A certain electric utility is considering exactly two designs (Designs 1 and 2) for a new power generation plant. Each...
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Designs
Pollutants by Phase
A certain electric utility is considering exactly two designs (Designs 1 and 2) for a new power generation plant. Each design would result in a plant that would generate the same amount of power annually; but Design 1 would use a single Type A power generator, whereas Design 2 would use three Type B power generators.
Type A generators cost less than Type B generators to fuel per unit of power generated and vent through taller chimneys, which better prevent pollutants from concentrating near the plant. However, Type A generators produce solid waste that is difficult and expensive to dispose of safely.
Type B generators produce no solid waste and, as compared to Type A generators, vent approximately half as much Pollutant X, and even less Pollutant Y, per unit of power generated annually. However, Type B generators vent through much shorter chimneys.
Ques. 1/3
Suppose that the utility chooses Design 1 over Design 2. For each of the following motivations, select Yes if the information in the tabs suggests that it would help explain this choice. Otherwise, select No
Solution
OWNING THE DATASET
Understanding Source A: Text Document - Electric Utility Power Plant Design Options
| Information from Dataset | Analysis |
|---|---|
| ""A certain electric utility is considering exactly two designs (Designs 1 and 2) for a new power generation plant. Each design would result in a plant that would generate the same amount of power annually"" |
|
| ""Design 1 would use a single Type A power generator, whereas Design 2 would use three Type B power generators"" |
|
| ""Type A generators cost less than Type B generators to fuel per unit of power generated and vent through taller chimneys, which better prevent pollutants from concentrating near the plant"" |
|
| ""Type A generators produce solid waste that is difficult and expensive to dispose of safely"" |
|
| ""Type B generators produce no solid waste and, as compared to Type A generators, vent approximately half as much Pollutant X, and even less Pollutant Y, per unit of power generated annually"" |
|
| ""Type B generators vent through much shorter chimneys"" |
|
- Summary: This document outlines a choice between two power plant designs with clear tradeoffs
- Design 1 (one Type A generator) offers lower fuel costs but produces problematic solid waste
- Design 2 (three Type B generators) avoids solid waste and has lower emissions but may concentrate pollutants due to shorter chimneys
Understanding Source B: Table with Text - Pollutant Y Emissions During Different Operational Phases
| Information from Dataset | Analysis |
|---|---|
| ""Both Type A and Type B generators emit (vent) significantly more of Pollutant Y during the startup phase—when a generator is brought to its normal power-generating phase from nonoperation"" |
|
| ""During startup, unhealthy levels of Pollutant Y can become concentrated at ground level near the power plant"" |
|
Table Data Analysis
| Generator Type | Operation Phase | Emissions (kg/hr) | Ground-level Concentration Increase (mcg/m³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type A | Startup | (mathrm{744}) | (mathrm{61}) |
| Type A | Normal | (mathrm{218}) | (mathrm{13}) |
| Type B | Startup | (mathrm{203}) | (mathrm{47}) |
| Type B | Normal | (mathrm{6}) | (mathrm{3}) |
Key Patterns
- Type A startup emissions are (mathrm{3.4 imes}) higher than normal ((mathrm{744}) vs (mathrm{218}) kg/hr)
- Type B startup emissions are (mathrm{33.8 imes}) higher than normal ((mathrm{203}) vs (mathrm{6}) kg/hr)
- Type B's normal emissions are only (mathrm{2.8\%}) of Type A's ((mathrm{6}) vs (mathrm{218}) kg/hr)
- Key Finding: Type B is dramatically cleaner during normal operation
- Linkage to Source A: Despite Type B's much lower emissions ((mathrm{203}) vs (mathrm{744}) kg/hr during startup), its ground-level concentration is still (mathrm{77\%}) of Type A's - shorter chimneys explain this
- Linkage to Source A: This quantifies Source A's claim that Type B emits ""even less Pollutant Y"" - it's actually (mathrm{97\%}) less during normal operation!
- Linkage to Source A: The concentration data proves why chimney height matters - Type B's shorter chimneys partially offset its emission advantages
- Summary: Source B reveals that both generator types emit much more Pollutant Y during startup, with Type A producing significantly higher emissions overall
- However, Type B's shorter chimneys mean its ground-level impact is still substantial despite lower emissions
- This confirms the chimney height tradeoff mentioned in Source A
Understanding Source C: [No Source Provided]
- No Source C content was provided for analysis
- Summary: Only two sources were provided for this dataset analysis
Overall Summary
- The combined sources reveal a complex environmental tradeoff between two power plant designs
- Design 1 (one Type A generator):
- Lower fuel costs
- Produces difficult-to-dispose solid waste
- Emits (mathrm{218}) kg/hr of Pollutant Y during normal operation
- Emits (mathrm{744}) kg/hr during startup
- Design 2 (three Type B generators):
- Avoids solid waste entirely
- Produces dramatically lower air emissions - only (mathrm{18}) kg/hr total during normal operation
- Emits (mathrm{609}) kg/hr during startup for all three units
- Type B's shorter chimneys partially offset emission advantages by concentrating pollutants near ground level
- The environmental comparison is more nuanced than simple emission totals would suggest
Question Analysis
Connecting to Our Passage Analysis
- In plain terms: If the utility picks Design 1 (one Type A generator) instead of Design 2 (three Type B generators), would each given reason make sense for that choice?
- Key constraints:
- Evaluate three specific motivations
- Answer Yes if the motivation explains choosing Design 1
- Answer No if the motivation does not explain choosing Design 1
- Answer type needed: Comparative evaluation of design characteristics
- Can answer from analysis: Yes - all three characteristics are explicitly covered in the cross-source analysis
Detailed Evaluation
Statement 1 Evaluation (Fuel Costs)
- Question: Would wanting cheaper fuel costs explain choosing Design 1?
- Type A costs less to fuel per unit of power
- Design 1 uses Type A
- Type A's lower fuel costs align with choosing Design 1
- YES - Lower fuel costs support Design 1 choice
Statement 2 Evaluation (Solid Waste)
- Question: Would wanting to avoid solid waste disposal explain choosing Design 1?
- Type A produces difficult/expensive solid waste, Type B produces none
- Design 1 uses Type A
- Type A's solid waste contradicts avoiding waste disposal
- NO - Avoiding solid waste would favor Design 2, not Design 1
Statement 3 Evaluation (Pollutant X)
- Question: Would wanting to emit less Pollutant X explain choosing Design 1?
- Type B emits approximately half as much Pollutant X as Type A
- Design 1 uses Type A
- Type A's higher Pollutant X emissions contradict this motivation
- NO - Lower Pollutant X emissions would favor Design 2, not Design 1
Verification
- Source A explicitly states Type A costs less to fuel - confirms YES for statement 1
- Source A clearly indicates Type A produces solid waste while Type B doesn't - confirms NO for statement 2
- Source A specifies Type B vents about half the Pollutant X of Type A - confirms NO for statement 3
Final Answer
- 1: Yes
- 2: No
- 3: No
Answer Choices Explained
A
Yes
No
A desire to use the type of generator that costs less to fuel per unit of power generated
B
Yes
No
A desire to avoid having to dispose of solid waste
C
Yes
No
A desire to emit less Pollutant X per unit of power generated annually
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