30 MW POWER GENERATION PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY

5.01 In the coal-based power generation process, coal is burnt in a boiler to convert water into steam, which then drives a turbo generator for
generation of electricity.
5.02 The popular method of generating power is through the Rankine cycle route, which is an efficient and the most practiced thermodynamic
cycle converting heat into work with water as the working medium. Water is usually the fluid of choice due to its favorable properties such as
non-toxic and non-reactive chemistry, abundance and low cost as well as its thermodynamic properties.
5.03 The Rankine Cycle comprises 4 processes:
Process 1-2: Water is pumped from low to high pressure and the pump requires little input energy.
Process 2-3: The high pressure water enters a boiler where it is heated at constant pressure to become a dry saturated vapor. Often, the dry
saturated vapor is superheated.
Process 3-4: The dry saturated vapor or superheated vapor expands thru a turbine generating motive power. The turbine is coupled with an
alternator which converts motive power into electrical power. The expansion of steam decreases the temperature and pressure of the vapor
and some condensation may occur.
Process 4-1: The dry / wet vapor then enters a condenser when it is condensed at a constant temperature to become a saturated liquid. This
condensate is pumped back to the boiler. Some make-up water will be required in the boiler to account for the process losses.
5.04 Coal is used as the fuel in steam generators to produce high pressure and high temperature steam. The steam is then expanded in a
turbo generator to generate electrical power. The steam cycle defines the transformation of the chemical energy in the fuel to the mechanical
energy at the turbine shaft, through the cycle of thermodynamic processes.

5.05 High pressure and high temperature cycles are crucial for increasing the operating efficiency and the power output from the power plants.
The choice of the level of the pressure and temperature for the cycle depends on the level of confidence in the plant operators, quality of the
feed water, the water treatment systems available, the cost of the high pressure/temperature boiler and Turbo Generator systems and the
commensurate revenue generated from the sale of the exportable power.
Process of Power Generation:

5.06 The coal based Power plant with installed capacity of 30MW consists of the following elements:

Boiler

Steam Turbine

AC Generator

Transformer

Power Evacuation and Control System

Air Cooled Condenser

Fuel and Ash Handling System

RO/DM water treatment system

5.07 Feedstock:
Feedstock for the Power Plant is coal (Domestic coal 70% and imported Indonesian coal 30%).
5.08 Boiler Specifications
Boiler type CFBC , Boiler MCR 130 TPH, Steam temperature at SH outlet 5355C, Pressure at SH outlet 92 ata, FW temp. at economizer inlet
175C, Flue gas temp. at APH outlet 145C.

5.09 Furnace
The Boiler is CFBC type. At the bottom of the boiler furnace there is a bed of inert material. Bed is where the coal or fuel spreads. Air supply is
from under the bed at high pressure. This lifts the bed material and the coal particles and keeps it in suspension. The coal combustion takes
place in this suspended condition. This is the Fluidized bed. Special design of the air nozzles at the bottom of the bed allows air flow without
clogging. Primary air fans provide the preheated Fluidizing air. Secondary air fans provide pre-heated Combustion air. Nozzles in the furnace
walls at various levels distribute the Combustion air in the furnace.
Fine particles of partly burned coal, ash and bed material are carried along with the flue gases to the upper areas of the furnace and then into a
cyclone. In the cyclone the heavier particles separate from the gas and fall to the hopper of the cyclone. This returns to the furnace for
recirculation. Hence the name Circulating Fluidized Bed combustion. The hot gases from the cyclone pass to the heat transfer surfaces and go
out of the boiler.
5.10 Super Heater
The flue gases leaving the furnace would enter a pendant type Super Heater. It is a two stage Convective Pendant Super Heater consisting of
SH coils with headers for converting saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam and further heating to superheated steam . The Super Heater
is designed for an outlet steam temperature of around 5355C , which would be the highest temperature attained in the boiler. The flue gases
leaving the Super Heater would enter a set of Boiler Bank tubes connecting the steam drum and water drum in the Boiler . Thereafter the flue
gases would enter a bare tube Economizer.

5.11 Air Pre-heater

This is arranged as the last heat recovery section downstream of Economizer. In the Air Pre-Heater flue gases from the furnace are used for
heating incoming air into the furnace (normally gain of 80C to 100C is made). The flue gas temperature leaving the Air Heater is reduced to
145C ensuring high boiler efficiency. The flue gases leaving the air heater would enter the ID fan.

5.12 Fans
Induced Draught Fan (ID) removes flue gases from the furnace and forces the exhaust gas up the stack of the chimney. Forced Draught fan
(FD) is used to force air into the furnace by means of the fan and ductwork. Dampers are used to control the quantity of air admitted to the
furnace. A Secondary Air Fan blows secondary air thru openings in the burners. Secondary Air serves to shape the flames that shoot out from
burners, to control flame temperature and to mix fuel with combustion air.

5.13 Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP)

As a measure of industrial emission control ESP is attached to the boiler. The dust particles in the gas stream are electro-statically charged by
the Precipitator. The charged particles are then attracted to and deposited on the plates of the ESP and finally removed by a conveyor system.
The cleaned gas then passes out of the precipitator and through the stack of the chimney to the atmosphere.

5.14 RO and DM Plant

For the boilers steam requirement water is drawn from the boiler. The water is passed thru the RO Plant as per the following process:
Water from bore-well
High Pressure Pump

MGF Tank (Multi Grade Filter) with sand and pebbles

Membranes.

Micron Cartridge Filter

In the above process the minerals (Calcium, Iron, Silica, Magnesium and Chlorine ) are reduced by 96%.
The water coming out of the RO Plant will now be passed through the DM plant as per the following process:
RO Plant outlet

De- Gasser Tower (for removal of carbon dioxide)

SAC (Strong Acidic Cation ) containing

H+ resin
(for removal of Sodium, Magnesium and Calcium)

SBA (Strong Base Anion) containing OH- resin (for trapping Nitrates,

Fluorides, Sulphates, Silica).

5.15 HP and LP Dosing System
The water thus treated thru the RO and DM plant

is further subjected to the HP and LP Dosing System. Dosing is the procedure of adding

concentrated chemical in the feed water to avoid scaling inside the boiler. Low-Pressure dosing system doses the boiler feed water with the
required quantity of chemical water for chemical scavenging of the dissolved oxygen in the water. The dosing chemical normally used is
Hydrazine or equivalent. The dosing system consists of a storage tank, which is filled with water and chemicals are added to it and stirred. A
motorized stirrer is provided for this purpose. The mixed chemical solution is then pumped to the De-aerator (located above the feed water
storage tank) by means of Reciprocating type pumps.
5.16 De-aerator
The De-aerator removes corrosive gases such as dissolved oxygen and free carbon dioxide from the feed water by heating feed water to the
temperature of the operating steam and vigorously scrubbing the water with this steam so that the last remaining traces of non-condensable
gases are removed from the feed water. De-aerator tanks protect the feed water lines, steam lines, boiler tubes and other pressure parts of the
boiler against corrosion and save costly boiler re-tubing. The De-aerator will prevent pitting of the water tubes (pitting arises when holes are
created on account of release of oxygen at high velocity hitting the walls of the tubes). Besides its primary function of removing the dissolved

gases from the feed water, the De-aerator also preheats the incoming water. The make-up water supply to the system is controlled by the level
control system of the De-aerator.
5.17 Economizer
The Economizer is located downstream of the boiler before Air heater. Water flows to the Economizer

from the De-aerator as per the

following sequence:

De-aerator level control station

inlet of Feed Control Station

Feed piping

inlet of De-aerator

Feed pump inlet

Economizer.

The primary role of the Economizer is heat recovery and raising the inlet feed water temperature to Boiling Point. Economizer takes heat from
the flu gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, SO in minute quantities, moisture, oxygen) and increases the temperature of the
feed water and thereby the thermal efficiency of the process is improved. The flue gas temperature is reduced to around 240C in the
Economizer.
5.18 Boiler Drum
Water flows from the Economizer to the Boiler drum. Single drum boilers are used mainly for power generation. With supercritical pressure
boilers coming into use, even the single drum gets eliminated. This type of boiler has the advantage that they can be designed for very high
pressure, flow, and temperature. The down comers are welded to the drum and are pipes which are so selected in size and numbers to ensure
the circulation in the furnace wall tubes. The single drum boilers are adopted for both non-reheat and reheat boilers. Only single drum boiler
design can be adopted for high pressure natural circulation and forced circulation boilers. The single drum boilers are normally designed as top
supported only. In the Single Drum Design, the Drum is Outside the Flue gas path and there are no Tube Holes except for opening for 4

Headers. These openings are also fully compensated resulting in much thinner shell plate thickness and minimum thermal stress. Bank
Tubes are in Panels and welded. There are easily approachable. Hence Tube replacement and maintenance in future is very easy.

5.19 Steam Turbine

Specifications
Generation capacity 30MW.
Steam Pressure at turbine inlet 90 ata.
Steam Temperature at turbine inlet 5305C.
Turbine Exhaust Pressure 0.1 Ata.
Type of CEP: Horizontal.
The outlet steam from the boiler at temperatures of around 535C under high pressure (92 Ata) is fed to the turbine thru a fixed nozzle in the
impulse type turbine. The turbine has hundreds of blades that are turned at an angle like the blades of a fan. Once the steam has exited the
nozzle it is moving at high velocity and is sent to the blades of the turbine. When the steam hits the blades, they spin the turbines shaft that is
attached to the bottom of the blades. The shaft is connected to a turbo-generator that converts the mechanical spinning (kinetic) energy into
electrical energy.

The inlet steam temperature would be 530C.

5.20 Water Cooled Condenser
After the steam goes thru the turbine, it goes to the Water cooled condenser outside. The Condenser condenses the steam to water . The
cooled water is re-circulated to the boiler where it is heated and the process repeats over and over.
5.21 Gland Steam Condenser Package
Where the rotating shaft exits the steam turbine casing atmospheric air is on one side of the casing and high or low pressure steam is on the
other side. High-pressure steam exists at one end of the turbine and steam under vacuum exists at the other end. Seals are used to keep the
steam in and the air out, However some leakage may occur. If this leakage goes unchecked, the moisture would create a humid environment
resulting in rusting of the equipment. Also, air would get into the turbine casing and reduce the condenser vacuum, and thus reduce the
efficiency of the overall cycle. To prevent rust and loss of efficiency, the Gland Steam Condenser Package operating on a continuous basis
pulls a slight vacuum on the turbine shaft seals by means of vacuum pumps, centrifugal blowers, or steam ejectors. This allows capture of the
leaked steam and air mixture. Once captured, the steam is separated from the air and condensed in a shell and tube condenser. The
condensate drains out at the bottom while the air is pulled out to the top. The condensed steam is then sent back to the steam cycle with the
other condensate.
5.22 Cooling Towers
There are two cooling towers outside and water from one (smaller) is used for cooling the lube oil of the turbine.
5.23 Gear Box
The turbine will be coupled to an Alternator (AC Generator) thru a Double Helical gear box.

5.24 AC Generator
The turbine is attached by a shaft to the AC Generator. The generator has a long, coiled wire on its shaft surrounded by a giant magnet. When
the turbine turns, the shaft and rotor are turned. As the shaft inside the generator turns, an electric current is produced in the wire. The electric
generator converts mechanical kinetic energy into electrical energy. The generator is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
5.25 Power Transformer (11KV/132KV)
The power generated would be at 11kV. This will be stepped up to 132 kV and then evacuated to the nearest power sub-station thru H.T.
transmission lines. For the purpose of auxiliary consumption the power output is stepped down to 415kv through the Auxiliary Transformers.

POWER GENERATION PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR 30 MW CAPACITY

DPR
Flue
gas to
stack
esp

130TPH, 92
kg/cm2, 535oC

Generato
r 30 MW

Steam
Turbine

Fuel
Coal

Boiler 130
TPH 92
kg/cm2 &
535OC

Water cooled

condenser

deaer
ator

4-5 TPH

Feed Water
Pumps

32OC

Makeup
Water

Power
to Grid