Power Generation Technologies

This book makes intelligible the wide range of electricity generating technologies available today, as well as some closely allied technologies such as energy storage. The book opens by setting the many power generation technologies in the context of global energy consumption, the development of the electricity generation industry and the economics involved in this sector. A series of chapters are each devoted to assessing the environmental and economic impact of a single technology, including conventional technologies, nuclear and renewable (such as solar, wind and hydropower). The technologies are presented in an easily digestible form. Different power generation technologies have different greenhouse gas emissions and the link between greenhouse gases and global warming is a highly topical environmental and political issue. With developed nations worldwide looking to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, it is becoming increasingly important to explore the effectiveness of a mix of energy generation technologies. Power Generation Technologies gives a clear, unbiased review and comparison of the different types of power generation technologies available. In the light of the Kyoto protocol and OSPAR updates, Power Generation Technologies will provide an invaluable reference text for power generation planners, facility managers, consultants, policy makers and economists, as well as students and lecturers of related Engineering courses. · Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies - conventional, nuclear and renewable · Describes the workings and environmental impact of each technology · Evaluates the economic viability of each different power generation system Front cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 4 Copyright page......Page 5 Table of contents......Page 6 List of figures......Page 10 List of tables......Page 12 History of the electricity generation industry......Page 14 The evolution of electricity generation technologies......Page 15 The politics of electricity......Page 17 The size of the industry......Page 18 End notes......Page 20 The evolution of environmental awareness......Page 21 The carbon cycle and atmospheric warming......Page 23 Controlling carbon dioxide......Page 25 The hydrogen economy......Page 26 Externalities......Page 27 Life-cycle assessment......Page 28 End notes......Page 30 3 Coal-fired power plants......Page 31 Types of coal......Page 32 Coal cleaning and processing......Page 33 Traditional coal-burning power plant technology......Page 34 Boiler technology......Page 35 Steam turbine design......Page 37 Generators......Page 39 Emission control for traditional coal-burning plants......Page 40 Low nitrogen oxides burners......Page 41 Sulphur dioxide removal......Page 42 Combined sulphur and nitrogen oxides removal......Page 43 Mercury removal......Page 44 Carbon dioxide......Page 45 Fluidised-bed combustion......Page 46 Integrated-gasification combined cycle......Page 48 Environmental effects of coal combustion......Page 50 Financial risks associated with coal-fired power generation......Page 51 The cost of coal-fired electricity generation......Page 53 End notes......Page 54 4 Gas turbines and combined cycle power plants......Page 56 Natural gas......Page 57 Natural gas costs......Page 58 Gas turbine technology......Page 59 Modern gas turbine design......Page 61 Reheating......Page 63 Mass injection......Page 65 Combined cycle power plants......Page 66 Environmental impact of gas turbines......Page 68 Carbon dioxide......Page 69 Technological risk......Page 70 Fuel risk......Page 71 The cost of gas turbine power stations......Page 72 End notes......Page 74 5 Combined heat and power......Page 75 History......Page 76 Applications......Page 77 CHP technology......Page 78 Piston engines......Page 79 Steam turbines......Page 80 Gas turbines......Page 81 Micro turbines......Page 82 Nuclear power......Page 83 Noise......Page 84 Energy efficiency......Page 85 Cost of CHP......Page 86 End notes......Page 87 6 Piston-engine-based power plants......Page 88 Piston engine technology......Page 89 Spark-ignition engines......Page 91 Compression engines......Page 92 Stirling engines......Page 93 Co-generation......Page 94 Combined cycle......Page 95 Environmental considerations......Page 96 Emission control......Page 97 Financial risks......Page 98 Costs......Page 99 End notes......Page 100 7 Fuel cells......Page 102 Fuel cell chemistry......Page 103 Catalysts......Page 105 Types of fuel cell......Page 106 Phosphoric acid fuel cell......Page 107 Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell......Page 109 Molten carbonate fuel cells......Page 110 Solid oxide fuel cells......Page 112 Environmental considerations......Page 114 Fuel cell costs......Page 115 End notes......Page 116 8 Hydropower......Page 117 The hydropower resource......Page 118 Hydro sites......Page 119 Run-of-river project......Page 120 Reservoir projects......Page 121 Turbines......Page 122 Reaction turbines......Page 123 Francis turbine......Page 124 Propeller and Kaplan turbines......Page 125 Small hydropower......Page 126 The environment......Page 127 Sedimentation......Page 128 Human rights......Page 129 Geological risk......Page 130 Hydrological risk......Page 131 The cost of hydropower......Page 132 End notes......Page 133 Tidal motion......Page 135 The tidal resource......Page 136 Tidal technology......Page 137 Tidal barrages......Page 138 Two-basin projects......Page 139 Turbines......Page 140 Speed regulation......Page 141 Environmental considerations......Page 142 Financial risks......Page 143 The cost of tidal power......Page 144 End note......Page 146 10 Storage technologies......Page 147 Types of energy storage......Page 148 Pumped storage hydropower......Page 149 Turbines......Page 150 Global exploitation......Page 151 Compressed air energy storage......Page 152 Storage caverns......Page 153 Turbine technology......Page 154 Costs......Page 155 Large-scale batteries......Page 156 Flow batteries......Page 157 Costs......Page 158 Superconducting magnetic energy storage......Page 159 Flywheels......Page 160 Capacitors......Page 161 Environmental considerations......Page 162 Renewable energy......Page 163 Costs......Page 164 End notes......Page 165 11 Wind power......Page 166 Wind sites......Page 168 Wind turbines......Page 169 Turbine size......Page 170 Horizontal or vertical?......Page 171 Rotor design......Page 173 Drive train and generator......Page 174 Wind farms and grid connection......Page 175 Offshore wind technology......Page 176 Environmental considerations......Page 177 Financial risks......Page 179 The cost of wind power......Page 180 End notes......Page 181 12 Geothermal power......Page 183 The geothermal resource......Page 184 Geothermal fields......Page 185 Brine–methane reservoirs......Page 186 Location of geothermal resources......Page 187 Geothermal energy conversion technology......Page 188 Direct-steam power plant......Page 189 Flash-steam plants......Page 190 Binary power plants......Page 191 Environmental considerations......Page 192 Financial risks......Page 193 The cost of geothermal power......Page 194 End notes......Page 195 The solar energy resource......Page 197 Sites for solar power generation......Page 198 Solar thermal power generation......Page 199 Parabolic troughs......Page 200 Solar towers......Page 203 Solar dish collectors......Page 204 Photovoltaic devices......Page 205 Solar photovoltaic technology......Page 206 Types of solar cell......Page 207 Solar panels and inverters......Page 208 Solar concentrators......Page 209 Residential photovoltaic arrays......Page 210 Environmental considerations......Page 211 Financial risks......Page 212 Solar thermal costs......Page 213 Solar photovoltaic costs......Page 214 End notes......Page 215 Ocean energy resource......Page 217 Ocean thermal energy conversion......Page 219 Open and closed cycle ocean thermal energy conversion......Page 220 Technical challenges......Page 221 The environmental impact of ocean thermal energy conversion......Page 222 Wave energy......Page 223 1. Oscillating water columns......Page 224 3. Oscillating flaps......Page 225 2. Ducks, wave pumps and other water snakes......Page 226 The cost of wave energy conversion......Page 227 Horizontal axis turbines......Page 228 Other tidal stream energy extractors......Page 229 End notes......Page 230 15 Biomass-based power generation......Page 232 Types of biomass......Page 233 Biomass wastes......Page 234 Energy crops......Page 235 Direct firing......Page 237 Co-firing......Page 239 Biomass gasification......Page 240 Liquid fuels......Page 241 Environmental considerations......Page 242 Energy crops......Page 243 Financial risks......Page 244 Technology costs......Page 245 Electricity costs......Page 246 End notes......Page 247 Landfill waste disposal......Page 248 Waste sources......Page 249 Waste composition......Page 250 Waste collection......Page 251 Waste power generation technologies......Page 252 Traditional combustion plants......Page 253 Gasification and pyrolysis......Page 254 Environmental considerations......Page 256 Ash......Page 257 Dioxins......Page 258 Financial risks......Page 259 End notes......Page 260 17 Nuclear power......Page 262 Global nuclear capacity......Page 263 Fundamentals of nuclear power......Page 264 Nuclear fission......Page 265 Controlled nuclear reaction......Page 266 Nuclear reactors......Page 267 Boiling water reactor......Page 268 Pressurised water reactor......Page 269 Canadian deuterium uranium reactor......Page 270 High-temperature gas-cooled reactor......Page 271 Breeder (fast) reactors......Page 272 Environmental considerations......Page 273 Radioactive waste......Page 275 Decommissioning......Page 276 Financial risks associated with investing in nuclear power......Page 277 The cost of nuclear power......Page 278 End notes......Page 279 Index......Page 280 This book makes intelligible the wide range of electricity generating technologies available today, as well as some closely allied technologies such as energy storage. The book opens by setting the many power generation technologies in the context of global energy consumption, the development of the electricity generation industry and the economics involved in this sector. A series of chapters are each devoted to assessing the environmental and economic impact of a single technology, including conventional technologies, nuclear and renewable (such as solar, wind and hydropower). The technologies are presented in an easily digestible form. Different power generation technologies have different greenhouse gas emissions and the link between greenhouse gases and global warming is a highly topical environmental and political issue. With developed nations worldwide looking to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, it is becoming increasingly important to explore the effectiveness of a mix of energy generation technologies. Power Generation Technologies gives a clear, unbiased review and comparison of the different types of power generation technologies available. In the light of the Kyoto protocol and OSPAR updates, Power Generation Technologies will provide an invaluable reference text for power generation planners, facility managers, consultants, policy makers and economists, as well as students and lecturers of related Engineering courses. Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies - conventional, nuclear and renewable Describes the workings and environmental impact of each technology Evaluates the economic viability of each different power generation system "Paul Breeze provides a concise and readable description of the spectrum of different power generation technologies available today, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established renewables such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewables such as biomass, wave and tidal stream energy. Technology solutions such as combined heat and power, and distributed generation are also explored." "Those involved in planning and delivering energy - including engineers, managers and policy makers - will find in this book a valuable guide through the minefield of maintaining a reliable power supply, meeting targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing economic and social objectives."--Jacket Paul Breeze provides a concise and readable description of the spectrum of different power generation technologies available today, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established renewables such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewable 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. Those involved in planning and