An exploration of how advances in computing technology and research can be combined to extend the capabilities and economics of modern power plants. The contributors, from academia as well as practising engineers, illustrate how the various methodologies can be applied to power plant operation.

Faced with an ever-growing resource scarcity and environmental regulations, the last 30 years have witnessed the rapid development of various renewable power sources, such as wind, tidal, and solar power generation. The variable and uncertain nature of these resources is well-known, while the utilization of power electronic converters presents new challenges for the stability of the power grid. Consequently, various control and operational strategies have been proposed and implemented by the industry and research community, with a growing requirement for flexibility and load regulation placed on conventional thermal power generation. Against this background, the modelling and control of conventional thermal engines, such as those based on diesel and gasoline, are experiencing serious obstacles when facing increasing environmental concerns. Efficient control that can fulfill the requirements of high efficiency, low pollution, and long durability is an emerging requirement. The modelling, simulation, and control of thermal energy systems are key to providing innovative and effective solutions. Through applying detailed dynamic modelling, a thorough understanding of the thermal conversion mechanism(s) can be achieved, based on which advanced control strategies can be designed to improve the performance of the thermal energy system, both in economic and environmental terms. Simulation studies and test beds are also of great significance for these research activities prior to proceeding to field tests. This Special Issue will contribute a practical and comprehensive forum for exchanging novel research ideas or empirical practices that bridge the modelling, simulation, and control of thermal energy systems. Papers that analyze particular aspects of thermal energy systems, involving, for example, conventional power plants, innovative thermal power generation, various thermal engines, thermal energy storage, and fundamental heat transfer management, on the basis of one or more of the following topics, are invited in this Special Issue: • Power plant modelling, simulation, and control; • Thermal engines; • Thermal energy control in building energy systems; • Combined heat and power (CHP) generation; • Thermal energy storage systems; • Improving thermal comfort technologies; • Optimization of complex thermal systems; • Modelling and control of thermal networks; • Thermal management of fuel cell systems; • Thermal control of solar utilization; • Heat pump control; • Heat exchanger control.

Thermal Power Plants: Modeling, Control, and Efficiency Improvement explains how to solve highly complex industry problems regarding identification, control, and optimization through integrating conventional technologies, such as modern control technology, computational intelligence-based multiobjective identification and optimization, distributed computing, and cloud computing with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. Introducing innovative methods utilized in industrial applications, explored in scientific research, and taught at leading academic universities, this book: Discusses thermal power plant processes and process modeling, energy conservation, performance audits, efficiency improvement modeling, and efficiency optimization supported by high-performance computing integrated with cloud computing Shows how to simulate fossil fuel power plant real-time processes, including boiler, turbine, and generator systems Provides downloadable source codes for use in CORBA C++, MATLAB®, Simulink®, VisSim, Comsol, ANSYS, and ANSYS Fluent modeling software Although the projects in the text focus on industry automation in electrical power engineering, the methods can be applied in other industries, such as concrete and steel production for real-time process identification, control, and optimization.

The demand for electricity and heat production is still largely covered by conventional thermal power plants based on fossil fuel combustion. Thermal power stations face a big challenge to meet the environmental requirements constantly keeping high process efficiency and avoiding lifetime shortening of critical components. In recent years, many activities have been observed to reduce pollutant emissions and optimize performance in thermal power plants. Increased share of renewable sources of energy in domestic markets enforces flexible operation and fast adjustment to actual demand. Gas power plants start to play a very important role in this process, allowing for rapid change of load and emission reduction. Operation under changing load together with keeping emissions at the accurate level requires constantly introducing new solutions and technologies as well as carrying out many research and development activities for optimization of the electricity and heat production process. The edited book is aimed to present new technologies, innovative solutions, measurement techniques, tools and computational methods dedicated to thermal power plants in the light of new trends and challenges.

This book explains the modelling and simulation of thermal power plants, and introduces readers to the equations needed to model a wide range of industrial energy processes. Also featuring a wealth of illustrative, real-world examples, it covers all types of power plants, including nuclear, fossil-fuel, solar and biomass. The book is based on the authors’ expertise and experience in the theory of power plant modelling and simulation, developed over many years of service with EDF. In more than forty examples, they demonstrate the component elements involved in a broad range of energy production systems, with detailed test cases for each chemical, thermodynamic and thermo-hydraulic model. Each of the test cases includes the following information: • component description and parameterization data; • modelling hypotheses and simulation results; • fundamental equations and correlations, with their validity domains; • model validation, and in some cases, experimental validation; and • single-phase flow and two-phase flow modelling equations, which cover all water and steam phases. A practical volume that is intended for a broad readership, from students and researchers, to professional engineers, this book offers the ideal handbook for the modelling and simulation of thermal power plants. It is also a valuable aid in understanding the physical and chemical phenomena that govern the operation of power plants and energy processes.

Micro-power domestic organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems and the selection of the expander and the working fluid are presented, analyzed thoroughly, and numerically evaluated. A promising decentralized hybrid PV-SOFC system is investigated for providing useful energy supply to commercial buildings, capable of power and heat generation at a lower cost. A hybrid solar-combined cycle power plant integrated with a packed-bed thermal energy storage system with a novel recycling configuration enables robust control of collector temperature and net power during times of high solar activity. An automated hybrid (solar and biomass) power plant for thermal energy production for indoor space heating loads coverage is presented. A comprehensive and up-to-date literature review is presented of non-iterative methods for the extraction of the single diode model parameters of photovoltaic modules. A prototype custom built two-speed gearbox with a single stage transmission electric vehicle achieves significant reductions in the overall energy consumption. Two new fuzzy models are presented of high concentrator photovoltaics using the high-accuracy Takagi–Sugeno–Kang approach and the ease of interpreting the Mamdani linguistic rules. Finally, the impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the primary frequency regulation is studied and the effects of PHEVs in non-interconnected isolated power systems with significant renewable energy source (RES) penetration are demonstrated through simulations of the isolated power system of Cyprus Island.