Session: 17-13-01: Plant Performance, Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Hydraulics in Energy and Power Applications

Paper Number: 165011

Real-Time Estimation of Coal Moisture in Fossil Fuel Power Plants Based on Dry and Wet Basis Oxygen Measurements Performed at the Economizer Exit 

In this paper it is shown that by simultaneously performing O₂ concentration measurements on both a dry and wet basis at the economizer exit of a coal-fueled EGU, it is possible to accurately assess fuel moisture in real-time. The proposed methodology is intended to be employed in conjunction with a CEMS-based heat rate monitoring procedure that utilizes the output-loss method to assess power plant performance. It is noted that when employing the output-loss approach, it is necessary that the fuel composition must first be inferred to determine the balanced combustion reaction equation. That initial step is necessary to subsequently evaluate thermal losses from the boiler, thus permitting real-time assessment of boiler efficiency and heat rate. This investigation considers two separate scenarios to evaluate the combustion equation using CEMS data. In the first instance it is assumed that the fuel moisture is a static variable known from an ultimate analysis. In that case the real-time algorithm borrows the oxygen and nitrogen molar coefficients, as well as the unburned carbon coefficient, that were previously calculated by the calibration algorithm to balance the combustion reaction equation. In the second case the fuel moisture is treated as a time-varying quantity that is calculated using the suggested test protocol. Therein the real-time algorithm once again borrowed the oxygen and nitrogen molar coefficients and the unburned carbon coefficient from the calibration algorithm, but the fuel moisture was predicted by performing simultaneous measurements of the oxygen concentration on both a dry and a wet basis at the economizer exit. A validation of the modified CEMS-based method proposed in this investigation is accomplished by comparing the results from the two approaches. It is demonstrated that if accurate CEMS measurements are available, the proposed real-time methodology yields the same elemental coal analysis as the approach that assumes fuel moisture is a constant. The method introduced in this investigation is therefore capable of evaluating coal moisture in real-time. If a current ultimate analysis of the coal reveals a significant discrepancy between the actual and fuel moisture inferred from the proposed approach (i.e., the ultimate analysis implies less fuel moisture than is predicted using the CEMS-based approach), that difference may be attributable to the occurrence of steam tube leakage. Although the precise location of the leakage cannot be determined by this method, it does provide additional information that can motivate plant operators to perform further inspections of boiler tube integrity during a plant shutdown. The recommended approach is robust and relatively inexpensive, and it requires minimal retrofitting in most EGUs.

Presenting Author: Robert Craven Tennessee Tech Univ

Presenting Author Biography: Robert P.M. Craven
Email rcraven@tntech.edu ; Tel (931) 372-3487;
1020 Stadium Drive, PRSC 233 CESR Box 5032., Cookeville, TN 38505

Professional Preparation:
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV; Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (September 1980-August 1984).

Appointments:
R&D Engineer, Tennessee Tech University (October 2000, present) - Build new capabilities, maintain functionality, and perform research in a Smart Grid Laboratory. ARC HILLTOP researcher and modeler. Advance the smart agent rebirth of the scale model power grid consisting of multiple generators, multiple bus systems, multiple impedance lines, loads etc. with an in house developed SCADA and data historian. This permits real-world research on a laboratory power grid which can either be connected to the big grid or kept separate to research self-healing grids, fault tolerance, protection renewable integration, and battery storage. https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/research/cesr/smartgrid/
o Work with Dr. VanNeste in Quasi-Wireless Capacitive Power
o Mentor students in their research topics.
o Maintain power-plant heatrate code, including customization for various power-plants. Requires travel, meeting with sponsors, programming in C, C++, and Visual Basic.
o Setup data-acquisition systems for laboratories.

Research Associate, West Virginia University (1990-2000) - Designed and developed software for on-the-road heavy duty diesel engine emissions measurement, including analog measurements of temperature, pressure, flow, etc. and digital measurements from global positioning satellite receivers, engine electronic control units, and emissions measurement instruments. Results were post processed and then stored in a database for further studies and reports. Also worked on many patented inventions and mentored numerous students in their research.

Publications (Ten Total):
Products Most Closely Related (10 total)
• Rajesh Manicavasagam, Anthony Palmer, Mike Rogers, Satish Mahajan, Robert Craven, Chikezie Emeghara and Ryan Senz, “Testbed for Evaluating and Analyzing Smart Grid Behavior in Demand Response Scenarios”, Nov 18 2022 14th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT), IEEE
• Robert Craven, Keith Kirkpatrick, Stephen Idem; “Combustion Turbine Exhaust Duct, Silencer, and Stack Scale Modeling”, Power2021-64118, July 20-22, 2021, Online Virtual Proceedings of the ASME 2021 Power Conference
• Charles A. Robinson, Brandon T. Nieman, Robert Craven, Muhammed Enagi Bima, C.W. Van Neste, “Development of a Wireless Power Transmission System for Agriculture Sensor Devices”, 2020 IEEE International Conference on Big Data, paper ID: s09204, Dec 10-13, 2020
• “Adaptive Immune System Reinforcement Learning-Based algorithm for real-time Cascading Failures prevention”, Babalola, Adeniyi Abdulrasheed; Belkacemi, Rabie; Zarrabian, Sina; Craven, Robert, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, January 2017, Vol.57, pp.118-133 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN 38505, USA
• “Simulation of load-sharing in standalone distributed generation system,” Titus O Ajewole, Robert P M Craven, Olakunle Kayode, and Olufisayo S Babalola, 2018 7th International Conference on Clean and Green Energy-ICCGE 2018, Paris, France, February 7, 2018
• “AIS-MAS Algorithm for Cascading Failures Prevention in Power Systems,” Adeniyi Babalola, Dr. Rabie Belkacemi, Sina Zarrabian, and Robert Craven, IEEE PES GM, Denver Co, July 26 2015
• “Development of a Real Time Wind Turbine Emulator based on RTDS using Advanced Perturbation Methods,” (R. V. Gokhale, B. Abegaz, R. Craven, and S. M. Mahajan), Proceedings of the International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering, EEEIC, Rome Italy, June 2015.
• “Experimental Transient Stability Analysis of MicroGrid Systems: lessons learned,” R. Belkacemi, S. Zarrabian, A. Babalola and R. Craven, in IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, 2015.
• “Multi-Agent System Algorithm for Preventing Cascading Failures in Smart Grid Systems,” R. Belkacemi, A. Babalola, S. Zarrabian and R. Craven, in North American Power Symposium, Pullman, WA., Sept. 2014, pp. 1-6.
• “Microgrid-tied Solar Power Generation using Three-Phase IGBT Inverter” by Funso Ariyo and Robert Craven, poster session, IEEE SouthEastCon 2014

Authors:

Sastry Munukutla Tennessee Tech University
Robert P. M. Craven Tennessee Tech Univ
Stephen Idem Tennessee Tech University