INTRODUCTION TO POWER PLANT

ENGINEERING
The energy source harnessed to turn the generator shaft
varies widely, and is chiefly dependent on the type of fuel
used.

Types of Power Plants

A power plant can be of several types depending mainly
on the type of fuel used. A power generating station can be
broadly classified in to 5 types mentioned below.
– Thermal Power Plants
– Diesel Engine Power Plants
– Gas Turbine Power Plants
– Nuclear Power Plants
– Hydro Electric Power Plants
INTRODUCTION TO POWER PLANT
ENGINEERING
Introduction to Thermal Power and Thermal Power
Station:
Thermal Power Station
A thermal power station or a coal fired thermal power plant
is the most conventional method of generating electric
power with reasonably high efficiency. It uses coal as the
primary fuel to boil the water available to superheated steam
for driving the steam turbine.
The steam turbine is then mechanically coupled to an
alternator rotor, the rotation of which results in the
generation of electric power. Generally in India, bituminous
coal or brown coal are used as fuel of boiler which has
volatile content ranging from 8 to 33% and ash content 5 to
16 %. To enhance the thermal efficiency of the plant, the
coal is used in the boiler in its pulverized form.
 In coal fired thermal power plant, steam is obtained in very
high pressure inside the steam boiler by burning the
pulverized coal. This steam is then super heated in the
super heater to extreme high temperature. This super
heated steam is then allowed to enter into the turbine, as the
turbine blades are rotated by the pressure of the steam.
The turbine is mechanically coupled with alternator in a
way that its rotor will rotate with the rotation of turbine
blades. After entering into the turbine, the steam pressure
suddenly falls leading to corresponding increase in the
steam volume. After having imparted energy into the turbine
rotors, the steam is made to pass out of the turbine blades
into the steam condenser of turbine. In the condenser, cold
water at ambient temperature is circulated with the help of
pump which leads to the condensation of the low pressure
wet steam.
 In thermal power plants, the heat energy obtained
from combustion of solid fuel (mostly coal) is used to
convert water into steam, this steam is at high
pressure and temperature. This steam is used to rotate
the turbine blade turbine shaft is connected to the
generator.
INTRODUCTION TO POWER PLANT
ENGINEERING
–
INTRODUCTION TO POWER PLANT
ENGINEERING
MODERN THERMAL
POWER PLANT
TURBINES:

• A steam turbine is a machine that extracts

thermal energy from pressurized steam and
uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating
output shaft
• When turbine blades get rotated by
high pressure high temperature
steam, the steam loses its energy.
This in turn will result in a low
pressure and low temperature steam
at the outlet of the turbine. Here
steam is expanded till saturation point
is reached. Since there is no heat
addition or removal from the steam,
ideally entropy of the steam remains
same. This change is depicted in the
following p-v and T-s diagrams. If we
can bring this low pressure, low
temperature steam back to its original
state, then we can produce electricity
continuously.
IMPULSE TURBINE :
• In Impulse Steam Turbine, there are
some fixed nozzles and moving
blades are present on a disc mounted
on a shaft. Moving blades are in
symmetrical order. The steam enters
the turbine casing with some
pressure. After that, it passes through
one or more no. of fixed nozzles into
the turbine.
The relative velocity of steam at the o
utlet of the moving blades is same as
the inlet to the blades
. During Expansion, steam's pressure
falls. Due to high-pressure drop in the
nozzles the velocity of steam
increases.
REACTION TURBINE
• Reaction turbines are the turbines
that use the pressure as well as the
velocity of the moving water to
rotate. Reaction turbines are placed
in the water stream where the water
enters the casing tangentially. After
rotating the blades the water axially
leaves the casing of the turbine.
Francis and propeller turbines are
the types of reaction turbines
o Super critical boilers Super critical
o FBC boilers boilers, FBC boilers
Classification and
o Classification and working
working

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

• Critical point:
• Critical constants are critical pressure, temperature, and volume. The
volume of one mole of a gas volume liquefied at critical temperature
is known as the critical volume (Vc) while the pressure required to
liquefy the gas at critical temperature is called as the Critical pressure
(pc).
• At the critical point the water is directly converted into steam .
• At the boiling point, molecular motion partially overcomes,
and at the critical point, completely overcomes, liquefying
forces.
• Super critical boilers are works on the principle of critical
point.
SUPER CRITICAL
BOILERS
Supercritical Boilers
• B&W's supercritical and ultra-supercritical boiler designs
offer the flexibility and reliability to meet the most demanding
steam generation needs of our customers.
• At supercritical pressures, steam turbine efficiency improves
significantly compared to the typical subcritical cycle. Ultra-
supercritical steam conditions provide even greater efficiency
improvements. The combination of utilizing supercritical throttle
pressures along with an increase in throttle temperatures results
in cost reductions in fuel usage and handling, flue gas treatment
and ash disposal. B&W's supercritical and ultra-supercritical
boilers are designed to take full advantage of variable pressure
turbine operation.
SUPER
CRITICAL
BOILERS
Specific advantages include:
• For a given output, lower fuel consumption, and thus lower
carbon emissions, than other less efficient systems
• The load change rate capability of the system is not restricted by
the turbine
• Steam temperature at the inlet and outlet of the reheater is
nearly constant over a wide load range
• The boiler feed water pump power is significantly reduced at
lower
loads
• Short startup times
• Higher plant efficiency over the entire load range
FBC
BOILERS
Fluidized bed combustion (FBC) is a combustion technology used to
burn solid fuels. ... Limestone is used to precipitate out sulfate
during combustion, which also allows more efficient heat transfer
from the boiler to the apparatus used to capture the heat energy
(usually water tubes).

Fluidized Bed Combustion takes place when the forced draught fan
supplies air to the Furnace of the Boiler. In the furnace, sand is
(used for Bubbling phenomenon) placed on the Bed and is heated
before fluidization, the air enters the bed from the nozzles fitted on
the Furnace Bed.
CONDENSERS
• A condenser is designed to transfer heat from a working fluid (e.g.
water in a steam power plant) to a secondary fluid or the
surrounding air. The condenser relies on the efficient heat transfer
that occurs during phase changes, in this case during the
condensation of a vapor into a liquid.
• Inside the condenser, the refrigerant vapor is compressed and
forced through a heat exchange coil, condensing it into a liquid and
rejecting the heat previously absorbed from the cool indoor area.
The condenser's heat exchanger is generally cooled by a fan
blowing outside air through it.
• The function of the condenser is to condense exhaust steam
from the steam turbine by rejecting the heat of vaporisation to
the cooling water passing through the condenser. The
temperature of the condensate determines the pressure in the
steam/condensate side of the condenser
• The main difference between the compressor and condenser is
indicated by their names, respectively. In a nutshell, the
compressor compresses and the condenser condenses. ... Keep
in mind, the refrigerant is a gas as it travels through the
compressor – still a gas, yet slightly altered in order to be made
into liquid vapor.
• The evaporator coil contains cold refrigerant that absorbs heat
from your air. The condenser coil is where the refrigerant goes to
get rid of this heat so it can come back to absorb more. The
evaporator coil is located indoors, inside or near your air handler.

• A/C condenser is a radiator positioned between the car's grille and

the radiator for the motor. In the condenser, the gaseous refrigerant
sheds heat and returns to a liquid state. In other words, the
condenser condenses the refrigerant from a gas to a liquid.
Condenser:
• Objectives of the Steam Condenser
• The primary objective is to maintain a low pressure (below
atmospheric pressure) so as to obtain the maximum possible
energy from steam and thus to secure a high efficiency.
• The secondary objective is to supply pure feed water to the
hot well, from where it is pumped back to the boiler.
• Elements of a Condensing Plant
• 1. Condenser
• The condenser is a closed vessel in which steam is
condensed. During the condensation process, steam gives
heat energy to the coolant (which is water).
• 2. Condensate Pump
• It is a pump, which removes condensate (i.e. condensed steam) from a condenser to
a hot well.
• 3. Hot Well
• It is a pump between the condenser and boiler, which receives condensate pumped
by the condensate pump.
• 4. Boiler Feed Pump
• Boiler feed pump pumps the condensate from a hot well to a boiler. This is done by
increasing the condensate pressure above the boiler pressure.
• 5. Air Extraction Pump
• Air extraction pump is a pump which extracts (i.e. removes) air from the condenser.
• 6. Cooling Tower
• The cooling tower is a tower employed for cooling the water which is
discharged from the condenser.
• 7. Cooling Water Pump
• The cooling water pump is a pump, which circulates the cooling water
through the condenser.
• Types of Steam Condenser
• Jet condensers (mixing type condensers)
• Parallel flow jet condenser
• Counterflow or Low-level jet condenser
• Barometric or High-level jet condenser
• Ejector Condenser
• Surface condensers (non-mixing type condensers)
• Downflow surface condenser
• Central flow condenser
• Regenerative condenser
• Evaporative condenser
• Parallel Flow Jet Condensers
• In parallel flow jet condensers, both the steam and water enter at the
top and the mixture is removed from the bottom.
• principle of this condenser :
• The exhaust steam mixes up with the water and condensed.
Condensate, cooling water and airflow downwards and are removed
by two separate pumps known as an air pump and condensate pump.
The condensate pump carries the condensate to the hot well.
• Low-level Jet Condenser or Counter Flow Jet Condenser
• In these types of steam condenser, the cooling water enters at the top
and sprayed through jets. The steam enters at the bottom and mixes
with the fine spray of cooling water. A separate pump removes the
condensate.
• The air is removed by an air pump separately from the top. In a
parallel flow type of this condenser, the cooling water and steam to
be condensed move in the same direction. (i.e. from top to bottom).
• 2. Surface Condensers
• In surface condensers, there is no direct contact between the cooling water and
the steam that is to be condensed. The heat transfer between steam and cooling
water is by conduction and convection. The condensate can be recovered for re-
use as feed water.\
• a) Downflow Surface Condenser (Two-pass surface condenser)
• The surface condenser has a great advantage over the jet condensers, as the
condensate does not mix up with the cooling water.
• As a result of this, the whole condensate can be reused in the boiler. This types of
steam condenser can be used when the supply of cooling water is limited. It
consists of a horizontal cast-iron cylindrical vessel packed with tubes, through
which the cooling water flows.
• (d) Evaporative condenser
• When the supply of cooling water is limited, evaporating the
circulating water under small partial pressure can reduce its quantity
required for condensing the steam. This principle is employed in
evaporative condensers.
• The exhaust steam from the steam engine or steam turbine enters at
the top of a series of pipes outside of which a film of cold water is
falling. At the same time, a stream of air rotates above the water film,
causing rapid evaporation of some of the cooled water.
• As a result of this, the steam circulating inside the pipe is condensed.
 Ash handling system

• Ash handling refers to the method of

collection, conveying, interim storage
and load out of various types of ash
residue left over from solid fuel
combustion processes. The most
common types of ash resulting from the
combustion of coal, wood and other solid
fuel
• The most common types of ash resulting
from the combustion of coal, wood and
other solid fuels.
• bottom ash
• bed ash
• fly ash
• ash clinkers
cooling tower
• Purpose of a cooling tower is to reduce the temperature of circulating hot
water to re-use this water again in the boiler. This hot water is coming from the
condenser.
• Eliminator: It is not allowed to pass water. Eliminator is placed the at top of
tower, from which only hot air can pass.
• Spray Nozzles and Header: These parts are used to increase the rate of
evaporation by increasing surface area of water.
• PVC Falling: It reduces the falling speed of hot water and it is similar to beehive.
• Mesh: When the fan is ON, it uses atmosphere air which contains some
unwanted dust particles. Mesh is used to stop these particles and do not allow
to enter dust in to cooling tower.
• Float Valve: It is used to maintain level of water.
• Bleed Valve: It is used to control the concertation of minerals and salt.
• Body: Body or outer surface of cooling tower is often made up from
FRP (fiber reinforced plastic), which protects the internal parts of
cooling tower.
1)Boiler draught is defined as the difference between absolute gas
pressure at any point in a flow passage and the ambient (same elevation)
atmospheric pressure. Draught is achieved a small pressure difference
which causes the flow of air or gas to take place. It is measured in
millimetre (mm) or water.
2)which support the required quantity of air for combustion and removes the burnt products
from the system.
3)To move the ait through the fuel bed and to produce a flow of hot gases through the boiler
economiser, preheater and chimney require a difference of pressure.
This difference of pressure to maintaining the constant flow of air and discharging the gases
through the chimney to the atmosphere is known as draught. Draught can be achieved by the
use of chimney, fan, steam or air jet or a combination of these.

When the draught is produced with the help of chimney only, it is known as Natural
Draught and when the draught is produced by any other means except chimney it is known
as Artificial Draught.

4)Purpose of Boiler Draught

• To provide an adequate supply of air for fuel combustion.
• For throw out the exhaust gases of combustion from the combustion chamber.
• To discharge these gases to the atmosphere through the chimney.
Measurement of Draught

1.The nature and depth of fuel at the furnace.

2.Design of combustion chamber or firebox.
3.The rate of combustion required.
4.Resistance is allowed in the system due to
baffles, tubes, superheaters, economizers, air
pre-heaters etc.
FEED WATER
TREATMENT

• Feedwater treatment is a
pre-water treatment
process to control
deposition, eradicate
impurities and prevent
corrosion within a boiler
system. In a boiler system,
water is transformed into
steam and expands by as
much as 1000 times as it
passes through steam pipes
at rates of 100km/hr.