Power Generation Technologies

The new edition of **__Power Generation Technologies__** is a concise and readable guide that provides an introduction to the full spectrum of currently available power generation options, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established alternatives such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewables such as biomass and geothermal energy. Technology solutions such as combined heat and power and distributed generation are also explored. However, this book is more than just an account of the technologies - for each method the author explores the economic and environmental costs and risk factors. Each technology is covered using the same basic criteria so that comparisons between technologies can be made more easily. Those involved in planning and delivering energy - including engineers, managers and policy makers - will find in this book a guide through the minefield of maintaining a reliable power supply, meeting targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing economic and social objectives.* Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies from oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas, to geothermal, wind, solar, and bioenergy * Hundreds of diagrams demystify how each technology functions in practice * Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of each power generation system covered NEW TO THIS EDITION: * New chapters covering fast-advancing renewable and alternative power sources such as municipal waste and concentrating solar plants * Fresh focus the evolution of traditional technologies such as natural gas and "clean coal" * Expanded coverage of distributed power generation and CHP (combined heat and power) technologies Front Matter 1 Copyright 3 An Introduction to Electricity Generation 4 History of electricity generation 5 Evolution of electricity-generating technologies 6 Evolution of electricity networks 9 Renewable energy and distributed generation 10 A brief political diversion 12 Size of the industry 13 Electricity Generation and the Environment 17 Evolution of environmental awareness 18 Environmental effects of power generation 19 Carbon cycle and atmospheric warming 20 Controlling carbon dioxide 22 Hydrogen economy 23 Economics of electricity production 24 Externalities 25 Life-cycle assessment 26 The bottom line 28 Coal-fired Power Plants 30 Types of coal 32 Coal reserves 33 Coal cleaning and processing 34 Traditional coal-fired power generation technology 35 Boiler technology 37 Steam turbine design 40 Generators 43 Fluidized bed combustion 44 Integrated gasification combined cycle 47 Emission control for coal-fired power plants 49 Coal treatment 51 Low Nitrogen Oxide Combustion Strategies 52 Sulfur dioxide removal 53 Nitrogen oxide capture 55 Combined sulfur and nitrogen oxide removal 56 Particulate dust removal 56 Mercury removal 57 Carbon dioxide removal 57 Post-combustion Capture 58 Coal Gasification 59 Oxy-fuel Combustion 60 Biomass Cofiring 61 Carbon dioxide sequestration 63 Cost of coal-fired power generation 64 Natural Gas?fired Gas Turbines and Combined Cycle Power Plants 67 Natural gas 68 Growth of gas turbine technology 71 Gas turbine principle 72 Modern gas turbine design for power generation 73 Gas turbine development 76 Advanced gas turbine cycles 78 Reheating 78 Intercooling 79 Recuperation 80 Mass Injection 80 Combined cycle power plants 81 Micro-turbines 84 Emission control for gas turbine power plants 85 Nitrogen Oxide 85 Carbon Monoxide 87 Carbon Dioxide 88 Cost of gas turbine-based power generation 89 Piston Engine?Based Power Plants 92 Internal combustion engines 93 Engine Cycles 94 Engine Size and Engine Speed 96 Spark-ignition engines 97 Diesel engines compression engines 99 Dual-fuel engines 100 Stirling engines 102 Cogeneration 103 Combined cycle 104 Emission control 105 Nitrogen Oxide 106 Carbon Monoxide, VOCs, and Particulates 107 Sulfur Dioxide 107 Carbon Dioxide 108 Cost of reciprocating engine-based power generation 108 Combined Heat and Power 110 Historical background for combined heat and power usage 111 Combined heat and power principles and applications 113 CHP Technology 115 Piston engines 117 Steam turbines 118 Gas Turbines 119 Micro-turbines 122 Fuel cells 122 Nuclear power 124 Cost of chp 124 Fuel Cells 127 History of fuel cells 128 Fuel cell principle 129 Catalysts 132 Hydrocarbon gas reformation 133 Fuel cell efficiency 134 Fuel cell types 134 Alkaline Fuel Cell 136 Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell 138 Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell 140 Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell 142 Solid Oxide Fuel Cell 144 Direct Methanol Fuel Cell 147 Fuel cell costs 149 Hydropower 151 Hydropower resource 153 Hydropower sites 155 Categories of hydropower plant 156 Large hydropower plants: dams and barrages 157 Run-of-River Scheme 157 Dam and Reservoir Projects 159 Dam types 159 Embankment Dam 160 Concrete Gravity Dam 161 Concrete Arch Dam 161 Hydropower turbines 162 Impulse Turbines 163 Reaction Turbines 165 Francis Turbine 165 Propeller and Kaplan Turbines 166 Deriaz Turbine 167 Generators 167 Small hydropower 168 Environmental considerations 171 Environmental assessment 172 Resettlement 172 Biodiversity 173 Geological Effects 173 Sedimentation and Downstream Effects 174 Greenhouse Gases 174 Interregional Effects 175 Hydropower and intermittent renewable generation 175 Cost of electricity generation from hydropower plants 175 Tidal Barrage Power Plants 178 Tidal resource 179 Operating tidal barrage power plants 181 Tidal power plant design 182 Two-basin projects 184 Bunded reservoir 185 Tidal barrage construction techniques 185 Turbines 186 Turbine speed regulation 188 Sluices and shiplocks 189 Environmental considerations 189 Cost of electricity generation from tidal barrage power plants 190 Power System Energy Storage Technologies 192 Types of energy storage 194 Pumped storage hydropower 196 Pumped Storage Technology 197 Variable-Speed Operation 198 Pumped Storage Sites 198 Performance 199 Costs 199 Compressed-air energy storage 199 Compressed-Air Energy Storage Principle 200 Compressed-Air Storage Facilities 201 Turbine Technology and CAES Cycles 202 Costs 203 Large-scale batteries 203 Battery Principle 204 Lead-Acid Batteries 206 Nickel-Cadmium Batteries 207 Lithium Batteries 207 Sodium-Sulfur Batteries 207 Flow Batteries 208 Costs 209 Superconducting magnetic energy storage 209 Costs 211 Flywheels 211 Flywheel Principle 212 Flywheel Performance Characteristics 213 Costs 213 Capacitors 213 Energy Storage Capacitor Principles 214 Performance Characteristics 215 Applications 215 Costs 216 Hydrogen energy storage 216 Hydrogen Energy Essentials 216 Performance Characteristics 217 Costs 218 Wind Power 219 Wind resources 220 Wind turbine technology 222 Wind turbine anatomy 224 Rotors 224 Yawing 226 Drive Trains and Generator 227 Towers 228 Offshore wind turbine technology 229 Wind farms 232 Environmental effects of wind power 233 Wind intermittency and grid issues 233 Wind capacity limits 235 Repowering 236 Cost of wind power 236 Geothermal Power 239 Geothermal resource 240 Geothermal fields 242 Brine-methane reservoirs 244 Hot dry rock 244 Exploiting the magma 245 Location of geothermal resources 246 Size of the resource 246 Geothermal energy conversion technologies 246 Direct steam power plants 247 Flash steam plants 248 Binary cycle power plants 249 Geothermal power and district heating 251 Finding and exploiting geothermal sources 251 Cost of geothermal power 252 Solar Power 254 Solar energy resource 255 Solar sites and land resources 256 Solar power generation technologies 257 Solar thermal power generation 257 Parabolic Troughs 258 Solar Towers 262 Solar Dishes 266 Fresnel Reflectors 268 Other Solar Thermal Technologies 269 Photovoltaic devices 270 Solar Photovoltaic Technology 272 Types of Solar Cell 273 Cell Structures 274 Concentrating Solar Cells 276 Third-generation Solar Cells 276 Modules, Inverters, and Panels 277 System Types 278 Solar Photovoltaic Generation and Energy Storage 279 Cost of solar power 279 Solar Thermal Costs 280 Solar Photovoltaic Costs 281 Marine Power Generation Technologies 282 Marine energy resource 283 Ocean thermal energy conversion 284 OTEC Technology 286 Wave power 289 Wave Power Technology 290 Shore and Near-shore Wave Converters 290 Oscillating Water Columns 290 Overtopping Devices and Tapered Channels 291 Oscillating Flaps 292 Offshore Devices 293 Buoyancy-based Devices 293 Pontoons, Snakes, and Ducks 294 Piezoelectric Devices 296 Marine current energy 296 Marine Current Energy Converters 297 Horizontal-axis Turbines 298 Vertical-axis Turbines 300 Cross-flow Turbines 301 Other Marine Current Devices 301 Marine Current Projects 303 Salinity gradient power generation 303 Osmotic Power 304 Vapor Compression 305 Hydrocratic Power 305 Reverse Electrodialysis 305 Cost of marine power generation 306 Biomass-based Power Generation 307 Types of biomass 309 Biomass wastes 310 Fuelwood 311 Energy crops 312 Biomass trade 314 Biomass energy conversion technology 315 Direct firing 315 co-firing 318 Biomass gasification 320 Fuel handling 322 Biomass digesters 323 Liquid fuels 324 Cost of biomass power generation 325 Technology Costs 325 Fuel Costs 326 Cost of Electricity from Biomass 326 Power from Waste 328 Landfill waste disposal 330 Sources of waste 330 Waste composition 331 Waste collection and recycling 333 Waste power generation technologies 334 Traditional waste incineration plants 335 Gasification and pyrolysis 337 Refuse-derived fuel 341 Environmental issues 341 Waste plant emissions 342 Ash 342 Fly Ash and Flue-gas Treatment Residues 343 Flue Gas 343 Dioxins 343 Heavy Metals 344 Cost of energy from waste plants 344 Nuclear Power 346 Global nuclear capacity 348 Fundamentals of nuclear power 349 Nuclear Fission 350 Controlled Nuclear Reaction 351 Nuclear Fusion 352 Nuclear Fission Reactor Designs 353 Boiling Water Reactor 354 Pressurized Water Reactor 355 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor CANDU Reactor 356 Gas-cooled Reactors 357 RBMK Reactor 358 High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor 358 Nuclear Fast Breeder Reactors 360 Advanced Reactors 361 Nuclear fusion 363 Magnetic Confinement 364 Inertial Confinement 366 Tritium Production 367 Environmental question 367 Radioactive Waste 368 Waste Categories 369 Decommissioning 370 Cost of nuclear power 370 Index 372 A 372 B 372 C 373 D 375 E 376 F 377 G 378 H 379 I 380 K 381 L 381 M 381 N 382 O 383 P 383 R 384 S 385 T 387 U 388 V 388 W 388 Y 389 Z 389 The new edition of Power Generation Technologies is a concise and readable guide that provides an introduction to the full spectrum of currently available power generation options, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established alternatives such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewables such as biomass and geothermal energy. Technology solutions such as combined heat and power and distributed generation are also explored. However, this book is more than just an account of the technologies – for each method the author explores the economic and environmental costs and risk factors. Each technology is covered using the same basic criteria so that comparisons between technologies can be made more easily. Those involved in planning and delivering energy – including engineers, managers and policy makers – will find in this book a guide through the minefield of maintaining a reliable power supply, meeting targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing economic and social objectives.

• Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies from oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas, to geothermal, wind, solar, and bioenergy
• Hundreds of diagrams demystify how each technology functions in practice
• Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of each power generation system covered

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• New chapters covering fast-advancing renewable and alternative power sources such as municipal waste and concentrating solar plants
• Fresh focus the evolution of traditional technologies such as natural gas and "clean coal"
• Expanded coverage of distributed power generation and CHP (combined heat and power) technologies

Content: Front Matter , Pages i-ii Copyright , Page iv Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Electricity Generation , Pages 1-13 Chapter 2 - Electricity Generation and the Environment , Pages 15-27 Chapter 3 - Coal-fired Power Plants , Pages 29-65 Chapter 4 - Natural Gas–fired Gas Turbines and Combined Cycle Power Plants , Pages 67-91 Chapter 5 - Piston Engine–Based Power Plants , Pages 93-110 Chapter 6 - Combined Heat and Power , Pages 111-127 Chapter 7 - Fuel Cells , Pages 129-152 Chapter 8 - Hydropower , Pages 153-179 Chapter 9 - Tidal Barrage Power Plants , Pages 181-194 Chapter 10 - Power System Energy Storage Technologies , Pages 195-221 Chapter 11 - Wind Power , Pages 223-242 Chapter 12 - Geothermal Power , Pages 243-257 Chapter 13 - Solar Power , Pages 259-286 Chapter 14 - Marine Power Generation Technologies , Pages 287-311 Chapter 15 - Biomass-based Power Generation , Pages 313-333 Chapter 16 - Power from Waste , Pages 335-352 Chapter 17 - Nuclear Power , Pages 353-378 Index , Pages 379-396