{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/101181"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/101181","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Integrating thermoelectric power generation operations with aquatic ecosystem sustainability","abstract":"Open-loop thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. The central research question in this work is as follows: How can thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution be quantified with applications to biology, and how are the various forms of quantification useful in policy- and decision-making frameworks? This work fills a gap in the literature, as integration of biology into the energy-water nexus has been sparse, and largely qualitative to date. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, a novel methodology was developed that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses with temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. 2D probability risk spaces were created that quantify the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was used to demonstrate the methodology on three fish species endemic to the power plant location. Using the novel risk assessment method as a baseline, a scenario analysis of three differently-sized power plants on two differently-sized rivers demonstrated the creation and comparison of temperature duration curves for thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution as a means to visually and mathematically quantify thermal pollution. Following the concept of thermal performance curves, biological data at the Shawnee Fossil Plant were used to demonstrate the relationship between temperature and population. Using those biological data and the newly defined temperature duration curves, population habitat duration curves were generated, which can be used in decision-making frameworks and for economic analyses. The tradeoff in loss of electricity generation and gain of ecosystem system value (via fish populations) is presented for a 1.1 °C change in ΔT (thermal pollution). The probability risk space results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location within the river affects the probability of risk, and that a high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Temperature duration curves demonstrate the usefulness of such tools in policy-setting, such as for regulatory mixing zones. Population habitat duration curves demonstrate the quantification of temperature as a resource, and that economic tradeoffs between thermoelectric power plants and aquatic ecosystem sustainability are quantifiable. Overall, the results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, with applicability in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.","abstract_html":"Open-loop thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. The central research question in this work is as follows: How can thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution be quantified with applications to biology, and how are the various forms of quantification useful in policy- and decision-making frameworks? This work fills a gap in the literature, as integration of biology into the energy-water nexus has been sparse, and largely qualitative to date. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, a novel methodology was developed that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses with temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. 2D probability risk spaces were created that quantify the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was used to demonstrate the methodology on three fish species endemic to the power plant location. Using the novel risk assessment method as a baseline, a scenario analysis of three differently-sized power plants on two differently-sized rivers demonstrated the creation and comparison of temperature duration curves for thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution as a means to visually and mathematically quantify thermal pollution. Following the concept of thermal performance curves, biological data at the Shawnee Fossil Plant were used to demonstrate the relationship between temperature and population. Using those biological data and the newly defined temperature duration curves, population habitat duration curves were generated, which can be used in decision-making frameworks and for economic analyses. The tradeoff in loss of electricity generation and gain of ecosystem system value (via fish populations) is presented for a 1.1 °C change in ΔT (thermal pollution). The probability risk space results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location within the river affects the probability of risk, and that a high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Temperature duration curves demonstrate the usefulness of such tools in policy-setting, such as for regulatory mixing zones. Population habitat duration curves demonstrate the quantification of temperature as a resource, and that economic tradeoffs between thermoelectric power plants and aquatic ecosystem sustainability are quantifiable. Overall, the results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, with applicability in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Logan, Lauren H."],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Civil Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Stillwell, Ashlynn S.","Ando, Amy","Garcia, Marcelo","Sivapalan, Murugesu","Suski, Cory"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-09-04T20:36:42Z","date_published":"2018-09-04T20:36:42Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:38Z","subjects":["thermoelectric power plant, thermal pollution, aquatic ecosystem, temperature duration curve, population habitat duration curve"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2018 Lauren Logan"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101181","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Stillwell, Ashlynn S.","Ando, Amy","Garcia, Marcelo","Sivapalan, Murugesu","Suski, Cory"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Logan, Lauren H."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2018-09-04T20:36:42Z","2020-09-05T09:15:29Z","2018-04-17","2018-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["thermoelectric power plant, thermal pollution, aquatic ecosystem, temperature duration curve, population habitat duration curve"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2018 Lauren Logan"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101181"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Open-loop thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. The central research question in this work is as follows: How can thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution be quantified with applications to biology, and how are the various forms of quantification useful in policy- and decision-making frameworks? This work fills a gap in the literature, as integration of biology into the energy-water nexus has been sparse, and largely qualitative to date. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, a novel methodology was developed that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses with temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. 2D probability risk spaces were created that quantify the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was used to demonstrate the methodology on three fish species endemic to the power plant location. Using the novel risk assessment method as a baseline, a scenario analysis of three differently-sized power plants on two differently-sized rivers demonstrated the creation and comparison of temperature duration curves for thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution as a means to visually and mathematically quantify thermal pollution. Following the concept of thermal performance curves, biological data at the Shawnee Fossil Plant were used to demonstrate the relationship between temperature and population. Using those biological data and the newly defined temperature duration curves, population habitat duration curves were generated, which can be used in decision-making frameworks and for economic analyses. The tradeoff in loss of electricity generation and gain of ecosystem system value (via fish populations) is presented for a 1.1 °C change in ΔT (thermal pollution). The probability risk space results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location within the river affects the probability of risk, and that a high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Temperature duration curves demonstrate the usefulness of such tools in policy-setting, such as for regulatory mixing zones. Population habitat duration curves demonstrate the quantification of temperature as a resource, and that economic tradeoffs between thermoelectric power plants and aquatic ecosystem sustainability are quantifiable. Overall, the results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, with applicability in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2020-05-01","The student, Lauren Logan, accepted the attached license on 2018-04-17 at 14:10.","The student, Lauren Logan, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2018-04-17 at 14:30.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2018-04-17 at 17:35.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12312 on 2018-08-31 at 17:20:13","Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T20:36:42Z (GMT). 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This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. The central research question in this work is as follows: How can thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution be quantified with applications to biology, and how are the various forms of quantification useful in policy- and decision-making frameworks? This work fills a gap in the literature, as integration of biology into the energy-water nexus has been sparse, and largely qualitative to date. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, a novel methodology was developed that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses with temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. 2D probability risk spaces were created that quantify the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was used to demonstrate the methodology on three fish species endemic to the power plant location. Using the novel risk assessment method as a baseline, a scenario analysis of three differently-sized power plants on two differently-sized rivers demonstrated the creation and comparison of temperature duration curves for thermoelectric power plant thermal pollution as a means to visually and mathematically quantify thermal pollution. Following the concept of thermal performance curves, biological data at the Shawnee Fossil Plant were used to demonstrate the relationship between temperature and population. Using those biological data and the newly defined temperature duration curves, population habitat duration curves were generated, which can be used in decision-making frameworks and for economic analyses. The tradeoff in loss of electricity generation and gain of ecosystem system value (via fish populations) is presented for a 1.1 °C change in ΔT (thermal pollution). The probability risk space results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location within the river affects the probability of risk, and that a high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Temperature duration curves demonstrate the usefulness of such tools in policy-setting, such as for regulatory mixing zones. Population habitat duration curves demonstrate the quantification of temperature as a resource, and that economic tradeoffs between thermoelectric power plants and aquatic ecosystem sustainability are quantifiable. Overall, the results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, with applicability in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2020-05-01","The student, Lauren Logan, accepted the attached license on 2018-04-17 at 14:10.","The student, Lauren Logan, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2018-04-17 at 14:30.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2018-04-17 at 17:35.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12312 on 2018-08-31 at 17:20:13","Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T20:36:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 LOGAN-DISSERTATION-2018.pdf: 7294516 bytes, checksum: 03f5549a035b574f5b0c00b62465b577 (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4209 bytes, checksum: def0d74626813e520b0e016031472ba1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-17","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107265 Lift date: 2020-09-04T20:37:00Z Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107265 Lift date: 2020-09-04T20:42:08Z Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","U of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 107265 on 2020-09-05T09:15:29Z."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101181"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2018 Lauren Logan"],"dc:subject":["thermoelectric power plant, thermal pollution, aquatic ecosystem, temperature duration curve, population habitat duration curve"],"dc:title":["Integrating thermoelectric power generation operations with aquatic ecosystem sustainability"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:38Z"}