Effectiveness and cost of air pollution control for coal-fired electric power plants in the west

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:5379861

Harrington, W; Sawyer, Jr, J W

Estimates of air pollutant emission at four different coal-fired steam plants using fuels of various qualities, for three different levels of control technology, are reported. This study was designed especially to assess the impact of a particular plant in a particular location on ambient air quality. The locations of the plants are the Four Corners Area, Capitol Reef, Yampa River Basin, and Northern Montana. The assumed coal quality with respect to ash, Btu/lb, and sulfur content is tabulated. Level I technology corresponds to the existing New Source Performance Standards for coal-fired boilers. Compliance is required only during periods of normal operation. Level II is EPA's recently proposed amendments to the New Performance Standards. These standards exempt compliance during periods of startup and shutdown but do not permit violations of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides standards due to malfunction. Level III was the most stringent level of control examined, having been achieved only by model or demonstration plants. It assumes that standards will be met at all times. Estimated emissions for each of the control levels at each location are tabulated. Attempts were made to distinquish between normal emissions and startup. Emission rates for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are given. Estimates of costs increase proceeding from Level I to Level III.

• Research Organization: Resources for the Future, Inc., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5379861
• Report Number(s): PB-300515
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200202* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste Management-- Noxious Gas & Particulate Emissions
500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR FILTERS
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
CHALCOGENIDES
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
COMPLIANCE
COST
ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
FILTERS
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GASEOUS WASTES
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MONTANA
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PERFORMANCE
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
POWER PLANTS
REGULATIONS
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SAMPLING
STANDARDS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
USA
WASTES