Analysis and evaluation of key influencing factors on the optimization of thermal energy consumption in industrial thermal power plants

In the past, the design and operation of industrial thermal power plants did not give importance to energy consumption. Due to the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the rising of their prices, restrictions in emission of waste gases into atmosphere, and the need to reduce production costs over the last thirty years, greater attention has been paid to optimizing thermal energy consumption. Various technical, technological, and organizational measures are undertaken to reduce thermal energy consumption. This study examines the proposals for improving the efficiency of thermal energy production in four thermal power plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The activities aimed at improving energy efficiency are consolidated and presented through five measures. To determine the optimal measure, the criteria for evaluating each measure are defined. These criteria are analyzed and filtered by using the interpretative structural modeling method, and while the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method was used for their weights. Finally, the fuzzy TOPSIS method for multi-criteria optimization is applied to select the optimal energy efficiency measure for the analyzed thermal power plants. Additionally, the research defines the order of implementing the selected measures to improve the energy efficiency of the studied thermal power plants.