Uncertainty and disturbance estimator-based model predictive control for wet flue gas desulphurization system

Wet flue gas desulphurization technology is widely used in the industrial process for its capability of efficient pollution removal.The desulphurization control system,however,is subjected to complex reaction mechanisms and severe disturbances,which make for it difficult to achieve certain practically relevant control goals including emission and economic performances as well as system robustness.To address these challenges,a new robust control scheme based on uncertainty and disturbance estimator(UDE)and model predictive control(MPC)is proposed in this paper.The UDE is used to estimate and dynamically compensate acting disturbances,whereas MPC is deployed for optimal feedback regulation of the resultant dynamics.By viewing the system nonlinearities and unknown dynamics as disturbances,the proposed control framework allows to locally treat the considered nonlinear plant as a linear one.The obtained simulation results confirm that the utilization of UDE makes the tracking error negligibly small,even in the presence of unmodeled dynamics.In the conducted comparison study,the introduced control scheme outperforms both the standard MPC and PID(proportional-integral-derivative)control strategies in terms of transient performance and robustness.Furthermore,the results reveal that a lowpass-filter time constant has a significant effect on the robustness and the convergence range of the tracking error.

Mercury Speciation of Flue Gas Desulphurization By-Products in Coal-Fired Power Plants in China

The aim of this study was to develop and examine the morphology and distribution of mercury (Hg) in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) by-product. Mercury in the coal of coal-fired power plants is concentrated in the by-products of desulfurization process, and it is widely used as an additive in cement, building materials and other industries. Due to the different stability of various forms of mercury in the environment, subsequent use of products containing desulfurization by-product additives will continue to be released into the environment, endangering human health. Therefore, it is very necessary to study the form and distribution of mercury in the by-products of desulfurization in coal-fired power plants to provide a theoretical basis for subsequent harmless treatment. For content and morphology of mercury analysis, 1 sample of dry FGD ash and 6 samples of wet FGD gypsum were analyzed. The total 7 samples were extracted using a modification of sequential chemical extractions (SCE) method, which was employed for the partitioning Hg into four fractions: water soluble, acid soluble, H2O2 soluble, and residual. The Hg analysis was done with United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) method 7471B. Comparing with the wet FGD gypsums of coal-fired boilers, the total Hg content in the dry FGD by-product was as high as 1.22 mg/kg, while the total Hg content in the FGD gypsum is 0.23 - 0.74 mg/kg, which was 2 times over the wet FGD gypsum. The concentration of water soluble Hg in the dry FGD by-product was the highest amount (0.72 mg/kg), accounting for 59.02% of the total mercury. While residual Hg content was 0.16 mg/kg, only about 13.11% of the total mercury. Mercury content in FGD gypsum was expressed in the form of ρ (residual Hg) > ρ (H2O2 soluble Hg) > ρ (water soluble Hg) > ρ (acid soluble Hg). The morphology and distribution of mercury in FGD by-products is supposed to be analyzed before utilization, and the impact of mercury on the environment should be considered.

Multiobjective economic model predictive control using utopia-tracking for the wet flue gas desulphurization system

Efficient control of the desulphurization system is challenging in maximizing the economic objective while reducing the SO_(2) emission concentration. The conventional optimization method is generally based on a hierarchical structure in which the upper optimization layer calculates the steady-state results and the lower control layer is responsible to drive the process to the target point. However, the conventional hierarchical structure does not take the economic performance of the dynamic tracking process into account. To this end, multi-objective economic model predictive control(MOEMPC) is introduced in this paper, which unifies the optimization and control layers in a single stage. The objective functions are formulated in terms of a dynamic horizon and to balance the stability and economic performance. In the MOEMPC scheme, economic performance and SO_(2) emission performance are guaranteed by tracking a set of utopia points during dynamic transitions. The terminal penalty function and stabilizing constraint conditions are designed to ensure the stability of the system. Finally, an optimized control method for the stable operation of the complex desulfurization system has been established. Simulation results demonstrate that MOEMPC is superior over another control strategy in terms of economic performance and emission reduction, especially when the desulphurization system suffers from frequent flue gas disturbances.

Quantifying social costs of coal-fired power plant generation

Coal has been dominating the electricity supply in Indonesia,especially in long-term power generation from fossil energy.This dominance is due to lower production costs in coal-fired power plant generation.However,this low price is only based on monetary costs and ignores the social costs.Therefore,this study aims to quantify the social costs of coal-fired generation.Using QUERI-AirPacts modeling,the present study quantifies the social costs resulting from the Tenayan Raya coal-fired generation in Riau,Indonesia.It includes the levelized cost of electricity and health costs into the generation costs.After that,this study calculates the net present value,internal rate return,and project payback period.The study found that as much as$50.22/MWh was the levelized cost of electricity.While$15.978/MWh or$0.015978/kWh was the social cost that was not included in the generating cost.At the electricity production level of 1,380,171.69 MWh per year,there is an expected extra cost of$22,052,383.30 uncounted when externalities are included.For instance,the net present value(NPV)is lower and even negative when external costs are included(-$24,062,274.19)compared to$176,108,091.52 when externalities are not considered.The internal rate of return(IRR)is much higher when the social costs are not considered.The payback period is also shorter when the social costs are excluded than when the externalities are included.This global number indicates that the inclusion of external costs would impact NPV,IRR,and the payback period.This result implies that the government should internalize the external cost to stimulate the electricity producers to conduct cost-benefit analyses.The cost-benefit analysis mechanism would lead the producers to be more efficient.

Problems of Hazardous Waste Storage Facilities in Coal-fired Power Plants and Countermeasures

The hazardous waste produced by coal-fired power plants are large in quantity and variety. It is important for ecological environment protection to properly store hazardous waste in coal-fired power plants. The environmental management of hazardous waste in coal-fired power plants started late, and there are many problems in the construction and management of their storage facilities. In this paper, taking eight typical coal-fired power plants as examples, the present problems of hazardous waste storage facilities in coal-fired power plants are analyzed, and corresponding countermeasures are put forward to solve the main common problems.

INTRODUCTION TO INCONEL ALLOY 740: AN ALLOY DESIGNED FOR SUPERHEATER TUBING IN COAL-FIRED ULTRA SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS

Chinese utilities as well as those worldwide are facing increased demand for additional electricity, reduced plant emissions and greater efficiency. To meet this challenge will require increasing boiler temperature, pressure and coal ash corrosion resistance of the materials of boiler construction of future coal-fired boilers. A new nickel-based tube alloy, INCONEL^R alloy 740, is described aiming at meeting this challenge. Emphasis will be on describing the alloy＇ s mechanical properties, coal-ash and steam corrosion resistance. Microstructural stability as a function of temperature and time is addressed as well as some of the early methodology em- ployed to arrive at the current chemical composition.

Study of oxidative desulphurization process of coal with different metamorphism degrees

The oxidative desulphurization process of coal with different metamorphism degrees treated by an air-steam mixture has been studied.It has been shown that the pyrite present in black coal and anthracite is oxidized with the sulphur dioxide formation,and the process chemical mechanism does not depend on the quality of organic matter.The medium-metamorphized coal,capable of turning into a plastic state and cake in the range of investigated temperatures(350～450 ℃),is desulphurized with the greatest difficulty.The chemical mechanism dealing with the transformations of pyritic sulphur present in brown coal differs from similar processes taking place in black coal and anthracite,because FeS2 is converted with hydrogen sulphide formation at desulphurization.

Desulphurization during VIM Refining Ni-base Superalloy using CaO Crucible

The variation of S content during VIM refining Ni-base superalloy using CaO crucible was studied. It was foundthat the desulphurization process could not be carried out by only using CaO crucible. The role of Al additionto desulphurization was also studied. Combining with the results of XRD and composition analysis of the CaOcrucible, the mechanism of desulphurization was proposed. Thermodynamical calculation about the reaction betweenthe interface of CaO crucible and liquid metal has been discussed. This work indicated that under proper refiningtechnology the S content in the liquid Ni-base alloy could be reduced from 3×10-5 to 2×10-6~4×10-6.

Cause Analysis and Countermeasure of Gypsum Rain in Coal-fired Power Plants

Focusing on the phenomenon of gypsum rain while wet desulphurization(WFGD) were adopted in coal fired power plant without GGH, the paper studied and put forward the solutions : (1) desulfurization facilities related equipment modification;(2) optimal operation of existing desulfurization facilities.

Lignite oxidative desulphurization Notice 1.Process condition selection

The process of lignite desulphurization via its treatment by an oxidant(air or air–steam mixture)has been studied.The research objective was useful determination of steam application in oxidative lignite desulphurization.It has been proved that the water steam should be included in the oxidant composition to increase the hydrogen sulphide and combustible constituent content in the gases obtained during the processes under research.The impact of factors which affect the reactions between solid(in our case–lignite)and gaseous reagent(oxidant,i.e.air and or air–steam mixture)upon the research process has been investigated,if these reactions occur in the kinetic area.Such factors are linear rate of oxidant movement and coal grain size.The values of oxidant movement linear rate and coal grain size,which the reaction transfer from pyrite sulphur and organic content of lignite from diffusion into kinetic area occurs by,have been determined.Under these‘‘transfer’’conditions,the values of coefficients of oxidant mass transfer(β,m/s)as well as Sherwood criteria and boiling layer differences have been calculated.

Activation of Rejected Fly Ash Using Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) Sludge

Low-grade fly ash (rejected fly ash,rFA),a significant portion of the pulverized fuel ash (PFA) produced from coal-fired power plants and rejected from the ash classifying process,remains unused due to its high carbon content and large particle size (>45μm).But it is thought that the rejected ash may have potential uses in chemical stabilization/solidification (S/S) processes which need relatively lower strengths and a lower chemical reactivity.Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) sludge is a by-product of air pollution control equipment in coal fired power plants whose chemical composition is mainly gypsum.As there is no effective usage of both of these two materials,it is of interest to research on the possible activation of rFA using FGD.This paper presents experimental results of a study on the properties of rFA activated by the FGD in rFA-cement pastes.Different percentages of FGD were added into the mix to study the effects of the FGD on the reaction of the rFA blended cement pastes.The results show that FGD takes effect as an activator only at late curing ages.Adding Ca(OH) 2 enhances the effect of FGD on activating the hydration of rFA.Also,10% FGD by weight of rFA is the optimal addition in the rFA-cement pastes.The results of the compressive strength measurements correlate well with the porosity results.

Influence of flue gas cleaning system on characteristics of PM_(2.5)emission from coal-fired power plants

This study investigated the influence of precipitators and wet flue gas desulfurization equipment on characteristics of PM_(2.5)emission from coal-fired power stations.We measured size distribution and removal efficiencies,including hybrid electrostatic precipitator/bag filters(ESP/BAGs)which have rarely been studied.A bimodal distribution of particle concentrations was observed at the inlet of each precipitator.After the precipitators,particle concentrations were significantly reduced.Although a bimodal distribution was still observed,all peak positions shifted to the smaller end.The removal efficiencies of hybrid ESP/BAGs reached 99%for PM_(2.5),which is considerably higher than those for other types of precipitators.In particular,the influence of hybrid ESP/BAG operating conditions on the performance of dust removal was explored.The efficiency of hybrid ESP/BAGs decreased by 1.9%when the first electrostatic field was shut down.The concentrations and distributions of particulate matter were also measured in three coal-fired power plants before and after desulfurization devices.The results showed diverse removal efficiencies for different desulfurization towers.The reason for the difference requires further research.We estimated the influence of removal technology for particulate matter on total emissions in China.Substituting ESPs with hybrid ESP/BAGs could reduce the total emissions to 104.3 thousand tons,with 47.48 thousand tons of PM_(2.5).

Research on the use of sintering flue gas desulphurization gypsum as a cement retarder

The characteristics of the desulphurized gypsum produced in the flue gas desulphurization （FGD） process of the Baosteel sintering plant are investigated in this study. According to the technical and quality requirements of gypsum in the cement industry ,the feasibility of using desulphurized gypsum as a cement retarder is also studied. The results show that desulphurized gypsum can be used as a cement retarder instead of natural gypsum.

Desulfurizer desulphurization kinetics by the injection method

To obtain a better desulphurization effect in hot metal, suitable desulfurizers should be selected first according to thermodynamics. However, the effect of desulphurization is also strongly affected by kinetics. The conditions of different desulfurizers （Mg, CaC2, and lime） penetrating into hot metal, the rising up velocity in iron melt, residence time, and dissolving time are theoretically calculated and analyzed. The results are helpful to select the desulphurization process and equipment and to improve the desulphurization effect.

KINETICS OF DESULPHURIZATION IN PERMANENT CONTACT OF SLAG AND STEEL

The curve of % S vs reaction time is described quantitatively based on the electrochemical model directly deduced from the principle of electrochemistry as well as the given method for calculating the initial oxygen potential along slag/steel interface.The calculated data is in good agreement with the experimental results. During desulphurization,both L_s~* and L_s,the sulphur partition along the interface and that in the bulk,go up in association with the descending of oxygen potential along interface. The plot of L_s~* against reaction time follows a parabolic curve,while that of L_s is of hyperbola type.Correspondingly,on curves of driving force parameter vs reaction tone,either calculated or experimental,a hump occurs.

Vacuum Treatment for Simultaneous Desulphurization and Dephosphorization of Hot Metal and Molten Steel

The vacuum treatment for simultaneous desulphurization and dephosphorization of hot metal and molten steel with pre-melted CaO-based slag was carried out.For pre-treatment of hot metal,both desulphurization and dephosphorization are improved with the increase of CaO in slag,but deteriorated with the increase of CaF2 in slag.The average desulphurization and dephosphorization rate is 68.83 % and 78.46 %,respectively.For molten steel,the substitution of BaO for CaO in slag has minor effect on simultaneous desulphurization and dephosphorization.The desulphurization and dephosphorization rate is higher than 90% and 50% respectively with the lowest final sulfur and phosphorus mass percent being 0.001 2% and 0.010%,respectively.The overall effect of simultaneous desulphurization and dephosphorization of molten steel is better than that of hot metal.

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 oC ultra-supercritical thermal power and double reheat ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generation technologies;(2) system innovation and specific, highefficiency thermal cycles, which consist of renewable energy-aided coal-fired power generation technologies, a supercritical CO_2 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.

Formation and emission characteristics of VOCs from a coal-fired power plant

On-site measurements of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)in different streams of flue gas were carried out on a real coal-fired power plant using sampling bags and SUMMA canisters to collect gas samples,filters to collect particle samples.Gas chromatography-flame ionization detector/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was the offline analysis method.We found that the total mass concentration of the tested 102 VOC species at the outlet of wet flue gas desulfuration device was(13456±47)μg·m^(-3),which contained aliphatic hydrocarbons(57.9%),aromatic hydrocarbons(26.8%),halogen-containing species(14.5%),and a small amount of oxygen-containing and nitrogencontaining species.The most abundant species were 1-hexene,n-hexane and 2-methylpentane.The top ten species in terms of mass fraction(with a total mass fraction of 75.3%)were mainly hydrocarbons with a carbon number of 6 or higher and halogenated hydrocarbons with a lower carbon number.The mass concentration of VOC species in the particle phase was significantly lower than that in the gas phase.The change of VOC mass concentrations along the air pollution control devices indicates that conventional pollutant control equipment had a limited effect on VOC reduction.Ozone formation potential calculations showed that aromatic hydrocarbons contributed the highest ozone formation(46.4%)due to their relatively high mass concentrations and MIR(maximum increment reactivity)values.

Near-Zero Air Pollutant Emission Technologies and Applications for Clean Coal-Fired Power

Coal is the dominant energy source in China,and coal-fired power accounts for about half of coal consumption.However,air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants cause severe ecological and environmental problems.This paper focuses on near-zero emission technologies and applications for clean coal-fired power.The long-term operation states of near-zero emission units were evaluated,and synergistic and special mercury(Hg)control technologies were researched.The results show that the principle technical route of near-zero emission,which was applied to 101 of China’s coal-fired units,has good adaptability to coal properties.The emission concentrations of particulate matter(PM),SO2,and NOx were below the emission limits of gas-fired power plants and the compliance rates of the hourly average emission concentrations reaching near-zero emission in long-term operation exceeded 99%.With the application of near-zero emission technologies,the generating costs increased by about 0.01 CNY∙(kW∙h)-1.However,the total emissions of air pollutants decreased by about 90%,resulting in effective improvement of the ambient air quality.Furthermore,while the Hg emission concentrations of the near-zero emission units ranged from 0.51 to 2.89μg∙m^-3,after the modified fly ash(MFA)special Hg removal system was applied,Hg emission concentration reached as low as 0.29μg∙m^-3.The operating cost of this system was only 10%-15%of the cost of mainstream Hg removal technology using activated carbon injection.Based on experimental studies carried out in a 50000 m^3∙h^-1 coal-fired flue gas pollutant control pilot platform,the interaction relationships of multi-pollutant removal were obtained and solutions were developed for emissions reaching different limits.A combined demonstration application for clean coal-fired power,with the new“1123”eco-friendly emission limits of 1,10,20 mg∙m^-3,and 3μg∙m^-3,respectively,for PM,SO2,NOx,and Hg from near-zero emission coal-fired power were put forward and realized,providing engineering and technical support for the national enhanced pollution emission standards.

Feasibility Analysis on the Integrated Application of Solar Energy, Biogas, Coal-fired Boiler and Radiant Floor Heating for Rural Residence

The feasibility of adopting a balanced energy mix mode (domestic solar energy, biogas, coal-fired boiler and radiant floor heating) was proposed. Taking a typical rural residence in Zhengzhou City for example, the study through theoretical analysis and calculation showed that such a balanced energy mix is an economic way and efficient in saving energy and reducing air pollution, and elaborated the theoretical feasibility of popularizing such a heat supply mode in rural areas.