To address the issue of traditional static evaluation models being unable to comprehensively analyze the performance of ultra-supercritical coal-fired units under varying loads, we propose a dynamic comprehensive evaluation model based on the improved Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method and entropy weight method (EWM). The comprehensive performance evaluation index system of ultra-supercritical coal fired units is constructed by examining the boiler performance, turbine performance, plant power performance, environmental performance, and flexible performance of coal-powered units. The CRITIC and EWM methods are used to calculate the weights of the indicators, which are then combined with the static evaluation results. Using a dynamic comprehensive evaluation model, we analyze ultra-supercritical coal-fired units, taking into account time weight. This allows us to obtain the comprehensive dynamic real-time evaluation value of the units under different loads. The research indicates that the weight of the evaluation index is changed when using the dynamic comprehensive evaluation model of the improved CRITIC and EWM. The index with lower weight is increased by 6.2%, while the index with higher weight is decreased by 0.22%. This alteration in weight range can provide a more objective reflection of the relationship between evaluation indicators. This model offers significant advantages in improving evaluation accuracy, weight balance distribution, and generality.

Aiming at the problem that the energy consumption of the boiler system varies greatly under the flexible peaking requirements of coal-fired units, an energy consumption prediction model for the boiler system is established based on a Least-Squares Support Vector Machine (LSSVM). First, the Mean Impact Value (MIV) algorithm is used to simplify the input characteristics of the model and determine the key operating parameters that affect energy consumption. Secondly, the Snow Ablation Optimizer (SAO) with tent map, adaptive t-distribution, and the opposites learning mechanism is introduced to determine the parameters in the prediction model. On this basis, based on the operation data of an ultra-supercritical coal-fired unit in Xinjiang, China, the boiler energy consumption dataset under variable load is established based on the theory of fuel specific consumption. The proposed prediction model is used to predict and analyze the boiler energy consumption, and a comparison is made with other common prediction methods. The results show that compared with the LSSVM, BP, and ELM prediction models, the average Relative Root Mean Squared Errors (aRRMSE) of the LSSVM model using ISAO are reduced by 2.13%, 18.12%, and 40.3%, respectively. The prediction model established in this paper has good accuracy. It can predict the energy consumption distribution of the boiler system of the ultra-supercritical coal-fired unit under variable load more accurately.

To address the issue of traditional static evaluation models being unable to comprehensively analyse the performance of ultra-supercritical coal-fired units under varying loads, we propose a dynamic comprehensive evaluation model based on the improved Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method and Entropy Weight Method (EWM). The comprehensive performance evaluation index system of ultra-supercritical coal fired units is constructed by examining the boiler performance, turbine performance, plant power performance, environmental performance, and flexible performance of coal powered units. The CRITIC and EWM methods are used to calculate the weights of the indicators, which are then combined with the static evaluation results. Using a dynamic comprehensive evaluation model, we analysed ultra-supercritical coal-fired units, taking into account time weight. This allowed us to obtain the comprehensive dynamic real-time evaluation value of the units under different loads. The research indicates that the dynamic comprehensive evaluation model, which uses an improved CRITIC and EWM, has significant advantages in improving evaluation accuracy, weight-balanced distribution, and generality. Provides more accurate, reasonable, and reliable evaluation results for practical decision making.

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems in coal-fired power plants must maintain low NOx emissions during increasingly frequent load changes. Variations in flue gas temperature and flow complicate ammonia-injection control and can cause NOx overshoot or excessive NH₃ slip. This study evaluates an implicit generalized predictive self-tuning controller using a coupled dynamic model of a 660 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant and its SCR system. The controller combines recursive least-squares identification with generalized predictive control (GPC) and is compared with proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control between 50% and 75% turbine heat acceptance (THA), at load-cycling rates of 0.5–2.0% $P_{\mathrm{e}0}$ min⁻¹. GPC improves NOx set-point tracking and reduces NH₃ slip over the conditions examined. During loading-down, the maximum outlet NOx concentrations are 48.43 mg m⁻³ with GPC and 65.78 mg m⁻³ with PID. During loading-up at 1.0% and 2.0% $P_{\mathrm{e}0}$ min⁻¹, GPC reduces the cumulative NH₃-slip index by 46.52% and 75.56%, respectively. The identified model coefficients vary more strongly at higher ramp rates, while the loading-down response also depends on the transient SCR inlet temperature. These results indicate that online model adaptation can improve ammonia-injection control during load-cycling.