York State Electric Research Articles

IAPCS: A Computer Model that Evaluates Pollution Control Systems for Utility Boilers

The IAPCS model, developed by U.S. EPA’s Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory and made available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, can be used by utility companies, architectural and engineering companies, and regulatory agencies at all levels of government to evaluate commercially available technologies for control of SO2, NOx, and particulate matter emissions from coal-fired utility boilers with respect to performance and cost. The model is considered to be a useful tool to compare alternative control strategies to be used by utilities to comply with the requirements of the CAA, and to evaluate the sensitivity of control costs with respect to many of the significant variables affecting costs. To illustrate the use of the model for site-specific studies, the authors used the model to estimate control costs for SO2 and NOx control at Detroit Edison’s Monroe plant and two hypothetical plants under consideration and at three plants operated by New York State Electric and Gas Corporation. The economic and technical assumptions used to drive the model were those proposed by the utilities if cited, and if not cited, the model default values were used. The economic format and methodologies for costs cited in the Electric Power Research Institute’s Technical Assessment Guide are used in the IAPCS model. Depending on the specific conditions and assumptions for the cases evaluated, SO2 control costs ranged from $417 to $3,159 per ton of SO2 removed, and NOx control costs ranged from $461 to $3,537 per ton of NOx removed or reduced.

Simulation of the New York Power Pool for dispatcher training

This paper describes the simulation of the operating environment of the New York Power Pool (NYPP) within the dispatcher training simulator (DTS) facility at the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG). The NYSEG control center uses real-time data received from the NYPP control center to control its internal generation. In addition, the NYSEG dispatchers work very closely with the NYPP dispatchers. The exact emulation of the generation control functions of the NYPP EMS, and the associated data exchange with the NYSEG ECS, contribute greatly to the high degree of realism achieved in the NYSEG DTS facility. The accuracy of the power system simulation in the DTS has been validated against actual power system disturbances recorded at NYSEG.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Measurement of radiant heat flux and local particle and gas temperatures in a pulverized coal-fired utility-scale boiler

This paper reports experimental measurements of local particle and gas temperatures in a full-scale utility boiler. The boiler is a nominally 80 MW e tangentially-fired unit operated by New York State Electric and Gas. Gas temperatures were measured using a 4-m-long triply-shielded suction pyrometer. Particulate temperature data were collected using a two-color pyrometer. Temperature data were acquired at all levels in the boiler for two different coals. Results show reacting coal particle temperatures above those of the local gases only at selected positions in the burner region. At the top of the radiant section and just above the boiler nose, the particle temperatures were below the local gas temperatures by about 150 K

Design modification and layout of utility substations for six phase transmission

Evaluations performed on the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation's 115-kV Goudey-Oakdale line and Goudey and Oakdale substations to assess the capability of the existing equipment operate as part of a six-phase demonstration project are described. The design modifications that will be made to meet the goals of the commercial demonstration and to allow integration into the existing three phase operating grid are also described. Reconfiguration of an existing double-circuit line to a single-circuit six-phase line requires installation of phase configuration transformers at the end of the line terminals and the associated switching, metering, and protection equipment. In addition, the phase conductors from the terminals of the transformers must be transposed for connection to the transmission line to achieve the desired 60 degrees vectorial separation angle between adjacent phase conductors. Concepts of substation compaction that have been pursued when attempting substation modifications for six-phase reconfiguration are discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Bythotrephes Cederstroemi (Schödler). (Cercopagidae: Cladocera): A New Record for Lake Ontario

Specimens of the cladoceran, Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Schödler), were identified from samples obtained from the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation-owned Somerset Coal Generating Station near Lake Ontario at Somerset. This organism, not previously reported in Lake Ontario, was present in samples from September through December 1985.

Load Management Economics with Pumped Storage

A general mixed-integer programming model of an electrical power generation system with several load and generation centers is formulated and used to analyze the impact of different levels of load management on the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation power system. The potential of load management for reducing the need for more power plant capacity and expensive fossil peaking fuel is well-established. For various levels of load management, the analysis provides quantitative estimates of the magnitude of reduction in systems average costs and also the degree of reduction in the role of pumped storage in the system. Results from the model are used in a benefit-cost analysis of different degrees of metering as a potential load management measure. The general model and analytical approach is suitable for application to other power systems that include pumped storage facilities.

Estimating Peak and Off-Peak Marginal Costs for an Electric Power System: An ex ante Approach

This paper proposes and implements an ex ante approach to estimating thermal electric power system long-run average and peak and off-peak marginal costs subject to pollution emission constraints. Mixed-integer programming is used as a framework for a static, cost-minimizing model of system capacity and operating costs incurred in meeting loads that vary with time and geographic location. The model assumes multiple generating technologies can be used to meet system loads. Transmission and losses are explicitly considered in this transshipment mathematical program. The model is implemented for the system of the New York State Electric and Gas Corp. Results show that peak marginal costs at a particular location in the system are three to four times system average costs and can be more than ten times as great as base load marginal costs. Marginal costs during a particular demand period vary by as much as 30 percent from one load center to another in the system. System average total costs increase (with output) when new steam plants are all coal-fired, but decrease when they are nuclear-fueled. When the most restrictive pollution standards are imposed, system average total costs are approximately 25 percent higher than when no standards are imposed. These results provide substantial empirical evidence in support of the case for time-specific rates based on marginal costs.