Department of Mechanical and Automobile

Engineering
AN INDUSTRIAL TRAINING REPORT
ON
Study of power & water cycle in thermal power plant at B.H.E.L,Noida

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

By
Bikesh ranjan
Submitted To
Mr. Shibamay mitra

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Sharda University

GREATER NOIDA-201306

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

Engineering
APPROVAL SHEET

Summer training report, entitled:study of power & water cycle in thermal

power plant is approved for award of 04 credits

Examiners
__________________
__________________

Coordinator

__________________

Head of Department
__________________

Date:

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

Engineering

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. / Ms.bikesh ranjan has partially completed / completed / not
completed the Industrial Training in our Organization / Industry during 1 st June, 2015 to 15th
July, 2015. He / She was trained in the field of power &water cycle in thermal power
plant. His / Her overall performance during the period was Excellent / Very Good / Good /
Average / Poor.

Manager/Guide

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to place on record my deep sense of gratitude to Mr amit dixit, Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (B.H.E.L.),noida,for his generous guidance, help and useful
suggestions.permitting me to have training during 20th june to 24st July, 2015.
I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Shibamay Mitra, Dept. of Mechanical and Automotive
Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, for his stimulating guidance, continuous
encouragement and supervision throughout the course of present work.
I also wish to extend my thanks to our teacher and other colleagues for attending my seminars
and for their insightful comments and constructive suggestions to improve the quality of this
research work.
I am extremely thankful to Prof. shibamay mitra, Head, Dept. of Mechanical and Automotive
Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, for providing me infrastructural facilities to
work in, without which this work would not have been possible.

Signature of the student

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

Engineering
ABSTRACT

In the era of Mechanical Engineering, Turbine, A Prime Mover (Which uses the Raw Energy
of a substance and converts it to Mechanical Energy) is a well-known Machine most useful in
the field of Power Generation. This Mechanical energy is used in running an Electric
Generator which is directly coupled to the shaft of turbine. From this Electric Generator, we
get electric Power which can be transmitted over long distances by means of transmission
lines and transmission towers.
In my Industrial Training in B.H.E.L, Noida I go through all sections in Thermal
power plant. First management team told me about the history of industry, Area,
Capacity, Machines installed & Facilities in the Industry.
After that they told about the Steam Turbine its types, parts like Boiler, fuel, generator
etc. Then they told full explanation of constructional features and procedure along
with equipment used. Before telling about the machines used in Manufacturing of
Blade, they told about the safety precautions, Step by Step arrangement of machines
in the block with a well-defined proper format. They also told the process how water
is used for generating electricity.

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INDEX

Page no.

Sr. No. Topic

INTRODUCTION

BHEL

1.1 OVERVIEW

9-10

1.2 WORKING AREAS

1.2.1 POWER GENERATION
1.2.2 POWER TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
1.2.3 INDUSTRIES
1.2.4 TRANSPORTATION
1.2.5 TELECOMMUNICATION
1.2.6 RENEWABLE ENERGY
1.2.7 INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

10
10
10-11
11
11
11
11-12
12\

1.3 TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION AND RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT
1.3.1 HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

12-13

1.4 HEALTH SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

1.4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
1.4.2 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
1.4.3 PRINCIPLE OF THE GLOBAL COMPACT

13-14

1.5 BHEL UNITS

2.0 BASIC OF THERMAL POWER PLANT
2.1 INSTALLED THERMAL POWER CAPACITY
3.0 CLASSIFICATION OF THERMAL POWER PLANT
3.1 BY FUEL
3.2 BY PRIME MOVER
3.3 BY DUTY
4.0 EFFICIENCY
4.1 HEAT RATE
5.0 POWER COMPANIES IN INDIA

15

13

14
14
14-15

16
16
16-17
17
17-18
18
19
20
21

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6.0 PROSPECTUS OF SETTING UP A THERMAL POWER PLANT
6.1 ELECTRICITY COST
7.0 TYPICAL COAL THERMAL POWER SYSTEM
7.1 BOILER AND STEAM CYCLE
7.2 FEED WATER HEATING AND DEAERATION
7.3 BOILER OPERATION
7.4 BOILER FURNACE AND STEAM DRUM
7.5 SUPER HEATER
7.6 STEAM CONDENSING
7.7 RE HEATER
7.8 AIR PATH
7.9 STEAM TURBINE GENERATOR
8.0 STACK GAS PATH AND CLEAN UP
8.1 FLY ASH COLLECTION
8.2 BOTTOM ASH COLLECTION
9.0 AUXILIARY SYSTEM
9.1 BOILER MAKE UP WATER TREATEMENT PLANT AND
STORAGE
9.2 FUEL PREPARATION SYSTEM
9.3 BARRYING GEAR
9.4 OIL SYSTEM
9.5 GENERATOR COOLING
9.6 GENERATOR HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM
9.7 MONITORING AND ALARM SYSTEM
10 ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF THERMAL POWER
PLANT
11 CONCLUSION

FIGURE INDEX

22
23
24
24-25
26
26-27
27
27
27-28
29
29-30
30
31
31
31
32
32
32-33
33
33
33
33-34
35
35-36
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Sr. No.

Topic

Page no.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

T-S DAIGRAMME
FEED WATER HEATER
COAL FIRED THERMAL POWER PLANT
TYPICAL WATER COOLED SURFACE CONDENSOR
MARLEY MECHANICAL INDUCED DRAFT COOLING TOWER

20
22
24
26
28

6.
7.

STEAM TURBINE GENERATOR

FUEL PREPARATION SYSTEM

29
33

TABLE INDEX

Sr. No.

Topic

Page no.

1.
2.
3.

BHEL UNITS
16
POWER COMPANIES IN INDIA
22
NAMING OF ALL PARTS OF COAL FIRED THERMAL POWER 24
PLANT

INTRODUCTION

BHEL is the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy related
infrastructure sector today. BHEL was established more than 40 years ago when its first plant
was setup in Bhopal ushering in the indigenous Heavy Electrical Equipment Industry in India

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

Engineering
a dream which has been more than realized with a well-recognized track record of
performance it has been earning profits continuously since1971-72.
BHEL caters to core sectors of the Indian Economy viz., Power Generation's &
Transmission, Industry, Transportation, Telecommunication, Renewable Energy,
Defence, etc. The wide network of BHEL's 14 manufacturing division, four power
Sector regional centres, over 150 project sites, eight service centres and 18 regional
offices, enables the Company to promptly serve its customers and provide them with
suitable products, systems and services efficiently and at competitive prices. BHEL
has already attained ISO 9000 certification for quality management, and ISO
14001certification for environment management.
The companys inherent potential coupled with its strong performance make this one
of the NAVRATNAS, which is supported by the government in their endeavor to
become future global players.
B.H.E.L.
1.1. OERVIVEW

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (B.H.E.L.) is the largest engineering and

manufacturing enterprise in India. BHEL caters to core sectors of the Indian
Economy viz., Power Generation's & Transmission, Industry, Transportation,
Telecommunication, Renewable Energy, Defense and many more.

Established in 1960s under the Indo-Soviet Agreements of 1959 and 1960 in

the area of Scientific, Technical and Industrial Cooperation.

BHEL has its setup spread all over India namely New Delhi, Gurgaon,
Haridwar, Rudrapur, Jhansi, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jagdishpur , Tiruchirapalli,
Bangalore and many more.

Over 65% of power generated in India comes from BHEL-supplied

equipment.Overall it has installed power equipment for over 90,000 MW.

BHEL's Investment in R&D is amongst the largest in the corporate sector in

India. Net Profit of the company in the year 2011-2012 was recorded as
6868crore having a high of
21.2% in comparison to last year.

BHEL has already attained ISO 9000 certification for quality management,
and ISO 14001 certification for environment management.

Department of Mechanical and Automobile

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It is one of India's nine largest Public Sector Undertakings or PSUs, known as

the NAVRATNAS or 'The Nine Jewels.

The power plant equipment manufactured by BHEL is based on contemporary

technology comparable to the best in the world.

The wide network of BHEL's 14 manufacturing divisions, 4 Power Sector

regional centre, over 100 project sites, 8 Service Centre and 18 regional
offices, enables the Company to promptly serve its customers and provide
them with suitable products, systems and services efficiently.

1.2. WORKING AREAS

1.2.1. POWER GENERATION
Power generation sector comprises thermal, gas, hydro and nuclear power plant
business as of 31.03.2001, BHEL supplied sets account for nearly 64737 MW or 65%
of the total installed capacity of 99,146 MW in the country, as against nil till 1969-70.
BHEL has proven turnkey capabilities for executing power projects from concept to
commissioning, it possesses the technology and capability to produce thermal sets
with super critical parameters up to 1000 MW unit rating and gas turbine generator
sets of up to 240 MW unit rating. Co-generation and combined-cycle plants have been
introduced to achieve higher plant efficiencies. To make efficient use of the high-ashcontent coal available in India, BHEL supplies circulating fluidized bed combustion
boilers to both thermal and combined cycle power plants.
The company manufactures 235 MW nuclear turbine generator sets and has
commenced production of 500 MW nuclear turbine generator sets.
Custom made hydro sets of Francis, Pelton and Kaplan types for different head
discharge combination are also engineering and manufactured by BHEL.
In all, orders for more than 700 utility sets of thermal, hydro, gas and nuclear have
been placed on the Company as on date. The power plant equipment manufactured by
BHEL is based on contemporary technology comparable to the best in the world and
is also internationally competitive.
The Company has proven expertise in Plant Performance Improvement through
renovation modernization and upgrading of a variety of power plant equipment
besides specialized know how of residual life assessment, health diagnostics and life
extension of plants.

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1.2.2. POWER TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION (T & D)
BHEL offer wide ranging products and systems for T & D applications. Products
manufactured include power transformers, instrument transformers, dry type
transformers, series and stunt reactor, capacitor tanks, vacuum and SF circuit breakers
gas insulated switch gears and insulators. A strong engineering base enables the
Company to undertake turnkey delivery of electric substances up to 400 kV level
series compensation systems (for increasing power transfer capacity of transmission
lines and improving system stability and voltage regulation), shunt compensation
systems (for power factor and voltage improvement) and HVDC systems (for
economic transfer of bulk power). BHEL has indigenously developed the state-of-theart controlled shunt reactor (for reactive power management on long transmission
lines). Presently a 400 kV Facts (Flexible AC Transmission System) project under
execution.
1.2.3. INDUSTRIES
BHEL is a major contributor of equipment and systems to industries. Cement, sugar,
fertilizer, refineries, petrochemicals, paper, oil and gas, metallurgical and other
process industries lines and improving system stability and voltage regulation, shunt
compensation systems (for power factor and voltage improvement) and HVDC
systems(for economic transfer of bulk power) BHEL has indigenously developed the
state-of-the-art controlled shunt reactor (for reactive power management on long
transmission lines).Presently a 400 kV FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission System)
projects is under execution. The range of system & equipment supplied includes:
captive power plants, co-generation plants DG power plants, industrial steam
turbines, industrial boilers and auxiliaries. Water heat recovery boilers, gas turbines,
heat exchangers and pressure vessels, centrifugal compressors, electrical machines,
pumps, valves, seamless steel tubes, electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, reactors,
fluidized bed combustion boilers, chemical recovery boilers and process controls.
The Company is a major producer of large-size thruster devices. It also supplies
digital distributed control systems for process industries, and control &
instrumentation systems for power plant and industrial applications. BHEL is the only
company in India with the capability to make simulators for power plants, defense
and other applications. The Company has commenced manufacture of large
desalination plants to help augment the supply of drinking water to people.
1.2.4. TRANSPORTATION
BHEL is involved in the development design, engineering, marketing, production,
installation, and maintenance and after-sales service of Rolling Stock and traction
propulsion systems. In the area of rolling stock, BHEL manufactures electric
locomotives up to 5000HP, diesel-electric locomotives from 350 HP to 3100 HP, both
for mainline and shunting duly applications. BHEL is also producing rolling stock for
special applications viz., overhead equipment cars, Special well wagons, Rail-cumroad vehicle etc., Besides traction propulsion systems for in-house use, BHEL

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manufactures traction propulsion systems for other rolling stock producers of electric
locomotives, diesel-electric locomotives, electrical multiple units and metro cars. The
electric and diesel traction equipment on India Railways are largely powered by
electrical propulsion systems produced by BHEL. The company also undertakes
retooling and overhauling of rolling stock in the area of urban transportation systems.
BHEL is geared up to turnkey execution of electric trolley bus systems, light rail
systems etc. BHEL is also diversifying in the area of port handing equipment and
pipelines transportation system.

1.2.5. TELECOMMUNICATION
BHEL also caters to Telecommunication sector by way of small, medium and large
switching system.

1.2.6. RENEWABLE ENERGY

Technologies that can be offered by BHEL for exploiting non-conventional and
renewable sources of energy include: wind electric generators, solar photo voltaic
systems, solar lanterns and battery-powered road vehicles. The Company has taken up
R&D efforts for development of multi-junction amorphous silicon solar cells and fuel
based systems.

1.2.7. INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

BHEL has, over the years, established its references in around 60 countries of the
world, ranging for the United States in the west to New Zealand in the far east. These
references encompass almost the entire product range of BHEL, covering turnkey
power projects of thermal, hydro and gas-based types, substation projects,
rehabilitation projects, besides a wide variety of products, like transformers,
insulators, switch gears, heat exchangers, castings and forgings, valves, wellhead
equipment, centrifugal compressors, photo-voltaic equipment etc. apart from over
1110mw of boiler capacity contributed in Malaysia, and execution of four prestigious
power projects in Oman, some of the other major successes achieved by the company
have been in Australia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt,
Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Iraq etc.
The company has been successful in meeting demanding customer's requirements in
terms of complexity of the works as well as technological, quality and other
requirements viz. extended warrantees, associated O&M, financing packages etc.
BHEL has proved its capability to undertake projects on fast-track basis. The
company has been successful in meeting varying needs of the industry, be it captive
power plants, utility power generation or for the oil sector requirements. Executing of

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overseas projects has also provided BHEL the experience of working with world
renowned consulting organizations and inspection agencies.
In addition to demonstrated capability to undertake turnkey projects on its own,
BHEL possesses the requisite flexibility to interface and complement with
international companies for large projects by supplying complementary equipment
and meeting their production needs for intermediate as well as finished products.
The success in the area of rehabilitation and life extension of power projects has
established BHEL as a comparable alternative to the original equipment
manufacturers (OEMS) for such plants.
1.3. TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
To remain competitive and meet customers' expectations, BHEL lays great emphasis
on the continuous up gradation of products and related technologies, and development
of new products. The Company has upgraded its products to contemporary levels
through continuous in house efforts as well as through acquisition of new
technologies from leading engineering organizations of the world.
The Corporate R&D Division at Hyderabad, spread over a 140 acre complex, leads
BHEL's research efforts in a number of areas of importance to BHEL's product range.
Research and product development centers at each of the manufacturing divisions
play a complementary role.
BHEL's Investment in R&D is amongst the largest in the corporate sector in India.
Products developed in-house during the last five years contributed about 8.6% to the
revenues in 20002001.
BHEL has introduced, in the recent past, several state-of-the-art products developed
in-house: low-NOx oil / gas burners, circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers,
high-efficiency Pelton hydro turbines, petroleum depot automation systems, 36kV
gas-insulated sub-stations, etc. The Company has also transferred a few technologies
developed in-house to other Indian companies for commercialization.
Some of the on-going development & demonstration projects include: Smart wall
blowing system for cleaning boiler soot deposits, and micro-controller based governor
for diesel-electric locomotives. The company is also engaged in research in futuristic
areas, such as application of super conducting materials in power generations and
industry, and fuel cells for distributed, environment-friendly power generation.

1.3.1 HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

The most prized asset of BHEL is its employees. The Human Resource Development
Institute and other HRD centers of the Company help in not only keeping their skills
updated and finely honed but also in adding new skills, whenever required
.Continuous training and retraining, positive, a positive work culture and participative

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style of management, have engendered development of a committed and motivated
workforce leading to enhanced productivity and higher levels of quality.
1.4. HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT
BHEL, as an integral part of business performance and in its endeavor of becoming a
world-class organization and sharing the growing global concern on issues related to
Environment. Occupational Health and Safety, is committed to protecting
Environment in and around its own establishment, and to providing safe and healthy
working environment to all its employees. For fulfilling these obligations, Corporate
Policies have been formulated as.

1.4.1. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Compliance with applicable Environmental Legislation/Regulation.

Continual Improvement in Environment Management Systems to protect our
natural environment and Control Pollution.
Promotion of activities for conservation of resources by Environmental
Management.
Enhancement of Environmental awareness amongst employees, customers and
suppliers. BHEL will also assist and co-operate with the concerned
Government Agencies and Regulatory Bodies engaged in environmental
activities, offering the Company's capabilities is this field.
1.4.2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Compliance with applicable Legislation and Regulations.

Setting objectives and targets to eliminate/control/minimize risks due to
Occupational and Safety Hazards.
Appropriate structured training of employees on Occupational Health and
Safety (OH&S) aspects.
Formulation and maintenance of OH&S Management programs for continual
improvement.
Periodic review of OH&S Management System to ensure its continuing
suitability, adequacy and effectiveness.
Communication of OH&S Policy to all employees and interested parties.

The major units of BHEL have already acquired ISO 14001 Environmental
Management System Certification, and other units are in advanced stages of acquiring
the same. Action plan has been prepared to acquire OHSAS 18001 Occupational
Health and Safety Management System certification for all BHEL units.
In pursuit of these Policy requirements, BHEL will continuously strive to improve
work particles in the light of advances made in technology and new understandings in

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Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Science Participation in the "Global
Compact" of the United Nations.
The "Global Compact" is a partnership between the United Nations, the business
community, international labor and NGOs. It provides a forum for them to work
together and improve corporate practices through co-operation rather than
confrontation.
BHEL has joined the "Global Compact" of United Nations and has committed to
support it and the set of core values enshrined in its nine principles.

1.4.3. PRINCIPLES OF THE "GLOBAL COMPACT"

HUMAN RIGHTS
1 Business should support and respect the protection of internationally
proclaimed human rights and.
2 Make sure they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
LABOUR STANDARDS
1.
Business should uphold the freedom of association and the effective
recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
3 Eliminate discrimination.
4 The elimination of all form of forces and compulsory labour.
5 The effective abolition of child labour.
6 Eliminate discrimination.
ENVIRONMENT
Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental
challenges.
Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility and
Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly
technology.
By joining the "Global Compact", BHEL would get a unique opportunity of
networking with corporate and sharing experience relating to social responsibility on
global basis.

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1.5 BHEL UNITS

UNIT

TYPE

PRODUCT

1. Bhopal

Heavy Electrical Part

Steam Turbines, Turbo Generators, Hydro

Sets,
Switch Gear Controllers
Hydro Turbines, Steam Turbines, Gas
Turbines, Turbo Generators, Heavy Castings
and Forging, Control Panels, Light Aircrafts,
Electrical Machines.

2. Haridwar
HEEP
CFFP

Heavy Electrical Equipement

Plant
Central Foundry Forge Plant

3. Hyderabad
HPEP

Heavy Power Equipement Plant

Industrial Turbo-Sets, Compressor Pumps

and Heaters, Bow Mills, Heat Exchangers
Oil Rings, Gas Turbines, Switch Gears,
Power Generating Sets.

4. Trichy
HPBP
5. Jhansi

High Pressure Boiling Plant

TP
6. Banglore

Transformer Plant

EDN

Electronics Division

EPD

Electro Porcelains Devision

7. Ranipet
BAP

Boiler Auxilary Plant

8. Goindwal
9. Jagdishpur

Industrial Valves Plant

IP
10. Rudrapur

Insulator Plant
Component Fabrication Plant

Seamless Steel Tubes, Spiral Fin Welded

Tubes.
Transformers, Diesel Shunt Less AC locos
and EC EMU.
Energy Meters, Watt Meters, Control
Equipement, Capacitors, Photo Voltic Panels,
Simulator, Telecommunication System, Other
Advanced Microprocessor based Control
System, Insulator and Bushing, Ceramic
Liners
Electrostatic Precipitator, Air Pre-Heater,
Fans, Wind Electric Generators, Desalination
Plants.

Industrial Valves & Fabrication

High tension ceramic, Insulation Plates and
Bushings

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Windmill, Solar Water Heating system

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11. Gurgaon

Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell

Plant.

Solar Photovoltaic Cells, Solar Lanterns,

Chargers ,Solar clock

Table-1
2.0 BASICS OF THERMAL POWER PLANT

A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is
heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After
it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it
was heated; this is known as a Rankine cycle. The greatest variation in the design of thermal
power stations is due to the different fuel sources. Some prefer to use the term energy center
because such facilities convert forms of heat energy into electricity. Some thermal power
plants also deliver heat energy for industrial purposes, for district heating, or for desalination
of water as well as delivering electrical power.
2.1 Installed thermal power capacity
The installed capacity of Thermal Power in India, as of October 31, 2012, was 140206.18
MW which is 66.99%of total installed capacity.

Current installed base of Coal Based Thermal Power is 120,103.38 MW which comes
to 57.38% of total installed base.

Current installed base of Gas Based Thermal Power is 18,903.05 MW which is 9.03%
of total installed capacity.

Current installed base of Oil Based Thermal Power is 1,199.75 MW which is 0.57%
of total installed capacity.

The state of Maharashtra is the largest producer of thermal power in the country.
In thermal power stations, mechanical power is produced by a heat engine that transforms
thermal energy, often from combustion of a fuel, into rotational energy. Most thermal power
stations produce steam, and these are sometimes called steam power stations. Not all thermal
energy can be transformed into mechanical power, according to the second law of
thermodynamics. Therefore, there is always heat lost to the environment. If this loss is
employed as useful heat, for industrial processes or district heating, the power plant is
referred to as a cogeneration power plant or CHP (combined heat-and-power) plant. In
countries where district heating is common, there are dedicated heat plants called heat-only
boiler stations. An important class of power stations in the Middle East uses by-product heat
for the desalination of water.
The efficiency of a steam turbine is limited by the maximum temperature of the steam
produced and is not directly a function of the fuel used. For the same steam conditions, coal,
nuclear and gas power plants all have the same theoretical efficiency. Overall, if a system is

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on constantly (base load) it will be more efficient than one that is used intermittently (peak
load).
Besides use of reject heat for process or district heating, one way to improve overall
efficiency of a power plant is to combine two different thermodynamic cycles. Most
commonly, exhaust gases from a gas turbine are used to generate steam for a boiler and steam
turbine. The combination of a "top" cycle and a "bottom" cycle produces higher overall
efficiency than either cycle can attain alone.

3.0 Classification of Thermal power plant

3.1 By fuel
Fossil-fuel power stations may also use a steam turbine generator or in the case of natural
gas-fired plants may use a combustion turbine. A coal-fired power station produces electricity
by burning coal to generate steam, and has the side-effect of producing large amounts of
sulfur dioxide which pollutes air and water and carbon dioxide, which contributes to global
warming. About 50% of electric generation in the USA is produced by coal-fired power
plants.
Nuclear power plants use a nuclear reactor's heat to operate a steam turbine generator. About
20% of electric generation in the USA is produced by nuclear power plants.
Geothermal power plants use steam extracted from hot underground rocks.
Biomass-fuelled power plants may be fuelled by waste from sugar cane, municipal solid
waste, landfill methane, or other forms of biomass.
In integrated steel mills, blast furnace exhaust gas is a low-cost, although low-energydensity, fuel.
Waste heat from industrial processes is occasionally concentrated enough to use for power
generation, usually in a steam boiler and turbine.
Solar thermal electric plants use sunlight to boil water and produce steam which turns the
generator.
3.2 By prime mover
Steam turbine plants use the dynamic pressure generated by expanding steam to turn the
blades of a turbine. Almost all large non-hydro plants use this system. About 90% of all
electric power produced in the world is by use of steam turbines.
Gas turbine plants use the dynamic pressure from flowing gases (air and combustion
products) to directly operate the turbine. Natural-gas fuelled (and oil fueled) combustion
turbine plants can start rapidly and so are used to supply "peak" energy during periods of high

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demand, though at higher cost than base-loaded plants. These may be comparatively small
units, and sometimes completely unmanned, being remotely operated. This type was
pioneered by the UK, Princeton being the world's first, commissioned in 1959.
Combined cycle plants have both a gas turbine fired by natural gas, and a steam boiler and
steam turbine which use the hot exhaust gas from the gas turbine to produce electricity. This
greatly increases the overall efficiency of the plant, and many new base load power plants are
combined cycle plants fired by natural gas.
Internal combustion reciprocating engines are used to provide power for isolated
communities and are frequently used for small cogeneration plants. Hospitals, office
buildings, industrial plants, and other critical facilities also use them to provide backup power
in case of a power outage. These are usually fuelled by diesel oil, heavy oil, natural gas, and
landfill gas.
Micro turbines, Stirling engine and internal combustion reciprocating engines are low-cost
solutions for using opportunity fuels, such as landfill gas, digester gas from water treatment
plants and waste gas from oil production.
3.3 By duty
Power plants that can be dispatched (scheduled) to provide energy to a system include:
Base load power plants run nearly continually to provide that component of system load that
doesn't vary during a day or week. Base load plants can be highly optimized for low fuel cost,
but may not start or stop quickly during changes in system load. Examples of base-load plants
would include large modern coal-fired and nuclear generating stations, or hydro plants with a
predictable supply of water.

Peaking power plants meet the daily peak load, which may only be for a one or two hours
each day. While their incremental operating cost is always higher than base load plants, they
are required to ensure security of the system during load peaks. Peaking plants include simple
cycle gas turbines and sometimes reciprocating internal combustion engines, which can be
started up rapidly when system peaks are predicted. Hydroelectric plants may also be
designed for peaking use.
Load following power plants can economically follow the variations in the daily and weekly
load, at lower cost than peaking plants and with more flexibility than base load plants.

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Non-dispatch able plants include such sources as wind and solar energy; while their longterm contribution to system energy supply is predictable, on a short-term (daily or hourly)
base their energy must be used as available since generation cannot be deferred. Contractual
arrangements (take or pay") with independent power producers or system interconnections
to other networks may be effectively non-dispatch able.
Thermal power plants can deploy a wide range of technologies. Some of the major
technologies include:

Steam cycle facilities (most commonly used for large utilities);

Gas turbines (commonly used for moderate sized peaking facilities);

Cogeneration and combined cycle facility (the combination of gas turbines or internal
combustion engines with heat recovery systems); and

Internal combustion engines (commonly used for small remote sites or stand-by
power generation).

India has an extensive review process, one that includes environment impact assessment,
prior to a thermal power plant being approved for construction and commissioning. The
Ministry of Environment and Forests has published a technical guidance manual to help
project proposers and to prevent environmental pollution in India from thermal power plants.

4.0EFFICIENCY

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Fig.1 A Rankine cycle with a two-stage steam turbine and a single feed water heater.

The energy efficiency of a conventional thermal power station, considered salable energy
produced as a percent of the heating value of the fuel consumed, is typically 33% to 48% As
with all heat engines, their efficiency is limited, and governed by the laws of
thermodynamics. By comparison, most hydropower stations in the United States are about 90
percent efficient in converting the energy of falling water into electricity.

The energy of a thermal not utilized in power production must leave the plant in the form of
heat to the environment. This waste heat can go through a condenser and be disposed of with
cooling water or in cooling towers. If the waste heat is instead utilized for district heating, it
is called co-generation. An important class of thermal power station are associated with
desalination facilities; these are typically found in desert countries with large supplies of
natural gas and in these plants, freshwater production and electricity are equally important coproducts.
The Carnot efficiency dictates that higher efficiencies can be attained by increasing the
temperature of the steam. Sub-critical fossil fuel power plants can achieve 3640%
efficiency. Super critical designs have efficiencies in the low to mid 40% range, with new

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"ultra critical" designs using pressures of 4400 psi (30.3 MPa) and multiple stage reheat
reaching about 48% efficiency. Above the critical point for water of 705 F (374 C) and
3212 psi (22.06 MPa), there is no phase transition from water to steam, but only a gradual
decrease in density.
Currently most of the nuclear power plants must operate below the temperatures and
pressures that coal-fired plants do, since the pressurized vessel is very large and contains the
entire bundle of nuclear fuel rods. The size of the reactor limits the pressure that can be
reached. This, in turn, limits their thermodynamic efficiency to 3032%. Some advanced
reactor designs being studied, such as the very high temperature reactor, advanced gas-cooled
reactor and supercritical water reactor, would operate at temperatures and pressures similar to
current coal plants, producing comparable thermodynamic efficiency.
4.1 Heat rate
A form of expressing efficiency of an engine or turbine. The fuel heating value consumed per
unit of useful output (usually electrical output). Common unit is kJ/kWh. To convert to
efficiency divide by 3600 and invert.
Heat Rate (Generated) (kJ/kWh)
Quantity fuel (kg) * higher heating value of fuel consumed (kJ/kg) divided by:
Total energy generated (kWh)
Heat Rate (gen) is related to Efficiency (gen) by:
Heat Rate (gen) (kJ/kWh) = 3600 * 100 divided by:/ Efficiency (gen) (%)
Heat Rate (Sent Out) (kJ/kWh)
Quantity fuel (kg) * higher heating value of fuel consumed (kJ/kg) divided by:/ Total energy
generated (kWh) - Total auxiliary energy (kWh)
Heat Rate (s/o) is related to Efficiency (s/o) by
Heat Rate (s/o) (kJ/kWh) = 3600 * 100 ./ Efficiency (s/o) (%)

5.0 POWER COMPANIES IN INDIA.

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A

G
Adani Power

N
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam

Andhra Pradesh Central

H
Power Distribution Company
Andhra Pradesh Power
Haryana Power Generation
Generation Corporation
Corporation
Astonfield
I
Indraprastha
Power
B
Generation
Bombay Electric Supply &
J
Tramways Company Limited
Brihanmumbai
Electric
Jindal Steel and Power
Supply and Transport
British Electric Traction
JSW Energy
Company
C
K
Karnataka Power Corporation
CESC Limited
Limited
Chamundeshwari Electricity
L
Supply Corporation Limited
Chhattisgarh State Power
Lanco Infratech
Generation Company Limited
List
of
electricity
Clarke Energy
organisations in India
D

M
Dabhol Power Company

Madhya Gujarat Vij

Nuclear Power Corporation

of India
O
Orissa Power
Corporation
P

Generation

Paschim Gujarat Vij

Punjab
Corporation

State

Power

R
Rajasthan
Rajya
Vidyut
Utpadan Nigam
Reliance Infrastructure
Rural
Electrification
Corporation Limited
S
Sterlite Energy Limited
T
Tamil Nadu Generation and
Distribution
Corporation
Limited
Tamil Nadu Transmission
Corporation Limited

Dakshin
Gujarat
Vij
Madhya
Pradesh
Power
Tata Power
Company Ltd.
Generation Company Limited
Dakshin
Haryana
Bijli
Maharashtra State Electricity
TNEB
Vitran Nigam
Distribution Company Limited
Damodar
Valley
Maharashtra State Power
Torrent Power
Corporation
Generation Company Limited
Mangalore Electricity Supply
Transmission Corporation of
Delhi Transco Limited
Company Limited
Andhra Pradesh
E

MSPL Limited

Essar Energy

Uttar Gujarat Vij

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G

Neyveli Lignite Corporation

User talk:Gkd1981

NHPC Limited

Gujarat State Electricity

North Eastern Electric Power
Corporation Limited
Corporation Limited
Gujarat
State
Energy
NSPCL
Generation

Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran

Nigam
Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut
Utpadan Nigam
W
Welspun Energy

Table-2

6.0 PROSPECTS OF SETTING UP A THERMAL POWER PLANT

The current and future projected cost of new electricity generation capacity is a critical input
into the development of energy projections and analyses. The cost of new generating plants
plays an important role in determining the mix of capacity additions that will serve growing
loads in the future. New plant costs also help to determine how new capacity competes
against existing capacity, and the response of the electricity generators to the imposition of
environmental controls on conventional pollutants or any limitations on greenhouse gas
emissions.
Planning of Power Plant involves decision on two basic parameters:
1 Total power output to be installed (e.g. 1000 MW)
Installed capacity is determined from:

Estimated Demand: - Before setting up a power plant, we need to critically

analyze demand which gives us the idea to determine capacity which needs to
be installed. The installation capacity should match the demand and hence
estimation of demand is the critical fact while setting up a power plant.

Growth of Demand anticipated: - While determining demand, future prospects

needs to be considered so that the return on capital would be maximized and
future demand could be met easily.

Reserve Capacity required:- Considering the various type of demand in a

market how much reserve capacity is required to be installed is determined and
hence this will help in determining installation capacity.

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2

Size of generating units (e.g. 4 units of 250 MW each)

Size of the generating units will depend on:

Variation of Load (Load Curve):- During the different hour of the day and in
various seasons the demand varies, so the load curves. Now the number of units
has to be determined to run the operations optimally and meeting the
requirement daily.

Minimum start-up and shut down periods of the units

Maintenance programme planned

6.1ELECTRICITY COST

The direct cost of electric energy produced by a thermal power station is the result of cost of
fuel, capital cost for the plant, operator labour, maintenance, and such factors as ash handling
and disposal. Indirect, social or environmental costs such as the economic value of
environmental impacts, or environmental and health effects of the complete fuel cycle and
plant decommissioning, are not usually assigned to generation costs for thermal stations in
utility practice, but may form part of an environmental impact assessment.

7.0 TYPICAL COAL THERMAL POWER STATION

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Fig.2 Typical diagram of a coal-fired thermal power station

1. Cooling tower
2. Cooling water pump

10. Steam Control valve

19. Superheater
11. High pressure steam
20. Forced draught (draft) fan
turbine
12. Deaerator
21. Reheater

3. transmission line (3-phase)

4. Step-up transformer (313. Feedwater heater
phase)

22. Combustion air intake

5. Electrical generator (3-phase) 14. Coal conveyor

23. Economiser

6. Low pressure steam turbine 15. Coal hopper

16. Coal pulverizer
7. Condensate pump

24. Air preheater

25. Precipitator

Table-3

For units over about 200 MW capacity, redundancy of key components is provided by
installing duplicates of the forced and induced draft fans, air preheaters, and fly ash
collectors. On some units of about 60 MW, two boilers per unit may instead be provided.
7.1 BOILER AND STEAM CYCLE

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In the nuclear plant field, steam generator refers to a specific type of large heat exchanger
used in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) to thermally connect the primary (reactor plant)
and secondary (steam plant) systems, which generates steam. In a nuclear reactor called a
boiling water reactor (BWR), water is boiled to generate steam directly in the reactor itself
and there are no units called steam generators.
In some industrial settings, there can also be steam-producing heat exchangers called heat
recovery steam generators (HRSG) which utilize heat from some industrial process. The
steam generating boiler has to produce steam at the high purity, pressure and temperature
required for the steam turbine that drives the electrical generator.
Geothermal plants need no boiler since they use naturally occurring steam sources. Heat
exchangers may be used where the geothermal steam is very corrosive or contains excessive
suspended solids.
A fossil fuel steam generator includes an economizer, a steam drum, and the furnace with its
steam generating tubes and superheater coils. Necessary safety valves are located at suitable
points to avoid excessive boiler pressure. The air and flue gas path equipment include: forced
draft (FD) fan, air preheater (AP), boiler furnace, induced draft (ID) fan, fly ash collectors
(electrostatic precipitator or baghouse) and the flue gas stack.

7.2 FEED WATER HEATING AND DEAERATION

The boiler feedwater used in the steam boiler is a means of transferring heat energy from the
burning fuel to the mechanical energy of the spinning steam turbine. The total feed water
consists of recirculated condensate water and purified makeup water. Because the metallic
materials it contacts are subject to corrosion at high temperatures and pressures, the makeup
water is highly purified before use. A system of water softeners and ion exchange
demineralizers produces water so pure that it coincidentally becomes an electrical insulator,
with conductivity in the range of 0.31.0 microsiemens per centimeter. The makeup water in
a 500 MWe plant amounts to perhaps 120 US gallons per minute (7.6 L/s) to replace water
drawn off from the boiler drums for water purity management, and to also offset the small
losses from steam leaks in the system.
The feed water cycle begins with condensate water being pumped out of the condenser after
traveling through the steam turbines. The condensate flow rate at full load in a 500 MW plant
is about 6,000 US gallons per minute (400 L/s).

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Fig.3 Diagram of boiler feed water deaerator (with vertical, domed aeration section and horizontal water storage
section).

The water is pressurized in two stages, and flows through a series of six or seven intermediate
feed water heaters, heated up at each point with steam extracted from an appropriate duct on
the turbines and gaining temperature at each stage. Typically, in the middle of this series of
feedwater heaters, and before the second stage of pressurization, the condensate plus the
makeup water flows through a deaerator that removes dissolved air from the water, further
purifying and reducing its corrosiveness. The water may be dosed following this point with
hydrazine, a chemical that removes the remaining oxygen in the water to below 5 parts per
billion (ppb). It is also dosed with pH control agents such as ammonia or morpholine to keep
the residual acidity low and thus non-corrosive.
7.3 BOILER OPEIORATN
The boiler is a rectangular furnace about 50 feet (15 m) on a side and 130 feet (40 m) tall. Its
walls are made of a web of high pressure steel tubes about 2.3 inches (58 mm) in diameter.
Pulverized coal is air-blown into the furnace through burners located at the four corners, or
along one wall, or two opposite walls, and it is ignited to rapidly burn, forming a large
fireball at the center. The thermal radiation of the fireball heats the water that circulates
through the boiler tubes near the boiler perimeter. The water circulation rate in the boiler is
three to four times the throughput. As the water in the boiler circulates it absorbs heat and
changes into steam. It is separated from the water inside a drum at the top of the furnace. The
saturated steam is introduced into superheat pendant tubes that hang in the hottest part of the
combustion gases as they exit the furnace. Here the steam is superheated to 1,000 F (540 C)
to prepare it for the turbine.
Plants designed for lignite (brown coal) are increasingly used in locations as varied as
Germany, Victoria, Australia and North Dakota. Lignite is a much younger form of coal than

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black coal. It has a lower energy density than black coal and requires a much larger furnace
for equivalent heat output. Such coals may contain up to 70% water and ash, yielding lower
furnace temperatures and requiring larger induced-draft fans. The firing systems also differ
from black coal and typically draw hot gas from the furnace-exit level and mix it with the
incoming coal in fan-type mills that inject the pulverized coal and hot gas mixture into the
boiler.
Plants that use gas turbines to heat the water for conversion into steam use boilers known as
heat recovery steam generators (HRSG). The exhaust heat from the gas turbines is used to
make superheated steam that is then used in a conventional water-steam generation cycle, as
described in gas turbine combined-cycle plants section below.
7.4 BOILER FURNACE AND STEAM DRUM
The water enters the boiler through a section in the convection pass called the economizer.
From the economizer it passes to the steam drum and from there it goes through downcomers
to inlet headers at the bottom of the water walls. From these headers the water rises through
the water walls of the furnace where some of it is turned into steam and the mixture of water
and steam then re-enters the steam drum. This process may be driven purely by natural
circulation (because the water is the denser than the water/steam mixture in the water walls)
or assisted by pumps. In the steam drum, the water is returned to the down comers and the
steam is passed through a series of steam separators and dryers that remove water droplets
from the steam. The dry steam then flows into the superheater coils.
The boiler furnace auxiliary equipment includes coal feed nozzles and igniter guns, soot
blowers, water lancing and observation ports (in the furnace walls) for observation of the
furnace interior. Furnace explosions due to any accumulation of combustible gases after a
trip-out are avoided by flushing out such gases from the combustion zone before igniting the
coal. The steam drum (as well as the super heater coils and headers) have air vents and drains
needed for initial start up.
7.5 SUPERHEATER
Fossil fuel power plants often have a superheater section in the steam generating furnace. The
steam passes through drying equipment inside the steam drum on to the superheater, a set of
tubes in the furnace. Here the steam picks up more energy from hot flue gases outside the
tubing and its temperature is now superheated above the saturation temperature. The
superheated steam is then piped through the main steam lines to the valves before the high
pressure turbine.
Nuclear-powered steam plants do not have such sections but produce steam at essentially
saturated conditions. Experimental nuclear plants were equipped with fossil-fired super
heaters in an attempt to improve overall plant operating cost.

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7.6 STEAM CONDENSING
The condenser condenses the steam from the exhaust of the turbine into liquid to allow it to
be pumped. If the condenser can be made cooler, the pressure of the exhaust steam is reduced
and efficiency of the cycle increases.

Fig.4 Diagram of a
surface condenser.

typical water-cooled

The
surface
condenser is a
shell and tube
heat exchanger
in which cooling
water
is
circulated
through
the
tubes.
The
exhaust
steam
from the low
pressure turbine
enters the shell
where
it
is
cooled
and
converted
to
condensate
(water)
by
flowing over the tubes as shown in the adjacent diagram. Such condensers use steam ejectors
or rotary motor-driven exhausters for continuous removal of air and gases from the steam
side to maintain vacuum.
For best efficiency, the temperature in the condenser must be kept as low as practical in order
to achieve the lowest possible pressure in the condensing steam. Since the condenser
temperature can almost always be kept significantly below 100 C where the vapor pressure
of water is much less than atmospheric pressure, the condenser generally works under
vacuum. Thus leaks of non-condensible air into the closed loop must be prevented.
condensible air into the closed loop must be prevented.
Typically the cooling water causes the steam to condense at a temperature of about 35 C
(95 F) and that creates an absolute pressure in the condenser of about 27 kPa (0.59
2.07 inHg), i.e. a vacuum of about 95 kPa (28 inHg) relative to atmospheric pressure. The
large decrease in volume that occurs when water vapor condenses to liquid creates the low
vacuum that helps pull steam through and increase the efficiency of the turbines.
The limiting factor is the temperature of the cooling water and that, in turn, is limited by the
prevailing average climatic conditions at the power plant's location (it may be possible to
lower the temperature beyond the turbine limits during winter, causing excessive
condensation in the turbine). Plants operating in hot climates may have to reduce output if
their source of condenser cooling water becomes warmer; unfortunately this usually
coincides with periods of high electrical demand for air conditioning.

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The condenser generally uses either circulating cooling water from a cooling tower to reject
waste heat to the atmosphere, or once-through water from a river, lake or ocean.

Fig.5 A Marley mechanical induced draft cooling tower

The heat absorbed by the circulating cooling water in the condenser tubes must also be
removed to maintain the ability of the water to cool as it circulates. This is done by pumping
the warm water from the condenser through either natural draft, forced draft or induced draft
cooling towers (as seen in the image to the right) that reduce the temperature of the water by
evaporation, by about 11 to 17 C (20 to 30 F)expelling waste heat to the atmosphere. The
circulation flow rate of the cooling water in a 500 MW unit is about 14.2 m/s (500 ft/s or
225,000 US gal/min) at full load.
The condenser tubes are made of brass or stainless steel to resist corrosion from either side.
Nevertheless they may become internally fouled during operation by bacteria or algae in the
cooling water or by mineral scaling, all of which inhibit heat transfer and reduce
thermodynamic efficiency. Many plants include an automatic cleaning system that circulates
sponge rubber balls through the tubes to scrub them clean without the need to take the system
off-line. The cooling water used to condense the steam in the condenser returns to its source
without having been changed other than having been warmed. If the water returns to a local
water body (rather than a circulating cooling tower), it is tempered with cool 'raw' water to
prevent thermal shock when discharged into that body of water.
Another form of condensing system is the air-cooled condenser. The process is similar to that
of a radiator and fan. Exhaust heat from the low pressure section of a steam turbine runs
through the condensing tubes, the tubes are usually finned and ambient air is pushed through
the fins with the help of a large fan. The steam condenses to water to be reused in the watersteam cycle. Air-cooled condensers typically operate at a higher temperature than watercooled versions. While saving water, the efficiency of the cycle is reduced (resulting in more
carbon dioxide per megawatt of electricity).
From the bottom of the condenser, powerful condensate pumps recycle the condensed steam
(water) back to the water/steam cycle.

7.7 REHEATER

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Power plant furnaces may have a reheater section containing tubes heated by hot flue gases
outside the tubes. Exhaust steam from the high pressure turbine is passed through these
heated tubes to collect more energy before driving the intermediate and then low pressure
turbines.

7.8 AIR PATH

External fans are provided to give sufficient air for combustion. The Primary air fan takes air
from the atmosphere and, first warming it in the air preheater for better combustion, injects it
via the air nozzles on the furnace wall.
The induced draft fan assists the FD fan by drawing out combustible gases from the furnace,
maintaining a slightly negative pressure in the furnace to avoid backfiring through any
closing.
7.9 STEAM TURBINE GENERATOR

Fig.6 steam turbine generator

The turbine generator consists of a series of steam turbines interconnected to each other and a
generator on a common shaft. There is a high pressure turbine at one end, followed by an
intermediate pressure turbine, two low pressure turbines, and the generator. As steam moves
through the system and loses pressure and thermal energy it expands in volume, requiring
increasing diameter and longer blades at each succeeding stage to extract the remaining
energy. The entire rotating mass may be over 200 metric tons and 100 feet (30 m) long. It is
so heavy that it must be kept turning slowly even when shut down (at 3 rpm) so that the shaft
will not bow even slightly and become unbalanced. This is so important that it is one of only
five functions of blackout emergency power batteries on site. Other functions are emergency
lighting, communication, station alarms and turbogenerator lube oil.
Superheated steam from the boiler is delivered through 1416-inch (360410 mm) diameter
piping to the high pressure turbine where it falls in pressure to 600 psi (4.1 MPa) and to
600 F (320 C) in temperature through the stage. It exits via 2426-inch (610660 mm)
diameter cold reheat lines and passes back into the boiler where the steam is reheated in
special reheat pendant tubes back to 1,000 F (540 C). The hot reheat steam is conducted to

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the intermediate pressure turbine where it falls in both temperature and pressure and exits
directly to the long-bladed low pressure turbines and finally exits to the condenser.
The generator, 30 feet (9 m) long and 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter, contains a stationary stator
and a spinning rotor, each containing miles of heavy copper conductorno permanent
magnets here. In operation it generates up to 21,000 amperes at 24,000 volts AC (504 MWe)
as it spins at either 3,000 or 3,600 rpm, synchronized to the power grid. The rotor spins in a
sealed chamber cooled with hydrogen gas, selected because it has the highest known heat
transfer coefficient of any gas and for its low viscosity which reduces windage losses. This
system requires special handling during startup, with air in the chamber first displaced by
carbon dioxide before filling with hydrogen. This ensures that the highly explosive
hydrogenoxygen environment is not created.
The power grid frequency is 60 Hz across North America and 50 Hz in Europe, Oceania, Asia
(Korea and parts of Japan are notable exceptions) and parts of Africa. The desired frequency
affects the design of large turbines, since they are highly optimized for one particular speed.
The electricity flows to a distribution yard where transformers increase the voltage for
transmission to its destination.
The steam turbine-driven generators have auxiliary systems enabling them to work
satisfactorily and safely. The steam turbine generator being rotating equipment generally has
a heavy, large diameter shaft. The shaft therefore requires not only supports but also has to be
kept in position while running. To minimize the frictional resistance to the rotation, the shaft
has a number of bearings. The bearing shells, in which the shaft rotates, are lined with a low
friction material like Babbitt metal. Oil lubrication is provided to further reduce the friction
between shaft and bearing surface and to limit the heat generated.

8.0 STACK GAS PATH AND CLEANUP

As the combustion flue gas exits the boiler it is routed through a rotating flat basket of metal
mesh which picks up heat and returns it to incoming fresh air as the basket rotates, This is
called the air preheater. The gas exiting the boiler is laden with fly ash, which are tiny
spherical ash particles. The flue gas contains nitrogen along with combustion products carbon
dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. The fly ash is removed by fabric bag filters or
electrostatic precipitators. Once removed, the fly ash byproduct can sometimes be used in the
manufacturing of concrete. This cleaning up of flue gases, however, only occurs in plants that
are fitted with the appropriate technology. Still, the majority of coal-fired power plants in the
world do not have these facilities. Legislation in Europe has been efficient to reduce flue gas
pollution. Japan has been using flue gas cleaning technology for over 30 years and the US has
been doing the same for over 25 years. China is now beginning to grapple with the pollution
caused by coal-fired power plants.

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Where required by law, the sulfur and nitrogen oxide pollutants are removed by stack gas
scrubbers which use a pulverized limestone or other alkaline wet slurry to remove those
pollutants from the exit stack gas. Other devices use catalysts to remove Nitrous Oxide
compounds from the flue gas stream. The gas travelling up the flue gas stack may by this
time have dropped to about 50 C (120 F). A typical flue gas stack may be 150180 metres
(490590 ft) tall to disperse the remaining flue gas components in the atmosphere. The tallest
flue gas stack in the world is 419.7 metres (1,377 ft) tall at the GRES-2 power plant in
Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan.
In the United States and a number of other countries, atmospheric dispersion modeling
studies are required to determine the flue gas stack height needed to comply with the local air
pollution regulations. The United States also requires the height of a flue gas stack to comply
with what is known as the "Good Engineering Practice (GEP)" stack height. In the case of
existing flue gas stacks that exceed the GEP stack height, any air pollution dispersion
modeling studies for such stacks must use the GEP stack height rather than the actual stack
height.
8.1 FLY ASH COLLECTION
Fly ash is captured and removed from the flue gas by electrostatic precipitators or fabric bag
filters (or sometimes both) located at the outlet of the furnace and before the induced draft
fan. The fly ash is periodically removed from the collection hoppers below the precipitators
or bag filters. Generally, the fly ash is pneumatically transported to storage silos for
subsequent transport by trucks or railroad cars .
8.2 BOTTOM ASH COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL
At the bottom of the furnace, there is a hopper for collection of bottom ash. This hopper is
always filled with water to quench the ash and clinkers falling down from the furnace. Some
arrangement is included to crush the clinkers and for conveying the crushed clinkers and
bottom ash to a storage site. Ash extractor is used to discharge ash from Municipal solid
wastefired boilers.

9.0 AUXILIARY SYSTEMS

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9.1 BOILER MAKE-UP WATER TREATMENT PLANT AND STORAGE
Since there is continuous withdrawal of steam and continuous return of condensate to the
boiler, losses due to blowdown and leakages have to be made up to maintain a desired water
level in the boiler steam drum. For this, continuous make-up water is added to the boiler
water system. Impurities in the raw water input to the plant generally consist of calcium and
magnesium salts which impart hardness to the water. Hardness in the make-up water to the
boiler will form deposits on the tube water surfaces which will lead to overheating and failure
of the tubes. Thus, the salts have to be removed from the water, and that is done by a water
demineralising treatment plant (DM). A DM plant generally consists of cation, anion, and
mixed bed exchangers. Any ions in the final water from this process consist essentially of
hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions, which recombine to form pure water. Very pure DM water
becomes highly corrosive once it absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere because of its very
high affinity for oxygen.
The capacity of the DM plant is dictated by the type and quantity of salts in the raw water
input. However, some storage is essential as the DM plant may be down for maintenance. For
this purpose, a storage tank is installed from which DM water is continuously withdrawn for
boiler make-up. The storage tank for DM water is made from materials not affected by
corrosive water, such as PVC. The piping and valves are generally of stainless steel.
Sometimes, a steam blanketing arrangement or stainless steel doughnut float is provided on
top of the water in the tank to avoid contact with air. DM water make-up is generally added at
the steam space of the surface condenser (i.e., the vacuum side). This arrangement not only
sprays the water but also DM water gets deaerated, with the dissolved gases being removed
by a de-aerator through an ejector attached to the condenser.

9.2 FUEL PREPARATION SYSTEM

Fig.7 fuel preparation system

In coal-fired power stations, the raw feed coal from the coal storage area is first crushed into
small pieces and then conveyed to the coal feed hoppers at the boilers. The coal is next
pulverized into a very fine powder. The pulverizers may be ball mills, rotating drum grinders,
or other types of grinders.
Some power stations burn fuel oil rather than coal. The oil must kept warm (above its pour
point) in the fuel oil storage tanks to prevent the oil from congealing and becoming

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unpumpable. The oil is usually heated to about 100 C before being pumped through the
furnace fuel oil spray nozzles.
Boilers in some power stations use processed natural gas as their main fuel. Other power
stations may use processed natural gas as auxiliary fuel in the event that their main fuel
supply (coal or oil) is interrupted. In such cases, separate gas burners are provided on the
boiler furnaces.

9.3 BARRING GEAR

Barring gear (or "turning gear") is the mechanism provided to rotate the turbine generator
shaft at a very low speed after unit stoppages. Once the unit is "tripped" (i.e., the steam inlet
valve is closed), the turbine coasts down towards standstill. When it stops completely, there is
a tendency for the turbine shaft to deflect or bend if allowed to remain in one position too
long. This is because the heat inside the turbine casing tends to concentrate in the top half of
the casing, making the top half portion of the shaft hotter than the bottom half. The shaft
therefore could warp or bend by millionths of inches.
This small shaft deflection, only detectable by eccentricity meters, would be enough to cause
damaging vibrations to the entire steam turbine generator unit when it is restarted. The shaft
is therefore automatically turned at low speed (about one percent rated speed) by the barring
gear until it has cooled sufficiently to permit a complete stop.
9.5 OIL SYSTEM
An auxiliary oil system pump is used to supply oil at the start-up of the steam turbine
generator. It supplies the hydraulic oil system required for steam turbine's main inlet steam
stop valve, the governing control valves, the bearing and seal oil systems, the relevant
hydraulic relays and other mechanisms.
At a preset speed of the turbine during start-ups, a pump driven by the turbine main shaft
takes over the functions of the auxiliary system.
9.7 GENERATOR COOLING
While small generators may be cooled by air drawn through filters at the inlet, larger units
generally require special cooling arrangements. Hydrogen gas cooling, in an oil-sealed
casing, is used because it has the highest known heat transfer coefficient of any gas and for its
low viscosity which reduces windage losses. This system requires special handling during
start-up, with air in the generator enclosure first displaced by carbon dioxide before filling
with hydrogen. This ensures that the highly flammable hydrogen does not mix with oxygen in
the air.
The hydrogen pressure inside the casing is maintained slightly higher than atmospheric
pressure to avoid bubble formation.

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Engineering
9.8 GENTOERAR HIGH-VOLTAGE SYSTEM
The generator voltage for modern utility-connected generators ranges from 11 kV in smaller
units to 22 kV in larger units. The generator high-voltage leads are normally large aluminium
channels because of their high current as compared to the cables used in smaller machines.
They are enclosed in well-grounded aluminium bus ducts and are supported on suitable
insulators. The generator high-voltage leads are connected to step-up transformers for
connecting to a high-voltage electrical substation (usually in the range of 115 kV to 765 kV)
for further transmission by the local power grid.
The necessary protection and metering devices are included for the high-voltage leads. Thus,
the steam turbine generator and the transformer form one unit. Smaller units may share a
common generator step-up transformer with individual circuit breakers to connect the
generators to a common bus.
9.8 MONITORING AND ALARM SYSTEM
Most of the power plant operational controls are automatic. However, at times, manual
intervention may be required. Thus, the plant is provided with monitors and alarm systems
that alert the plant operators when certain operating parameters are seriously deviating from
their normal range.
9.9 BATTERY-SUPPLIED EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND COMMUNICATION
A central battery system consisting of lead acid cell units is provided to supply emergency
electric power, when needed, to essential items such as the power plant's control systems,
communication systems, turbine lube oil pumps, and emergency lighting. This is essential for
a safe, damage-free shutdown of the units in an emergency situation.
9.10 TRANSPORT OF COAL FUEL TO SITE AND TO STORAGE
Main article: Fossil fuel power plant
Most thermal stations use coal as the main fuel. Raw coal is transported from coal mines to a
power station site by trucks, barges, bulk cargo ships or railway cars. Generally, when
shipped by railways, the coal cars are sent as a full train of cars. The coal received at site may
be of different sizes. The railway cars are unloaded at site by rotary dumpers or side tilt
dumpers to tip over onto conveyor belts below. The coal is generally conveyed to crushers
which crush the coal to about 34 inch (19 mm) size. The crushed coal is then sent by belt
conveyors to a storage pile. Normally, the crushed coal is compacted by bulldozers, as
compacting of highly volatile coal avoids spontaneous ignition.
The crushed coal is conveyed from the storage pile to silos or hoppers at the boilers by
another belt conveyor system.

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Engineering
10.0 ADVANTAGES OF THERMAL POWER

The fuel used is quite cheap.

Less initial cost as compared to other generating plants.

It can be installed at any place irrespective of the existence of coal. The coal can be
transported to the site of the plant by rail or road.

It requires less space as compared to Hydro power plants.

Cost of generation is less than that of diesel power plants.

They can be located very conveniently near the load centers.

Does not require shielding like required in nuclear power plant

Unlike nuclear power plants whose power production method is difficult, for thermal
power plants it is easy.

Transmission costs are reduced as they can be set up near the industry.

10 The portion of steam generated can be used as process steam in different industries.
11 Steam engines and turbines can work under 25% of overload capacity.
12 Able to respond changing base loads without difficulty.
Disadvantages of Thermal Power
1

It pollutes the atmosphere due to production of large amount of smoke and fumes.

Large amounts of water are required.

Takes long time to be erected and put into action.

Maintenance and operating costs are high.

With increase in pressure and temperature, the cost of plant increases.

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Engineering
6

Troubles from smoke and heat from the plant, disposal of ash.
11.0 CONCLUSION

Gone through rigorous 4 Weeks training under the guidance of capable engineers and workers
of BHEL Noida in sector 16-A study of power &water cycle in thermal power plant
headed by Senior Engineer of department Mr. amit dixit situated in noida, gautam budh
nagar, (Utter pradesh).
The training was specified under the Thermal power plant Department. Working under
the department I came to know about the basic fuels, cleaning of exhaust gases and
water cycle.
The training brought to my knowledge the various machining and fabrication processes
went not only in water cycle in thermal power plant but other parts of the turbine.

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