Thermal Power Plant: Pre-Operational Activities

yr Year

Chapter 1

General Description of Thermal Power Plants

Abstract

Globally power stations utilize various sources of energy such as fossil fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and wave. A thermal power plant utilizes the heat of combustion of fossil fuels. A steam power plant constitutes a steam generator, a steam turbine, generator, condenser, heaters, pumps, fans, and other auxiliaries. Rankine cycle is the backbone of steam power plants. A gas turbine power plant comprises an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between; and also a generator. Principle of operation of a gas turbine is based on the Brayton cycle or the Joule cycle. A Diesel generating station uses a Diesel engine and a generator and operates following a Diesel cycle. Output power from a generator is transmitted to a high-voltage grid/bus for further distribution to different consumers.

Keywords

Fossil fuel; Prime mover; Rankine cycle; Brayton cycle; Diesel cycle; P–V; T–S; Efficiency

Chapter Outline

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 Nuclear Power Plant 

1.1.2 Hydel Power Plant 

1.1.3 Renewable Energy Power Plant 

1.1.4 Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) 

1.1.5 Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Generator 

1.1.6 Fuel Cell Power Plant 

1.1.7 Thermal Power Plant 

1.2 Steam Power Plant

1.2.1 Steam Generator 

1.2.2 Steam Turbine 

1.3 Gas Turbine Power Plant

1.4 Diesel-Generating Station

Reference

1.1 Introduction

Electricity was first supplied to the public back in the year 1881. It was a hydroelectric-generating station built on Niagara Falls supplying power to New York State. Tokyo Electric Lighting was the first in Asia to begin supplying electricity to the public in the year 1886. First time in Europe, London was electrified in 1888. Generation of electricity in India commenced from the year 1899 with the electrification of the city of Kolkata having a generating capacity of 1000 W.

A power-generating plant is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. At the center of nearly all power stations is a generator, which is a rotating machine that converts mechanical energy into electric energy. The energy source harnessed to turn the generator varies widely. It depends chiefly on fuels and on the types of technology.

Most power stations in the world burn fossil fuels, that is, coal, oil, and natural gas, and some use nuclear power. In order to abate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, in addition to the above there is an increasing use of cleaner, renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectric (addressed under a separate section below), solar, wind, and wave.

The following paragraphs briefly describe various types of power plants, as shown in Fig. 1.1. Thermal power plant is discussed in detail separately.

Fig. 1.1 Various types of power-generating plants.

1.1.1 Nuclear Power Plant [1]

Energy generation by a nuclear fuel takes place either by the process of nuclear fission of heavy fissile elements in a nuclear reactor, resulting in chain reactions, or by the process of nuclear fusion, in which simple atomic nuclei are fused together to form complex nuclei, as in the case of fusion of hydrogen isotopes to form helium. The process of nuclear fusion is also known as thermonuclear reaction, which is difficult to control even on date. As a result, the main source of nuclear energy is available at the present time mainly from nuclear fission.

In the heart of a nuclear power plant there is a nuclear reactor, wherein a controlled chain reaction of nuclear fission of heavy elements takes place. The most common fissile radioactive heavy metals are the naturally occurring isotope of uranium, U²³⁵, artificial isotope of uranium, U²³³, and artificial element plutonium, P²³⁹. In a nuclear reactor, plutonium is produced from naturally occurring isotope of uranium, U²³⁸, and U²³³ is produced from naturally occurring element thorium, Th²³².

The nuclear energy thus liberated is converted into heat that is removed from the reactor by a coolant, eg, liquid sodium. Hot liquid sodium is then passed through another heat exchanger where water is circulated as a coolant agent, which absorbs heat, resulting in generation of steam. This steam generator emits virtually no carbon dioxide, sulfur, or mercury. Nevertheless, a major concern of a nuclear power plant is that the area surrounding the nuclear reactor is potentially radioactive. Further nuclear wastes, if not disposed of taking special care, may cause a devastating effect on living beings and inanimate objects, including the environment.

Nuclear reactors are of various types, that is, pressurized-water reactor (PWR), boiling-water reactor (BWR), gas-cooled reactor (GCR), heavy-water reactor (HWR), and fast-breeder reactor (FBR).

1.1.1.1 Pressurized-water reactor (PWR)

A PWR power plant is composed of two loops in a series, the coolant loop, called the primary loop, and the water-steam or working fluid loop. The coolant picks up reactor heat and transfers it to the working fluid in the steam generator. The steam is then used in a Rankine cycle to generate electricity (Fig. 1.2).

Fig. 1.2 Flow diagram of a pressurized-water reactor. Source: From Fig. B.2, P 555. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1.1.1.2 Boiling-water reactor (BWR)

In BWR, the coolant is in direct contact with the heat-producing nuclear fuel and boils in the same compartment in which the fuel is located. Liquid enters the reactor core at the bottom, flows upwards, and, when it reaches at the top of the core, it gets converted into a very wet mixture of liquid and vapor. The vapor is then separated from the liquid in a steam separator and flows through a turbine to generate power (Fig. 1.3).

Fig. 1.3 Flow diagram of a boiling-water reactor. Source: From Fig. B.3, P 556. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1.1.1.3 Gas-cooled reactor (GCR)

A GCR is cooled by a gas. The gas absorbs heat from the reactor; this hot coolant then can be used either directly as the working fluid of a combustion turbine to generate electricity or indirectly to generate steam. There are two different types of GCR. One type utilizes both natural- and enriched-uranium fuels with CO2 as coolant and graphite as moderator. Another one uses enriched fuels, helium as coolant, and heavy water as moderator (Fig. 1.4).

Fig. 1.4 Sectional view of a typical gas-cooled reactor. Source: From Fig. B.4, P 557. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1.1.1.4 Heavy-water reactor (HWR)

In HWR, heavy water (D2O) is used as coolant-moderator with natural-uranium fuels, instead of enriched uranium. Since heavy water is pressurized, it can be heated to higher temperatures without boiling. Production cost of D2O, however, is very high compared with the cost of normal water (H2O) (Fig. 1.5).

Fig. 1.5 Sectional view of a typical heavy-water reactor. Source: From Fig. B.5, P 558. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1.1.1.5 Fast-breeder reactor (FBR)

FBR is so named because of its design to breed fuel by producing more fissionable fuel than it can consume. In FBR, neutrons are not slowed down to thermal energies by a moderator. Coolant and other reactor materials moderate the neutrons. Reactors are cooled by sodium (Fig. 1.6).

Fig. 1.6 Sectional view of a typical fast-breeder reactor. Source: From Fig. B.7, P 559. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1.1.2 Hydel Power Plant [1]

Hydroelectric or Hydel power plants comprise of hydraulic turbines, which can be of either vertical shaft or horizontal shaft. The preference for a horizontal shaft lies with the impulse-type while a vertical shaft, with the reaction types. The hydraulic turbine converts the potential energy of supplied water into mechanical energy of a rotating shaft, which in turn drives a generator to produce electricity.

In the impulse turbine (Pelton Wheel), the static head is completely transformed into a velocity head in the guide vane. This type is of relatively low (specific) speed, suitable for higher heads. Impulse turbines receive their water supply directly from the pipe line (Fig. 1.7).

Fig. 1.7 Pelton wheel. Source: From Fig. 15, P 9–221, Chapter 9: Hydraulic Turbines. Theodore Baumeister and Lionel S. Marks. Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook (Sixth Edition). McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. 1958.

In the reaction turbine, the static head is partly transformed into a velocity head in the guide vane. The radial flow type (Francis Turbine) is of relatively medium (specific) speed, suitable for medium heads. In Francis Turbine, high-pressure water enters the turbine with radial inflow and leaves the turbine axially. The high-pressure water, while passing through guide vanes, rotates the shaft to produce power (Fig. 1.8).

Fig. 1.8 Sectional view of a Francis turbine. Source: From Fig. 1, P- 9-208, CH-9: Hydraulic Turbines. Theodore Baumeister and Lionel S. Marks. MECHANICAL ENGINEERS’ HANDBOOK (Sixth Edition). McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1958.

The propeller type (Kaplan Turbine) is of relatively high (specific) speed, suitable for low heads; thus, it is essential to pass large flow rates of water through the Kaplan turbine to produce power. Incoming water enters the passage in the radial direction and is forced to exit in the axial direction that in turn rotates the shaft for producing power (Fig. 1.9).

Fig. 1.9 Sectional view of Kaplan turbine. Source: From Fig. A.13. P 550. D.K. Sarkar, Thermal Power Plant–Design and Operation, 2015, Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Note

The specific speed of a hydraulic turbine is defined as the speed of a geometrically similar hydraulic turbine that would develop 1 kW power under 1 m head of water column.

where, N = the normal working speed (rpm), P = power output of the turbine (kW), and H = the net or effective head (m).

1.1.3 Renewable Energy Power Plant [1]

Renewable energy resources draw natural energy flows of the earth, that is, solar, wind, geothermal, ocean thermal, ocean wave, ocean tidal, biomass, and storage energy. They recur, sometimes periodically, almost inexhaustible and are free for the taking. They are clean, barring biomass, almost free from causing environmental pollution, and sometimes even noise-free.

1.1.3.1 Solar energy

The total quantity of solar energy incident upon the earth is immense, but the energy is very diffuse, cyclic, and doesn't work at night without a battery-type storage device. It also suffers from atmospheric interference from clouds, particulate matter, gases, and so on. Solar radiation may either be converted into thermal or photovoltaic energy to generate electricity. To harness full potential of solar energy, a vast area of land is required to collect enough energy to electrify a community. As a result, solar technologies are very expensive.

1.1.3.2 Wind energy

Wind power is pollution free and its source of energy is also free. Winds are stronger and more consistent in offshore and high altitude sites than those at land. Wind power is suitable in areas with generally steady winds. The movement of air is utilized to run wind mills or wind turbines to produce electricity.

1.1.3.3 Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is primarily energy from the core of the earth. The natural heat in the earth has manifested itself for thousands of years. It is recoverable as steam or hot water. Natural steam that spouted from the earth is utilized in a geothermal power generating station. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.

1.1.3.4 Ocean thermal energy

Seas and oceans absorb solar radiation resulting in ocean currents and moderate temperature gradients from the water surface downward. Since the surface of water receives direct sunlight, it is warmer, but below the surface the ocean is very cold. This temperature gradient is utilized in a heat engine to generate power. The temperature difference between the surface and down below has to be at least