring and evaluation system has been developed and designed using process parameters approach for the parameters affecting the performance of plant. In order to monitor and evaluate the performance of thermal power plants, the requirements of the system were revealed and the efficiency and performance increases to be achieved by designing and using this system specific to a natural gas power plant were examined and results are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A network data envelopment analysis slack-based measure (NSBM) was applied to explore the thermal power generation environmental governance efficiency (TGGE) of 30 provinces in China except Tibet from 2006 to 2015, and then the threshold panel data model was established to study the nonlinear impact of cost-based environmental regulation (CER) on TGGE. The results show that (1) thermal power generation efficiency (TGE) is relatively low but shows a fluctuation growth trend, and TGGE is lower than thermal power generation production efficiency (TGPE); (2) CER has a significant single-threshold effect on the TGGE in China. When the proportion of CER to gross domestic production (GDP) is less than 3.023, the regulation has a significant positive effect on TGGE, while when the proportion of CER to GDP is larger than 3.023, the positive effect is greatly reduced from 0.073 to 0.002. The same conclusion can be obtained using the ratio of CER to gross industrial output value as the threshold variable, although with a different threshold value. From the average value of the sample period, for the vast majority of provinces, the effects of CER on TGGE are not significant. Based on these, relevant policy implications are presented to further promote TGGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil heavy metal (Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, V, As) concentrations in different areas were analyzed to investigate the effects of different industrial activities on heavy metal pollution status, potential ecological risk, and human health risk in Panzhihua. Our results showed that Cu and V enrichment in soil was due to ore smelting. Soil Cr accumulation was related to coal ore mining. Soil Cd, Zn, As, and Pb enrichment was attributed to high-temperature coal combustion. Under the effect of industrial activities, soils were moderately contaminated with Cd, uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with As and Zn, and uncontaminated with Cr, Cu, V, and Pb. Soil heavy metal potential ecological risk was considerable, and non-carcinogenic risks and carcinogenic risks of soil heavy metals were acceptable for adults but unacceptable for children. Thermal power generation was the dominated industrial activity that influence the soil heavy metal concentrations and environmental risks in Panzhihua, which posed considerable potential ecological risks and unacceptable heavy metal non-carcinogenic risks and As carcinogenic risk to both adults and children. This study indicates that industrial activities have great effects on heavy metal pollution, ecological risks, and health risk, and more attention should be paid to the ecological risk and health risks brought by thermal power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the risk factors of insomnia among employees in the thermal power generation industry and the network relationships between their interactions, and to provide scientific basis for personalized interventions for high-risk groups with insomnia. Methods: In November 2022, 860 employees of a typical thermal power generation enterprise were selected as the research subjects by cluster sampling. On-site occupational health field surveys and questionnaire surveys were used to collect basic information, occupational characteristics, anxiety, depression, stress, occupational stress, and insomnia. The interaction between insomnia and occupational health psychological factors was evaluated by using structural equation model analysis and Bayesian network construction. Results: The detection rates of anxiety, depression and stress were 34.0% (292/860), 32.1% (276/860) and 18.0% (155/860), respectively. The total score of occupational stress was (445.3±49.9) points, and 160 workers (18.6%) were suspected of insomnia, and 578 workers (67.2%) had insomnia. Structural equation model analysis showed that occupational stress had a significant effect on the occurrence of insomnia in thermal power generation workers (standardized load coefficient was 0.644), and occupational health psychology had a low effect on insomnia (standardized load coefficient was 0.065). However, the Bayesian network model further analysis found that anxiety and stress were the two parent nodes of insomnia, with direct causal relationships, the arc strength was-8.607 and -15.665, respectively. The model prediction results showed that the probability of insomnia occurring was predicted to be 0 in the cases of no stress and anxiety, low stress without anxiety, and no stress with low anxiety. When high stress with low anxiety and low stress with high anxiety occurred, the predicted probability of insomnia occurring were 0.38 and 0.47, respectively. When both high stress and high anxiety occurred simultaneously, the predicted probability of insomnia occurring was 0.51. Conclusion: Bayesian network risk assessment can intuitively reveal and predict the insomnia risk of thermal power generation workers and the network interaction relationship between the risks. Anxiety and stress are the direct causal risks of insomnia, and stress is the main risk of individual insomnia of thermal power generation workers. The occurrence of insomnia can be reduced based on scientific intervention of stress conditions.

Assuming that the high‐gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system based on a superconducting magnet can reduce iron oxide scale in boiler feedwater and contribute to the efficient operation of thermal power plants, we design a new matrix structure, which should efficiently capture iron oxide particles in boiler feedwater. We then evaluate their practicability experimentally and confirm that this HGMS system with the newly developed matrix is applicable to thermal power plants with the desired efficiency. On the bases of the results, we designed practical large‐scale HGMS systems for boiler feedwater with a superconducting magnet and new matrices, which has long cleaning cycles and low‐pressure loss. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the largest emitter of CO2 emissions, the installed capacity of thermal power generation in China is facing more and more strict restrictions, since the Chinese government proposed to dissolve overcapacity and intends to solve the problem of continuous reduction in utilization rate of electricity sector. Regretfully, the impact of power-generating capacity and its utilization on carbon emissions in the power sector has not yet been addressed. In this study, we incorporate the interaction between capacity and utilization of power sector into the dynamic spatial Durbin model, and estimate the specific impact on carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector based on the panel data set of China's provinces during 1991–2015. The results show that both installed capacity and utilization rate have positive effects on CO2 emissions. Interestingly, the estimation coefficient of their interaction term is negative, implying that the carbon emission reduction effect derives from the conflicting performance of capacity governance and utilization efficiency. Besides, the advantage of the emerging econometric method, the dynamic spatial Durbin model (SDM) with provinces and time-period fixed effects, is that it can estimate spatial interaction effects among the provinces and neighboring provinces and decompose those effects into two parts: long-term and short-term. However, the estimates indicate that only capacity has roughly significant spatial spillovers. As a result, dissolving overcapacity of thermal power generation and a necessary interprovincial coordination will promote carbon emission reduction rather than investing in coal-fired power plants, and the power authority should turn to alternative investment in cleaner power generation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though renewable energy development has gained momentum in China, thermal power generation still accounts for approximately 70% of the county's total power generation serving as the major source of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions in China. Facing the challenges of meeting 2030 peak target of CO 2 emission and realizing the coordinated development of thermal power generation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, this paper applies generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM) to decompose the dynamics in the relevant CO 2 emission. The effects of five factors including electricity demand, energy consumption, technology, energy efficiency and energy-mix are considered. The decomposition suggests that electricity demand is the primary factor driving the CO 2 emission up, whereas technology effect decreases CO 2 emission the most. Given the significant roles of technology, energy-mix and energy efficiency in CO 2 emissions reduction, seven scenarios are designed to identify the optimal coordinated development pathway for thermal power generation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Through upgrading energy structure and/or enhancing energy efficiency, the thermal power generation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region can achieve coordinated development and realize the 2030 peak target under four scenarios. The detailed development pathways for CO 2 emissions and specific policy implications for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are provided to further govern CO 2 emissions and maintain sustainable development. • Proposed a five-factor Generalized Divisia Index Model (GDIM) for CO 2 emission analysis. • Analyzed the CO 2 from thermal power generation in China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. • Electricity demand and technology contributed the most to the positive and negative changes of CO 2 , respectively. • Designed seven thermal generation development scenarios to study the CO 2 change until 2030. • The 2030 CO 2 peak target can be achieved under four scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inception of the Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) in November of 2014 has had significant impacts on participating balancing authorities (BAs) and individual generators. The EIM serves to balance available energy across a large geographical footprint. Since the market's creation, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has reported that many benefits have been realized by participating BAs, including savings of $502 million and the avoided curtailment of an estimated 734,000 MWh of energy produced by variable renewable energy (VRE). Balancing energy across a larger geographic footprint, in conjunction with other factors (e.g., fluctuating fuel prices, new environmental policies), has also resulted in significant changes in the operation of some thermal generating stations which have traditionally operated as baseload units. The effects of these new operating practices on baseload units have not been characterized. This study analyzes the detailed operational history of a single coal-fired thermal generating station experiencing a large degree of load flexing located within the footprint of the EIM. A dataset comprised of hourly operational data from two and one-half years before and after beginning market participation was analyzed. Changes in operating practices, unit performance, and emission rates from this unit between the two periods were identified from this analysis. It was observed that the operational range of the unit has expanded by 65% and the unit has experienced ramping situations approximately 4.6 times more often since entering the EIM. Continual load changes have contributed to 18 times more turbine cycles, the impact of which on unit health and longevity cannot be fully characterized. The unit has demonstrated a strong adaptive ability in altering operational practices to meet the needs of the new market. Primarily due to lower average load operation, overall efficiency has decreased by 2.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Analysis model for both thermo-fluid performances of natural draft dry cooling tower and its off-design performances. • Contrary effects of cooling water mass flow rate on back pressure and circulating pump power consumption revealed. • Optimum cooling water flow rate of off-design power generation obtained corresponding to the lowest coal consumption. Abstract The analysis was conducted for the optimal operation under off-design conditions of the indirect dry cooling thermal power generating unit. The numerical model of natural draft dry cooling tower (NDDCT), as well as the off-design performance model of whole thermal system of a supercritical power generating unit, including that of turbine, condenser and regenerative system, were combined together. An iterative procedure was adopted so that the operating parameters of dry cooling system with cooling water mass flow rate and output power load were obtained. The total coal consumption of power generation, which considered both effects of back pressure of turbine and power consumption of circulating pump, was taken as the optimization object. The results indicated that the pump power consumption increased, while the back pressure decreased with circulating cooling water mass flow rate. There was the optimum cooling water mass flow rate corresponding to the lowest coal consumption of power generation. For the objective power generating unit, 4.83 ton standard coal per hour at most can be saved by adjusting the circulating cooling water flow rate to the optimum value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In order to evaluate the impact of ambient conditions on the performance of indirect dry cooling system quantitatively, an analytical model was established which combined the numerical simulation of thermo-flow performance of natural draft dry cooling tower and the thermodynamic analysis of water-steam system in a 660 MW thermal power generating unit. The model was verified by experimental results and practical operating data, respectively. Temperature and flow fields of cooling air, as well as the back pressure of turbine were obtained under various natural crosswind and ambient temperature conditions. Standard coal consumption rates were acquired accordingly. The results indicated that the back pressure and standard coal consumption rate increased with the ambient temperature and wind speed. The most additional 27.72 g/kWh of standard coal consumption rate can be caused by the natural crosswind and high ambient temperature for the investigated power generating unit. A sensitivity analysis was conducted and the results showed that the value of the standardized coefficients for natural crosswind speed and ambient temperature were 0.446 and 0.888, respectively. Therefore, though the natural crosswind could deteriorate the flow field of ambient air, the ambient temperature had a greater impact on the standard coal consumption rate. Highlights • Analytical model combined both dry cooling tower and power generating unit is established. • Thermo-fluid performances of cooling tower with variable ambient conditions are investigated. • Off-design performances of indirect dry cooling power generating unit are obtained and analyzed. • Standard coal consumption rate increases with the crosswind speed and ambient temperature. • Ambient temperature has greater impact on standard coal consumption than that of crosswind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to deal with current environmental issues and their backgrounds, further development of current teaching methods and tools are essential. The result of questionnaire performed in this study indicates that the effect and the change of the perception of power generation in Japan after the great disaster of East Japan have caused many students (both high school and college students) to become interested in the energy situation. In the present study, we made an attempt to develop a model instrument of a thermal power plant that can be applied as a teaching tool for understanding of air pollutant forming as well as power generation. Our novel model tool consists of a body (30 cm width, 21 cm depth, and 41 cm height), a combustion chamber, two motors, a boiler, a voltmeter, and a chimney for measurement of exhaust gas. Using our novel hand-made power plant, we carried out some model experiments with learners (i.e. high school and college students). Through model experiments, students can be experienced not only about power generation but also about generation of air pollutants. In order to estimate the applicability of our novel instrument as an educational tool, we carried out the questionnaires before and after model experiments. More than 80% of educatees reported that it was very useful as a teaching tool for energy and environmental education. The results of questionnaires indicated that learners achieved a very deep understanding of the principles of power generation and the forming of air pollutants.

Abstract This study proposes a slack-based endogenous directional distance function model (SBEDDF) to assess the environmental impact of China’s power generation industry. By selecting directional vectors according to slack values and endowing them with norms, this model guarantees that unit invariance and efficiency value measures are suitable for economic interpretation. The results of this study indicate that the environmental efficiency of China’s power generation industry is low and varies considerably from one region to another. The optimal approach to reduction of emissions is unique for each region. For example, in Guangxi, reducing SO 2 emissions is the priority, while in Shanxi, NO x emissions need to be targeted. The results of the Tobit regression analysis indicate that the power function of unit elasticity fits the environmental Kuznets curve of the power industry well. These results demonstrate that it is prudent for environmental administrators to tailor emission reduction standards and incentive policies to the prevailing circumstances in a region. Highlights • We propose a slack-based directional distance function model. • We evaluate China’s environmental efficiency of thermal power generation. • Optimal directives for emissions reduction for each province are given. • We define the environmental Kuznets curve for the thermal power industry. • Emission reduction standards and policies for each province are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal coefficient (α=dV/dT) of redox potential (V) enables an efficient thermal power generation using waste heat. Actually, a battery‐type thermocell, which consists of two kinds of redoxable solids with different α as anode and cathode, is demonstrated to produce electric energy in thermal cycles. To fabricate high performance device, α is systematically investigated in three kinds of Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), NaxCo[Fe(CN)6]0.71 (abbreviated as NCF71), NaxCo[Fe(CN)6]0.90 (NCF90) and NaxMn[Fe(CN)6]0.83 (NMF83), against the Na+ concentration (x). NCF90 shows the highest positive α (=1.4 mV K−1) in the lower‐lying plateau while NMF83 shows the highest negative α (=−0.4 mV K−1) in the lower‐lying plateau. In addition, the NCF90/NMF83 thermocell produces 5.5 meV/NCF90 in the initial cycle between TL (=286 K) and TH (=313 K). The thermal efficiency (η=2.3 %) reaches 27 % of the Carnot efficiency (ηcarnot=8.7 %). Thus, PBAs are promising materials for thermal power generation. Thermal coefficient (α) od redox potential enables an efficient thermal power generation using its difference (Δα) between cathode and anode. The magnitude of α in Mn− and Co‐PBAs are carefully determined against Na+ concentration (x). NCF90 shows the highest positive SEC (=1.4 mV K−1) while NMF83 shows the highest negative SEC (=−0.4 mV K−1). The NMF83/NCF90 thermocell shows high efficiency thermal power generation (η=2.3 %) between 286 K (=TL) and 313 K (=TH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the potential role of thermal power generation in a future power system with high shares of variable generation while considering different sources of demand side flexibility such as heat pumps and heat storages in district heating, demand response from industries and electric vehicles. The study was carried out using a generation planning model combined with a unit commitment and economic dispatch model. The results from the planning model show a strong shift away from combined cycle gas turbines to open cycle gas turbines and gas engines as the share of wind power and solar photovoltaic increases. Demand side flexibility measures pushed this trend further. The results from the unit commitment and economic dispatch model demonstrate that the flexibility measures decrease the ramping frequency of thermal units, while the ramp rates of thermal units remain largely unchanged or increased. This indicates that the flexibility measures can cover smaller ramps in the net load more cost‐effectively but that thermal power plants are still valuable for larger ramps. Impacts on emissions and electricity prices are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the adaptability of direct air-cooled power generating units to the variations of both meteorological condition and power load, a piping-main arrangement of air-cooled condensers was proposed. The heat and mass transfer models of the air-side were established for the air cooling system of 2 × 600 MW thermal power generating units. The coupled model for both flow resistance loss and condensate flow rate distributions of exhaust steam inside air-cooled condensers were developed based on the temperature fields through numerical simulation. Calculation results, including the condensate flow rate, back pressure, and coal consumption rate, were acquired under different ambient temperatures and wind velocities. The results show that the proposed piping-main arrangement can weaken the ambient wind impacts and reduce the backpressure significantly in summer by adjusting the number of air-cooled condenser cells in operation. The steam flow rate can be uniformed effectively by adjusting the number of operating air-cooled condenser cells during winter. It can also avoid the freezing accident in winter while cooling the exhaust steam of two turbines by part air-cooled condenser cells.

This paper employs a parametric Malmquist index to measure carbon emission performance and its dynamic variation of China's thermal power generation sector from 2003 to 2013. The parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is applied to estimate the total factor carbon emission performance (TFCP), while the Malmquist carbon emission performance index (MCPI) is used to measure the dynamic change. The main findings are as follows: 1. The average value of TFCP shows an increasing trend but varies among regions. In addition, the investment-based regulations and the efficiency of fuel utilization have positive effects on TFCP, while the effects of R&D expenditure and fee-based regulations are insignificant. 2. The MCPI of China's provincial thermal power industry grew by an average of 3.1% annually and was mainly driven by the efficiency change component. 3. According to the average levels of TFCP and MCPI, the 30 provinces are divided into four categories, which provide a scientific basis for policymakers to implement regional-oriented strategies for the improvement of both TFCP and MCPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is regarded as an important mitigation option of climate change. However, the public discussion about CCS has not conducted, and an energy policy concerning the introduction of CCS to thermal power plants has not been decided in Japan. There are little social researches about the public recognition of the current situation about the energy portfolio and the public's informational needs. The objective of this study is to analyze the attitudes and perception of CCS and thermal power generation through internet questionnaire surveys, and to provide appropriate information to promote public understanding and decision-making for introducing CCS technology for thermal power plants. Results showed that respondents did not grasp an accurate perception of the present energy situation such as the current energy portfolio and the role of thermal power generation. On the other hand, their risk perception toward climate change tended to decrease over time. They were not interested in CCS and almost everyone had not formed an impression of CCS yet, but people thought that CCS technology is more useful in Japan than the rest of the world. Thus the current energy situation, the baseline information and major premise, has to be shared in order to understand the impacts of introducing CCS technology. The public needs scientific evidence and explanation of implications and impacts in order to make decisions concerning the introduction of this technology. It is essential to provide appropriate information to the public linked with high public interest topics in order to overcome the lack of interest in CCS and increase public perception of it's role in thermal power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]