CENG301 Project

Fall 2003

Coal	Ultimate Analysis, weight %, dry basis, typical values						HHV, Btu/lb	Moisture, kg/100 kg dry coal	Source
	C	H	O	N	S	Ash
Lignite	55.0	4.4	13	1.0	1.7	24.9	9,727	52.7	Texas
Sub-bituminous	72.5	6.1	17.2	0.7	0.4	3.1	13,606	48.8	Wyoming

Sulfur Dioxide Scrubber:

· The students will do the calculations (14.1-14.20) for one of these two types of coals.

· They will then compare the cost of using each type of coal if the amount of SO₂ released must be controlled by a scrubber to meet both the EPA standard and the 90% removal standard.

· The sub-bituminous coal comes from the Cordero-Rojo mine in Powder River basin, Wyoming. It costs $4 per ton at the mine.

· The lignite coal comes from the Calvert mine located near Franklin, Texas. It costs $16 per ton at the mine.

· The power plant is located in Fort Bend county, near the Brazos Bend State Park.

· The transportation cost for the coal is 2 ¢/(ton × mile) and the cost for limestone is 20 $/ton.

· Note that 52% of the electricity produced in the U.S. in 200 came from coal-fired plants. In 2001, about 32% of all coal used in the U.S. came from mines in the Powder River basin.

CONSERVATION:

Students will then work on one of the following two scenarios:

1. Conserve electrical energy by replacing all incandescent bulbs (IB) in our homes with fluorescent bulbs (FB)

· Find out the amount of electricity for residential use in Houston. Assume that half of this power comes from coal-fired plants.

· 7% of that amount is used for lighting.

· Assume that all lighting comes from 60W incandescent bulbs. Calculate how many such bulbs there are in Houston.

· Find out the price and the lifetime of the 15W FB and the 60W IB, respectively.

· Calculate how much money can be saved each year if all 60W IB in Houston are replaced with 15W FB. Consider the cost of bulbs and electricity used in both cases.

· How much SO₂ must be released in order to provide the electricity needed to light our homes with incandescent or fluorescent lights? .

2. Conserve electrical energy by replacing all current air conditioning (AC) units with new, higher efficiency units.

· Find out the amount of electricity for residential use in Houston. Assume that half of this power comes from coal-fired plants

· 30% of that amount is used for air conditioning.

· Assuming that all current units have a 10 SEER rating, calculate how many such AC units there are in Houston.

· Find out the average price of a 14 SEER AC unit (only the condenser needs to be replaced). What is the total cost of replacing all current AC units with new 14 SEER units?

· Find the operating cost of a 10 SEER unit for 5 years.

· Find the operating cost of a 14 SEER unit for 5 years. How much of the replacement cost do we recoup with the energy savings over this period?

· How much SO₂ must be released over 5 years in order to provide the electricity needed to cool our homes with 10 SEER or 14 SEER AC units?