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No 2 (2025)
Articles
New Methods of Increasing the Profitability of Energy Sector in Russia
Abstract
The paper presents proposals for the development of the energy sector of the Russian Federation, based on the results of joint research and development of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” (NRC “Kurchatov Institute”) and the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences (JIHT RAS) on the optimal use of renewable energy sources (RES), in particular biomass, based on local fuel and energy resources. A review of energy-efficient technologies for obtaining high-quality solid fuel (torrefaction) from biomass waste, high-calorie synthesis gas with a minimum content of the liquid fraction, carbon-carbon material (pyrocarbon) from associated petroleum gases and wood waste is presented, an example of the optimal combination of several types of RES with minimization of reserve capacities. The implementation of the proposed technologies will not only reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions and the environmental burden on the planet, but also increase the profitability of the energy produced.
3-15
Comparison of Promising Cogeneration Technologies Based on Fuel Efficiency Criteria
Abstract
The energy efficiency of combined generation of electric and thermal energy based on gas turbine and combined-cycle technologies is estimated in comparison with steam power plants, as well as separate generation at condensing power plants (CPP) and boiler houses, under current conditions and in the foreseeable future. The efficiency of cogeneration under modern technological conditions is shown. According to the calculations, at present, the implementation of combined generation of electric power and heat based on modern power plants during the modernization of CHPPs will provide savings of 17 to 35% of fuel compared to separate generation. In the future, upon reaching the average annual efficiency of CPPs at the level of 55%, the fuel savings will decrease, but will remain and will amount to 6 to 23%. A comparison of domestically produced power plants that can be widely used in the modernization of steam turbine CHPPs is carried out. The integrated technical and economic indicators are proposed, taking into account the dependence of gas turbine and combined-cycle plants on the ambient air temperature in combination with the heat supply mode. The fuel efficiency of cogeneration is estimated for heat load schedules with a share of the base year-round load in the range from 7 to 25%, typical for consumers in the Russian Federation (RF). The advantages and limitations of different cogeneration technologies in the climatic conditions of the regions of the RF are shown. The estimates cover a wide range of climatic conditions of the regions of the RF, where large and medium-sized CHPPs are located.
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Irkutsk Hpp: Regulation of Lake Baikal Water Level Within Environmental and Socio-Economic Contexts
Abstract
Even after 65 years since Irkutsk hydropower plant (HPP) began operation, the regulation of Lake Baikal water level remains a crucial issue. This matter is important not only for protecting a unique natural object and its ecosystem, but also for considering the interests of adjacent subjects of the Russian Federation, numerous water consumers and water users. This issue has become especially evident in the last decade, with the onset of the extremely low-water period of 2014–2017 and the subsequent high-water period of 2020–2023, which required amendments to the legislative framework for regulating the level of the lake. This situation generated the need to conduct a comprehensive study in 2021–2023, which made it possible to formulate scientifically grounded and practically implementable principles for regulating the level of Lake Baikal under different water conditions, considering modern environmental, socio-economic, and water management requirements and constraints. The study involved the collaboration among the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Roshydromet, and Rosrybolovstvo. The paper presents an analysis of the current legislation on the management of water resources of Lake Baikal. The findings reveal that the permissible meter range of lake level regulation, as stipulated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, can only be achieved in years with average or near-average water content. In high-water and low-water years, maintaining this range and permissible maximum water levels is impossible. This study used model calculations to identify the optimal and permissible (critical) variations in levels and flow rates of the Irkutsk HPP, as well as to establish the regulation ranges for Lake Baikal for varying water conditions. A procedure for regulating the water levels of Lake Baikal is proposed using the developed reservoir operating curve of the Irkutsk HPP. This approach takes into account environmental requirements and socio-economic constraints.
35-52
Mathematical Modeling of Hydrodynamic Instability of the Flows in Combustion Chambers Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines
Abstract
The phenomenon of hydrodynamic instability of flows in combustion chambers of liquid-propellant rocket engines and its influence on occurrence and development of high-frequency oscillations of working process parameters are considered. Based on the numerical solution of two model problems, it is shown that hydrodynamic instability of the flow can directly cause high-frequency oscillations in the engine chamber. The first of the above tasks corresponds to uniform blowing of combustion products into the chamber through the section. In this formulation, the expected pulsations are not observed, and the flow parameters at the steady-state mode correspond to the conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium, which can be taken as verification of the proposed mathematical model. Second task corresponds to slotted injection of combustion products into chamber simulating operation of injector head with concentric rows of mixing elements arranged on it. The presence of slotted injection leads to the emergence of hydrodynamic instability of the flow with the formation of intense vortex zones in the working volume of the combustion chamber and the subsonic part of the nozzle. This process is accompanied by the appearance of high-frequency oscillations in the values of the flow parameters. Calculation results are given and the obtained numerical solution is tested.
53-64
Low-Carbon Trinary Power Plants
Abstract
At present, improving environmental safety at thermal power plants is one of the key areas of energy development. In world practice, technologies for cleaning exhaust gases from nitrogen oxides, sulfur and ash are actively used. However, carbon dioxide captures technologies have not yet found wide application due to a significant decrease in the efficiency of electricity production. This paper presents the results of the development and study of process flow charts of binary and trinary power plants with minimal emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The research revealed that the transition from monoethanolamine cleaning of exhaust gases to a methane steam reforming plant provides an increase in the net efficiency of a trinary power plant by 1.25% (for a combined-cycle plant by 1.16%) and a reduction in specific carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by 2.3 times. The high efficiency of the power unit with an integrated steam methane reforming unit compared to monoethanolamine exhaust gas cleaning is due to a reduction in electricity costs for carbon dioxide capture by 8.2 MW.
65-80
Methodology for Creating Mathematical Models of Thermal Power Plants for Conducting Optimization Studies of Operating Modes of the Electric Power System
Abstract
The authors present a methodology for creating mathematical models of thermal power plants for the problems of optimizing the operating modes of an electric power system. The thermal power plant models allow simulating thermal power plants for studying large electric power systems in a short time. The mathematical model of a thermal power plant is based on models of turbines and boiler units. The turbine and boiler unit models use coefficients of specific electricity generation based on thermal consumption and specific heat consumption for electricity generation for each type of the main generating equipment. The equipment models take into account a nonlinear decrease in the internal relative efficiency of the turbine with a decrease in heat consumption at the turbine inlet in relation to the nominal flow rate and the efficiency of boiler units with a decrease in their thermal load in relation to the nominal. The use of models of this type makes it possible to optimize the main composition of operating turbines and boiler units with changes in electrical and thermal loads. The proposed methodology is also applicable to constructing dependencies of hourly fuel consumption on electrical and thermal loads and to determining the annual fuel consumption of a thermal power plant based on calculations of its operation in average winter and average summer modes. An example of calculating the operating modes of a thermal power plant is given in this article. The authors used the method of stepped optimization developed at ESI SB RAS when conducting optimization studies of the operating modes of thermal power plants.
81-94
Pareto Set Narrowing Based on Preference Sampling and Pairs of Criteria Processing for Turbogenerator Design Optimization
Abstract
The paper considers an approach to narrowing the Pareto set, which, in the authors’ opinion, is aimed at solving engineering problems related to the design of complex devices. The authors believe that this approach has a number of advantages over using fuzzy logic to narrow the Pareto set. For the effective use of the latter, it is necessary to develop a set of rules, the success of which will determine the degree of compression of the set. For different devices, the sets of these rules are also different, and the complex problem of narrowing the Pareto set is reduced to another (in our opinion, less complex) problem of developing the best rules. The approach considered in this paper, related to the analysis of pairs of criteria, does not require additional rules, seems to us less labor-intensive and meets the goal of the work – obtaining a high-quality design solution in minimal time.
95-113