The Role of Nuclear Energy in Ghana’s Electric Energy Mix
Edward Shitsi,
Emmanuel Ampomah-Amoako,
Seth Kofi Debrah,
Vincent Yao Agbodemegbe,
Joseph Gbadago,
Felix Ameyaw
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, May 2022
Pages:
68-76
Received:
19 April 2022
Accepted:
6 May 2022
Published:
19 May 2022
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepe.20221103.11
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Abstract: The economic growth of Ghana is linked to reliable and sustainable electric energy supply to meet industrial, administrative and domestic energy demands. This is evident from reduction in the industrial, administrative and domestic activities when there is a shortfall of electric energy demands in the country. Energy is produced from fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), renewables (sun, wind, water) and nuclear fuel (Uranium, Plutonium, Thorium) energy sources. Fossil fuels are largely used for generating electricity, for producing fuels (oil and gas) for transportation and for providing fuels (LPG and Natural gas for cooking) for domestic use. Due to environmental concerns of greenhouse gas emissions and depletion of fossil fuel resources in addition to rapid population growth, fossil fuels alone cannot meet the energy needs of the country. Renewable sources of energy are mainly used for producing electricity and also for providing fuels for domestic use. Renewable energy is a clean energy but its reliability and sustainability cannot be guaranteed because of the variations in climatic conditions during the year. Nuclear reactors are mainly used for power generation, hydrogen production, desalination and for research (research reactors). Nuclear electricity, when introduced into the country’s electric energy mix would be used for baseload electricity production. It is the only source of electric energy that can replace a significant part of the fossil fuels which massively pollute the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect. Nuclear electric energy is potentially the enabling technology for the large-scale use of renewable electricity because nuclear energy could provide electricity demands when the sun does not shine, the wind does not blow, or the rain does not fall to fill our dams. Nuclear electric energy is a clean, safe, reliable and competitive energy; and its reliability and sustainability can be ensured but has major issues of weapons proliferation, safety, waste handling and high costs of design and building of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) as well as public acceptance, which should be well addressed.
Abstract: The economic growth of Ghana is linked to reliable and sustainable electric energy supply to meet industrial, administrative and domestic energy demands. This is evident from reduction in the industrial, administrative and domestic activities when there is a shortfall of electric energy demands in the country. Energy is produced from fossil fuels (...
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Analysis and Countermeasure of NH4HSO4 Deposition Area of Air Preheater Heat Transfer Element
Li Mingcheng,
Li Qiang,
Ren Yanhui,
Zhang Mingzhao,
Li Guipeng,
Liu Yu
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, May 2022
Pages:
77-82
Received:
5 June 2022
Accepted:
25 July 2022
Published:
29 July 2022
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepe.20221103.12
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Abstract: According to the area where the air preheater is blocked, from the perspective of the physical properties of NH4HSO4, analyzed the reason of NH4HSO4 blockage in air preheater heat storage element caused by SCR flue gas denitration in boiler. The deposition of NH4HSO4 and low temperature corrosion occur in specific areas of the air preheater, the area is restricted by the gas temperature and the metal wall temperature. When the height of the heat storage piece in the cold section of the air preheater is insufficient, the bonding area of NH4HSO4 will span the upper part of the low temperature section and the lower part of the middle temperature section (the two-stage arrangement is the high temperature section), there is the situation that the mid-temperature section cannot be blown through, and the NH4HSO4 deposition area expands upward at low load. Through the characteristic temperature of NH4HSO4, combined with the flue gas temperature and wall-temperature of heat transfer element of rotary air preheater at different heights, a partitioning judgment method for the deposition process of NH4HSO4 in the air preheater was proposed. To solve the clogging problem of air preheater, firstly, the deposition area of NH4HSO4 should be concentrated into the cold end heat storage element by raising the height of the heat storage plate in the cold section, so that the soot blower can be blown through and centralized washing is convenient; secondly, the cold wave type with closed channel is selected to improve the soot blowing and washing effect.
Abstract: According to the area where the air preheater is blocked, from the perspective of the physical properties of NH4HSO4, analyzed the reason of NH4HSO4 blockage in air preheater heat storage element caused by SCR flue gas denitration in boiler. The deposition of NH4HSO4 and low temperature corrosion occur in specific areas of the air preheater, the ar...
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