Thermal Power Generation Technology Research Articles

Environmental impact assessment from direct emissions of australian thermal power generation technologies

The aim of this study is to evaluate the suitability of pollutant emission data published in the national pollutant inventories for impact assessment of thermal power generation using Australian technologies as case studies. ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint hierarchist methods were used to investigate the environmental impacts of power stations fuelled with hard coal, brown coal, diesel, coal seam methane, natural gas, landfill gas, sewage gas and bagasse. Brown coal was found to be the most impactful fuel source, followed by hard coal and diesel fuel, all averaging above the Australian national power generation environmental impacts. The renewable energy fuels, bagasse, landfill gas and sewage gas, exhibited the lowest environmental impacts. Global warming and fine particulate matter formation were the two most impactful contributors ranging between 97 and 99.8% of the human health endpoint impacts, while global warming and terrestrial acidification were the most impactful categories to ecosystems contributing between 98.3 and 100% of the ecosystem endpoint impacts. Global warming impacts on human health and ecosystems were the major impactful categories for all fossil fuels, while fine particulate matter formation and terrestrial acidification contributed with the largest respective impacts on human health and ecosystems by the considered renewable energy technologies. The major identified pollutants of concern for the thermal power generation technologies are emissions of greenhouse gases, acidic gases, such as SO2 and NOx, and PM2.5. As an interim solution, reduction of the impacts from the fossil fuel technologies can be achieved by targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, better control of acidic gases SO2 and NOx, and blending of the renewable energy sources, bagasse, landfill gas and sewage gas, with coal and natural gas, however long term solutions would require further reduction in fossil fuel reliance for Australia.

Role of thermal technologies for enhancing flexibility in multi‐energy systems through sector coupling: technical suitability and expected developments

Thermal power generation technologies are widely used for electricity production, for heat provision in district or process heating systems, and for combined heat and power generation. In most cases, thermal technologies are heat driven and electricity is produced as a by-product, thus resulting in a non-flexible behaviour of the electricity production. Modern power grids are characterised by an increasing share of renewable leading to a need for enhanced and flexible ways of controlling the power flow. To provide services to the power grid, thermal generating technologies may be used in a more efficient way, coupled to gas and heat storage systems or aggregated in virtual power plants. Several technical factors determine which technologies are suitable for flexibility provision, including power ranges, start up times and ramp rates. In this work, carried out in the frame of the MAGNITUDE H2020 project, the technical characteristics of thermal sector-coupling technologies were analysed using data from the seven real-life project's case studies. The technical suitability was determined based on the product requirements in selected European power markets for the provision of identified system services. Expected future developments and trends were highlighted well.

Solar aided power generation: A review

Abstract Solar Aided Power Generation (SAPG) is the most efficient and economic ways to hybridise solar thermal energy and a fossil fuel fired regenerative Rankine cycle (RRC) power plant for power generation purpose. In such an SAPG plant, the solar thermal energy is used to displace the extraction steam by preheating the feedwater to the boiler. The displaced/saved extraction steam can, therefore, expand further in the steam turbine to generate power. The research and development of the SAPG technology started in the 1990s. This paper is trying to reviews and summarises the progress of research and development of the SAPG plant technology in last almost 30 or so years, including the technical and economic advantages of SAPG over other solar thermal power generation technologies (e.g. solar alone power generation), various modelling techniques used to simulate SAPG perforamnce, impacts of SAPG plant's configuration, size of solar field and strategies to adjust mass flow rate of extraction steam on the plant perforamnce, exergy analysis of SAPG plant and operation strategies to maximise plant's economic returns etc. In addition, the directions for future R& D about SAPG technology have been pointed/proposed in this paper.

Summary of gas turbine power generation technology based on solar power

With the increasing pressure of energy shortage and the environment pollution, it’s important to take the advantage of the renewable clean energy for newpower generation technology. Solar energy, as a kind of energy with a wide range of sources, has become a new type of clean energy with the most potential for development. This study introduces the project test and progress of solar gas turbine combined generation technology at home and abroad as well as the research status of key technologies. The key technologies of heat collection, heat storage and heat recovery are analyzed and summarized, it has been pointed out that the concentrator ratio achieved by the dish and tower is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the linear Fresnel and slot; Thermochemical heat storage technology has the theoretical maximum energy storage density, the heat storage of chemical bonds is about 5 times of latent heat, 10 times of sensible heat, and has the advantages of stable chemical bonds, small energy loss and other advantages, energy storage in the future has more development advantages. At the same time, the future research direction of solar thermal power generation technology is prospected.

A Legal Improvement Proposal for Activation of Energy Technology Demonstration - Focused on Clean Thermal Power Generation Technology -

A Legal Improvement Proposal for Activation of Energy Technology Demonstration - Focused on Clean Thermal Power Generation Technology -

Progress and prospects of innovative coal-fired power plants within the energy internet

The development of electrical engineering and electronic, communications, smart power grid, and ultra-high voltage transmission technologies have driven the energy system revolution to the next generation: the energy internet. Progressive penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the energy system has led to unprecedented challenges to the currently wide use of coal-fired power generation technologies. Here, the applications and prospects of advanced coal-fired power generation technologies are analyzed. These technologies can be summarized into three categories: (1) large-scale and higher parameters coal-fired power generation technologies, including 620/650/700 °C ultra-supercritical thermal power and double reheat ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generation technologies; (2) system innovation and specific, high- efficiency thermal cycles, which consist of renewable energy-aided coal-fired power generation technologies, a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle for coal-fired power plants, large-scale air-cooling coal-fired power plant technologies, and innovative layouts for waste heat utilization and enhanced energy cascade utilization; (3) coal-fired power generation combined with poly-generation technologies, which are represented by integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) technologies. Concerning the existing coal-fired power units, which are responsible for peak shaving, possible strategies for enhancing flexibility and operational stability are discussed. Furthermore, future trends for coal-fired power plants coupled with cyber-physical system (CPS) technologies are introduced. The development of advanced, coal-fired power generation technologies demonstrates the progress of science and is suitable for the sustainable development of human society.

Possibility of solar thermal power generation technologies in Nigeria: Challenges and policy directions

This paper presents a brief overview of solar thermal power generation technologies (parabolic trough, central tower receiver, linear Fresnel reflecting and parabolic dish concentrators) and their possible application in Nigeria. It further discusses an array of barriers to the development of the technologies, such as the lack of understanding of solar thermal systems, lack of incentives for renewable technologies and previous experience of solar photovoltaic systems failure that is making people doubt the viability of renewable electricity. Other barriers that were considered are lack of technical expertise, high technology cost and lack of project funding, including a lack of enabling policies to drive the technologies. This study then develops a policy framework that will help to understand and address some of the identified challenges to achieve widespread adoption, application, and diffusion in Nigeria. In addition, the framework will provide useful insights into the major issues that affect community-based or regional solar thermal power systems in developing countries. Widespread application of these clean energy technologies can help mitigate climate change.

Numerical Simulation of Particle and Fluid Flow for Improvement of Thermal Power Generation Technology

Numerical Simulation of Particle and Fluid Flow for Improvement of Thermal Power Generation Technology

Experimental study of thermophysical properties and thermal stability of quaternary nitrate molten salts for thermal energy storage

Renewable energy has been rapidly developing because of the increasing severity of pollution and energy crises. In particular, solar thermal power generation technology has been attracting considerable attention globally due to its large scale, low unit cost, and environment-friendliness. Thus, it has been quickly progressing. The intermittence and instability of solar energy can be solved by combination of solar thermal power with heat storage technology. Mixed molten salts stand out as heat transfer and storage materials due to their wide temperature range, low vapor pressure, high heat capacity, low viscosity, and economical environmental protection. In the present study, a new kind of quaternary nitrate molten salt was presented. The salt was Hitec salt with Ca(NO3)2 additive and has a low melting point, high decomposition point, and low cost. The thermophysical properties of the proposed salt, such as melting point, decomposition point, crystallization point, specific heat, density, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability, were measured. Results showed that the melting, crystallization, and decomposition points of the Hitec salt with Ca(NO3)2 additive were 83.1 °C, 163.1 °C, and 628.5 °C, respectively. The proper working temperature range of the new salt was 200–565 °C, which was wider than those of Hitec salt (200–450 °C) and solar salt (290–565 °C). The average specific heat and thermal conductivity of the Hitec salt with Ca(NO3)2 additive were approximately 1.52 J/(g K) and 0.655 W/(m K), respectively, which showed better heat storage and heat transfer performance than did Hitec salt (1.40 J/(g K) specific heat, 0.350 W/(m K) thermal conductivity) and solar salt (1.50 J/(g K) specific heat, 0.520 W/(m K) thermal conductivity). An experimental study was conducted on the stability of mixed molten salts at 565 °C for 1200 h and 120 times for quenching/heating at 200–500 °C, and the Hitec salt with Ca(NO3)2 additive exhibited good thermal stability.

청정화력발전 기술 육성 방안 연구

청정화력발전 기술 육성 방안 연구

Experimental study on the specific heat and stability of molten salt nanofluids prepared by high-temperature melting

Molten salt is an important heat storage and heat transfer medium in solar thermal power generation technology due to its high heat capacity, wide working temperature range, and low cost. Adding nanoparticles (usually by the two-step method with ultrasonic dispersion) can increase the specific heat of molten salt. Thus, the molten salt nanofluids can increase the heat capacity and decrease the heat storage cost of a solar thermal power generation system. However, nanoparticles are easy to agglomerate in the molten salt; moreover, after agglomeration, the performance of molten salt nanofluids is degraded. A two-step method with high-temperature melting in preparing molten salt nanofluids is proposed in this paper. Molten salt nanofluids were prepared by high-temperature melting. The base solution was a low-melting point molten salt and the nanoparticles were SiO2 with a diameter of 20nm. The specific heat was measured and the nanoparticle dispersity was analyzed. The stability of the molten salt nanofluids was studied, and the results were compared with those prepared by ultrasonic dispersion. The average specific heat of molten salt nanofluids prepared by high-temperature melting was 1.789J/(g·K), which was close to that of molten salt nanofluids prepared by ultrasonic dispersion and 16.4% higher than that of pure molten salt. The molten salt nanofluids prepared by ultrasonic dispersion showed poor thermal stability under high-temperature conditions, and the average specific heat decreased by 8.5% after only 200h. The thermal stability of molten salt nanofluids prepared by high-temperature melting showed a highly stable performance in long-time experiments. The variation of specific heat was less than 5% after 2000h under the same high-temperature experimental condition. The molten salt nanofluids obtained by high-temperature melting showed better stability and long performance than those obtained by ultrasonic dispersion. Therefore, the two-step method with high-temperature melting is stable and reliable for preparing molten salt nanofluids.

Multi-objective programming of pumped-hydro-thermal scheduling problem using normal boundary intersection and VIKOR

The issue of environmental emissions has forced the power systems to use cleaner energy sources such as renewable and hydroelectric technologies. However, during recent decades due to the limitations on the available water in many regions, the optimal water reservoir usage has been highlighted. In this regard, this paper proposes a multi-objective model for short-term hydrothermal scheduling problem in the presence of the pumped-storage technology. It is noted that the framework well models the cascaded configuration of hydro reservoirs. Besides, in order to more accurately model the mentioned problem, a Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) optimization framework is presented. In this respect, the valve-loading effects occurred in thermal power generation technologies have been taken into account which turns the existing convex optimization problem into a non-convex one. In order to solve the mentioned problem, the Normal Boundary Intersection (NBI) method has been used while the VIKOR decision maker is employed to choose the most compromise solution amongst the Pareto optimal solutions obtained by NBI method. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed model has been verified through implementing four case studies and comparing the obtained results with those obtained by different methods.

No.21 中国を対象とした石炭輸送最適化を伴う:先進火力発電の導入評価

No.21 中国を対象とした石炭輸送最適化を伴う:先進火力発電の導入評価

Performance of a finned, latent-heat storage system for high temperature applications

A cost effective thermal storage system is required for the widespread application of the parabolic-trough solar thermal power generation technology. Such systems currently employ the sensible two-tank thermal storage system. The use of phase-change storage systems offers higher storage density and efficiency. However, due to the low thermal conductivity of suitable commercially-available phase-change materials (PCMs), heat transfer enhancement is required. Amongst heat transfer enhancement methods in latent-heat storage systems, the use of fins is the most practical for high-temperature applications. The heat transfer performance during the charging and discharging of a finned, latent-heat storage system was studied using CFD simulations for three commercially-available PCMs. During charging, natural convection plays a dominant role in the heat transfer. The quasi-steady effective heat transfer coefficient was found to depend on the heat transfer fluid (HTF) mass flow rate and the thermo-physical properties of the PCMs, but independent on the driving temperature difference. Although convection plays a role at the beginning of discharging, the main mode of heat transfer during the process is pure conduction. In this study, correlations that can be used for estimating the heat transfer rates during charging and discharging of a finned, latent heat storage system, using synthetic oil as the HTF, were developed.

Assessment of Sustainability Indicators of Thermoelectric Power Generation in Cameroon Using Exergetic Analysis Tools

In this paper, we evaluate the performance and sustainability indicators of various thermal power generation technologies in Cameroon using the exergy analysis tools. For this purpose, on the basis of data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) for Cameroon corresponding to the period from 2006 to 2014, we calculated the average energy and exergy efficiencies of each electricity generation technology from thermal sources. The average values of the exergy efficiencies obtained are respectively 28.97% for the LFO plants, 30.94% for the HFO plants, 34.66% for the biofuel plants and 36.67% for the gas-fired plants. The average sustainability indexes for each of the technologies are determined and values range from 1.56 for LFO plants to 2.12 for biofuel plants. The improvement potentials of each technology are calculated in order to identify the tracks of increase of their efficiency. Average values range from 165.57 GWh for biofuel plants to 1301.77 GWh for LFO plants. The results of this study should enable the development of productive and applicable planning for future energy policies, in particular for the electricity sector in Cameroon.

A Study on Legal Policy Directions for Demonstration and Certification System of Clean Thermal Power Generation Technologies

A Study on Legal Policy Directions for Demonstration and Certification System of Clean Thermal Power Generation Technologies

The potential for reducing China's carbon dioxide emissions: Role of foreign-invested enterprises

In this paper, we discuss the possible role of foreign-invested enterprises in the reduction of China's carbon dioxide emissions by employing a time-series of unique input–output tables that distinguishes firm ownership and processing exports. The comparisons of carbon emission intensities indicate that although Chinese-owned enterprises experienced much faster upgrades of emission-intensity-related technologies since 1992, foreign-invested enterprises continued to outperform Chinese-owned enterprises by 10–110% in terms of sectoral emission intensities until 2010. Therefore, China may have reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 1200–1400 million tonnes during 1992–2010, if Chinese-owned enterprises could have duplicated the emission-intensity-related technologies of the corresponding foreign-invested enterprises. More specifically, China should prioritize the adoption of the thermal and wind power generation technologies of the U.S., the photovoltaic system and related national electric grid upgrading technologies of Germany, the mineral and metal production and carbon emissions control technologies of Japan, and the machinery and transportation technologies of Europe. In an ideal scenario that assumes Chinese-owned enterprises would have eventually adopted the world's leading technologies, China could have reduced its total carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% in 2010. From a policy perspective, as foreign-invested enterprises are quite widespread; they can serve as very effective and efficient channels for technology transfer from developed to developing countries.

Research progress of solar thermochemical energy storage

Summary Solar thermal power generation technology has great significance to alleviate global energy shortage and improve the environment. Solar energy must be stored to provide a continuous supply because of the intermittent and instability nature of solar energy. Thermochemical storage (TCS) is very attractive for high-temperature heat storage in the solar power generation because of its high energy density and negligible heat loss. To further understand and develop TCS systems, comprehensive analyses and studies are very necessary. The basic principle and main components of a solar TCS system are described in this paper. Besides, recent progress and existing problems of several promising reaction systems are introduced. Further research directions are pointed out considering the technical, economic, and environmental issues that existed in the wide application of TCS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transition and Direction on Thermal Power Generation Technology in Japan

Transition and Direction on Thermal Power Generation Technology in Japan

中国における石炭輸送CO<sub>2</sub>排出削減の検討と先進火力発電導入評価

中国における石炭輸送CO<sub>2</sub>排出削減の検討と先進火力発電導入評価