Model-based topology analysis for environmentally conscious power plant operation

Plant operation is tightly linked with plant topology. Each operation task is executed in one or more structure units, which might be associated with negative environmental impacts. In order to design and manage environmentally conscious plant operation it is essential to provide systematic mechanism to model plant topology with respect to environmental measures. The selection of plant topology to perform certain operation requires understanding and evaluation of life cycle activities. In this research, model-based topology analysis is proposed and used to evaluate different operation scenarios in view of life cycle assessment and applied on a case study thermal power plant.