Determination of the specific carbon dioxide emission factor from thermal power plants Nikola Tesla A and B

Abstract

Low-calorific lignite from Kolubara open-pit mines is mainly used for heat and power generation in PE 'Thermal Power Plants Nikola Tesla'. The IPCC methodology suggests that CO2 emissions by fossil fuel combustion shall be calculated as product of fuel mass and standardized (country or even region related) values of lower heating value, carbon emission factor and factor of oxidation of combusted fuel. This approach doesn't take into account the influences of unit thermal efficiency as well as fundamental characteristics of combustion process, the most important influencing factors on overall CO2 emission. This paper presents the results of calculation of specific CO2 emissions by three different approaches: (a) using the observed linear correlation for calculation of carbon emission factor of the raw lignite, (b) based on the level of CO2 in the flue gas measured at 6 different power plant thermal units 'Nikola Tesla' A and B, (c) based on the mass balance of carbon in the coal, flying ash and bot tom ash. Comparing all the results, we conclude that the best solution is obtained by using the observed linear correlation for calculation of the carbon emission factor of the raw lignite. The calculation of specific CO2 emissions based on the measured flow rate and the share of CO2 in the flue gas gives higher, while calculation based on the carbon mass balance gives less values for the specific CO2 emissions. Higher values for specific CO2 emissions and some dissipation of these results is obtained for units A1 and A2 at output power of about 200 MW, than in the case of units whose output power during the test was over 300 MW - units A4 and A6, or over 600 MW - units B1 and B2.