Comparative Economic Study Research Articles

Analysis of water desalination and power generation expansion plans for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi — a preliminary study

This paper contains a comparative economic study of a number of different expansion schedules for power and desalination plants required to meet a forecasted demand in electricity and water for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For power generation, steam turbine and gas turbine plants were considered and for desalination both multistage flash distillation and reverse osmosis processes were investigated. Nine combinations of power and desalination plants were selected and a present worth economic analysis was conducted. Capital and operating cost figures used are those typical of the local conditions at Abu Dhabi. Based on the assumptions used in this study the plant combination using steam turbine power plant connected to a reverse osmosis unit seems to represent the most economic alternative.

Industrial energy use-III. The prospects for providing motive power in a machine tool shop from a centralized hydraulic system

This paper describes a comparative economic study of electric and hydraulic power transmission. the data and results apply to a particular site, but the methodology is generally applicable. the study used mathematical models of the various components in electromechanical and hydraulic power transmission systems to determine in each case the necessary energy input to supply a specified load cycle at the machine tool spindle. the study concludes that a central hydraulic system on the site studied would operate with 20 per cent less energy consumption than the existing electromechanical system. the economic appraisal of the merits of electromechanical and hydraulic power distribution systems is dominated by capital savings in the final drives; these are assessed.