United States Air and Energy Engineering

Environmental Protection Research Laboratory

Agency Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

E AP Project Summary

Research and Development EPA/600/SR-94/196 December 1994

For over 10 years the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) has collected

monthly boiler level data from Form

EIA-767 (Steam-Electric Plant Operation

and Design Report). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has

contributed funding to DOE for this

effort. The full report presents summary data from the 1991 EIA-767 database for public information. The report

summarizes information from the EIA767 database that is otherwise not

readily available to the community of

electric utility data users or other members of the general public. To facilitate

ease of interpretation by nontechnical

readers, the report emphasizes graphical displays of data, including 98 charts

and 3 tables. The graphics present national data, national coal data, regional

data, specified state data, and specified operating utility company data.

Data tables show sulfur dioxide (SO2)

and nitrogen oxide (NOx

) emissions by

state, and the highest emitting electric

utility companies. Charts show SO2

 and

NOx

 emissions by fuel type, fuel type

and sulfur content, and fuel type and

boiler capacity. Charts also present

data on boiler utilization, and heat input by fuel type and sulfur content.

Additional charts for coal display coal

quantities by sulfur content, quantities

of scrubbed and not scrubbed coal,

and boiler capacity and utilization.

This Project Summary was developed

by EPA’s Air and Energy Engineering

Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully

Graphical Representations of

1991 Steam-Electric Power Plant

Operation and Air Emissions

Data

Susan S. Rothschild and Janice Chen

documented in a separate report of the

same title (see Project Report ordering

information at back).

Introduction

In 1980, the electric utility industry in

the U.S. accounted for 67% of all U.S.

emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 30%

of emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx

).

As a result of Title IV (Acid Rain/Deposition) of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAAs), electric utilities will be

expected to account for 8.7 million tons

(87%) of the SO2

 emission reductions and

2 million tons (100%) of the NOx

 emission

reductions by the year 2010. Thus, there

is heightened interest in electric utility data

that are currently available for review and

analysis.

For over 10 years the U.S. Department

of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) has collected monthly

boiler level data from the Form EIA-767

(Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has contributed funding to DOE for this effort. Data from EIA767 are available through 1991. Typically,

these data have been used by EPA in the

past for purposes such as development of

the National Utility Reference File for the

National Acid Precipitation Assessment

Program, annual production of National

Air Pollutant Emission Estimates reports, and development of an interim 1990

national emissions database to support

regional oxidant modeling activities. The

data have also been used in the development of the National Allowance Database

to support new acid deposition regulatory

requirements of Title IV of the CAAAs.
2

The full report summarizes data from

the most recent EIA-767 database for public information. The report analyzes and

summarizes information from the EIA-767

database that is otherwise not readily available to the community of electric utility

data users or other members of the general public. To facilitate ease of use and

interpretation by nontechnical readers, the

report emphasizes graphical displays of

data.

Methods

All electric utility companies with plants

that have at least one operating fossil-fuel

steam boiler of at least 10 MW are required to provide information to EIA on

EIA-767, although the amount of data required from plants with less than 100 MW

of steam-electric generating capacity is

much less. EIA-767 is a multipage form

that includes plant, boiler, generator, air

pollution control system, and stack level

data. For plants with nameplate ratings of

at least 10 to less than 100 MW, only

selected pages of the EIA-767 must be

completed. (Stack and flue information is

not required for these smaller plants.)

The data reported on EIA-767 are compiled into an electronic form. The master

database is available on EPA’s mainframe

IBM computer using customized software

written in the Statistical Analysis System

(SAS) software package. To complete the

graphics for this report, the EIA-767 data

were converted into a database form. Each

“page” format is reproduced on the computer file exactly as it appears on the

written page of the form. The data from

each page must be extracted from the

computer file, associated with the correct

boiler, and combined with all corresponding data from the other pages for that

boiler. Calculated fields are added to the

database to store values such as emissions, which are not present on the EIA767 pages. Emissions calculations rely

upon Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (AP-42) emission factors

together with EIA-767 data for fuel

amounts burned, fuel sulfur contents, fuel

heat input values, and control device efficiencies to estimate emissions.

Separate data files that include only the

database records and data elements necessary to produce graphics were created

S. Rothschild and J. Chen are with E.H. Pechan and Associates, Inc., Springfield,

VA 22151.

Charles O. Mann is the EPA Project Officer (see below).

The complete report, entitled “Graphical Representations of 1991 Steam-Electric

Power Plant Operation and Air Emissions Data,” (Order No. PB95-136156; Cost:

$27.00, subject to change) will be available only from

National Technical Information Service

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, VA 22161

Telephone: 703-487-4650

The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at

Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

• •

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

Center for Environmental Research Information

Cincinnati, OH 45268

EPA/600/SR-94/196

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

BULK RATE

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

EPA

PERMIT No. G-35

and downloaded from the mainframe to

the PC. These files were input into

Microsoft Excel, a personal computer software package with spreadsheet and graphics capabilities. The figures of the report

were produced using standard Excel charting capabilities.

Results

There are 98 charts and 3 tables presented in the report to describe the 1991

EIA-767 data. Different chart types are

used both to better describe the data and

to vary the presentation. The graphics were

produced and grouped to represent national data, national coal data, regional

data, specified state data, and specified

operating utility company data. Data presented in tables include state SO2 and

NOx emissions by state, and the highest

emitting electric utility companies. Data

presented in the charts include SO2

 and

NOx

 emissions by fuel type, fuel type and

sulfur content, and fuel type and boiler

capacity. Charts also present data on boiler

utilization and heat input by fuel type and

sulfur content. Additional charts are shown

for coal, which display coal quantities by

sulfur content, quantities of scrubbed and

not scrubbed coal, and boiler capacity and

utilization.