Paweł Gładysz

Thermo-ecological Evaluation of Advanced Coal-Fired Power Technologies

Within this chapter the introduction to the advances power technologies have been provided, concerning coal-fired power plants with CO2 capture, transport and storage. Further, the universal structure of an input-output model for the evaluation of an integrated oxy-fuel combustion power plant have been given and described in details, followed by its application within the mathematical models of the cumulative calculus and life cycle evaluation from the thermo-ecological point of view. As it is crucial to obtain the accurate input data for the thermo-ecological evaluation, the example of data acquisition process have been presented. Based on the presented input-output model, as well as mathematical models and data gathered the case studies for the thermo-ecological evaluation of advance power plants have been presented, followed by the summary and conclusions.

Thermo-ecological System Analysis as a Tool Supporting the Analysis of the National Energy and Environmental Policy

This chapter presents the application of the concept of thermo-ecological cost in the analysis of EU and Poland’s energy policy in the aspect of their thermodynamic motivation. The thermo-ecological cost comprising the cumulative exergy consumption connected both manufacturing the useful product and compensation of its harmful impact on the environment. The level of converting the primary energy to final energy has been analyzed by means of their ratio as well as the ratio of final exergy to primary exergy. Indices of thermo-ecological costs and sustainable development served to analyze the improvement of the structure of the demand for primary energy. The same way was applied in the case of the production of electricity. The effects of implementing the cogeneration Directive has been analyzed by means of the thermo-ecological cost of centralized heat production in Poland. The specific indices have been used in the analysis of thermodynamic effects of waste heat recovery on the example of physical recuperation as an important way of improving the energy effectiveness.

Cumulative Calculus and Life Cycle Evaluation

In most cases the assumption of the balance boundary is important from the point of view of energy and exergy analysis. Analysis in the local boundary encompassing single component of the system is in many cases constrained only for comparison of similar technologies of resources transformation. For complex analysis the system approach has to be applied, in which the boundary reach the level of primary resources extraction from nature. For the assessment of total resources expenditure burdening the fabrication of particular useful product the calculus of cumulative energy and exergy consumption, analysis of exergy cost or Life Cycle Assessment should be applied. The Chapter presents fundamentals for the mentioned methods.

Computable Examples of the Application of “Input-Output” Models of Energy Production Systems

Four computable examples concerning the application of “input-output” models of energy production systems (Chap. 4) have been presented. In the case of industrial energy systems the elaborated “input-output” model of energy economy of ironworks has been applied for the analysis of the influence of changes concerning replacement of heating furnace water cooling by the evaporative cooling. The computable example connected with integrated oxy-fuel combustion power plant has been used for the analysis of influence of the purity of oxygen on external supplies of energy and raw materials. The last computable example is devoted to system analysis of energy economy of office building. All these computable examples are strictly connected with algorithms of “input-output” models presented in Chap. 4.