A method for formulation of the conceptual design of non-fossil fuel fired power plants

In this paper, criteria for efficient and optimal design of thermal systems are presented. The main emphasis of this paper is the problem set-up and in the structuring of the thermal system design information during the conceptual design phase. A two-level design structure (macro-level and micro-level) is introduced to enable the designer to adapt one’s design to the available (re required) technology level, type of application, economic factors, and O&M requirements. At the macro-level of design, economic feasibility (business) decisions are made, while at the micro-level of design, technical feasibility (engineering) decisions are made. A 50MW wood burning power plant in Northern California is presented as an illustrative case study. All the information provided in the paper is from real world power plant design, and the problem is presented in a form to allow other researchers to try different optimization techniques to solve the problem.