Coal to Electricity Process

Energy Conversion Process in TPS

Modified Rankine Cycle

Boiler Efficiency
By boiler efficiency is meant the measure of ability of a boiler or steam generator to transfer the heat given , by the furnace to the water and steam. It is defined as the heat added to the working fluid expressed as a percentage of heat in the fuel being burnt. Boiler loose heat because it is extremely difficult to recover all the heat. Boiler efficiency depends solely on the boilers ability to burn the fuel and transfer the resulting heat to water and steam. The pressure and temperature of steam produced does not have effect on boiler efficiency, though these parameters have effect on turbine cycle efficiency. Generally speaking large boilers will have greater efficiency due to improved design construction and better fuel burning arrangement. A boiler, however, must be able to meet the following design requirements : 1.Be able to produce steam at required temperature and pressure over an a range of load and take in

Boiler Efficiency
There are two methods of determining boiler efficiency 1.Direct method 2.Indirect or losses method The direct method : This method is straight forward and consists of measuring the heat supplied to the boiler and heat added to the steam in the boiler in a given time. Efficiency ( for non reheat unit) = (Enthalpy of steam Enthalpy of feed water)* Steam Flow (Quantity of coal * CV) = WS{ Cp(T-To) + L + (To t)} Mf* CV WS = Steam flow rate Cp = Specific heat of steam T = S. H Steam temperature To = Saturation temperature of steam L = Latent heat t = Feed water inlet

Boiler Efficiency
The trouble with this method is that several of these quantities are difficult to measure particularly coal quantity, the steam quantity and CV of coal. The error in measurement results in an overall tolerance of about + 1.5 % . However this method of efficiency determination is gaining popularity of late and used more frequently because of simplicity and advances being made in measurement techniques. In indirect method, the efficiency is calculated by determining the losses in the boiler. For this, chemical analysis of the fuel and the flue gas analysis are the basis of calculation. Efficiency = 100 % - Losses

Boiler Efficiency
Thus if losses are known, the efficiency can be derived. An important advantage of this method is that the errors in measurement do not make significant changes in efficiency. Thus if boiler efficiency is 90 % an error of 1% in direct method will result significant changes in efficiency. 90+ 0.9 = 89.1 to 90.9 In indirect method, 1 % error in measurement of losses will result in Efficiency = 100 (10+0.1) = 90 + 0.1 = 89.9 to 90.1 Clearly, the tolerance is narrow in losses method. However because of advancement in instrumentation and easiness the direct method is also becoming popular nowadays.

Boiler Efficiency
FACTORS WHICH EFFECT BOILER EFFICIENCY(Boiler Losses) Loss due to the heat carried away by hot flue gases. (a) Dry flue gas loss, and (b) Wet flue gas loss(loss due to moisture in fuel and due to moisture formed by combustion of H2 in fuel) Moisture in combustion air loss Unburnt carbon loss Carbon in ash loss Unburnt gas loss Due to incomplete combustion of carbon Excess air loss. Radiation loss and unaccounted losses. Blow- down and leakages. Dry Flue gas Losses : This is the heat loss in in the dry component of the gases, as these are discharged from

Boiler Efficiency
Wet Flue Gas Loss : Due to moisture in fuel : Moisture that enters the combustion chamber as part of fuel/air causes a heat loss because it must be heated from its initial temperature to boiling point, then evaporated and finally superheated to leave boiler at the same temperature as flue gases. (assume latent heat of evaporation as 2257 KJ / Kg at atmospheric pressure). Radiation and Unaccounted Losses : It includes heat carried away in ash, heat loss in bottom hopper and seal water, loss from boiler casing to surrounding, losses due to unburnt volatile matter etc. Radiation loss depends on the effectiveness of the boiler casing insulation. Blow down and make up : Cause two fold losses By way of heat loss with blow down and subsequent heating of make up water.

Boiler Efficiency
Maintaining efficiency : The best way to analyze the problem of maintaining efficiency is to examine the major losses in efficiency, what effects them, and what can be done to control them. A typical heat balance for a pulverized coal fired utility boiler would be : Dry gas loss 5.16 % Loss due to hydrogen and moisture in the fuel 4.36 % Loss due to unburned combustible 0.50 % Loss due to radiation 0.30 % Loss due to moisture in air 0.13 %

Boiler Efficiency
Monitoring Efficiency : Continuous monitoring of
flue temperature and flue gas oxygen content by regularly calibrated recorder or indicator and by periodic checks on combustibles in the refuse will indicate if original efficiencies are being maintained. If conditions vary from the established performance base, corrective adjustments or maintenance steps should be taken. High exit-gas temperatures and high draft losses with normal excess air indicates dirty heat absorbing surfaces and need for soot blowing. High excess air normally increases exit gas temperatures and draft losses and indicate the need for adjustment to the fuel-air ratio. The high excess air may, however, be caused by excessive casing leaks, cooling air, or air heater

Boiler Efficiency

Boiler efficiency varies with type of fuel. Oil / Coal being best and lowest with gas. Coal properties directly affect the efficiency of the boiler Moisture in coal decreases boiler efficiency. Efficiency of boiler will change if the fuel fired is not as per the design (High FGET in Tatas unit 5 boiler is due to high moisture and high volatile matters in coal).

Boiler Efficiency
STACK LOSS Heat carried away by flue gases or stack loss is the major cause for the reduction of boiler efficiency. It is calculated as, Stack Loss Flue gas flow specific heat of flue gas x (flue gas exit temperature ambient temperature) FACTORS ON WHICH STACK LOSS IS DEPENDENT Sulpher content of fuel.(determines allowable flue gas temperature at RAPH outlet) Fouling of the furnace or air pre- heater. Excess air. Leakages into the furnace.

Boiler Efficiency
HEAT CARRIED AWAY BY MOISTURE Heat absorbed by the moisture in flue gases constitutes a loss because, water vapour is not condensed in the boiler and thus substantial amount of latent heat (Approx..540 Kcal / kg at atmospheric pressure) is lost. There are two sources of moisture in flue gases viz. Moisture in fuel. Combustion product of hydrogen content in fuel. SOURCE OF MOISTURE IN FLUE GASES Moisture in fuels such as coal and gas. Fuels containing high hydrogen Such as natural gas generate Large amount of water vapour When burned. 2H2 + O2 2H2O

INCOMPLETE

COMBUSTION

Incomplete combustion means partial burning of fuel. Part of the fuel may remain unburned or carbon in fuel may burn partially to form carbon monoxide. Causes of incomplete combustion are: Inadequate air. Improper distribution of air. Fuel not properly pulverized or atomized. Low furnace temperatures. Moisture in fuel. Low secondary air temperatures.

WHY INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION IS A LOSS Unburned fuel is obviously a loss because it releases no energy, but is paid for. Partially burned carbon releases much less energy than when burnt fully. 2C + O2 2CO + 4,400 BTU. C + O2 CO2 + 14,600 BTU. As is evident partial burning of carbon generates carbon monoxide, a toxic gas and releases much less heat and thus constitutes a huge loss.

Boiler Efficiency
LOSS DUE TO EXCESS AIR
Quantity of air supplied over and above the minimum required amount of theoretically determined air (stoichometric) is called excess air. Certain quantity of excess air needs to be supplied, because it is practically not possible for every molecule of fuel to come in contact with every molecule of oxygen supplied in the limited time the mixture remains in boiler with no excess air, resulting in improper combustion and consequent losses. However, too much excess air increases the amount of flue gases. Since, the temperature of exit gas temperature is nearly constant , increase in flue gas flow means increase in stack loss.

Performance Monitoring
Optimum HR With 1% make up Kcal/Kwh Unit 5

Performance Effect of various parameters on Heat Rate for 500 MW unit Monitoring
Sr. No Parameters Increase in Heat Rate % 0.4 Increase in Kcal/KWh 9.6

1(a)Drop in vacuum from 0.92 bar to 0.91 bar (10mbar rise in condenser back pressure) (b)1 Deg Cent rise in TTD of Condenser 2Drop in main steam temperature by 10 Deg Cent (i.e. from 538 to 528 Deg Cent) 3Drop in reheat temperature by 10 Deg Cent (i.e. from 538 to 528 Deg Cent) 4Rise in reheat pressure drop by 1% to 14%) (i.e. from 13%

0.35 0.4 0.275 0.125 0.02 0.057

8.4 9.6 6.6 3 0.48 1.37

5Rise in TTD of feed water heaters other than top heater by 1 Deg Cent 6Rise in TTD of top heater by 1 Deg Cent

Performance Monitoring
Sr. No

Parameter

Increase in Heat Rate %

Increase in Kcal/KWh

7(a)Low pressure heater out of service (b)High pressure out of service 8Decrease in initial throttle pressure by (i.e. from 166.71 bar to 164.71 bar) 2 bar

0.5 1.5 0.05 0.28 0.25 0.03 0.15 0.5 0.19 0.75

12 36 1.2 6.6 6 0.72 3.6 12 4.44 18

9Increase in steam consumption of BFPT by 10%(design 100% load 6.101 Kg/KWh) 10Increase in CBD opening from 5% to 10% 11Use of 10% superheater spray (4.72 Kg/Sec)

12Use of 10% reheat spray(1.975 Kg/Sec) 13Increase in flue gas outlet temperature by 10 Deg Cent 14Increase in excess air by 10% 15Rise in Make up by 1 %

Sr No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Expected Parameters At Different Loads For Unit 5 (500 MW)

Parameter VWO 12.5 100%MCR 12.5 -0.910 541 541 2.55 0 1 248.8 141 75%MCR 12.5 -0.910 541 541 15.72 0 1 235.1 134 60% MCR 12.5 -0.910 541 541 12.2 0 1 224.7 133 Excess Air (%) Cond Vacuum (Bar) -0.910 MS Temp (C) RH Temp (C) MS spray( kg/s) RH Spray (kg/s) 541 541 0 0

Performance Monitoring

Make up (% of steam 1 flow) Eco Inlet Temp(C) FGET(C) 250.8 144

Performance Monitoring
Main Steam / Reheat temperature ( reasons)
Soot deposition on surfaces Passing of temperature control valves and bypass valves Air flow variation Burner tilt position Soot blowers operation Load variation Fuel type and Firing pattern Feed water temperature variation GR Fan loading variation Secondary combustion

Performance Monitoring
Main Steam / Reheat steam Sprays (reasons)

Furnace slagging High desuperheating temperature/ Secondary combustion Passing of temperature control valves High air flow High burner tilt positions / Excessive GR fans loading Undesirable LRSB operation Low economizer inlet temperature Unit on partial loading Fuel type and Firing pattern

Performance Monitoring
Flue Gas Exit Temperature (FGET)
Reasons Water wall , superheater & Reheater surfaces slagging Fouling in air preheater Low coal mill outlet temperature High moisture and volatile matter in coal Low Coal calorific value Air leak in furnace High excess air

Performance Monitoring
Flue Gas Exit Temperature (FGET) Actions: In unit 5 RAPH rotation direction reversed and partial blocking of PA duct was done during unit outage Jan-Feb 2006.Unit 6 RAPH secondary air bypass dampers were blanked. Soot blowing after analyzing various parameter is done. RAPH soot blowing done regularly twice in shift. Percentage of Oxygen is monitored before and after RAPH for identifying any leakages. Conditions of RAPH seals are checked during unit outage. Duct leakages are identified & attended. Excess air is maintained as per stack condition

Performance Monitoring
Economizer inlet temperature
Economizer feed water inlet temperature monitored. Feed water heaters TTD & DCA are monitored. Heater levels and its deviation from reference value and HP/ LP heaters drain control valve opening deviation are monitored. Heater Inlet, outlet & bypass valves maintenance done during unit outage. Unit 6 all HP heater feed water inlet / outlet damaged parting plates were repaired.

Performance Monitoring
Excess air & Air flow
Excess air set point changed with load changes. Carbon in ash monitored daily. Secondary air dampers, Fuel air dampers & aux air dampers are checked at regular intervals. Actual O2 in flue gas is compared with chemists readings. O2 probes are calibrated at regular intervals. Duct leakages are identified and attended as soon as possible.

Performance Monitoring
Coal Mill monitoring
Mill outlet temperature are kept 60C PA inlet temperature are kept 240C PA inlet under bowl temp are also monitored. Coal mill current, fuel air ratio are monitored. Mill fineness test are done regularly and vane setting done accordingly. All four Coal pipe temperature have been provided and monitor regularly. Preventive maintenance of mills are done regularly. Fuel air dampers are checked regularly.

Performance Monitoring
Soot blowing optimization
Methodology have been decided for soot blowing operation DPSBs have been made available. Soot blowing operating frequency program is made Availability of soot blowers is kept maximum

Thermal Mapping Data

Unit 6 Boiler Comparison Load Oil / No of Oil Burners Gas / No of Gas Burners Ov erfire damper 1/2 aux air Damper % FGET Deg C Locations 10 th floor south side window 2 10 th floor south side window 6 10 th floor south side window 8 10 th floor East side window 10 th floor West side window Avg Temp on 10th floor 8th flr east side near scaffold door 8th flr west side near scaffold door 7 th floor North side wondow 1 7 th floor North side wondow 2 7 th floor South side wondow 1 7 th floor South side wondow 2 Avg Temp on 7th floor CD 1 corner CD 3 corner Av Temp on CD Elev g ation DE 1 Corner DE 2 Corner DE 3 Corner DE 4 Corner Av Temp on DE Elev g ation 4 th floor North side window 1 4 th floor North side window 2 4 th floor South side window 1 4 th floor South side window 2 Av Temp on 4th floor g 1372 1315 1351 859 779 1346 1258 1268 1261 1179 820 1262 1393 1357 1308 1505 1353 1428 1379 1422 987 905 1410 1294 1266 1336 788 816 1299 1396 1332 1394 977 835 1374 26-May-06 510 MW 30.3 Kg/s, 19 Nil, 0 100% / 100% 12 142 /142 7-Mar-07 510 30.32 / 16 Nil 100%, 100% 12 15-Jan-07 510 30.77,15 Nil 100%,10% 30% 164/148 15-Dec-06 510 30.53 Kg/s, 16 Nil 100% each 28 164 / 147 6-Sep-06 500 MW 27.16 Kg/S, 16 2.18 Kg/s,3 100% / 0% 12 148 / 142 2-Aug-06 510 MW 23.27 Kg/s, 16 6.12 Kg/s, 4 100 / 0 % 14 148 / 145

1436 1419 1403 1446 1426 1142 1165 1288 1352 1273 1191

789 1430 1375 1343 1234 1360

1538 1494 1515 1575 1531 1353 1287 1461 Handle was v hot ery 1338 1402 1169 1330 1297 1462

1560 1528 1547 1524 1540 1380 1457 1548 1458 1507 1546 1534 1315 1237 1400

1488 1452 1401 1442 1446 1305 1100 1325 1271 1154 1317

1504 1505 1508 1500 1504 door hard to open 1214 1385 1282 1304 1315 1266 1280 1218 1227

1446 1374