General Layout of the Plant

Though each plant is unique in itself in terms of specific features and functionalities, still there is a broad outline to which all thermal power plants confirm to and in this article we will study about the general layout of a typical power plant. There are four main circuits in any thermal power plant and these are 1. Coal & Ash Circuit this circuit deals mainly with feeding the boiler with coal for combustion purposes and taking care of the ash that is generated during the combustion process and includes equipment and paraphernalia that is used to handle the transfer and storage of coal and ash. 2. Air & Gas Circuit we know that air is one of the main components of the fire triangle and hence necessary for combustion. Since lots of coal is burnt inside the boiler it needs a sufficient quantity of air which is supplied using either forced draught or induced draught fans. The exhaust gases from the combustion are in turn used to heat the ingoing air through a heat exchanger before being let off in the atmosphere. The equipment which handles all these processes fall under this circuit. 3. Feed Water & Steam Circuit this section deals with supplying of steam generated from the boiler to the turbines and to handle the outgoing steam from the turbine by cooling it to form water in the condenser so that it can be reused in the boiler plus making good any losses due to evaporation etc. 4. Cooling Water Circuit this part of the thermal power plant deals with handling of the cooling water required in the system. Since the amount of water required to cool the outgoing steam from the boiler is substantial, it is either taken from a nearby water source such as a river, or it is done through evaporation if the quantity of cooling water available is limited. The above breakdown of the plant would give you a clear idea about the components of the plant but a complete picture shown below would be more useful in getting an idea how these circuits are integrated together to form the complete power plant.

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The Requirements for the Site

As the name implies the power plant is meant for generating power which obviously means that it will consume huge quantities of fuel. The exact quantity would depend on the size of the plant and its capacity but it is a general fact that ample quantities of fuel must be available either in the vicinity or it should be reasonably economical to transport the fuel till the power plant. Since most thermal power plants use coal (they can use other fuels as well) it must be ensured that sufficient coal is available round the clock. Just to give you a rough idea a power plant with 1000 MW capacity approximately would require more than ten thousand tons of coal per day hence the necessity for continuous supply and storage capability of coal in the power station. Ash if the main byproduct of combustion and since the amount of coal used is huge, you can intuitively imagine the amount of ash generated and it is certainly in the region of thousand tons per day. Ash is much more difficult to handle as compared to coal since it comes out hot from the boiler and is very corrosive in nature. Disposing of such huge quantities of ash requires a large amount of empty space where it can be safely dumped. There must be ample space for the storage of coal, disposal of ash, building of the power plant, residential colony of workers, markets and so forth. An approximate analysis suggests that for every MW of power generated there must be at least 3 acres of land available for the purpose. Hence the power plant site needs to have good amount of land and this land should have good bearing capacity in order to survive the static and dynamic loads during the operation of the plant. As we saw in the previous article of this series, large amount of water is required for cooling purposes in the power plant hence it is better if such a source is available nearby in the form of rivers etc. Apart from these major requirements there are also other requirements which are equally important such as the availability of skilled people to work for the plant and good transport facilities in the vicinity. Hence we see that setting up a thermal power plant requires a lots of factors to be considered simultaneously.

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The Functioning of the Plant

The four circuits of the thermal power plant make a complete picture when put together helping to generate electricity out of fuels such as coal which is the most widely used fuel. The calorific value of coals depends on the quality of the coal and the place from where it is mined. Let us perform a simple calculation regarding the amount of coal required in a power plant. Let us assume an imaginary thermal power plant which has a capacity of 1000 MW and try to find the amount of coal required for its consumption. Also assume that the boiler operates at an efficiency of 75% and the heat supplied per kg of steam be around 500 kcal per kg and that the amount of steam required per kWh is nearly 5 kgs. Further let us assume that the type of coal used in the plant has a calorific value of 5000 kcal/kg Then the quantity of coal required per hour would be given by Weight of Coal Required ==> Capacity * Steam Requirement * Heat Delivered/Calorific Value of Coal * Efficiency of Boiler ==> {1000 * 1000 * 5 * 500}/{5000 * 0.75 * 1000} = 666 tons/hr Normally it is a practice to store coal for upto one month usage in case the power plant is situated at a sufficient geographical distance from the coal source so that in case of any disruption of the transportation system, the region is not immediately affected. You can calculate that in case the above plant requires such a facility, we would require space to store and handle nearly 480, 000 tons of coal. Coming back to the actual operation this coal is then fed to the combustion chamber of the boiler where steam is generated giving rise to hot exhaust gases and ash which are handled by their respective circuits. The steam turbine is driven by the steam which converts this thermal energy into the mechanical energy and is coupled with an electric generator to convert it to electrical energy. The electricity generated through the generator coupled to the turbine is then fed to the main grid via a system of transformers and other electrical equipment and is usually taken to far off places via high voltage transmission lines before it is actually supplied in the domestic or industrial sectors at their respective voltage levels. Hence we see that how the energy hidden within the ordinary coal is harnessed through the use of a thermal power plant to light our homes and industries.

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How Coal Power Plants Produce Electricity

The conversion from coal to electricity takes place in three stages. Stage 1 The first conversion of energy takes place in the boiler. Coal is burnt in the boiler furnace to produce heat. Carbon in the coal and Oxygen in the air combine to produce Carbon Dioxide and heat. Stage 2 The second stage is the thermodynamic process. 1. The heat from combustion of the coal boils water in the boiler to produce steam. In modern power plant, boilers produce steam at a high pressure and temperature. 2. The steam is then piped to a turbine. 3. The high pressure steam impinges and expands across a number of sets of blades in the turbine. 4. The impulse and the thrust created rotates the turbine. 5. The steam is then condensed and pumped back into the boiler to repeat the cycle. Stage 3 In the third stage, rotation of the turbine rotates the generator rotor to produce electricity based of Faradays Principle of electromagnetic induction. Check out this series describing the layout of thermal power plants.

Key Facts About Coal-Fired Electricity Production

In practice to effect these three stages of conversion, many systems and sub systems have to be in service. Also involved are different technologies, like combustion, aerodynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, pollution control, and logistics.

As an example consider these facts for typical coal fired power plant of capacity 500 MW.

Around 2 million tons of coal will be required each year to produce the continuous power. Coal combustion in the boiler requires air. Around 1.6 million cubic meter of air in an hour is delivered by air fans into the furnace.

he ash produced from this combustion is around 200,000 tons per year.

Electrostatic precipitators capture almost all of this ash without dispersing this to the atmosphere. Pollutants from coal power plants like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide can also affect the environment. Thermal power plants are the biggest producers of Carbon Dioxide. The boiler for typical 500 MW units produces around 1600 tons per hour of steam at a temperature of 540 to 600 degrees Centigrade. The steam pressures is in the range of 200 bar. The boiler materials are designed to withstand these conditions with special consideration for operational safety. Heat transfer from the hot combustion gases to the water in the boiler takes place due to Radiation and convection. The Electrical generators carry very large electric currents that produce heat and are be cooled by Hydrogen and water. The steam leaving the turbine is condensed and the water is pumped back for reuse in the boiler. To condense all the steam it will require around 50,000 cubic meter per hour of cooling water to be circulated from lakes, rivers or the sea. The water is returned to the source with only an increase of 3 to 4 degrees centigrade to prevent any effect to the environment. Apart from the cooling water the power plant also requires around 400 cubic metere per day of fresh water for making up the losses in the water steam cycle.

Details of Generating Electricity from Coal

These are some of the facts to highlight the complexities of the working of a Coal Fired Power Plant generating Electricity.

For more details, discover how coal is blended to the right mix to maximize energy production or learn about the specific caloric energies of coal and how moisture in the coal can affect a power plant's efficiency. Also learn how the coal is prepared to be fired in the boiler.

How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Water and Steam System.

The boiler generates high pressure steam by transfering the heat of Combustion in various heat transfer sections. This part of the article series briefly describes the flow and arrangement of the heat transfer sections in a boiler. In line diagrams help make the concept clear.

The Basics.
Volume of one unit mass of steam is thousand times that of water, When water is converted to steam in a closed vessel the pressure will increase. Boiler uses this principle to produce high pressure steam. Conversion of Water to Steam evolves in three stages.

Heating the water from cold condition to boiling point or saturation temperature sensible heat addition. Water boils at saturation temperature to produce steam - Latent heat.addition. Heating steam from saturation temperature to higher temperature called Superheating to increase the power plant output and efficiency.

Sensible Heat Addition

Feed Water Pump. The first step is to get a constant supply of water at high pressure into the boiler. Since the boiler is always at a high pressure. Boiler feed water pump pumps the water at high pressure into the boiler from the feed water tank. The pump is akin to the heart in the human body.

Pre-Heating 'Feed water heaters, using extracted steam from the turbine, adds a part of the sensible heat even before the water enters the boiler. Economiser. Most of the sensible heat is absorbed in the Economiser. These are a set of coils made from steel tubes located in the tail end of a boiler. The hot gases leaving the boiler furnace heat the water in the coils. The water temperature is slightly less than the saturation temperature. From the economiser the water is fed to the 'drum'.

Pre-Heating & Economiser

Latent Heat Addition

Drum. The drum itself a large cylindrical vessel that functions as the storage and feeding point for water and the collection point for water and steam mixture. This is the largest and most important pressure part in the boiler and weighs in the range 250 Tons for 600 MW power plant. Water Walls Boiling takes place in the Water Walls which are water filled tubes that form the walls of the furnace. Water Walls get the water from the downcomers which are large pipes connected to the drum. The downcomers and the water wall tubes form the two legs of a water column. As the water heats up in the furnace a part of the water in the water-wall tubes becomes steam. This water steam mixture has a lower density than the water in the downcomers. This density difference creates a circulation of water from the drum, through the downcomers, water walls and back to the drum. Steam

collects at the upper half of the drum. The steam is then sent to the next sections. The temperature in the drum, downcomers and water wall is at the saturation temperature.

WaterWalls

SuperHeat / ReHeat
SuperHeater Steam from the drum passes to the SuperHeater coils placed in the Flue gas path.. The steam temperature increases from the saturation temperature till the maximum required for operation. The superheated steam then finally goes to the turbine.Final Superheater temperatures are in the Range of 540 to 570 C for large power plants and SuperHeated steam pressures are around 175 bar. Reheater Steam from the exhaust of the first stage turbine goes back to the boiler for reheating and is returned to the second stage. Reheater coils in the flue gas path does the reheating of the returned steam. The reheat steam is at a much lower pressure than the super heated steam but the final reheater temperature is the same as the superheated steam temperature. Reheating to high temperatures improves the output and efficiency of the Power Plant. Final Reheater temperatures are normally in the range of 560 to 600 C. Reheat steam pressures are normally around 45 bar.

SuperHeater / ReHeater

The above are the major water and steam circuit items in a boiler and are collectively called the pressure parts. Tell a friend Share Flag this article Working Of A Power Plant Boiler Boiler in a power plant has two functions. The Combustion system converts energy in coal to Heat. Water and steam system converts the heat to steam at high pressures and temperatures. This series explains the working of the boiler in modern power plant.

1. How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Water and Steam System. 2. How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Combustion System

The Basics.
Volume of one unit mass of steam is thousand times that of water, When water is converted to steam in a closed vessel the pressure will increase. Boiler uses this principle to produce high pressure steam. Conversion of Water to Steam evolves in three stages.

Heating the water from cold condition to boiling point or saturation temperature sensible heat addition. Water boils at saturation temperature to produce steam - Latent heat.addition. Heating steam from saturation temperature to higher temperature called Superheating to increase the power plant output and efficiency.

Sensible Heat Addition

Feed Water Pump.

The first step is to get a constant supply of water at high pressure into the boiler. Since the boiler is always at a high pressure. Boiler feed water pump pumps the water at high pressure into the boiler from the feed water tank. The pump is akin to the heart in the human body. Pre-Heating 'Feed water heaters, using extracted steam from the turbine, adds a part of the sensible heat even before the water enters the boiler. Economiser. Most of the sensible heat is absorbed in the Economiser. These are a set of coils made from steel tubes located in the tail end of a boiler. The hot gases leaving the boiler furnace heat the water in the coils. The water temperature is slightly less than the saturation temperature. From the economiser the water is fed to the 'drum'.

Pre-Heating & Economiser

Latent Heat Addition

Drum. The drum itself a large cylindrical vessel that functions as the storage and feeding point for water and the collection point for water and steam mixture. This is the largest and most important pressure part in the boiler and weighs in the range 250 Tons for 600 MW power plant. Water Walls Boiling takes place in the Water Walls which are water filled tubes that form the walls of the furnace. Water Walls get the water from the downcomers which are large pipes connected to the drum. The downcomers and the water wall tubes form the two legs of a water column.

As the water heats up in the furnace a part of the water in the water-wall tubes becomes steam. This water steam mixture has a lower density than the water in the downcomers. This density difference creates a circulation of water from the drum, through the downcomers, water walls and back to the drum. Steam collects at the upper half of the drum. The steam is then sent to the next sections. The temperature in the drum, downcomers and water wall is at the saturation temperature.

WaterWalls

SuperHeat / ReHeat
SuperHeater Steam from the drum passes to the SuperHeater coils placed in the Flue gas path.. The steam temperature increases from the saturation temperature till the maximum required for operation. The superheated steam then finally goes to the turbine.Final Superheater temperatures are in the Range of 540 to 570 C for large power plants and SuperHeated steam pressures are around 175 bar. Reheater Steam from the exhaust of the first stage turbine goes back to the boiler for reheating and is returned to the second stage. Reheater coils in the flue gas path does the reheating of the returned steam. The reheat steam is at a much lower pressure than the super heated steam but the final reheater temperature is the same as the superheated steam temperature. Reheating to high temperatures improves the output and efficiency of the Power Plant. Final Reheater temperatures are normally in the range of 560 to 600 C. Reheat steam pressures are normally around 45 bar.

SuperHeater / ReHeater

The above are the major water and steam circuit items in a boiler and are collectively called the pressure parts. Tell a friend Share Flag this article Working Of A Power Plant Boiler Boiler in a power plant has two functions. The Combustion system converts energy in coal to Heat. Water and steam system converts the heat to steam at high pressures and temperatures. This series explains the working of the boiler in modern power plant.

1. How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Water and Steam System. 2. How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Combustion System

How does a Power Plant Boiler work? - Combustion System Boilers burn coal to produce steam. Burning coal involves fuel preparation, providing the necessary combustion air and removal of the flue gases and ash. What are the main elements of the Combustion system in a large power plant boiler? Read this article to find the answers.

Coal System
Coal received from the mines is stored in the coal yard adjacent to the power plant. It is then conveyed on a daily basis to the boiler and stored in a Coal Silo. Coal feeders continuously feed the required amount of coal to the Coal Pulverisers. Coal Pulverisers grind the coal to a very fine powder to make it burn easily. Pulverisers have steel rollers or steel balls which crush the coal between them into a fine powder. This powder is easy to burn. Coal contains moisture. Hot air form the Primary Air Fans dry the coal in the pulverisers. This makes the burning

easy and efficient. This air also carries the dry coal powder from the pulverisers to the burners in the boiler furnace.In the burners the coal powder is mixed with the required amount of Combustion air and burned in the furnace. .

Coal Flow In a Boiler

Air system
Correct amount of air is the most essential ingredient for Combustion. More air or less air both makes the combustion process inefficient. Forced Draft Fan supplies most of the Combustion air. This fan takes air from the atmosphere and blows it into the furnace through air ducts. The Air Heater heats the air before it enters the Furnace. Air Heater utilises the heat of the hot flue gases that leave the boiler to heat the combustion air. Hot air improves the efficiency of combustion. The Air Heater works on the regenerative principle. Steel plates alternatively placed in the hot flue gas path and then in the air path heats the cold air entering the Air Heater. Primary Air Fan supplies the air to the pulverisers for drying and transporting coal. This air called the Primary air also is heated in the Air Heater.

Flue gas system.

Coal burns in the furnace giving out heat and forming flue gases. Induced Draft Fan. The hot flue gases from the furnace is drawn out by the Induced draft fan. The gases passes through the various heating surfaces of the boiler, the Electrostatic Precipitator and discharges to the atmosphere at the top of the stack. Induced Draft Fan provides the energy for this flow of flue gases. The Induced Draft Fan is normally located adjacent to the Stack.

Electrostatic Precipitators capture the fly ash in the flue gases without letting them out into the atmosphere. High voltage electrodes placed in the gas path ionise the ash particles which collects on collecting electrodes and falls into ash hoppers. Stack or the Chimney disperses the hot gases and any other particles at a great height. The height enables a very large dispersion area and regulates emission concentrations at ground levels to the level acceptable to humans and vegetation. Stack heights for large power plants are around 250 to 280 meters. Balanced Draft. The Forced Draft fan and the Induced Draft fan operate in such a way that the air pressure in the furnace is at zero pressure ie: at atmospheric pressure. This is called the Balanced Draft system.

Air and Flue Gas System In a Boiler

Ash System.
Ash is the inert matter in coal and is the residue after combustion. This has to be collected and disposed off without letting it out into the atmosphere. A part of the ash, around 15 % collects as Bottom ash at the bottom of the furnace. The other part collects as Fly ash in the Electrostatic Precipitators. The collected ash is then transported to disposal yards or storage silos. The above are the brief of the main equipment required for the proper combustion of coal in a large power plant boiler. Tell a friend Share Flag this article Working Of A Power Plant Boiler Boiler in a power plant has two functions. The Combustion system converts energy in coal to Heat. Water and steam system converts the heat to steam at

high pressures and temperatures. This series explains the working of the boiler in modern power plant.