| dc.description |
First of all, the author would like to express her utmost gratefulness to the Almighty Allah
for bestowing this opportunity to conduct the research endeavor and achieve desired results.
The author expresses her deepest thankfulness to her thesis supervisor, Dr. Md Tauhid Ur
Rahman, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Military Institute of Science and
Technology (MIST) for his continual support, immeasurable guidance, and ceaseless
assistance throughout the execution of this thesis work. His valuable insights were of vital
aid for the author in the completion of this research activity.
The author would like to express her special thanks to Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
for his support in learning the modeling software.
The author expresses her gratefulness to all the faculty members and staff of the Department
of Environmental, Water Resources, and Coastal Engineering, MIST for providing
laboratory facilities and cooperation during the field visits. The author also expresses her
gratitude to the members of Bangladesh Army for their cordial support to make the field
visits successful.
The author would also like to thank the authority and members of Barapukuria Thermal
Power Plant, Barapukurai Coal Mining Company Limited and Petrobangla for their
assistance in collecting different data.
Lastly, the author expresses profound gratitude to her family for their endless love,
unceasing prayers, and encouragement. Without them, the accomplishment of this thesis
would not have been possible. |
en_US |
| dc.description.abstract |
Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant is the very first coal-based power plant in Bangladesh
established in the year 2006. Currently, various coal-run electricity generating plants are in
pipeline in Bangladesh. On the other hand, coal-based thermal power plants are cited to be
one of the major sources of pollution affecting human health and the environment. It is
therefore important to assess the impact of the emission of coal-fired power plants on
ambient air quality.
The objective of this study, therefore, is to simulate the dispersion and transport of
pollutants emitted due to the operations of a coal-based power plant. For this study
Barapukuria, Thermal Power Plant was selected. The assessment was made under two
scenarios: (a) Scenario I: Plant Operating with 150 MW Capacity (3 rd unit only) and (b)
Scenario II: Plant Operating with 525 MW Capacity (Maximum Capacity). A dispersion
model AERMOD was used to investigate the pollutant dispersion and ground level
concentration at receptor grids over a 30 x 30 km domain for a one-year period. One year
(2020) meteorological data was purchased from Lakes Environmental. An extensive field
study was conducted to collect ambient air quality data for validation of the model. A
questionnaire survey was also conducted among the people living in the vicinity of the
power plant to assess the impact on human health.
Simulation results showed that the radius of impact of the emissions is approximately 5
km. The concentration of emissions at receptors located in the southwestern direction was
found to be higher as the winds carried the pollutant clouds in their direction. The predicted
peak concentrations of SO2 in the area are 18.62 μg/m3, 3.19 μg/m3, and 0.82 μg/m3 for 1-
hr, 24-hr, and annual averaging periods respectively. Similarly, the predicted maximum
concentrations of NOx in that area are found to be 33.56 μg/m3, 5.75 μg/m3, and 1.48 μg/m3
for 1-hr, 24-hr, and annual averaging periods respectively. The peak concentrations of CO
ii
are 9.32 μg/m3, 1.59 μg/m3, and 0.41 μg/m3 for 1-hr, 24-hr, and annual averaging periods
respectively. The predicted resultant concentration of NOx exceeds WHO guideline values
whereas SO2 and CO concentrations comply with Bangladesh air quality standards and
WHO guideline values. The predicted peak concentration of pollutants (SO2, NOx, and
CO) over the modeled area increases about five times from scenario I (only the 3rd unit,
operating with 150 MW capacity) to Scenario II (all units operating with 525 MW
capacity).
Assessment of seasonal and diurnal variation of pollutants showed that change in pollutant
behavior is largely dictated by meteorological parameters. Over a particular day, the peak
concentration of pollutants is typically reached in the morning to noon. The dispersion
model results were compared with the air quality data measured at the same location to
validate the model. The performance evaluation, with the aid of statistical measures,
revealed that the models’ performance was acceptable.
From the model output results, the field measured ambient air quality data, and the
questionnaire survey it can be concluded that the maximum emissions of air pollutants
(SO2, NOx, CO) due to the power plant operation is not harmful to the health of the people
living in the vicinity of the plant. |
en_US |
