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Modern bioenergy is being recognized as an increasingly important low-carbon resource by policy-makers around the world to meet climate policy targets. In India also, there is a clear recognition of the significant role of bioenergy in electricity generation as well as in other applications. In this study, a preliminary attempt has been made to assess the techno-economic feasibility of biomass pellets-based power (BPBP) generation in India. Surplus availability of biomass feedstock from agriculture and forestry/wasteland sector is estimated at 242 million tonnes (Mt) for 2010-11 and is expected to rise to 281 Mt in 2030-31 due to increased crop production and associated waste/residue availability. In terms of related capacity, the potential of BPBP projects is estimated at 35 GW for 2030-31. The associated carbon dioxide mitigation potential resulting from the substitution of coal is estimated at 205 Mt in 2030-31 if the entire biomass surplus is to be diverted for power generation. The levelized cost of electricity is estimated at €0.12 per kWh for BPBP projects as compared to €0.10 per kWh for imported coal based power plants. For states with the lower tariff for biomass power, the break-even price of carbon for BPBP projects is estimated at €18 per tonne. Additionally, BPBP projects will generate employment of more than 5 million person-months in the construction of biomass power plants and over 200,000 full-time employments in the operation of BPBP plants and in the production of biomass pellets.

Despite continuous efforts to enhance the operational efficiency of power plants dependent on these fuels, fossil fuels are expected to remain a significant global energy source in the coming decades. India has initiated a mission program to establish Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) power plants operating at temperature and pressure exceeding 720°C and 30.4kPa respectively. These plants are anticipated to utilize specialized materials with high resistance to corrosion and deformation at elevated temperatures. Among the materials considered, Nickel-base alloys, Creep Strength Enhanced Ferritic (CSEF) Steels and Austenitic Stainless Steels have emerged as the primary candidates. The prime emphasis of this paper is directed towards examining the weldability of Austenitic Stainless Steels utilized in AUSC power plants. It encompasses various aspects such as the choice of filler materials, welding techniques, and the attributes of welds involving both similar and dissimilar metals. The paper provides a comprehensive review of weldability challenges encountered in Austenitic Stainless Steels, including issues like liquation cracking in the heat-affected zone (HAZ), hot cracking, and stress relaxation cracking induced by tramp elements. Additionally, it investigates the performance of different filler wires, namely ER304HCu, ERNiCrCoMo-1, and ERNiCrMo-3, in weld joints involving 304HCu SS tubes, as well as ERNiCrCoMo-1 in dissimilar tube weld joints between 304HCu Stainless Steel and Alloy 617M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, harmful emissions from coal power plants cause many illnesses contribute to premature deaths burden. Despite its high impact on human health and being a major source of toxic pollutants, coal has been considered a component of global energy for decades. Hence, this work was envisaged to understand the rising environmental and multiple health issues from coal power plants. Studies on the adverse impacts of coal power plants on the environment, including soil, surface water, groundwater and air, were critically evaluated. The health risk from exposure to different pollutants and toxic metals released from the power plant was also demonstrated. The study also highlighted the government initiatives and policies regarding coal power operation and generation. Lastly, the study focused on guiding coal power plant owners and policymakers in identifying the essential cues for the risk assessment and management. The current study found an association between environmental and human health risks due to power generation, which needs intervention from the scientific and medical fields to jointly address public concerns. It is also suggested that future research should concentrate on exposure assessment techniques by integrating source-identification and geographic information systems to assess the health effects of different contaminants from power plants and to mitigate their adverse impact., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Because of urbanization, demand for housing is increasing day by day in India. Traditional clay brick leads to resource scarcity and environmental pollution. To overwhelmed this problem, manufacturing of bricks was done using the waste of thermal power plants like Fly Ash along with Sand and Cement (FAS-C Brick) as key ingredients. Fly ash is an Industrial by-product of thermal power plant. An experimental study of mix-design was carried out to increase the quality of the FAS-C brick. This paper attempt to formulate the mix design of fly ash based brick by process planning. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the compressive strength and water absorption of the bricks. The main objective of the research study was to design the Fly Ash, Sand, Cement (FAS-C) brick and find the compressive strength using different mix design methods as a part of quality improvement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power system oscillations in the grid are an issue of concern to the system operator. They may transform a stable system into an unstable system when the system is operating on the edge and contingency occurs. The oscillations developed in the system may grow and spread across the power grid if no timely, corrective action is taken to mitigate them. The paper presents the ultra-mega power plant generation complex related blackout analysis. The case study presented in this paper demonstrates the utilization of synchrophasor data to have a better realization about the grid disturbance. It covers some of the important dynamic simulation studies considered representative of various scenarios during this. The paper illustrates utilization of Prony analysis using multiple signals and Fast Fourier Transform methods in conjunction with frequency data obtained in real-time from PMUs installed in the western regional grid of India to determine the frequency of oscillations, its magnitude, and related damping during this disturbance. The focus of this study involves the application of these techniques to gain insight into the oscillatory behavior of the system during this disturbance associated with ultra-mega power plant having generation capacity greater than or equal to 4000 MW from the western part of Indian grid. Based on this, distinct categorization of oscillations into "local mode" and "inter-area mode" of oscillations was done for enhanced understanding about the type of oscillations getting excited during this disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In these post COVID times, the world is going through a massive restructuring which India can use to its benefit by attracting foreign industrial investment. The major requirement is a reliable and ecofriendly electrical power source. Of late, renewable energy sources have increasingly become popular as alternative source of electricity. They can provide immense aid in improving the reliability of the power system, when placed properly. The alternative integrated energy sources along with FACTS devices can provide a promising future for reliable power systems. In this paper, an effective location for the solar power unit and Interline Power Flow Controller using Line Severity Index is proposed in order to avoid contingencies. An Indian 62 bus system and IEEE 57 bus system are considered for the study. The Firefly algorithm is used to tune the IPFC in the Integrated Energy Systems scenario, for a dual objective function. The effect of placement of the solar unit and the optimized IPFC is analyzed and studied in detail in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the exhaust rate of the conventional sources has geared up already, this is compelling the power industries to install the power plants based on the non-conventional sources so that future demand of the energy supply can be fulfilled. Among the various sources of renewable energy like wind, hydro, tidal etc., solar energy is the most easily accessible and available renewable energy source. Ensuring the feasibility of any energy source not only technical but also the economical perspective is the most important criteria. This paper has incorporated both the perspective and has done the techno-economic analysis to determine the optimum combination of the PV array size and battery size to minimize the overall electricity generation per unit. In this paper, a standalone solar PV system has been analyzed for the location of Jamshedpur, where an effort has been done to choose the optimum combination of the solar array and battery size within the desired range of LLP so that the electricity generation cost per unit can be minimized. The overall duration of the analysis has been done for a year and the outcome of the research has been verified with the help of MATLAB software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) in the 2019-20 academic year, the wind power plant produces 23% of the biomass power supply in the Indian electrical commodities. To maintain the power withstanding capability needed for future electrical commodities, a yearly power shutdown program is implemented. An additional wind power plant unit will be erected and create more electricity, thereby balancing India's commercial electricity needs. Even in a nonstationary working environment, continuous monitoring and analyzing the efficiency of wind turbines is a more difficult task. Consequently, in this paper, a health index calculation for wind power plants is proposed utilizing neurofuzzy (NF) modeling. Wind generator efficiency can be measured mathematically by recording three crucial primitivistic such as observed rotation speed, generation wound temperature, and gearbox heat. Fuzzy rules are used to design the parameters of the neural network (NN), and the accumulated signal is compared using the nonlinear extrapolation approach to determine the wind generator's behavior and evaluate the hazards. During the experimental study, two windows of 24 hours and 60 hours are used, where the deviation signal required for the hazard induction is investigated. The proposed approach can accurately calculate the wind generator's health state. As a result of an improved health operating and management (HOM) system, the amount of power generated by industrials and domestic appliances has increased dramatically., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shahanaz Ayub et al.)

There is a need for non-renewable energy sources in generation of power for almost every domestic and commercial purposes. This source of energy helps in the development of a country. Because of the increasing usage of the fossil fuels and depletion of these resources, our focus has been shifted towards the renewable sources of energy like solar, water and wind. Therefore, in the present scenario, the usage of renewable sources has been increasing rapidly. Selection of a solar power plant (SPP) requires environmental factor, local terrain, and local weather issues. Thus, a large amount of investment is required for installation. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) is a method that identifies one in choosing the best sites among the other proposed options. This paper gives a detailed study of optimal ranking of SPP site using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), multiple layer perceptron (MLP) neural network trained with back propagation (BP) algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA). Three SPP sites of India were considered and various important criteria like local weather, geographical location, and environmental factors are included in our study as SPP site selection is a multi-criteria problem. A precise comparison of these three methods is listed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power system operation has become more complex with larger use of renewable energy sources, strict requirements of environmental controls, and need to maintain adequate security and stability norms. To meet the environmental norms now, Flue-Gas Desulphurization (FGD) plants have to be installed in old thermal power plants. With larger share of wind and solar energy resources, flexible operation of conventional thermal and hydro power plants is needed. The paper reviews various recent issues pertaining to power system operation in India and the challenges posed to ensure efficient grid operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar based microgrids provide an environmentally benign alternative to conventional generation. However, their capital intensive structure and variability compels comprehensive examination of planning scenarios. This paper presents a bi-stage planning framework for a solar-battery microgrid. In the first stage of planning, sizing is carried out for autonomous operation. The second stage extends analysis to grid connected mode wherein four cases of microgrid operation are investigated. The analysis involves techno-socio-economic evaluation of constrained and unconstrained power flow. The parameters such as risk state probability, unmet load fraction, levelized cost of energy and social cost of carbon are used to evaluate and compare different cases for a solar-battery based microgrid located in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. The results demonstrate that storage integration is essential for sustaining reliability in autonomous operation of microgrid. It can be inferred from the results that permitting reverse power flow renders considerable economic benefits and fetches lowest cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the hilly regions of India, hydro power potential is available, but it is not completely utilized for power generation till date due to the unavailability of proper electrical structure. Nine micro/mini hydro power plants have been developed in the bageswar district in Uttarakhand. The development of the optimized Mini-grid structure is an effective and reliable solution for the full utilization of these MHPs potentials. Although Ajit Singh et al. proposed some Mini-grid structures for this area, their work is not appropriate due to their calculation method of reliability. For the determination of reliability (failure and repair time), they have considered only the line length. However, its demographic situations such as elevation level of MHPs, availability of roads, the presence of obstacles like streams will also affect the failure and repair time. This paper proposes an optimized Mini-grid structure for interconnection of these nine MHPs and load substations. All the MHPs are spreads in two blocks, namely Kapkote and Bagheswar, so two substations (load canters) are considered. These MHPs and substations are mapped through the Google Earth software and the optimization data such as distances between MHPs and substations, their elevation levels, the highest and lowest elevation in the connecting path and the path profile are collected through it. The Mini-grid structure is optimized through the Genetic Algorithm using the MATLAB tool. The optimization is performed by making the cost function as an objective function considering the line lengths and reliability of the path for its parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the economic viability of a coal-fired power plant (CFPP) situated in the northern part of India. The plant with a capacity of 250 MW at various load conditions has been evaluated from an economic point of view. The present worth method is used for the evaluation of CFPP. Revenue earned, operating cost, fuel cost, insurance cost, maintenance cost, pumping cost and net present value are evaluated w.r.t interest rate, number of employees, and plant life. The payback period and the impact of various factors on plant net present value is assessed by taking plant life as 30 years. With the increase in interest rate, all the cost decreases for fixed plant life of 30 years. However, operating cost increases with the increase in the number of employees. Also, with the increase in plant life, all type of cost increases, however after 25 years, the net present value starts decreasing according to the present study. The result of this study concludes that the payback period of the plant is 10 years. It is expected that the outcomes of this case study will be beneficial for future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid Waste Management (SWM) has been under government's control. Governments have been providing SWM and other services like sanitation, water supply, etc., through municipalities. But the level of service provided by these municipalities is not up to the mark. Also there is a need of infusing capital into this sector to cope with the emerging needs and increasing the level of service. This paper suggests a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model based on cross-subsidized approach: a nominal fee for garbage collection would be charged from commercial and households residing in organized apartment (societies) and the same money would help provide better services to the lower group of society. In return of this fee the garbage would be collected from their door steps. But for applying this model there has to be an optimal ratio of payers to subsidizers. If this ratio is not optimal then it will again make this model economically unviable. To overcome this problem, this paper suggests an integrated infrastructure development approach in which the private players who would be involved in collection and transportation of waste, would also process it. This means an 'end-to-end' solution. Selling electricity generated by waste would be the main source of revenue. However, as the power plant would be generating clean electricity, there would be carbon credits for this, which again is a source of income. And apart from this, municipality would pay a certain amount per truck of waste processed, i.e., tipping fee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability Based Tariff (ABT) has been implemented in all the regional grids of India for improving grid discipline by frequency dependent pricing. Currently it is limited to short-term energy transactions between the beneficiary States and Central generating stations without the need for negotiations on price or quantum in real time. In the present scenario, Independent Power Producers (IPP), Captive Power Plants (CPP), small Distributed Generation (DG) like mini-turbine, fuel cell, etc., are not considered under ABT. DG units are normally modular in size and they can be placed close to consumers so as to reduce the T&D costs and losses. Hence, they need to be encouraged so as to meet the ever-increasing electricity demands of Indian power sector within the financial constraints. In this paper, impact of IPPs, CPPs and DGs on intra-State ABT is studied. This paper also proposes to study the impact of grid connected DG on network availability and reliability. The improvement in system reliability is studied after evaluating reliability indices like SAIFI, SAIDI, etc., with the inclusion of DG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retiring coal plants as part of a decarbonization strategy has started to become a reality in the last five years and is reflected in the least-cost plans of many countries. However, major issues go beyond the scope of such planning, including commercial contracts, markets and asset stranding. This paper proposes a new model formulation that endogenously calculates stranded assets taking into consideration commercial and market issues. It can be used to develop insights into economic and financial issues surrounding stranded costs of coal retirement. An illustrative example around the existing 209 GW coal fleet, including an aging part of the coal fleet of 100 GW, in India is used to show how the model can be implemented with relative ease. A second case study is constructed for the Philippines, which has a much younger and uniform coal fleet. Comparing and contrasting the two case studies is valuable for understanding the critical drivers of stranded costs. • Achieving decarbonization requires finding estimates of stranded coal plant assets. • Proposed model provides a practical way for policymakers, regulators, and planners. • The model can be built off the country/utility generation expansion plans. • For India, the stranded asset costs do not exceed $0.45 m/MW. • For Philippines stranded costs do not exceed $0.4 m/MW for both price regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every energy system which we consider is an entity by itself, defined by parameters which are interrelated according to some physical laws. In recent year tremendous importance is given in research on site selection in an imprecise environment. In this context, decision making for the suitable location of power plant installation site is an issue of relevance. Environmental impact assessment is often used as a legislative requirement in site selection for decades. The purpose of this current work is to develop a model for decision makers to rank or classify various power plant projects according to multiple criteria attributes such as air quality, water quality, cost of energy delivery, ecological impact, natural hazard, and project duration. The case study in the paper relates to the application of multilayer perceptron trained by genetic algorithm for ranking various power plant locations in India., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

Power is a basic need for growth and progress as well as quality of life in any country. Power consumption per capita in India is low with a substantial shift in mode of power generation. Not only in India but at a global level also power generation focus is on renewable energy sources. In thermal power generation, award and execution of O&M service contracts play a crucial role with higher cost contribution which directly affects power generation. Systematic analysis and thorough understanding of difficulties faced at every stage would bring thought to develop solutions and better practices and hence would increase productivity in performance and cost optimization. This paper deals with carrying out research which is aimed to address various difficulties faced in outsourcing of services in Thermal Power Plant. In depth review of this aspect can facilitate and can refine and relook the process of outsourcing of thermal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of recent advancements in the design and performance of flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs) for solar thermal power plants. The article highlights various strategies that have been explored to improve the efficiency of FPSCs, including the use of Micro Heat pipe Arrays, nano-materials, phase change materials, and novel tube geometries. The study emphasizes the importance of keeping costs low while improving overall collector efficiency and highlights the research gap in distinct aspects of FPSCs for heat enhancement. The article concludes that these advancements have the potential to significantly increase the use of solar thermal power, which could play a critical role in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. This study examines the power potential and carbon emission reduction capabilities of solar collectors in India, taking into account the local climatic conditions and geographical location. The study also identifies major challenges and opportunities in the current research domain. Based on the analysis, the study highlights the opportunities for commercializing low cost solar plants in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an investigation on the influence of the fineness of fly ash on the carbonation and electrical conductivity of concrete. Fly ash collected from three thermal power stations in India (with a Blaine's fineness of 200, 255, and 305 m2/kg, respectively) were used for this study. The study also involved three replacement levels (15, 25, and 35% of cementitious materials) for each fly ash sample. Accelerated carbonation studies were performed on specimens cured for 3, 7, and 28 days. The electrical conductivity of concrete was evaluated by measuring the charge passed in coulomb (per ASTM C1202) on 28-day-cured specimens. The test results indicated that the carbonation depth of concrete increased as fly ash replacement increased. However, the carbonation resistances of concrete increased with increased fly ash fineness. Furthermore, the carbonation resistance of concrete increased significantly with a prolonged curing time. The coulomb charge passed through the concrete at an age of 28 days was significantly reduced with the incorporation of fly ash, and the magnitude of reduction increased with increased in fly ash fineness and replacement level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term “polygeneration” is referred to as “an energy supply system, which delivers more than one form of energy to the final user”, for example: electricity, heating/cooling, desalination can be delivered from polygeneration process. The polygeneration demonstrates unique integration of energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is the next generation energy production technique with a potential to overcome intermittence of renewable energy, reduce cost of power generation and greenhouse gas emissions. The feasibility study of this paper is divided in three sections: In first section of this study, solar and biomass have been arranged to produce steam for power generation. In the second section, cooling is produced by vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR; LiBr-H 2 O) system as per demand load requirement using steam, extracted from pass-out turbine. In the last section of this paper, multi effect dehumidification (MED) water desalination is produced by using limited amount of heat from water vapor (refrigerant; H 2 O) through HE1 of VAR cooling system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the physical nature of the fly ashes obtained from two thermal power plants, situated in West Bengal, India. The fly ash samples are characterized by using comprehensive techniques with an emphasis on their ultrafine nature. The particle sizes of the samples are estimated using scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and found to lie within 0.18-5.90 μm. For morphology and compositional analysis, we also use SEM coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. From X-ray study of the fly ashes the nature of conglomeration is seen to be crystalline, and the major components are mullite (Al6Si2O13) and quartz (SiO2). The magnetic measurement of the fly ash samples was carried out by SQUID magnetometer. (57)Fe Mössbauer spectra are obtained using a conventional constant-acceleration spectrometer with a (57)Co/Rh Mössbauer source. The hyperfine parameters obtained, in general, support the findings as made from XRD analysis and provide a quantitative measure of different iron ions present in the samples. The paper presents experimental data on the physical aspects of the fly ash samples of the thermal power plants which comprise coarse, fine, and ultrafine magnetic particulate materials and attempts to provide an exhaustive analysis.

Thermal power plants in India emit around 500 Mt of CO 2 annually. All of it is released into the atmosphere untreated. Microalgae, a third generation feedstock for bio-fuel emerges as a viable option for partly sequestering the emissions. Moreover, its carbon capture capacity of 4.8 kg CO 2 /kg biomass, which is very much as compared to terrestrial substitutes like Jhatropa curcas , enables to produce bio fuel hence adding value to the entire process. This paper intends to build upon this idea and come up with strategies to integrate bio fuel production and CO 2 sequestration with the existing thermal power plants. The raw materials needed for algal growth are available in the plant as elaborated in the paper. Thus the bio fuel produced can be routed back to power the plant consequently lowering the dependence on coal. This would help in putting a check on the carbon emissions thus making the existing systems more environmentally benign and suitable for long haul. This paper reviews currently employed carbon capture technologies and methods and comes up with a strategy to subsume carbon capture through microalgae with power plants of a certain capacity. 3 t/day is taken as the basis for calculations in the proposed flow sheet. An alternative of the above is also provided which substitutes the biofuel production with co-firing. This escalates the nitrogen content of flue gas but deescalates the investment. This brings down the capital investment in the plant but enhances N 2 content of flue gas. Carbon leakage is accounted for in a table of atomic balance. It takes care of input and output of carbon. The paper is inclined towards the conclusion that the Microalgae possess incredible potential and if tapped efficaciously could prove to be extremely helpful in these days of power and environmental crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, coal-fired power plants produce about 196 million tonnes of fly ash annually. The management of fly ash has thus been a matter of concern given the requirement of the large area of land for its disposal and potential of causing pollution of air and water. Various initiatives have been taken in the country to promote safe utilisation of fly ash. But despite these initiatives, the optimal utilisation is yet to be achieved. Most of the existing literature is related to forecasting the utilisation of fly ash in different modes and accordingly presents the promising applications, but the latent utilisation potential of applications is not yet explored. In this paper, the potential of fly ash utilisation in various construction-specific applications, i.e., cement, concrete, brick, and blocks, has been estimated through a simple framework. The study reveals that although cement is one of the most prominent applications where fly ash has been significantly utilised, it reached its threshold limit of utilisation. The scope of utilisation of fly ash in cement in the future is limited only to the extent of the rate of increase in cement consumption. The potential of fly ash utilisation in concrete is significantly higher, as the projected growth rate of ready-mix concrete (RMC) is moving upwards. However, this increased percentage of RMC will not impact much on overall fly ash utilisation as this will only balance out the share percentage of overall cement requirement. In this study, the bricks/blocks emerged out to be the application having a maximum consumption potential. This study further explores the reasons behind the sluggish performance of fly ash bricks and blocks in the market and suggests strategies for policy-level interventions that can accelerate the process of successful commercialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuaries and tidal creeks, harboring mangroves particularly, face tremendous anthropogenic pressures. Expansion of mega cities and the thermal power plants are generally proposed in the vicinity of estuaries and creek, due to the feasibility of intake and discharge of water for cooling. Discharges from such developments remain constant threat of increasing thermal pollution and affecting the quality of environment. The baseline information on prevailing quality of aquatic environment comes handy for understanding alterations due to such activities. Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that temperature, pH, salinity, suspended solids, DO, BOD and phaeophytins are major parameters influencing the creek system. Heated effluents may have direct and adverse impacts on these parameters, altering biotic constituents. Hence, periodic and detailed observations are necessary to estimate exact response of biotic communities to changing environment. The present paper is based on case study, projecting a power plant in the vicinity of major mangrove habitats of Dharamtar creek.

Fly ash is an industrial waste generated from thermal power plants. Fly ash constitutes 80-85% of the total ash produced. A small part of fly ash is utilised in some sectors such as construction materials, building engineering, road, back fill, agriculture, selective engineering and processing useful materials. A large part of fly ash produced is disposed of with very high environmental risk. In the present paper, laboratory leaching test has been used to determine the potential mobility of Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and Ni in fly ash samples, collected from Chandrapura Thermal Power Plant, Jharkhand and Ramagundam Super Thermal Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh, in order to assess their leachability when these wastes are disposed of. A cascade-leaching test was used at liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S) ranging between 20 and 100. Both fly ash samples exhibited neutral reactions, as indicated by pH values <11.75 and >7.0 at L/S=10 and contact time of 10 minutes. The percentage of leached amounts found to follow the trend Zn>Fe>Mn>Cr>Pb>Cu>Ni>Cd for fly ash from Chandrapura and Fe>Zn>Cu>Mn>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cd for fly ash from Ramagundam. Effect of pH on metals released from ash surface in aqueous solution followed a predictable pattern of decreasing release with increasing pH.

The activity concentration of primordial radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K have been measured in the sand samples of Agastheeswaram taluk of Kanyakumari district using gamma-ray spectrometer. The average activity of 232Th, 238U and 40K are found to be 5787.1, 1082.9 Bq kg(-1) and BDL, respectively. The total average absorbed dose rate owing to the presence of 232Th, 238U and 40K is found to be 3900.4 nGy h(-1). The annual effective dose is 4.7 mSv y(-1) and the results are discussed in this paper.

Coal-fired power plants all over the world are cited as one of the major sources that generate huge quantities of coal combustion residues (CCRs) as solid wastes. Most frequently CCRs are collected through electrostatic precipitators, mixed with bottom ash by hydraulic systems and deposited in ash ponds. The quality of the CCRs at different locations in one of the ash ponds in Central India was evaluated to understand the variation in characteristics with a view to effective utilization. Results revealed that the presence of fine particles (< 50 mocrom) increased with increasing distance from the ash slurry inlet zone in the ash pond. Wide variations in the bulk density (800-980 kg m(-3)), porosity (45-57%) and water-holding capacity (57.5-75.7%) of CCRs were recorded. With increasing distance the pH of the CCRs decreased (from 9.0 to 8.2) and electrical conductivity increased (from 0.25 to 0.65 dS m(-3)). The presence of almost all the heavy metals in CCRs exhibited an increase with distance from the ash slurry discharge zone due to the increase in surface area (from 0.1038 to 2.3076 m2 g(-1)) of CCRs particles. The present paper describes the variation of characteristics of CCRs deposited in the ash pond and their potential applications.

Coal is the only natural resource and fossil fuel available in abundance in India. Consequently, it is used widely as a thermal energy source and also as fuel for thermal power plants producing electricity. India has about 90,000 MW installed capacity for electricity generation, of which more than 70% is produced by coal-based thermal power plants. Hydro-electricity contributes about 25%, and the remaining is mostly from nuclear power plants (NPPs). The problems associated with the use of coal are low calorific value and very high ash content. The ash content is as high as 55-60%, with an average value of about 35-40%. Further, most of the coal is located in the eastern parts of the country and requires transportation over long distances, mostly by trains, which run on diesel. About 70% oil is imported and is a big drain on India's hard currency. In the foreseeable future, there is no other option likely to be available, as the nuclear power programme envisages installing 20,000 MWe by the year 2020, when it will still be around 5% of the installed capacity. Hence, attempts are being made to reduce the adverse environmental and ecological impact of coal-fired power plants. The installed electricity generating capacity has to increase very rapidly (at present around 8-10% per annum), as India has one of the lowest per capita electricity consumptions. Therefore, the problems for the future are formidable from ecological, radio-ecological and pollution viewpoints. A similar situation exists in many developing countries of the region, including the People's Republic of China, where coal is used extensively. The paper highlights some of these problems with the data generated in the author's laboratory and gives a brief description of the solutions being attempted. The extent of global warming in this century will be determined by how developing countries like India manage their energy generation plans. Some of the recommendations have been implemented for new plants, and the situation in the new plants is much better. A few coal washeries have also been established. It will be quite some time before the steps to improve the environmental releases are implemented in older plants and several coal mines due to resource constraints.

Identification and characterization of active faults and deciphering their seismic potential are of vital importance in seismic hazard assessment of any region. Seismic vulnerability of India is well known as more than 60 % of its area lies in high hazard zones due to the presence of major active faults in its plate boundaries and continental interiors, which produced large earthquakes in the past and have potential to generate major earthquakes in future. The safety of critical establishments, like Power plants, Refinaries and other lifeline structures is a major concern in these areas and calls for a better characterization of these faults to help mitigate the impact of future earthquakes. The paper provides a brief overview of the work carried out in India on active fault research, its limitations and immediate priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India is facing acute energy shortage that is likely to affect its economic development. There are severe supply side constraints in term of coal and gas shortages that are likely to continue in the near future. Hence, in its current focus to solving the energy shortage problem and sustaining the development trajectory, the country should aim at a balance between supply side and demand side measures. Energy Efficiency in end use is increasingly gaining importance as one of the most cost effective options for achieving short to medium term energy savings. India has initiated the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency under National Action Plan for Climate Change which addresses various aspects of energy efficiency such as technology, financing, fiscal incentive and also creation of energy efficiency as a market instrument. However, even though energy efficiency has substantial scope in the Indian subcontinent, the market for energy efficiency has been limited. This paper discusses the concept of mega Demand Side Management projects as a DSM Power Plant. A DSM Power Plant acts as an umbrella with multiple energy efficiency schemes under its ambit aimed at transforming energy efficiency into a business by providing a push to the scale of operation as well as financial sustenance to energy efficiency projects. This paper expounds on the various aspects of DSM Power Plant in terms of its policy and institutional mechanism for the large scale implementation of energy efficiency in India. This paper provides an illustration of the concept of DSM Power Plant model through a case study in one of the states (Rajasthan) of India. Further, a comparative analysis of the cost of generation from DSM Power Plant and a representative conventional power plant (CPP) in Rajasthan has been undertaken and the DSM Power Plant comes out to be a more cost effective option. The concept of DSM Power Plant will not only address the issue of energy shortages but will also help the financially thwarted utilities to reduce their revenue deficit in the near future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The location selection for thermal power plant (TPP) is a strategic decision, which has significant impact on economic operation of the plant and sustainable development of the region. Further, ranking of the alternative locations, and selection of the most suitable and efficient locations for TPPs is an important multi-criteria decision making problem. This paper proposes an STEEP-fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS based framework for evaluation and selection of optimal locations for TPPs. Potential feasible locations are identified based on social, technical, economical, environmental, and political (STEEP) considerations. The fuzzy AHP, a multi-criteria decision making method, has been applied to determine the weights of qualitative and quantitative criteria impacting location selection process. The fuzzy AHP is adapted to model the linguistic vagueness, ambiguity, and incomplete knowledge. Furthermore, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a ranking multi-criteria decision making method, has been applied to rank the alternative locations based on their overall performance. The applicability of proposed method is demonstrated by a case study of TPPs location selection in India. The paper brings out a more accurate, effective, and systematic decision support tool for decision makers to conduct the evaluation process and to select optimal locations for TPPs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thermal power industry has played a major role in the overall power generation in India. About 61% of India's total power demand is met by the coal fired thermal power plants. Majority of the thermal plants in India have been set up in the early nineties and are more than 25 years old. This paper analyses the trend of changes in efficiencies and total productivity of the thermal power plants of India. It also examines the key attributes that govern the power plant efficiencies and productivity. Data for 35 (thirty five) thermal power plants which on an average, have been operational for more than fifteen years and have undergone renovation & modernization (R&M) at some stage of their life have been studied. Further their efficiencies have been calculated and compared to understand the trend of changes in the plant efficiencies over a period of ten years (2006-2016). In the process, the effect of R&M on the plant efficiency has also been analyzed and found to be a significant factor for improving the plant efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports on the physical nature of the fly ash sample of the Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant, India with an emphasis on its ultrafine nature. This paper also deals with the measurement of the magnetic properties of the fine particles of the fly ash sample. Particle sizes of this fly ash sample estimated from the SEM images lie within 0.16–5.50μm, and the EDX spectral analysis indicates the presence of O, Al, Si, C, Fe, Mg, Na, K and Ti in this sample. From the XRD study, it is found that physical nature of conglomeration in the fly ash is crystalline and the major components are mullite (Al6Si2O13) and quartz (SiO2). Additionally, the presence of hematite, microcline, magnetite, maghemite and free iron in smaller fractions cannot be ruled out. A large magnetization observed at 5K indicates the presence of magnetic components possibly due to superparamagnetism owing to very fine magnetic particles present. The hyperfine parameters obtained from the 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, in general, support the observations made from the XRD analysis and in particular, provides the quantitative estimation of the different iron ions present in the sample. Precisely, this report presents experimental data on physical aspects of the fly ash sample of a thermal power plant which consists of coarse, fine and ultrafine magnetic particulate materials (PMs) and deals with an in-depth analysis of it. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a methodology to solve the complex problem of activity crashing in project management. The methodology is based on qualitative assessment of various parameters such as technical difficulty, requirement of additional resources, adverse effect of crashing on quality and safety, extent of uncertainty, etc. for identification of critical activities for crashing. The methodology is illustrated through a case study of shutdown maintenance work, done in a medium sized thermal power plant situated in the state of Odisha in India. Shutdown maintenance work in any process plant consists of numerous inter-related activities and is managed as a project. Since the plant remains idle during the shutdown period, it is very important to complete the shutdown maintenance work in minimum time. Activity crashing sometimes becomes necessary to reduce the duration of a project. But quantitative and analytical methods are often difficult to apply due to high complexity involved in activity crashing in the real project scenario. The case study shows that systematic application of qualitative assessment through participation of people (i.e. team, committee, etc) can be a preferable and effective technique to solve complex problems in any project management work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clean development mechanism (CDM) could play an important role in the power generation sector of developing countries and emerging economies by providing additional revenue to support the diffusion of renewable energy sources (RES). This paper investigates the contribution of the CDM to deployment of renewable electricity projects in China and India, and highlights the main potentialities and limitations of this mechanism for their support. The outcome of our analysis shows many differences and similarities in the way and scale of CDM projects for renewable electricity generation have been implemented in the two countries. In both cases, the CDM has made a contribution to greening investments in the power generation sector, which is still largely dominated by subcritical coal-fuelled power plants. Nonetheless, some major problems still remain and they are mainly related to the distribution of projects across different technologies and to the environmental integrity of the mechanism. In view of the likely revision of the CDM in the post-Kyoto period, we find that the differentiation of the credit generation rate of different project categories could bring some level of improvement without significantly altering the current system functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combat the adverse environmental effects of fossil fuel burning for power generation and to conserve it for strategic use, new, clean, and renewable energy sources are being utilized for power generation. The study presents techno-economic analysis of a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant to partially meet the energy consumption of the people of Kuttiady village in Kerala, India. The proposed 2315.5 kW installed capacity PV is found to be feasible for the village and can produce 3878.3 MWh of energy annually while the demand is 4044.86 MWh at a plant capacity factor of 19.1% and cost of energy of 290.73 $/MWh. The performance of the proposed PV plant measured in terms of final yield (4.59 h), reference yield (5.64 h), and performance ratio (82%) is compatible and even higher with many such plants in India and other countries. Economic sensitivity analysis is also performed by varying the interest, discount, and inflation rates to check their effect on cost of energy, benefit cost ratio, and payback period. As the interest and discount rates decrease, the cost of energy and payback period also decreases while benefit cost ratio increases. The proposed plant can help in avoiding around 785 tons of greenhouse gases entering the local atmosphere of the Kuttiady village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a focus on clean power generation, and it is critical to assess the environmental impact of novel technologies used in pollution control in power generation. The study uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal power plants with different emission control techniques in an Indian scenario. As there are no such studies available in the Indian context, this work might provide a holistic view of the impacts of energy generation. A supercritical coal-fired plant with a capacity of 660 MW is considered in this study. The system boundary included coal extraction, transportation, power plant operation, and transmission losses of electricity with a functional unit of 1 kWh. It was observed that there was an energy penalty due to the power consumed in emission control devices, but the maximum energy penalty was due to the power used in the carbon capture system. The LCA is done from "cradle to gate", with impact indicators at the mid-point evaluated using the RECIPE (H) 2016 LCIA method. LCA results showed that power plant operation is the most significant contributor to environmental impact. Initially, in cases 1 and 2, climate change (CC) potential was a major impact category, but CC potential was reduced with carbon capture and storage, 0.27 kg CO2 eq. in case 3 with ESP, FGD, SCR, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) and 0.263 kg CO2 eq. in case 4 with ESP and CCS. But there was a considerable increase in the majority of the impact categories in case 4. Freshwater consumption potential increased from 3.98 E−03 m3 in base case 1 to 4.98 E−03 m3 in case 3 due to the amount of water used in chemical production during CCS, as CC potential is a major concern in power generation, However, compared to case 1, the potential for climate change increased in case 2, whilst in case 4, the potential for climate change is lower but has resulted in an increase in the majority of impact categories. Case 3 shows an optimal approach to reducing CO2 emissions compared to other cases. The combination of ESP, FGD, SCR, and CCS is favourable for cleaner energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is going to be a major component of global energy generation. Loss due to dust deposition has raised a great concern to the investors in this field. Pre-estimation of this reduced generation and hence the economic loss will help the operators' readiness for efficient and enhanced economic energy management of the system. In an earlier article, a physics–based model is proposed for assessment of dust accumulation under various climatic conditions which is validated by data of a single location. In this paper, the universality of this model is established and is used to demonstrate the effect of generation loss due to dust deposition and of cleaning. Variation in the soiling pattern due to climatic covariates has also been studied. Generation loss is calculated for Solar Photovoltaic power plants of different capacities at various locations in India. Finally this model has also been extended to predict the generation accounting for the soiling loss in Photovoltaic system. All the calculated and predicted results are validated with the measured values of the above plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concern on the effect of global warming due to greenhouse gases has been increasing. Carbon dioxide is the most powerful greenhouse gas and more than 40% of its emission is from fossil fuelled power plants. So the efficient use of fossil fuel with carbon dioxide capture is the best method for achieving the energy demands with less pollutant emissions. But the conventional capture technologies are more energy intensive and cause a drop in net power production. This energy penalty can be overcome by using Chemical looping combustion technique. In this technique, combustion occurs in two reactors – Air reactor and Fuel reactor. The former is fluidised by air and the later by fuel. Metal oxides called oxygen carriers loop in between two reactors carrying oxygen and heat required for combustion to the fuel reactor. So there is no direct contact between air and fuel and results in pure combustion products- carbon dioxide and water. Therefore a separate air separation or gas separation unit is not required which are energy eating units in conventional capture methods. This work presents steady state simulations of three systems: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle power plant (i) without carbon dioxide capture, (ii) with pre-combustion capture and (iii) integrated with chemical looping combustion. All the simulations are carried out using Aspen plus simulation package. High ash Indian coal is used as the fuel. The performance of each case is compared in terms of overall energy efficiency and carbon dioxide capture rate. The efficiencies of the system without capture, with looping combustion and with pre-combustion capture are found to be 42.69%, 40.2% and 35.8% respectively. The respective capture efficiencies of looping combustion and pre-combustion capture are 99.97% and 94%. It can be seen that the reduction in the overall efficiency is marginal in the case of chemical looping combustion. This shows the superiority of chemical looping combustion technique over the pre-combustion capture technique in terms of higher capture efficiency and overall plant thermal efficiency. An exergy analysis is also carried out to identify the units having higher exergy destruction rates. Parametric studies are carried out on these units to observe their effect on the overall plant performance. Thus, a process for an energy efficient and environment friendly utilization of high ash Indian coal is presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many places are dealing with the problem of water scarcity, especially in the summer months. This occurs mostly in the dry areas with hot climates that are exposed to intensive solar insolation which are the main driver for the evaporation of water. Some companies that are in charge of water service, and are operating open water reservoirs, have developed a solution to cover the water with floating balls to limit the solar insolation and to mitigate the evaporation of water. Another good approach is using floating solar panels for the same cause, which will provide an additional power source. It can enhance the productivity of hydropower plants with reservoirs. An additional benefit of the solution is the amount of the available water surfaces for placing the solar panels, instead of potentially useful areas for other purposes (agriculture, buildings ...). This paper reviews the current development of the technology, potentials, and best practices. It shows that this technology is feasible and can compete with other power sources, considering the cheapest LCOE being 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. [Display omitted] • FPV is feasible, with LCOE as low as 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. • FPV improves water retention in open reservoirs while improving efficiency of PV panels. • Asian countries have recognized potentials of FPV and have the largest plants (150 MW construction in Huainan, China). • Developers from EU have key knowledge for development of FPV projects, why their development should be supported there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study investigates the possibility of applying a large-scale solar updraft tower power plant in India with local ground conditions as an environmentally friendly and economically viable energy source. A reference model Solar Updraft Tower Power Plant (SUTPP) is constructed to examine the influence of the most prominent plant dimensional parameters, including collector radius (RCollector), tower height (HTower), and tower radius (RTower) with dimensional limits and intervals on the power output of the SUTPP. Udat, Rajasthan, India, is used as a reference location for meteorological conditions to evaluate SUTPP power output equations for a ranging power output, with position coordinates of 27°35′ and 72°43′. Multiple simulations for the objective function are carried out, and the outcomes are compared to the optimized dimensions of each set of plants. The model examines the effect of variation in ambient, plant geometry, and material conditions on power output and analyzes efficiency and power output for optimizing configuration. There exists no definitive approach to determining the proper correlation between the geometrical parameters of a SUTPP with optimized power output. For a fixed power output, the tower radius (RTower) serves as the most influencing dimensional parameter in SUTPP performance. A change in tower height (HTower) has a detrimental impact on SUTPP output and performance. An initial increase in collector radius (RCollector) has a positive influence on SUTPP performance; however, this effect reduces as collector radius (RCollector) increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present day India has tremendous energy requirements, and with each day it is becoming more difficult to meet those needs through conventional power sources. The never-ending demand of population which is growing exponentially has become very tough to fulfill. To enhance its energy security, mitigate carbon emissions and augment its economic development, it becomes an urgent need to implement innovative policies and mechanisms for the adoption of green and clean energy. India because of its demographics has good solar energy potential. This study aims to examine the solar power implementations in thermal power plants situated all across India. This paper contributes to the literature on solar power by identification of barriers for the adoption of solar power in thermal plants. Still, there is some lack of study about solar power implementations in different areas. In this paper, investigating efforts have been made to examine the solar power implementations in thermal power plants within the Indian context by identifying key barriers. In this study, Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) has been adopted to find the contextual relationships among key barriers and Matriced'Impacts Croises- Multiplication Applique' an Classment (MICMAC) analysis has been carried out for validation of the model. Requirement of gigantic investment, longer recovery period, safety implications, environmental implications, and societal concerns emerge at the top level in ISM structure. Lack of adequate government policies and lack of political leadership appears at the bottom of a structured model and these emerged as the most influential barriers. This research also suggested how to mitigate the key barriers by the installation of solar power in electricity generation utilities. • Identify and evaluate nineteen barriers which influence the development of solar power in Indian thermal power sector. • Establish ISM hierarchy structure to show the contextual relationships among the barriers. • MICMAC technique is conceded for validation of the established ISM model. • Suggestions are proposed to mitigate the key barriers for the development of solar power in electricity generation utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of Indian thermal power plants are tied under power purchase agreements with distribution companies. However, the existing energy models do not account for these 'take or pay' contracts for investigating climate policies. In this context, this paper investigates the impact of these power purchase agreements on power sector operations, cost of electricity and emissions from the Indian power sector. An optimization model was developed for this study with 620 coal, 239 gas, 21 nuclear and 686 hydro units with technology and operational characteristics to analyze electricity dispatch for power sector. The operations of thermal power plants were analyzed with and without power purchase agreements, and low carbon policy scenario. The scenarios are compared for power plant operations, cost of electricity, stranded assets, and emissions. The results show that there is a significant cost advantage for plants covered under power purchase agreements which favors the operations of older inefficient power plants in baseline scenarios. In addition, the representation of power purchase agreements raises the cost of electricity by 26 percent. A change in operating strategy from least cost to least emissions with a lower demand growth scenario can mitigate 24 percent emissions. The cost of carbon abatement is 268–277 USD/tonne for policy scenarios. Options like renegotiation of power purchase agreements can be considered to mitigate emissions. • Indian power sector optimization model is formulated with power purchase agreements. • Older power plants have cost advantage under existing power purchase agreements. • Power contracts in existing models result in total cost escalation of 26 percent. • The power sector can reduce emissions by 24 percent with optimal operations under lower demand. • Existing projects in pipeline will result in large stranded assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past three decades have witnessed the dramatic expansion of global biomass‐ and fossil fuel‐fired power plants, but the tremendously diverse power infrastructure shapes different spatial and temporal CO2 emission characteristics. Here, by combining Global Power plant Emissions Database (GPED v1.1) constructed in this study and the previously developed China coal‐fired power Plant Emissions Database (CPED), we analyzed multi‐scale changes and underlying drivers from the globe to the unit in generating capacities, age structure, and CO2 emissions over the past 30 yr. Our estimates show global CO2 emissions from the power sector increased from 7.5 Gt in 1990 to 13.9 Gt in 2019, and the growth of power demand meeting by large and young units mainly drives this increase for all stages. However, regional drivers were broadly different from those affecting global trends. For example, the critical roles of thermal efficiency improvement (accounting for 20% of the decrease in CO2 emissions) by eliminating small and low‐efficient coal‐fired units and fossil fuel mix (61%) by developing natural‐gas‐ and oil‐fired units were identified in preventing CO2 emission increases in the developed regions. By contrast, the decrease of fossil fuel share by speeding up the expansion of renewable power gradually demonstrates its importance in curbing emissions in the most of regions, especially including the developing economies (i.e., China and India) after 2010. Our multi‐scale results of 30 yr emission variations indicate the structure optimization and transformations of power plants is paramount importance to further curb or reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector. Plain Language Summary: The power sector is the top CO2 emitter and accounts for 37% of global anthropogenic emissions, which has great significance for climate change. Our combined database shows that the capacity of global fossil‐fuel‐ and biomass‐fired power plants experienced a substantial increase, mainly driven by the growing demand of power generation during the past three decades. In contrast to 133.3% increase of power capacity, global CO2 emissions of power plants increased by 85.3% during the period 1990–2019, and the disproportionately low increase of emissions benefited from the upgrade of coal‐fired power units and the large‐scale expansion of non‐coal‐fired ones with low/zero carbon intensity. Specifically, global power plant fleet turnover improved the power generation efficiency and optimized the fuel mix by constructing large and technologically advanced power units, slowing the growth rate of global CO2 emissions in 1990–2019. Moreover, changes in the critical role of fossil fuel power were associated with regional economic growth, environmental policy and technological advances, indicating that the expansion of non‐fossil‐fuels will likely represent an increasing factor in driving future CO2 emission reductions from the power sector. Key Points: Global CO2 emissions from the power sector increased from 7.5 Gt in 1990 to 13.9 Gt in 2019, mainly driven by the growth of demandThe efficiency improvements and the non‐coal power development carry positive effects on decreasing CO2 emissions in the developed regionsThe power shift from fossil fuels to non‐fossil fuels plays an increasingly critical role on curbing CO2 emissions in developing regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mills are bottleneck in coal–fired power generation process due to difficulty in developing efficient controls and faults occurring inside the mills. In this paper, a dynamic coal mill model is developed using conservation laws and empirical relations. The physical processes occurring inside the mill such as grinding, pneumatic transport, drying, heat transfer, and classification are modeled. Differential Evolution is used to estimate the model parameters. The model is validated using data obtained from a 500 MW plant in India. An application of the proposed model for online estimation of moisture in the raw coal is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]