Use of Utility System Analysis Techniques to Evaluate the Effects of Flue-Gas Desulfurization Redundancy in Power Plants

摘要

The effects of redundant flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) modules in a conventional coal-fired electric power plant are evaluated using techniques of utility system analysis. The increased capital costs of redundant modules are compared to the decreased utility system production costs that result from the improved reliability, and potential tradeoffs or breakeven points are evaluated. Two utility systems with significantly different generation (ie.e, fuel type) mixes are examined for both high- and low-sulfur coal applications. The sample application indicates that, under certain conditions, a doubly redundant FGD system (i.e., two extra modules) could be more economical than the singly redundant system that is current practice. The forced outage rate of the individual modules is the most significant factor in these comparisons, but the utility's capacity mix and the sulfur content of the coal are also important variables.