Advancing pulverized coal

The performance of pulverized-coal-fired steam power plants has dropped in efficiency and reliability over the past decade. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is exploring four alternatives: atmospheric and pressurized fluidized-bed combustion, gasification-combined cycle, and a supercritical advanced pulverized-coal plant. The latter continues the evolution of coal pulverization, but introduces new materials and designs to meet advanced thermodynamic conditions and use waste heat more efficiently. The advanced plant's need to demonstrate economic advantages is mitigated by the need to use expensive fuels more efficiently than is possible in existing plants. 1 figure, 1 table. (DCK)