Environmental control implications of generating electric power from coal
C.D. Livengood · 1977
Environmental control technologies applicable to the coal-to-electricity process are evaluated in an ongoing project at Argonne National Laboratory. Part of the evaluation involves technology comparisons from a total system point of view. This report describes a highly versatile procedure developed for making those comparisons. The core of the procedure is a simulation mechanism of interconnected modules, each corresponding to a portion of the system stretching from raw coal to power plant emissions. By specifying input and output parameters in a consistent manner, it is possible to combine the modules in a variety of ways to investigate any system of interest. Examples of such parameters are given. New technologies can be added by modifying modules or adding new ones as needed. Interactions between an analyst and the mechanism are also discussed as they relate to determination of the most significant output factors. Specification of data at different levels of sophistication is described. As an illustration of the procedure, an example comparison is formulated and carried out in some detail.