Title: A new algorithm to improve the energy efficiency of a coal-fired thermal power plant by determining the optimum excavation parameters in an opencast lignite mines

Authors: Ali Can Ozdemir; Ahmet Dag

Addresses: Mining Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Cukurova University, Balcali Saricam/ADANA 01330, Turkey ' Mining Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Cukurova University, Balcali Saricam/ADANA 01330, Turkey

Abstract: An essential problem in the production of lignite is that the produced lignite fails to meet the working conditions of the coal-fired thermal power plant. This leads to both an increase in the unit energy cost and a decrease in energy efficiency. This study aims to eliminate these problems by determining the optimum excavation parameters, which minimised the standard deviation value of the calorific value. Therefore, a computer software was developed for the lignite mines having low calorific values and working with the bucket wheel excavator. This software was applied to Kışlaköy lignite mine and it was observed that a total of 576 alternatives were evaluated and the optimum excavation alternative was determined. Also, the variance reduction ratio calculated with the input and output variance is 0.14. These results indicated that this software is a solution to problems in the coal-fired thermal power plant and the importance of using it. [Received: September 27, 2019; Accepted: September 9, 2020]

Keywords: thermal power plant; opencast lignite mine; excavation parameter; optimisation; energy efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2021.118649

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2021 Vol.28 No.3, pp.374 - 386

Received: 27 Sep 2019
Accepted: 09 Sep 2020
Published online: 30 Oct 2021 *

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