Advanced Optimisation - Coal Fired Power Plant Operations

Abstract:

This document is a report for the project titled 'Advanced Optimisation - Coal Fired Power Plant Operations'.

In recent years the efforts to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power stations have resulted in operational modifications including the fitting of low - NOx burners. These modifications are expensive and generally have an adverse effect upon plant performance, resulting in an increase in unburnt carbon. To reduce these adverse effects, on-line optimisers have been developed as an enhancement to the power station's digital control system (DCS). GNOCIS (Generic NOx Optimisation Control Intelligent System) is the main optimiser used within the UK. This is a neural network based optimiser that takes various control parameters such as mill feeder speeds, excess oxygen, burner tilt and load as inputs and predicts the resultant NOx emissions and carbon-in-ash levels. In fact the models are usually used in reverse with boiler control settings being provided by the model to optimise the emissions.

The success of the boiler optimisation models has suggested that on-line optimisation can be used in other parts of the power station, eg thermal efficiency, electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Although each local optimiser is able to perform its task well individually there will be occasions when the individual packages will provide conflicting advice. The purpose of this unit optimisation project is to develop an integrated approach to unit optimisation and develop an overall optimiser that is able to resolve any conflicts between the individual optimisers.

1. Introduction
2. Project Members
3. Individual Optimisers
4. On-Line Thermal Efficiency Package
5. GNOCIS/Boiler
6. GNOCIS/Turbine
7. ESP Optimisation
8. Intelligent Sootblowing System (ISBS)
9. Unit Optimiser
10. Software Implementation
11. Handling Conflict Among Optimisers
12. On-Line Power Plant Optimisers in the UK
13. Recommendations
14. Conclusions
15. References

Publication Year:

2005

Publisher:

Department of Trade and Industry

DOI:

No DOI minted

Author(s):

Turner, D.M. & Mayes, I.