Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of Flue Gas Desulfurization Processes
Ronnie Leung-Nee Tong
John D. Keenan
DOI: 10.2190/QD1E-M01H-JDL1-NU37
Abstract
An economic dispatch model is developed to simulate the daily load dispatch operations of a power system. The model has been used to account for the operation of various flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems and their impacts on the power system economic dispatch pattern and SO2 emissions. The cost minimizing dispatch patterns and system operating costs of a power system with and without FGD can be simulated, and the SO2 removal cost of various FGD systems calculated and compared. Simulations performed on a hypothetical test power system with nine coal-fired generating units showed that the lime and the Wellman-Lord processes are the two least costly FGD systems to operate. The limestone process is also competitive. The same three processes are also found to be the most cost-effective FGD systems. A sensitivity analysis showed that the most critical factor influencing the cost-effectiveness of a FGD system is the sulfur content of the fuel. A high sulfur fuel (coal, in this study) results in a large increase in cost-effectiveness, and a moderate increase in the system operating cost.
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