History

The history of the Integrated Environmental Control Model (IECM) is a long and successful one, dating back to its origin in the early 1980's. The project has been supported continuously for over two decades, almost entirely by the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Center (NETL) under two separate projects - one on integrated gasification and combined cycle systems and the other on pulverized coal combustion plants. The two projects were merged in the late 1990's.

We at Carnegie Mellon wish to thank NETL for their support and collaboration over the years, making it possible to provide a timely tool for policy makers, engineers, and researchers to use with regard to electricity generation.

Early 1980's IECM development began in the early 1980's as a tool to assess the impact of fossil-fuel power plants on acid rain with respect to emissions and pollution control options. The project was initially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The IECM was a performance-only model with multiple options for component design and selection, allowing interactions among system components. NETL began supporting the IECM development in 1983, and has continued their support to this date. Their efforts initially contributed to the addition of coal cleaning modules. The initial development of the IECM was done on a Digital VAXStation.

Late 1980's Additions to the IECM focused on post-combustion options to control emissions of criteria air pollutants (SO₂, NO_x, and PM) from coal combustion systems with special emphasis on advanced multi-pollutant collectors. Cost models were developed for each supported technology and linked to its performance model to produce an fully integrated and dynamic analysis tool. A stochastic engine was added to perform uncertainty analysis.

Early 1990's The IECM was given a graphical user interface and moved to the Macintosh computer in 1992, providing one of the first personal computer-based models for power plants. Many new advanced technologies were added to the IECM during this time period, all exhibiting integrated performance and cost models.

Mid 1990's With the onset of a mature and stable Windows operating system in the early 1990's, the IECM was ported from Macintosh to Windows around 1996. A new robust GUI was designed specifically for the IECM, which is still used today. Baseline criteria air pollutant models were updated during this time period, with the addition of new combustion abatement technologies. Advanced SO_x/NO_x technologies built in the early 1990's were eventually dropped from the technologies supported in the IECM.

Late 1990's As mentioned above, NETL began funding a parallel project to the IECM in the late 1980's, which eventually merged into the IECM work. The parallel effort focused on development of Aspen-based models of IGCC systems, incorporating both performance and cost models. Mercury capture was added to the PC plant model during this time period by means of activated carbon duct injection.

Early 2000's Natural gas combined cycle and a gasification system model frameworks were added in this period. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) was added to all modeling systems during this time period, seeing the addition of an amine system for post-combustion capture systems and selexol for pre-combustion capture systems. Simple transport and storage models were added as part of the CCS.

Mid 2000's The addition of a GE entrained-flow gasifier and associated subsystems was added in this period, based on a GE 7FA gas turbine. This gasifier supports a suite of coals. An advanced pipeline transport model was added as an advanced CCS option. Also added during this period was an oxyfuel model framework as an additional CCS option.

Late 2000's Current work is focusing on additional gasifiers, water treatment technologies, and coal to liquid options for producing alternative fuels as part of a co-generation plant framework.