Method and apparatus for providing load dispatch and pollution control optimization

• US 20060085363A1
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Huff, Frederick C., Cheng, Xu
• Granted Patent: US 9,771,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/02 Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An economic dispatch program allocates a load demand and an emission allowance of a power generation system among various power plants to determine the operational set-points and the pollution control set-points of each of the various power plants in a manner that minimizes the total operating cost for the power generation system, including the pollution control cost. The economic dispatch program uses the pollution control set-points and the load set-points of the various power plants as decision variables and takes into consideration the pollution control costs of the various power plants in allocating the load demand. During operation, the economic dispatch program takes into consideration the pollution credits available to the various power plants in allocating the load demand and pollution control level to determine the optimal operating solution for the power plants.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing operation of a power generation system having a plurality of power generation devices, the method comprising:

obtaining an objective function of the power generation system, wherein the objective function provides cost of operating the power generation system as a function of a plurality of variables, the plurality of variables including a load set-point and a pollution control set-point of at least one of the plurality of power generation devices;

obtaining a plurality of operating constraints of the power generation system; and

obtaining an optimal solution for the objective function within the plurality of operating constraints of the power generation system.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the pollution control set-point is a desired level of a pollutant generated by the one of the plurality of power generation devices.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the objective function provides the cost of operating the power generation system further as a function of a pollution credit available to one of the plurality of power generation devices.

4. A method of claim 1, further including receiving a load demand profile specifying the load output by the power generation system, and obtaining the optimal solution in which the load output profile of the power generation system is approximately equal to the load demand profile.

5. A method of claim 4, wherein the load demand profile is a ramp specifying increasing load output over a first period.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the operating constraints include a maximum efficiency of a pollutant control system of one of the plurality of power generation devices.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the objective function provides a cost of operating the power generation systems as a function of a pollution control cost for controlling a pollutant for one of the power generation devices.

8. A method of claim 7, wherein the pollutant is at least one of (1) sulfur dioxide, (2) carbon monoxide, (3) nitrogen oxide, (4) mercury, (5) volume of organic compound (VOC), and (6) greenhouse gases.

9. A method of claim 8, wherein the cost of controlling the pollutant includes the cost of an FGD or SCR reagent.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein the objective function includes a polynomial providing cost of fuel consumption of the one of the plurality of power generation devices as a function of (1) a load output from one of the plurality of power generation devices, (2) a heat rate of the one of the plurality of power generation device, and (3) a fuel price of the one of the plurality of power generation device.

11. A method of claim 1, wherein the objective function includes a neural network model providing cost of fuel consumption of the one of the plurality of power generation device as a function of (1) a load output from one of the plurality of power generation devices, (2) a heat rate of the one of the plurality of power generation device, and (3) a fuel price of the one of the plurality of power generation device.

12. A method of operating a power generation system having a plurality of power generation devices, the method comprising:

receiving an operating instruction specifying a load demand function and an emission allowance of the power generation system;

determining an objective function of the power generation system, wherein the objective function specifies an operating condition of the power plant as a function of a plurality of variables including a load set-point and a pollution control set-point of at least one of the plurality of power generation devices; and

determining an optimal solution of the objective function to generate operating set-points for the plurality of power generation devices that allows the power generation system to meet the load demand function while the total emissions generated by the power generation system are below the emission allowance.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein the objective function provides a cost of operating the power generation system as a function of a cost for controlling emission of a pollutant from one of the power generation devices.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein the pollutant is at least one of (1) sulfur dioxide, (2) carbon monoxide, (3) nitrogen oxide, (4) mercury, (5) volume of organic compound (VOC), and (6) greenhouse gases.

15. A method of claim 14, wherein the cost of controlling the pollutant includes the cost of an FGD or SCR reagent.

16. An economic analysis system for optimizing operation of a power generation system having a plurality of power generation devices, the economic analysis system comprising:

a first module adapted to store an objective function of the power generation system, wherein the objective function provides cost of operating the power generation system as a function of a plurality of variables, the plurality of variables including a load set-point and a pollution control set-point of at least one of the plurality of power generation devices;

a second module adapted to store a plurality of operating constraints of the power generation system; and

a third module adapted to obtain an optimal solution for the objective function within the plurality of operating constraints of the power generation system.

17. A system of claim 16, wherein the pollution control set-point is a desired level of a pollutant generated by the one of the plurality of power generation devices.

18. A system of claim 16, wherein the objective function provides the cost of operating the power generation system further as a function of a pollution credit available to one of the plurality of power generation devices.

19. A system of claim 16, wherein the power generation system is a power grid and the plurality of power generation devices includes a plurality of power plants.

20. A system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of power plants includes a combined cycle power plant.

21. A system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of power plants includes a flue gas de-sulfurization system to reduce an amount of a pollutant.

22. A system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of power plants includes a selective catalytic reduction system to reduce an amount of a pollutant.

23. A system of claim 16, wherein the third module is further adapted to obtain an optimal solution for the objective function using an evolutionary solution method.

24. A system of claim 16, wherein the power generation system is a power plant and the plurality of power generation devices includes a plurality of power generators.

25. A power generation system, comprising:

a plurality of power generation devices;

a first module adapted to obtain a load demand for the plurality of power generation devices;

a second module adapted to obtain an emission allowance for the plurality of power generation devices;

a third module adapted to obtain an objective function of the power generation system, wherein the objective function provides cost of operating the power generation system as a function of a plurality of variables, the plurality of variables including a load set-point and a pollution control set-point of at least one of the plurality of power generation devices;

a fourth module adapted to obtain a plurality of operating constraints of the power generation system; and

a fifth module adapted to obtain an optimal solution for the objective function so that when the power generation devices are operated as per the optimal solution, the plurality of power generation devices satisfies the load demand and the total emission output of the plurality of generation devices is less than the emission allowance.

26. A system of claim 25, wherein the pollution control set-point is a desired level of a pollutant generated by the one of the plurality of power generation devices.

27. A system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of power generation devices includes a plurality of power generation plants.

28. A system of claim 27, wherein the plurality of power generation plants includes a combined cycle power plant.