Title: Analysis and sustainability assessment of coal-based thermal power plants: a case study

Authors: Rajesh Kumar; Sujit Karmakar

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal-713209, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal-713209, India

Abstract: The study uses energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4-E) analysis of coal-based thermal power plants, assessing sustainability across five dimensions: resource, energy, environment, economic, and social. It reveals that plant efficiency, fuel type, emissions control technologies, and location influence sustainability. Subcritical (SubC) plant with solar-aided CO₂ capture (SACCS) and solar-aided feed water heating (SAFWH) ranks highest based on resource, energy, and social acceptance. SubC-CCS is optimal for environmental factors, while SubC is economically favoured, with a sustainability index (SI) of 0.76. Using the analytical hierarchy process, the study finds that SubC-CCS is the best choice for Indian climatic conditions with high-ash coal, achieving an SI of 0.81.

Keywords: energy; exergy; sustainability; CO₂ capture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2025.144558

International Journal of Exergy, 2025 Vol.46 No.2, pp.178 - 197

Received: 10 May 2024
Accepted: 12 Oct 2024
Published online: 19 Feb 2025 *

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