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Location Optimization of a Coal Power Plant to Balance Costs against Plant’s Emission Exposure

Fuel and its delivery cost comprise the biggest expense in coal power plant operations. Delivery of electricity from generation to consumers requires investment in power lines and transmission grids. Placing a coal power plant or multiple power plants near dense population centers can lower transmission costs. If a coalmine is nearby, transportation costs can also be reduced. However, emissions from coal plants play a key role in worsening health crises in many countries. And coal upon combustion produces CO2, SO2, NOx, CO, Metallic and Particle Matter (PM10 & PM2.5). The presence of these chemical compounds in the atmosphere in close vicinity to humans, livestock, and agriculture carries detrimental health consequences.

The goal of the research was to develop a methodology to minimize the public’s exposure to harmful emissions from coal power plants while maintaining minimal operational costs related to electric distribution losses and coal logistics. The objective was achieved by combining EPA Screen3, ISC3 and Japanese METI-LIS model equations with minimum spanning tree (MST) algorithm.

In this study, the authors have successfully built a dynamic program, which simulated: 1) Coal power plant emission’s dispersion, using a Gaussian Dispersion Model; 2) A minimum spanning tree for electric transmission from a coal power plant to a given set of customers using Prim’s algorithm; 3) A minimum spanning tree for coal deliveries between a given set of coalmines and a power plant. At each point on a 2D grid, the program checked for emission interaction with another coal power plant and any respective customer. The Prim’s algorithm network with application of backtracking load transfer strategy provided less cost on both networks compared to other traditional location analysis strategies like center of gravity and load distance technique, etc.

In short, the simulation provides a tool to industrial zone planners, environmental engineers, and stakeholders in coal-based power generation. Using operational and emissions perspectives, the tool helps ascertain a list of compromise locations for a new coal power plant facility.

Article by Najam Khan and Ekaterina Koromyslova, from USA.

Full access: http://t.cn/EtnAoKO
Image by GeorgeOfTheGorge, from Flickr-cc.

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