[en] A series of documents is being developed for the steam electric power generation (SEPG) industry under the provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This industry includes fossil-fueled stations (gas, oil and coal-fired boilers), and nuclear-powered stations (CANDU heavy water reactors). This document outlines decommissioning activities and related environmental concerns, such as waste containment, groundwater contamination, and the removal of buried services. Site remediation technologies and alternatives are outlined and an overview of the approach to developing site remediation criteria is given. Specific recommendations regarding the mitigation of environmental impacts are presented, as is the rationale for each of the recommendations. The SEPG Code was developed by a federal-provincial-industry working group and was subjected to a multi-stakeholder review before its publication. It is intended as an environmental standard for governments, industry, and the public. 9 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs

[en] This report describes the test site, equipment, and procedures and presents the data obtained during field testing at Texas Utilities DeCordova Steam Electric Station, June 3-8, 1997. This was the first of three field tests that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted in 1997 as part of a major study to evaluate potential improvements to Method 2, EPA's test Method for measuring flue gas volumetric flow in stacks. The report also includes a Data Distribution Package, the official, complete repository of the results obtained at this test site

[en] The low quality of coal available for Romania power generation, mainly lignite with a low calorific value (6.5-7 MJ/kg) and high in sulfur content (1.5-2%) has caused severe damage to the stations and environmental problems. The local capability existing in clean and efficient Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology, well suited to least costs refurbishment, is discussed. The retrofit operation using this clean technology would also address the problem of serious air pollution caused by local coal use with little or no control of dust or greenhouse gases like NO_x and SO_x. The paper presents the results obtained on an experimental facility, 1 MWth CFBC pilot plant. A comparison among several rehabilitation possibilities with the view to diminishing polluting emissions is included. The CFBC technology advantages and environmental benefits for Romania and its neighbouring countries, by choosing this clean coal technology, are reviewed. In addition, the paper presents the main aspects of technical investments for a few power plants equipped with supplementary devices for controlling the SO_x and NO_x in comparison with retrofit by using CFBC boilers. 6 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

[en] Data are presented regarding fuel cycle emissions, environmental and health effects, and associated economic costs of the existing provincial energy system, as a basis for comparison to a more efficient energy system with utility production of useable steam and hot water. Estimates are presented of reductions in emissions, effects and environmental and health costs that could be achieved by the improved system. Costs associated with mortality, morbidity, lost work days, lost crop yield, lost fish yield and building damage are considered. The analysis suggests that utility cogeneration could reduce these costs by 10 to 45%, depending on the cogeneration scenario. (author)

[en] A description of the principal characteristics regarding the Italian electrical power system and the evolution of standardization in air pollution control is given. Afterwards, ENEL (the Italian National Electricity Board) actions in the environmental protection field (with particular respect to thermo-electrical production) are presented. Finally, principal ENEL research programs on new air pollution control technologies are discussed

[en] The use of water for transport of fuel to power plants and for power plant cooling, and the impact of power plants on the local environment are examined in this article. Navigation and jetty design are discussed. Water intakes and outfalls, and studies of the dissipation and cooling of discharged water are considered. (UK)

[en] Ontario Hydro's air emissions control programs at Lambton thermal generating station, both committed and planned, are reviewed, and their potential impacts on emissions, effluents and wastes are discussed. Control technologies examined include flue gas conditioning, wet limestone scrubbing, combustion process modifications, urea injection, and selective catalytic reduction. The implementation of these technologies has the potential to create new solid and liquid waste disposal problems, the full extent of which is often not realized at the process selection stage. For example, selective noncatalytic reduction using urea injection can lead to increased CO emissions, escape of unreacted ammonia from the stack at levels of 5-50 ppM, increase in N₂O emissions, contamination of fly ash, gypsum and waste water with ammonia, and an increase in CO₂ emissions of less than 0.4% due to increased power consumption. Optimum performance of the air emissions control systems, with minimum negative impact on the environment, requires consideration of the impact of these systems on all waste streams. 11 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

[en] In order to better understand the nature and magnitude of air toxics risks from fossil-fired electric generating sources, EPRI has undertaken the Comprehensive Risk Evaluation Project for air toxics. As part of this project, over 1,500 generating sources were reviewed and separated into source categories expected to have similar emissions for a given level of generation. Screening-level risk analyses were performed for individual plants in each source category in order to develop a screening-level estimate of risks posed by the industry. Extensive sensitivity analyses are used to explore the impacts of uncertainties and examine how the risk for various plant categories might change due to changes in key assumptions or modeling methods. In addition, the risks for the various plant categories are evaluated for alternative future scenarios, including control and operating decisions (e.g., fuel switching, coal cleaning, SO₂ and NO_x controls) likely to be implemented in response to other provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments. Using these results, the source categories were further divided into subcategories with similar risk characteristics

[en] By increasing the medium temperature of the heat supply the efficiency of the power plants will be increased and the CO₂ emission reduced. In this respect three development lines are being followed. They are: - Further development of the high temperature process, - pressure loaded processes with fluidized-bed combustion, - combined cycle power plants with coal gasification. (DG)

[en] Already today non-CO₂ trace gases contribute approximately 50% to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. As the CO₂ absorption bands are for the most part close to saturation, the relative impact of the other trace gases is very likely to increase further. The most important trace gas next to CO₂, especially in the area of energy production, is methane (CH₄). Its direct absorption of IR radiation alone make a CH₄ molecule 30 times more effective than an additionally emitted CO₂ molecule. To this must be added to indirect effects, which are not exactly quantifiable. The article for the first time shows how the CO₂ emission ratio between hard coal, brown coal, and natural gas in the most important producer and consumer countries is altered by taking CH₄ emissions into account and what consequences this has for the electricity supply. In view of its minor significance in the electricity sector mineral oil is not taken into account. (orig.)