Base load power plant

About: Base load power plant is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6121 publications have been published within this topic receiving 96788 citations.

On the wind power rejection in the islands of Crete and Rhodes

Abstract: Crete and Rhodes represent the two biggest isolated power systems in Greece. The energy production in both islands is based on thermal power plants.The annual wind energy rejection percentage is calculated for Crete and Rhodes in this paper. The rejected wind energy is defined as the electric energy produced by the wind turbines and not absorbed by the utility network, mainly due to power production system’s stability and dynamic security reasons. A parametric calculation of the annual wind energy rejection percentage, in terms of the installed wind power, the power demand and the maximum allowed wind power instant penetration percentage, is accomplished. The methodology takes into account (i) the wind power penetration probability, restricted by the thermal generators technical minima and the maximum allowed wind power instant penetration percentage over the instant power demand; and (ii) the wind power production probability, derived by the islands’ wind potential. The present paper indicates that isolated power systems which are based on thermal power plants have a limited wind power installation capacity—in order to achieve and maintain an adequate level of system stability. For a maximum wind power instant penetration percentage of 30% of the power demand, in order to ensure an annual wind energy rejection percentage less than 10%, the total installed wind power should not exceed the 40% of the mean annual power demand. The results of this paper are applicable to medium and great size isolated power systems, with particular features: (i) the power production is based on thermal power plants; (ii) the power demand exhibits intensive seasonal variations and is uncorrelated to the wind data; (iii) the mean annual power demand is greater than 10 MW; and (iv) a high wind potential, presenting mean annual wind velocity values greater than 7·5 m s −1 , is recorded. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 21 February 2006; Revised 22 January 2007; Accepted 23 March 2007

Advanced Fuel Cycle Economic Analysis of Symbiotic Light-Water Reactor and Fast Burner Reactor Systems

Abstract: The Advanced Fuel Cycle Economic Analysis of Symbiotic Light-Water Reactor and Fast Burner Reactor Systems, prepared to support the U.S. Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) systems analysis, provides a technology-oriented baseline system cost comparison between the open fuel cycle and closed fuel cycle systems. The intent is to understand their overall cost trends, cost sensitivities, and trade-offs. This analysis also improves the AFCI Program’s understanding of the cost drivers that will determine nuclear power’s cost competitiveness vis-a-vis other baseload generation systems. The common reactor-related costs consist of capital, operating, and decontamination and decommissioning costs. Fuel cycle costs include front-end (pre-irradiation) and back-end (post-iradiation) costs, as well as costs specifically associated with fuel recycling. This analysis reveals that there are large cost uncertainties associated with all the fuel cycle strategies, and that overall systems (reactor plus fuel cycle) using a closed fuel cycle are about 10% more expensive in terms of electricity generation cost than open cycle systems. The study concludes that further U.S. and joint international-based design studies are needed to reduce the cost uncertainties with respect to fast reactor, fuel separation and fabrication, and waste disposition. The results of this work can help provide insight to the cost-related factorsmore » and conditions needed to keep nuclear energy (including closed fuel cycles) economically competitive in the U.S. and worldwide. These results may be updated over time based on new cost information, revised assumptions, and feedback received from additional reviews.« less

Operational Reliability and Economics of Power Systems With Considering Frequency Control Processes

Abstract: With high renewable power penetration, uncertainty and intermittence of renewable sources become major concerns of power system planning and operation. Large and fast wind speed change may cause great variation of active power generation, which may lead to system stability and reliability problems. The response speeds of the committed conventional generators (CGs) for frequency regulations are critical for system reliable and stable operation. The slow response of the committed CGs may result in power shortage or surplus, which may affect system frequency. This paper proposes a technique to evaluate operational reliability and efficiency problems of power systems with high wind power penetration from frequency aspect. Energy unnecessarily consumed and less supplied during system frequency control processes are modeled in detail. The reliability and economic indexes are formulated with considering system dynamic frequency control processes. The IEEE-RTS79 is used to verify the proposed models and method.

Expected benefits of adjustable speed pumped storage in the European network.

Abstract: In the context of a sustainable development the optimal use of the electrical energy will require advanced networks allowing interconnections on very long distances and addressing the storage challenge. These requirements are essentially due to the following reasons: - Electrical energy, contrary to most other kind of energies, must be simultaneously produced and consumed, because it is not possible to store directly large amounts of it. - Electrical energy is generated to a large extent by thermal power plants or by run-of-river stations operating as base load units at nearby constant power.

Rock bed thermal storage: Concepts and costs

Abstract: Thermal storage enables concentrating solar power (CSP) plants to provide baseload or dispatchable power. Currently CSP plants use two-tank molten salt thermal storage, with estimated capital costs of about 22-30 $/kWhth. In the interests of reducing CSP costs, alternative storage concepts have been proposed. In particular, packed rock beds with air as the heat transfer fluid offer the potential of lower cost storage because of the low cost and abundance of rock. Two rock bed storage concepts which have been formulated for use at temperatures up to at least 600 °C are presented and a brief analysis and cost estimate is given. The cost estimate shows that both concepts are capable of capital costs less than 15 $/kWhth at scales larger than 1000 MWhth. Depending on the design and the costs of scaling containment, capital costs as low as 5-8 $/kWhth may be possible. These costs are between a half and a third of current molten salt costs.