Design and Development of an Operational Performance Index for Power Generation Systems

The paper classifies the types of power generation systems and analyze the operational data acquired from power generation systems first. Reliability index information and operational status data of power generation systems obtained from Taiwan Power Company is collected and used in this paper. Statistical analysis and comparisons can be used to detect the possible abnormalities. An operational performance index based on the lower heating value and availability of a power generation unit is then proposed and used to quantize and compare the operational performance of the generation unit. From test results, it can be observed that the operational performance grade of power generation systems can be effectively determined and operational performances between different power generation systems can be efficiently compared. The proposed operational performance index will be very helpful for observing and enhancing the operational efficiency and reliability of power generation systems.