Janusz BADUR, Mateusz BRYK
Environmental and economic aspects of accelerated start-up of high-power steam turbines
Discussed are possible benefits that would result from acceleration of a turbine start-up by one hour. Given are possible ways to accelerate the start-up and the results of an accelerated turbine start-up strength analysis. Performed is a simplified analysis of the financial gain resulting from shortening of the turbine start-up time. Raised is also the topic of an impact that the start-up time reducing operation will have on the environment. Presented are the power generation units working in Poland that, in the authors’ opinion, can be adapted to new design solutions.
Keywords: high-power steam turbines, accelerated start-up, strength analysis
Maksymilian PRZYGRODZKI, Wojciech LUBICKI
Planning process of the Polish transmission grid under non-deterministic conditions
The result of transmission planning process is an investment schedule. The goals of investment schedule are network enhancement and transmission capacity restoration. Elements of investment schedule are conditioned by deterministic and probabilistic issues. In particular, the high volatility of data for the transmission planning process deriving from energy market, organizational and technological realities, forces a change in approach. Under the conditions of functioning of the Polish power system, significant changes affecting the development planning process have occurred over the last several years. Among these conditions should be mentioned at least: the change in the country’s economy, organizational changes, technological development, energy market implementation, initiation of emissions trading and implementation of preferences for RES. These factors have forced the need for a new approach to transmission planning process, with particular focus on the meshed grid – 400, 220 and 110 kV. The article presents potential solutions of using probabilistic methods in the transmission planning process. Main reason of implementation proposed probabilistic approach is to investigate the influence of random factors on future transmission network structure. New elements of the process will be presented introducing main non-deterministic issues. Results of the calculation achieved for the test cases (based on transmission system model) will be shown. Finally transparency aspects in Poland will be described. Basically, transparency of transmission planning process is ensured on several levels – national and local. Planning process is provided directly by Transmission System Operator. The results need to be approved by Energy Regulatory Office. Transparency becomes really important on the stage of spatial planning, constructing and investment realization phase.
Keywords: transmission, planning, transparency, deterministic, probabilistic
Krzysztof JASTRZĄB, Sławomir STELMACH, Aleksander SOBOLEWSKI
Adsorbent from lignite for removing mercury from exhaust gases
Mercury is a toxic trace element characterized by significant chemical and biological activity. As a result of more and more intensive civilizational development, the emission of mercury coming from anthropogenic sources has been multiplied over the past decades, effecting in serious and dangerous for living organisms, including humans, pollution of the environment on a global scale. From among usable technical means that can reduce emission of mercury and its compounds from atmosphere, a special attention in the Instytut Chemicznej Przeróbki Węgla (Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal) in Zabrze is paid to application of coal adsorbents for this purpose. Presented are selected results of recent works concerning this issue and including the development of production technology of a cheap coal adsorbent as well as the preliminary assessment of its adsorption abilities towards mercury and its compounds. Shown is that with the application of the circulating fluidised bed technology it is possible to produce, using the preconditioned lignite, an adsorbent characterized by physico-chemical properties enabling its use in installations serving to inject powdered adsorbents into flue ducts.
Keywords: mercury emission, environmental pollution, technologies reducing mercury emission, lignite adsorbent, Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze
Lucyna WIĘCŁAW-SOLNY
Development of technology for CO2 capture from coal-fired power units’ flue gas and possibility of its implementation in the energy sector
For many years now The Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze has been conducting a research activitiy aimed at the development of clean coal technologies, especially in the area of CO2 capture from coal-fired power units flue gas and its further utilization. Since 2014 the IChPW has been involved in implementation of the project “CO2 Methanation System for Electricity Storage Through SNG Production” with the acronym CO2-SNG. Substantial issues of the CO2-SNG project include several priority directions of activities like reduction of CO2 emission from commercial power industry by CO2 capture from a part of units’ flue gas, followed by its utilization in the way of conversion to synthetic natural gas – SNG, and storage of energy from RES used for generation of hydrogen dedicated for the synthesis. Presented are results of a research work on the development of technology for removing CO2 from coal-fired power units’ flue gas, based on CO2 chemical absorption in amine solutions and its further utilization. The main objective of the Institute is to search solutions that would decrease the Carbon Capture Process energy demand by selecting appropriate absorption solutions and applying process modifications in CO2 capture installations. The developed solutions were verified during the research with the use of a pilot installation to amine removal of CO2 from flue gas from the real coal-fired power units belonging to Grupa TAURON (during more than 2000 hrs of work). As a result of the implemented solutions and the optimization of parameters of CO2 capture process, the heat demand of a sorbent regeneration process was successfully lowered from 4,26 to the level of 3,16 MJ per one kg of removed CO2. Presented are also informations concerning the being developed ways to utilize carbon dioxide i.e. CO2 methanation.
Keywords: technologies of CO2 removal from coal-fired power units’ flue gases, possibilities of new technologies implementation in the power industry, the Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze