Fuel-constrained unit commitment

One of the main objectives in power system operation is the scheduling of resources in order to minimize the overall production cost. Through a wide range of scheduling activities, utility companies attempt to get maximum utilization of the available resources. However, the problem is a complex and challenging one as these scheduling activities interact with one another. Each scheduling activity includes a set of physical, contractual, operating and system constraints, which are often conflicting. Unit commitment, which determines each generator's on/ off status and the power output level, is one of these scheduling activities in the day-to-day operations of the utility companies. The solution of the unit commitment problem minimizes the total operating cost. The total operating cost consists of startup (transition) cost and normal operating (fuel-related) cost. The total annual fuel costs have risen to the billion dollar range for many utilities. Thus, a one percent savings in the power system operation represents a significant reduction in both operating cost and fuel consumption. Historically, fuel constraints generally have not been included in the unit commitment problem. However, fuel scheduling has become more complex in recent years. Each generator may receive fuel from one or more contracts with a wide range of prices and usage constraints. Thus, the resultant fuel price at a generator is not known apriori. Fuel prices are often a function of fuel use, which is determined by the commitment schedule, making the problem of minimizing the total operating cost more complex than ever. The goal of this research was to include realistic fuel scheduling considerations in the unit commitment process.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Wong, Hei-Chit

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lamont, John

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/1wge6yKr

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dr.lib.iastate.edu:20.500.12876/1wge6yKr