Development of a method of forecasting electric utility coal consumption during the early operating period of a new base load power plant

Author

John Nicholas Stolwyk

Abstract

"When a new base load plant begins producing electrical power, outages will occur due to problems with its many systems and components. As these problems are corrected, the outages will become less frequent and of shorter duration. Eventually, the problems characteristic of early operation will no longer have an effect on plant operation, and the plant equivalent availability will reach a steady-state. During the period required to achieve this steady-state, the other plants in the utility system, some of which are coal-fired, will experience reductions in operating time, their coal consumption will be reduced, and inventories that are based on consumption can be reduced. The rate at which these reductions can occur is a function of the loading order of the other plants, their generating capacity, the changing system load shape, and the rate of increase of the new plant availability. The first three factors are readily available to utility management; the fourth must be obtained from the early operating statistics of generating units similar to the new plant in question. A computer model, written in WATFIV language, simulates the monthly load duration curves anticipated during the start-up phase. The curves are modeled as piecewise linear functions using twenty-one straight segments. The plant loading order is superimposed under the monthly curves, and the changing areas of the plant regions are used to construct a schedule of coal consumption as the new plant availability improves. The capabilities of this model are demonstrated by simulating a nine-plant non- interconnected electric utility experiencing the initial operation of a new base load generating plant, and the resulting schedule of expected decreases in coal consumption is constructed"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Advisor(s)

Omurtag, Yildirim

Committee Member(s)

Brooks, William A.
Richards, Earl F., 1923-

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Engineering Management

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

1984

Pagination

ix, 89 pages

Rights

© 1984 John Nicholas Stolwyk, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Citation

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Electric power consumption -- ForecastingElectric power production -- Computer simulationPower-plants

Thesis Number

T 5112

Print OCLC #

11299502

Recommended Citation

Stolwyk, John Nicholas, "Development of a method of forecasting electric utility coal consumption during the early operating period of a new base load power plant" (1984). Masters Theses. 4539.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/4539