Exploratory Research on Engineering the Transport Industries (ETI): Capacity Planning and Design for Transportation and Handling of Bulk Coal over Distribution Networks

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This award is made under the Exploratory Research on Engineering the Transport Industries (ETI) program solicitation. It provides funding for the development of effective modeling, fast simulation and sensitivity analysis for day-to-day transport and handling of coal based on a fluid-flow modeling approach (the approach taken can be easily extended to other bulk materials). Worldwide usage of coal is increasing, the United States being the second largest coal producer in the world and a major coal exporter. The recent trend towards deregulating the power industry has been exerting economic pressures to lower energy prices via improved coal-related operations, due to emerging competition. Our proposal adopts a Continuous-Flow Model (CFM) worldview for modeling, analysis and optimization of the movement of bulk material over distribution networks. We propose a three-prong research project to support coal transport and handling operations as follows: (1) CFM-based analytical modeling and performance analysis of coal-related operations; (2) design and development of a Monte Carlo simulation templates for capacity planning, performance analysis and design of coal enterprise operations from extraction of coal to consumption in coal fired power plants, as well as coal export via marine terminals; and (3) sensitivity analysis via Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) algorithms for efficient computation of derivatives of performance measures with respect to design parameters to support design trade-off decisions.If successful, this research will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of coal handling and transport operations in the U.S. The tool will be made available to the coal and power industries, and its functionality will include capacity planning and performance analysis/design. Another impact will be in the educational arena. The models and scenarios to be developed will be incorporated into various courses (e.g., Performance Analysis, Simulation Modeling, and Operations Management), thereby acquainting students with important issues arising in the coal and power generation industries.