Thermal Power Plant Layout

and Operation
Thermal Power Plant Lay out :

1
 Site Planning 3

• A review of local emission sources and weather

conditions is recommended during the plant
preliminary layout phase. By

taking these factors into account, location and orientation

of the

gas turbine intake can be arranged to minimize the impact

of

known corrosive agents on the inlet filtration system and

turbine

components.
Field modifications to an installation after an
air

quality problem has been recognized will

likely be expensive and

require an extended outage. In addition, the

final result may not be

as effective as appropriate site planning and

locating of balance o
 The lay out of a simplified
thermal power plant
------------------------------------------
4
simplest arrangement of Coal fired
(Thermal) power plant
 Main parts of the plant are

• 1. Coal conveyor
• 2. Stoker
• 3. Pulverizer
• 4. Boiler
• 5. Coal ash
• 6. Air preheater
• 7. Electrostatic precipitator
• 8. Smoke stack
• 9. Turbine
• 10. Condenser
• 11. Transformers
• 12. Cooling Towers
• 13. Generator
• 14. High - votge power lines
Main parts of the plant are
 Basic Operation
A thermal power plant basically works on Rankine
cycle.

Coal conveyor :
This is a belt type of arrangement.With this coal is
transported from coal storage place in power plant to the
place near by boiler.

Stoker : The coal which is brought near by boiler has to

put in boiler furnance for combustion.This stoker is a
mechanical device for feeding coal to a furnace.
 Pulverizer
• Pulverizer : The coal is put in the boiler
after pulverization.For this pulverizer is
used.A pulverizer is a device for grinding
coal for combustion in a furnace in a
power plant.
 DIAGRAM OF PULVERIZER
• Ball and Tube Mill • Ball and Tube Mill
 Types of Pulverizers
• Ball and Tube Mill

• Ball mill is a pulverizer that consists of a horizontal

rotating cylinder, up to three diameters in length,
containing a charge of tumbling or cascading steel balls,
pebbles, or rods.
Tube mill is a revolving cylinder of up to five diameters in
length used for fine pulverization of ore, rock, and other
such materials; the material, mixed with water, is fed into
the chamber from one end, and passes out the other end
as slime.
BALL TUBE MILL
• Ring and Ball

• This type consists of two rings separated by a series

of large balls. The lower ring rotates, while the upper
ring presses down on the balls via a set of spring and
adjuster assemblies. Coal is introduced into the center
or side of the pulverizer (depending on the design)
and is ground as the lower ring rotates causing the
balls to orbit between the upper and lower rings. The
coal is carried out of the mill by the flow of air moving
through it. The size of the coal particals released from
the grinding section of the mill is determined by a
classifer separator. These mills are typically produced
by B&W (Babcock and Wilcox).
Ring and Ball
 Boiler
• : Now that pulverized coal is put in boiler furnance.Boiler is an
enclosed vessel in which water is heated and circulated until
the water is turned in to steam at the required pressure.
Coal is burned inside the combustion chamber of boiler.The
products of combustion are nothing but gases.These gases
which are at high temperature vaporize the water inside the
boiler to steam.Some times this steam is further heated in a
superheater as higher the steam pressure and temperature the
greater efficiency the engine will have in converting the heat in
steam in to mechanical work. This steam at high pressure and
tempeture is used directly as a heating medium, or as the
working fluid in a prime mover to convert thermal energy to
mechanical work, which in turn may be converted to electrical
energy. Although other fluids are sometimes used for these
purposes, water is by far the most common because of its
economy and suitable thermodynamic characteristics.
 Classification of Boilers
• Bolilers are classified as
1.Fire tube boilers
2.Water tube boilers
 Fire tube boilers

•
•

•
• In fire tube boilers hot gases are passed
through the tubes and water surrounds
these tubes. These are simple,compact
and rugged in construction.Depending on
whether the tubes are vertical or horizontal
these are further classified as vertical and
horizontal tube boilers.In this since the
water volume is more,circulation will be
poor.
 *

• So they can't meet quickly the changes in steam

demand.High pressures of steam are not
possible,maximum pressure that can be attained
is about 17.5kg/sq cm.Due to large quantity of
water in the drain it requires more time for steam
raising.The steam attained is generally
wet,economical for low pressures.The outut of
the boiler is also limited.
Water tube boilers
• : In these boilers water is inside the tubes and hot gases are
outside the tubes.They consists of drums and tubes.They may
contain any number of drums (you can see 2 drums in fig).Feed
water enters the boiler to one drum (here it is drum below the
boiler).This water circulates through the tubes connected
external to drums.Hot gases which surrounds these tubes wil
convert the water in tubes in to steam.This steam is passed
through tubes and collected at the top of the drum since it is of
light weight.So the drums store steam and water (upper
drum).The entire steam is collected in one drum and it is taken
out from there (see in laout fig).As the movement of water in the
water tubes is high, so rate of heat transfer also becomes high
resulting in greater efficiency
• They produce high pressure , easily accessible
and can respond quickly to changes in steam
demand.These are also classified as
vertical,horizontal and inclined tube depending
on the arrangement of the tubes.These are of
less weight and less liable to explosion.Large
heating surfaces can be obtained by use of
large number of tubes.We can attain pressure
as high as 125 kg/sq cm and temperatures
from 315 to 575 centigrade.
 *COAL ASH

Fly ash (one of several coal combustion products, or CCPs) is the finely
divided mineral residue resulting from the combustion of coal in electric
generating plants. Fly ash consists of inorganic, incombustible matter
present in the coal that has been fused during combustion into a glassy,
amorphous structure.
Two classes of fly ash are defined by ASTM C618: Class F fly ash and
Class C fly ash. The chief difference between these classes is the amount
of calcium, silica, alumina, and iron content in the ash. Engineering
properties and development of strength over time are different depending
on the chemical composition of the fly ash. The chemical properties of the
fly ash are largely influenced by the chemical content of the coal burned
(i.e., anthracite, bituminous, and lignite
 **Chemical composition and
classification**
•
Component Bituminous Subbituminous Lignite

SiO2 (%) 20-60 40-60 15-45

Al2O3 (%) 5-35 20-30 20-25

Fe2O3 (%) 10-40 4-10 4-15

CaO (%) 1-12 5-30 15-40

LOI (%) 0-15 0-3 0-5

 TYPES OF FLY ASH
• Class F fly ash
• The burning of harder, older anthracite and bituminous coal typically
produces Class F fly ash. This fly ash is pozzolanic in nature, and
contains less than 10% lime (CaO). Possessing pozzolanic
properties, the glassy silica and alumina of Class F fly ash requires
a cementing agent, such as Portland cement, quicklime, or hydrated
lime, with the presence of water in order to react and produce
cementitious compounds.
• Class C fly ash
• Fly ash produced from the burning of younger lignite or
subbituminous coal, in addition to having pozzolanic properties, also
has some self-cementing properties. In the presence of water, Class
C fly ash will harden and gain strength over time. Class C fly ash
generally contains more than 20% lime (CaO). Unlike Class F, self-
cementing Class C fly ash does not require an activator. Alkali and
sulfate (SO4) contents are generally higher in Class C fly ashes
Disposal and market sources

• In the past, fly ash produced from coal

combustion was simply taken up by flue gases
and dispersed into the atmosphere. This created
environmental and health concerns that
prompted laws which have reduced fly ash
emissions to less than 1% of ash produced.
Worldwide, more than 65% of fly ash produced
from coal power stations is disposed of in
landfills. In India alone, fly ash landfill covers an
area of 40,000 acres (160 km²).
 Fly ash reuse

• The reuse of fly ash as an engineering material primarily stems from

its pozzolanic nature, spherical shape, and relative uniformity. Fly
ash recycling, in descending frequency, includes usage in:
• Portland cement and grout;
• Embankments and structural fill;
• Waste stabilization and solidifaction;
• Raw feed for cement clinkers;
• Mine reclamation;
• Stabilization of soft soils;
• Road subbase;
• Aggregate;
• Flowable fill;
• Mineral filler in asphaltic concrete;
• Other applications include cellular concrete, roofing tiles, paints,
metal castings, and filler in wood and plastic products
 Turbine
• A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from
a fluid flow. Claude Burdin coined the term from the Latin
turbinis, or vortex during an 1828 engineering competition. The
simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor
assembly, which is a shaft with blades attached.
Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to
the flow, so that they rotate and impart energy to the
rotor. Early turbine examples are windmills and water wheels.
• Gas, steam, and water turbines usually have a casing around
the blades that focuses and controls the fluid. The casing and
blades may have variable geometry that allows efficient
operation for a range of fluid-flow conditions.
• A device similar to a turbine but operating in reverse is a
compressor or pump. The axial compressor in many gas turbine
engines is a common example.
 Theory of operation

• A working fluid contains potential energy

(pressure head) and kinetic energy
(velocity head). The fluid may be
compressible or incompressible. Several
physical principles are employed by
turbines to collect this energy:
TYPES OF TURBINES
 Impulse turbines

These turbines change the direction of flow of a high

velocity fluid jet. The resulting impulse spins the
turbine and leaves the fluid flow with diminished
kinetic energy. There is no pressure change of the
fluid in the turbine rotor blades. Before reaching the
turbine the fluid's pressure head is changed to
velocity head by accelerating the fluid with a nozzle.
Pelton wheels and de Laval turbines use this process
exclusively. Impulse turbines do not require a
pressure casement around the runner since the fluid
jet is prepared by a nozzle prior to reaching turbine.
Newton's second law describes the transfer of energy
for impulse turbines.
 Reaction turbines

These turbines develop torque by reacting to the fluid's pressure

or weight. The pressure of the fluid changes as it passes through
the turbine rotor blades. A pressure casement is needed to
contain the working fluid as it acts on the turbine stage(s) or the
turbine must be fully immersed in the fluid flow (wind turbines).
The casing contains and directs the working fluid and, for water
turbines, maintains the suction imparted by the draft tube.
Francis turbines and most steam turbines use this concept. For
compressible working fluids, multiple turbine stages may be
used to harness the expanding gas efficiently. Newton's third law
describes the transfer of energy for reaction turbines
 Superheater
• Most of the modern boliers are having superheater
and reheater arrangement. Superheater is a
component of a steam-generating unit in which
steam, after it has left the boiler drum, is heated
above its saturation temperature. The amount of
superheat added to the steam is influenced by the
location, arrangement, and amount of superheater
surface installed, as well as the rating of the boiler.
The superheater may consist of one or more stages
of tube banks arranged to effectively transfer heat
from the products of combustion.Superheaters are
classified as convection , radiant or combination of
these.
 Superheater
• Superheater viewed from the
• General arrangement of a smokebox
superheater installation in a steam
locomotive
 Reheater
• Some of the heat of superheated steam is used to rotate
the turbine where it loses some of its energy.Reheater is
also steam boiler component in which heat is added to
this intermediate-pressure steam, which has given up
some of its energy in expansion through the high-
pressure turbine. The steam after reheating is used to
rotate the second steam turbine (see Layout fig) where
the heat is converted to mechanical energy.This
mechanical energy is used to run the alternator, which is
coupled to turbine , there by generating elecrical energy.
 DIAG.OF
REHEATER
 Condenser
• Steam after rotating staem turbine comes to
condenser.Condenser refers here to the shell and tube heat
exchanger (or surface condenser) installed at the outlet of
every steam turbine in Thermal power stations of utility
companies generally. These condensers are heat
exchangers which convert steam from its gaseous to its
liquid state, also known as phase transition. In so doing, the
latent heat of steam is given out inside the condenser.
Where water is in short supply an air cooled condenser is
often used. An air cooled condenser is however significantly
more expensive and cannot achieve as low a steam turbine
backpressure (and therefore less efficient) as a surface
condenser.
Condenser
• The purpose is to condense the outlet (or
exhaust) steam from steam turbine to
obtain maximum efficiency and also to get
the condensed steam in the form of pure
water, otherwise known as condensate,
back to steam generator or (boiler) as
boiler feed water.
 Why it is required ?
•
The steam turbine itself is a device to convert the heat in
steam to mechanical power. The difference between the
heat of steam per unit weight at the inlet to turbine and
the heat of steam per unit weight at the outlet to turbine
represents the heat given out (or heat drop) in the steam
turbine which is converted to mechanical power. The
heat drop per unit weight of steam is also measured by
the word enthalpy drop. Therefore the more the
conversion of heat per pound (or kilogram) of steam to
mechanical power in the turbine, the better is its
performance or otherwise known as efficiency.
• Condensers are classified as
>(i) Jet condensers or contact condensers
> (ii) Surface condensers.
 Jet condensers
• In jet condensers the steam to be
condensed mixes with the cooling water
and the temperature of the condensate
and the cooling water is same when
leaving the condenser; and the
condensate can't be recovered for use as
feed water to the boiler; heat transfer is by
direct conduction.
 Jet Condenser
•
•
 Surface condensers
• In surface condensers there is no direct contact between the
steam to be condensed and the circulating cooling water.
There is a wall interposed between them through heat must
be convectively transferred.The temperature of the
condensate may be higher than the temperature of the
cooling water at outlet and the condnsate is recovered as
feed water to the boiler.Both the cooling water and the
condensate are separetely with drawn.Because of this
advantage surface condensers are used in thermal power
plants.Final output of condenser is water at low temperature
is passed to high pressure feed water heater,it is heated
and again passed as feed water to the boiler.Since we are
passing water at high temperature as feed water the
temperature inside the boiler does not dcrease and boiler
efficincy also maintained.
Surface condensers
 Electrostatic precipitator

• It is a device which removes dust or other finely

divided particles from flue gases by charging the
particles inductively with an electric field, then
attracting them to highly charged collector
plates. Also known as precipitator. The process
depends on two steps. In the first step the
suspension passes through an electric
discharge (corona discharge) area where
ionization of the gas occurs. The ions produced
collide with the suspended particles and confer
on them an electric charge. The charged
particles drift toward an electrode of opposite
sign and are deposited on the electrode where
their electric charge is neutralized.
 Electrostatic precipitator
• Top View of ESP • Side view of ESP
Schematic Diagram Schematic Diagram
USE OF Electrostatic precipitator
• Some of the usual applications are:
• (1) removal of dirt from flue gases in steam plants
• (2) cleaning of air to remove fungi and bacteria in
establishments producing antibiotics and other drugs, &
in operating rooms
• (3) cleaning of air in ventilation &air conditioning
systems;
• (4) removal of oil mists in machine shops & acid mists in
chemical process plants;
• (5) cleaning of blast furnace gases;
• (6) recovery of valuable materials such as oxides of
copper, lead, and tin;
• (7) separation of rutile from zirconium sand.
 Cooling Towers
• :The condensate (water) formed in the condeser after
condensation is initially at high temperature.This hot water
is passed to cooling towers.It is a tower- or building-like
device in which atmospheric air (the heat receiver)
circulates in direct or indirect contact with warmer water
(the heat source) and the water is thereby cooled (see
illustration). A cooling tower may serve as the heat sink in
a conventional thermodynamic process, such as
refrigeration or steam power generation, and when it is
convenient or desirable to make final heat rejection to
atmospheric air. Water, acting as the heat-transfer fluid,
gives up heat to atmospheric air, and thus cooled, is
recirculated through the system, affording economical
operation of the process.
Cooling Towers
• Two basic types of cooling towers are
commonly used
• 1. evaporative or wet cooling tower.

One transfers the heat from warmer water

to cooler air mainly by an evaporation
heat-transfer process
• Evaporative cooling towers are classified
according to the means employed for
producing air circulation through them:
atmospheric, natural draft, and mechanical
draft
Evaporative or wet cooling tower
Photo of Misting fan
2. Nonevaporative or dry cooling tower.

transfers the heat from warmer water to

cooler air by a sensible heat-transfer
process
 *

• Nonevaporative cooling towers are classified as

• air-cooled condensers
• air-cooled heat exchangers,
• and are further classified by the means used for
producing air circulation through them. These
two basic types are sometimes combined, with
the two cooling processes generally used in
parallel or separately, and are then known as
wet-dry cooling towers.
Nonevaporative cooling towers
 Economiser
Flue gases coming out of the boiler carry lot
of heat.Function of economiser is to recover
some of the heat from the heat carried away
in the flue gases up the chimney and utilize
for heating the feed water to the boiler.It is
placed in the passage of flue gases in
between the exit from the boiler and the
entry to the chimney.The use of economiser
results in saving in coal consumption ,
increase in steaming rate and high boiler
efficiency
Economiser
• Fuel economy
• Longer life of the boiler
• Increase in steaming
capacity
• Finned Tube
Economisers
• C.I. Gilled Tube
Economisers
• Plain Tube Coil
Economisers
 Air preheater
• The remaining heat of flue gases is utilised
by air preheater.It is a device used in
steam boilers to transfer heat from the flue
gases to the combustion air before the air
enters the furnace. Also known as air
heater; air-heating system. It is not shown
in the lay out.But it is kept at a place near
by where the air enters in to the boiler.
APH
 *

• The purpose of the air preheater is to recover

the heat from the flue gas from the boiler to
improve boiler efficiency by burning warm air
which increases combustion efficiency, and
reducing useful heat lost from the flue. As a
consequence, the gases are also sent to the
chimney or stack at a lower temperature,
allowing simplified design of the ducting and
stack. It also allows control over the temperature
of gases leaving the stack (to meet emissions
regulations, for example).After extracting heat
flue gases are passed to elctrostatic precipitator.
A dusk view of Singrauli
 Smoke stack
• A chimney is a system for venting hot flue
gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or
fireplace to the outside atmosphere. They are
typically almost vertical to ensure that the hot
gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the
combustion through the chimney effect (also
known as the stack effect). The space inside a
chimney is called a flue. Chimneys may be
found in buildings, steam locomotives and
ships. In the US, the term smokestack
(colloquially, stack) is also used when referring
to locomotive chimneys
Smoke stack
 Generator
• An alternator is an electromechanical device
that converts mechanical energy to alternating
current electrical energy. Most alternators use a
rotating magnetic field. Different geometries -
such as a linear alternator for use with stirling
engines - are also occasionally used. In
principle, any AC generator can be called an
alternator, but usually the word refers to small
rotating machines driven by automotive and
other internal combustion engines
 Transformers
• :It is a device that transfers electric energy from one
alternating-current circuit to one or more other
circuits, either increasing (stepping up) or reducing
(stepping down) the voltage. Uses for transformers
include reducing the line voltage to operate low-
voltage devices (doorbells or toy electric trains) and
raising the voltage from electric generators so that
electric power can be transmitted over long
distances. Transformers act through electromagnetic
induction; current in the primary coil induces current
in the secondary coil. The secondary voltage is
calculated by multiplying the primary voltage by the
ratio of the number of turns in the secondary coil to
that in the primary.
 Summary

• As gas turbine materials engineering and design

techniques
improve, greater performance and maintainability
benefits are
realized. Experience has shown that along with these
gains there is
need to better protect the internal components from
erosion and
corrosion. In order to meet expected maintenance
intervals it is
necessary to remove solids and liquids that are
considered harmful
to the compressor and turbine flow path.
 SUMMARY
CONT…..
Advances in filtration technology, media materials and
system design are able to provide the necessary
protection from most
naturally occurring airborne contaminants. Emissions
from local sources,
however, may increase the concentration levels
downstream of the filters significantly. With careful site
planning and consideration of
the impact of these on and offsite sources,
the effect on gas turbine overall performance can be
minimized.
A failure to do so may result in costly field modifications,
repairs and loss in revenue
END
 References
• 1. Loud, R.L. and Slaterpryce, A.A., “Gas Turbine Inlet Treatment,”
• GER-3419A, GE Reference Library, 1991.
• 2. “The Particle Pollution Report,” EPA 454-R-04-002,
• December 2004.
• 3. Johnson, Steven R. and Thomas, David A., “LM-2500 First
• Stage Filtration Upgrades,” ASME 95-GT-322.
• 4. “Cooling Tower Fundamentals,” SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.
• 5. Nelson, John A., “Cooling Towers and Sea Water,” The Marley
• Cooling Tower Company (now SPX Cooling Technologies Inc.),
• November 5, 1986.
• 6. ISO 9223 Corrosion of metals and alloys – Corrosivity of
• atmospheres – Classification.
• 7. ISO 9224 Corrosion of metals and alloys –Corrosivity
• of atmospheres – Guiding values for the corrosivity categories.
• 8. ISO 9225 Corrosion of metals and alloys – Corrosivity of
• atmospheres – Measurement of pollution.
• 9. ISO 9226 Corrosion of metals and alloys – Corrosivity of
• atmospheres – Determination of corrosion rate of standard
• specimens for the evaluation of corrosivity.
 References
• 10. ASTM D1357-95 (2005) Standard Practice for Planning the
• Sampling of the Ambient Atmosphere.
• 11. “Sampling of Ambient Air for Total Suspended Particulate
• Matter (SPM) and PM10 using High Volume (HV) Sampler,”
• EPA/625/R-96/010A, June 1999.
• 12. ASTM D4096-91 (2003) Standard Test Method for
• Determination of Total Suspended Particulate Matter in the
• Atmosphere (High-Volume Sampler Method).
• 13. ASTM D3249-95 (2000) Standard Practice for General Ambient
• Air Analyzer Procedures.
• 14. ASTM D1356-05 Standard Terminology Relating to Sampling
• and Analysis of Atmospheres.
• 15. Rupprecht, E., Meyer, M. and Patashnick, H., “The tapered element
• oscillating micro balance as a tool for measuring ambient particle
• concentrations in real time,” presented at the European Aerosol
• Conference, Oxford, UK, September 11, 1992.
• 16. Product Bulletin ACCU System August 2005, Thermo Electron
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU

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