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A mathematical model was developed to assess the economic feasibility of a biomass-based power plant in the Northeast of China. The objective of this model is to maximizes the net present value (NPV) of a biopower plant over its economic life, which subjects to the constraints of biomass availability, plant investment and operation & maintenance costs, plant capacity, transportation logistics, raw material and product pricing, financing, and business taxes. The model was applied in a biopower plant located in Wangkui County, China, which belongs to the National Bio-Energy Group Company Limited. Results showed that the maximum NPV of the Wangkui Biopower plant in the base case was approximately 117 million Yuan given the electricity sale price of 0.64 Yuan kWh-1 (or 0.75Yuan kWh-1 with tax). This study provides a reference for evaluating the economic feasibility of biopower plants based on biomass logistics networks in China.

The operation of many biomass-based power plants in China have demonstrated that biomass supply logistics system is a key part to achieve economic, stable, and safe operation for such plants. In this paper, the straw biomass supply system of a biomass-based power plant located in Wangkui County, Heilongjiang Province was analyzed, and a mathematical model was established to optimize the fuel supply system. In consideration of the current straw biomass fuel supply system in China, that is "fuel origin – purchasing station - power plant", appropriate hypothesis and simplification were made on the linear transportation model. The logistics parameters for the biopower plant were obtained through the model analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to analyze the optimal delivered cost of biomass under different operation scenarios, which enhanced the reliability of the final results. The optimal model proposed in this paper can also be used as a reference for the other biopower plants in the other regions.

The current status of broiler production in one of the subsidiary companies in Heilongjiang Chia Tai Group was investigated. Based on the summarization and analysis on its production flow and production layout, some layout symbols were put forward. These symbols can bring more convenience if used together with production flow chart in the planning and design of production logistics.