The amount of electrical energy produced over the lifetime of DTand DHe-fusion power plants is compared to the total amount of energy required to procure the fuel, build, operate, and decommission the power plants. The energy payback ratio is similar for the two quite different fuel cycles, 31 for DHe-fusion and 27 for DT-fusion, even though there is a significant difference in the source of in...

We investigate the impacts of electricity market restructuring on fuel efficiency, utilization and, new to this area, cost of coal purchases among coal-fired power plants using a panel data set from 1991 to 2005. Our study focuses exclusively on coal-fired power plants and uses panel data covering several years after implementation of restructuring. The estimation compares how investor-owned (I...

The emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2, also SO3) and nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, called NOX) from burning fossil fuel, especially coal which is used to produce energy (electricity and heat) is one of the most important sources of environmental and air pollution. These pollutants are known as "acid gases" causing acid rain and also "indirect greenhouse gases" contributing greenhouse effect. Acid rai...

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems in both power stations and large plants are becoming one of the most important tools for reducing energy requirements and consequently the overall carbon footprint of fundamental industrial activities. While power stations employ topping cycles where the heat rejected from the cycle is supplied to domestic and industrial consumers, the plants that produce s...

In this contribution we show the description, implementation and operation of an Operational Air Quality Forecasting System for industrial plants, urban and regional areas. The system is called OPANA (OPerational Atmospheric Numerical model for urban and regional Areas) and is the evolution and result of more than 10 years of research on sophisticated state-of-the-art numerical air quality mode...

The amount of electrical energy produced over the lifetime of coal, LWR fission, DTfusion, and wind power plants is compared to the total amount of energy required to procure the fuel, build, operate, and decommission the power plants. The energy payback ratio varies from a low of 11 for coal plants to a high of 27 for DT-fusion plants. The magnitude of the energy investment and the source of t...

BACKGROUND Asthma attacks and mortality due to inhalation of soybean antigens in Barcelona, Spain have been well documented. A new control scheme was adopted in the city to avoid the emission and dispersion of soybean dust into the atmosphere during unloading. We studied soybean allergen emission during unloading and at 3 industrial sites and compared the results obtained. METHODS Over a peri...

Mercury emission and speciation of coal-fired power plants in China S. Wang, L. Zhang, G. Li, Y. Wu, J. Hao, N. Pirrone, F. Sprovieri, and M. P. Ancora Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, and State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China CNR – Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Via Salaria Km 29....