[Objective] Power chemistry is a key engineering discipline for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of power systems. Using the method of scientific knowledge mapping
this paper systematically reviews the evolution of the field's knowledge structure
the migration of research hotspots
and the composition of the academic community
reveals its developmental trajectory and frontier dynamics
and provides data support and theoretical reference for researchers to grasp the patterns of evolution. [Methods] This study employs CiteSpace software to conduct a visual analysis of 628 documents retrieved from the core database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI) spanning 2000–2025. [Results] The results show that publication output exhibits an “S”-shaped growth curve
going through three stages: initial exploration
explosive growth
and adjustment toward stabilization. In the early stage
research focused on basic support technologies such as chemical water treatment
water quality analysis
and chemical supervision. In the middle stage
it shifted toward advanced treatment technologies including reverse osmosis
dual-membrane processes
and electrodeionization. At the current stage
the focus has turned to chemical wastewater treatment
system optimization
and intelligent monitoring. A collaborative industry-university-research network centered on power generation groups
research institutes
and universities has taken shape
yet in-depth cross-institution collaboration still needs to be strengthened. [Conclusion] The connotation of power chemistry research has evolved from ensuring unit safety to pursuing green
low-carbon
and intelligent development. Future research should prioritize the following four directions. The first priority is to develop low-cost
modular ZLD and resource recovery technologies
particularly salt separation crystallization and resource recovery pathways for desulfurization wastewater and high-salinity wastewater. The second priority is to integrate big data and artificial intelligence to construct intelligent diagnosis and early warning systems
facilitating the intelligent transformation of chemical supervision from “post-analysis” to “pre-warning” and “dynamic optimization”. The third priority is to strengthen interdisciplinary efforts to study the synergistic optimization of the whole-plant water network and chemical control strategies under flexible operating conditions(e.g.
deep peak shaving). The fourth priority is to expand the research scope to extend the chemical supervision system to emerging energy technologies such as hydrogen energy
energy storage batteries(e.g.
flow batteries)
and solar thermal power
thereby constructing a full-lifecycle chemical supervision system for the new-type power system.