Evaluation and Assessment of Power Plant Fuel Management Reliability Using Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision-making

Authors

  • Jun Li Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China
  • Lei Zhang Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China
  • Xufeng Hong 1Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China
  • Qiang Liu Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China
  • Rui Zhu Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China
  • Yaxin Liu Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710054 Shaanxi, China
  • Chen Zhang Xi’an YTRG Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710000 Shaanxi, China
  • Xudong Zhao Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710054 Shaanxi, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.4152

Keywords:

Fuel management reliability, fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making, fuzzy TOPSIS, expert judgment, power plant optimization

Abstract

Effective fuel management plays a vital role in the provision of power generation services with minimum associated risk. However, the results obtained from the application of conventional evaluation approaches have been unable to handle the issues of uncertainty in fuel reliability evaluation. To address these challenges, the study develops a novel approach to fuel reliability evaluation based on a hybrid fuzzy MCDM approach, which combines Fuzzy AHP with Fuzzy TOPSIS with sensitivity analysis to validate the results. The proposed approach makes use of the Global Power Plant Dataset and expert judgments for the assessment of the four different fuels: Coal, Gas, Oil, and Biomass, based on the criteria of fuel availability, fuel supply stability, capacity reliability, fuel diversity, and operational risk. Fuzzy AHP is applied for the calculation of the criteria weights in the presence of uncertainty, and Fuzzy TOPSIS is applied for the computation of the reliability scores of the alternatives. Sensitivity analysis is carried out for the assessment of the stability of the results with different criteria weights. The results showed that the reliability score for Oil-based plants is the highest at 0.765, followed by Coal at 0.544, Gas at 0.475, and Biomass at 0.440. The results also show that the overall reliability depends not only on the dominance in any particular factor but also on the overall performance in all the factors. The proposed framework proves to be a powerful decision support tool in the evaluation of fuel management reliability.

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Author Biographies

Jun Li, Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China

Li Jun, born in 1980, graduated from Hebei University of Technology with a major in Electrical Engineering and Automation. He currently serves as the Chief Engineer of Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd. With years of experience in power production and operation, he possesses extensive practical and theoretical knowledge.
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6202-6585

Lei Zhang, Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China

Lei Zhang was born in 1984. He received the Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the College of Civil Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, China, in 2008. He is currently an engineer at Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd. He has long been engaged in power engineering construction as well as power plant operation and maintenance, and has accumulated extensive practical experience and solid theoretical knowledge in these fields.
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0262-7657

Xufeng Hong, 1Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China

Xufeng Hong was born in 1979. He graduated from Huainan Institute of Technology, China. He is currently an engineer in the Production Technology Department at Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd. He has long been engaged in the management of informationization and intelligent construction of thermal power enterprises, and has accumulated extensive practical experience and solid theoretical knowledge in these areas.
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0196-5170

Qiang Liu, Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China

Qiang Liu was born in 1976. He received the Bachelor’s degree in Thermal Power Engineering from the College of Thermal Power Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, China, in 1998, and the Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shandong University of Science and Technology, China, in 2016. He is currently the General Manager and a Senior Engineer at Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd.He has long been engaged in equipment selection, engineering construction, system commissioning, and production operation of large-scale thermal power generating units, and has accumulated extensive practical experience and solid theoretical knowledge in these areas.
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9682-2071

Rui Zhu, Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd, Pingliang, 744000 Gansu, China

Rui Zhu, born in 1985, graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai) majoring in Automation. He currently works at the Production Technology Department of Shandong Energy Group Lingtai Thermal Power Generation Co., Ltd., serving as the head of the Production Technology Department and holding the title of engineer. Over the years, he has been engaged in thermal power generation technology management, thermal control automation, and intelligent construction management, possessing rich practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8652-2249

Yaxin Liu, Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710054 Shaanxi, China

Yaxin Liu, born in 1998, graduated from Xi’an Jiaotong University with a major in Software Engineering. Currently employed at the Intelligent Power Generation Technology Department of Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., holding the title of Engineer in the Technical Development Division. Specialized in research and application of power plant automatic control and intelligent optimization technologies. As a key technical contributor, participated in multiple national, provincial-ministerial, and departmental-level research projects. Long-term involvement in the R&D and implementation of key technologies for the digital transformation of the power generation industry.
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0993-0611

Chen Zhang, Xi’an YTRG Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710000 Shaanxi, China

Chen Zhang, born in 1994, graduated from Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications with a major in Electrical Engineering and Automation. He currently serves as an Engineer at the Control Division of Xi’an YTRG Co., Ltd., holding the title of engineer. Over the years, he has been engaged in thermal power generation technology management, thermal control automation, and intelligent construction management, possessing rich practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3659-9686

Xudong Zhao, Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, Xi’an, 710054 Shaanxi, China

Xudong Zhao, born in 2001, earned his degree in Computer Science and Technology from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He is currently employed as a Technical Developer in the Technology Development Department of Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd. His research is centered on the development of lightweight neural network models for time-series forecasting, the investigation of large-scale time-series models, and the provision of technical services for smart thermal power plants. In these areas, he has amassed considerable practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0453-5211

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Published

2026-09-17

How to Cite

Li, J., Zhang, L., Hong, X., Liu, Q., Zhu, R., Liu, Y., Zhang, C., & Zhao, X. (2026). Evaluation and Assessment of Power Plant Fuel Management Reliability Using Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision-making. Distributed Generation &Amp; Alternative Energy Journal, 44(5), 1207–1240. https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.4152

Issue

2026: Vol 44 Iss 5

Section

Articles