Combined Power Plant
If several power stations (such as hydro, thermal, nuclear etc.) work
together to meet the demand of the consumers then the system is
known as “ Interconnected system”.
Such a combined systems claims the following advantages over a
single power plant/ station:
•Greater reliability of supply to the consumers.
•When one of the stations fails to operate the consumers can be fed
from the other station, thus avoiding complete shut down.
•The overall cost of energy per unit of an interconnected system is
less.
•Less capital investment required.
Combined Power Plant
• The combined cycle power plant uses both gas and steam turbine together to produce electricity from the
same fuel.
• The waste heat from the gas turbine is routed to the nearby steam turbine, which generates extra power.
• By combining these multiple streams of work upon a single mechanical shaft turning an electric generator,
the overall net efficiency of the system may be increased by 50 – 60 percent.
• This can be done because heat engines are only able to use a portion of the energy their fuel generates
(usually less than 50%). In an ordinary (non combined cycle) heat engine the remaining heat (e.g., hot
exhaust fumes) from combustion is generally wasted.
• Combining two or more thermodynamic cycles results in improved overall efficiency, reducing fuel costs.
In stationary power plants, a widely used combination is a gas turbine (operating by the Brayton cycle)
burning natural gas or synthesis gas from coal, whose hot exhaust powers a steam power plant (operating
by the Rankine cycle).
• This is called a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant, and can achieve a thermal efficiency of
around 60%, in contrast to a single cycle steam power plant which is limited to efficiencies of around 35-
42%.
Combined Power Plant
Working of Combined Power Plant
• Combined cycle power generation combines 2 cycles for operation, namely
the gas turbine cycle and the vapor power (or steam turbine) cycle.
• The resultant high pressure gas drives the gas turbine which in turn produces
electricity.
• Although it is clean and fast in starting up, the gas turbine power plant suffers
from low thermal efficiency of about 25 to 30%.
• Much of the energy is wasted in the form of gas turbine exhaust.
• The combined cycle power generation makes use of the merits of the high
temperature (1100 to 1650°C) gas turbine cycle and the lower temperature
(540 to 650°C) steam turbine cycle.
• The hot exhaust gas from the gas turbine, instead of being released as waste,
is captured and channeled to the steam turbine where steam is heated by the
exhaust to drive the turbine.
• A combined cycle power plant consists of two main parts: the gas turbine
plant and the steam turbine plant.
Working of Combined Power Plant
• In the gas turbine plant, atmospheric air enters through the compressor and
into the combustor (or combustion chamber) where fuel (usually natural
gas) is added.
• Combustion takes place and the hot gas drives the turbine, which in turn
drives the generator and produces electricity.
• The hot flue gas from the gas turbine enters a heat exchanger, sometimes
known as Heat Recovery Boiler or Heat Recovery Steam Generator, where
it is used to heat up the steam.
• The superheated steam is then used to drive the steam turbine which in turn
drives the generator to produce electricity.
• The exit steam from the steam turbine goes through a condenser and then
back to the heat exchanger where the cycle repeats itself
Combined Power Plant
• The combination gas turbine-steam turbine cycles aims at utilizing the heat of exhaust
gases from the gas turbine and thus, to improve the overall plant efficiency.
• The heat content of gas turbine exhaust is quite substantial. Gas turbine exhaust has a
temperature of around 500°C.
• A simple cycle gas turbine plant wastes this energy to atmosphere, while a regenerative
gas turbine plant recovers much of this heat to raise overall thermal efficiency.
• But instead we can use the gas turbine exhaust as a heat source for a steam plant cycle.
• The combined steam and gas turbine cycle provides the highest efficiency turbine system
available at the present time.
• The efficiency of the combined cycle is higher than efficiency of a standard regenerative
cycle gas turbine
• There are three popular designs of the combination cycles:
1. Gas turbine exhaust gases used for feed water heating,
2. Employing the exhaust gases as combustion air in the steam boiler, and
3. Employing the gases from a supercharged boiler to expand in the gas turbine.
Use of exhaust gases to heat feed water of steam cycle
Combined gas and steam plant (Heat recovery boiler)
Flow diagram of supercharged boiler cycle
Combined Power Plant
Advantages:
•The efficiency of the combined cycle plant is better than the turbine cycle or steam cycle
plant.
•Fewer moving parts and less vibration than a reciprocating engine
•Very low toxic emission
•Less expenses on supervision, operation, and maintenance.
•The interconnection of different power plants reduces the amount of generating capacity
required to be installed as compared to that which would be required without
interconnection.
• Enumerate the advantage of a combined cycle power plant. With the help of a neat
diagram, explain the principle of working of a combined cycle power plant to
enhance the efficiency of electricity generation.
• In a combined gas and steam turbine power plant, exhaust gases of regenerative
gas turbine is used to heat feed water for the boiler of a steam power plant.
According to this concept draw a complete circuit of a combined power plant
showing “ Heating feed water with exhaust gases”. What are the reasons that
inspire you to construct a combined cycle power plant?
• Sketch the layout of a combined power plant in which waste heat of gas turbine
outlet is used to heat feed water. Explain its working with processes on T-S
Diagram.
• Draw the basic components of a gas and steam turbine combined cycle. Explain
how the waste heat is utilized in this cycle.
• Sketch the basic components of a combined power plant. Also sketch the
corresponding processes on T-S diagram.
• List the common methods employed to utilize waste heat in combined power
plants.
• Sketch the basic components of a combine power plant. Also sketch the
corresponding processes on T-s diagram
