Heat Rate Improvement
Heat Rate Improvement
Topic Page No
As per original scheme, the drip of Chimney Steam Condenser was supposed to go into Hot-well-B
side in stable running unit. But presently is being diverted into atmosphere at turbine –ve elevation.
The present scheme and the original scheme are given as below.
To Atm
From LP Heaters
1 and 2
CD 35 CS EXHAUST
FAN
GSSM 42
DW 40
CSC
GSSM 43 GSSM 44
Chimney HDS 73
Steam
HDS 160
CDM 55
HDS 72
To Atm
To Atm
CONDENSATE
From LP Heaters
1 and 2
CD 35 CS EXHAUST
FAN
GSSM 42
DW 40
CSC
GSSM 43 GSSM 44
Chimney HDS 73
Steam
HDS 160
CDM 55
HDS 72 To Atm
To Hotwell
CONDENSATE
Due to various HPCV, IPCV and governing system issues, the MS pressure is not being maintained as
per design (130 KSC) even at full load.
• Though Unit-1 has been put in pressure controller mode, at part load, it is not possible to
bring EHC below 70% because hunting starts in EHC.
• Similar problem is being faced in unit-2 that is running in CMC.
• In Unit-3, Turbine controller is in manual mode and it is being tried to keep the control
valves in throttle position but to maintain MS pressure at part load is not possible.
• In Unit-4, one EHC is not able to maintain the secondary oil pressure and governing
characteristics are highly distorted, hence no throttling is being done.
As per data from EEMG, on 19th Apr 2016, when the average unit loads were around 110MW for
whole day in each unit, the total heat rate loss in unit-3 and 4 were 1.6 Kcal/ kWh and 4.0 Kcal/ kWh.
These losses are much higher when units are running at part load.
• Hence total tuning of the governing system is required and wherever required, replacement
of control valves is also suggested.
• Adequate time is also required to tune the governing system after each overhaul before
lighting up the boiler.
Average Station heat rate improvement potential at full load = 1.2 Kcal/ kWh
(Based on data of 19th Apr 2016, though at part load, the saving will be more than 30 Kcal/unit)
MS temperature in long run at turbine inlet is suggested to be maintained at 540oC instead of 535oC.
Though it may go up to 543oC in long term. (Please refer page no 01-1 of steam turbine O&M manual
Vol-1).
For Each degree temperature rise will cause heat rate improvement of 0.47Kcal/ kWh.
Hence 5oC rise in MS temperature will reduce heat rate = 0.47 X 5 = 2.33 Kcal/ kWh
But for this, the passing problem in SH spray control valve is to be attended and make this loop
reliable.
• Presently a lot of manual intervention is required; hence even the desired 535oC is not being
maintained on daily average basis.
• Pneumatic block valves on upstream of each SH spray control valves with 2% logic with
proper hysteresis is also required for the long term life of these control valve.
Similarly HRH temperature in long run at turbine inlet is suggested to be maintained at 540oC instead
of 535oC. Though it may go up to 543oC in long term. (Please refer page no 01-1 of steam turbine
O&M manual Vol-1).
For Each degree temperature rise will cause heat rate improvement of 0.474 Kcal/ kWh.
Hence 5oC rise in HRH temperature will reduce heat rate = 0.474 X 5 = 2.37 Kcal/ kWh.
But for this, the passing problem in RH spray control valve is to be attended and make this loop
reliable.
• Presently a lot of manual intervention is required; hence even the desired 535oC is not being
maintained on daily average basis, especially in Unit-1 and 2.
• Pneumatic block valves on upstream of each RH spray control valves with 2% logic with
proper hysteresis is also required for the long term life of these control valve.
• Burner tilt operation may be made available in full range i.e. +-30o.
The designed boiler outlet temperature is 537oC and turbine inlet temperature is 535oC. It means
that from boiler outlet to turbine inlet temperature fall is only 2oC.
But this temperature fall in units is high.
Proper insulation of the power pipeline is required.
(Data were taken on 20th Apr 2016)
Loss due to MS temperature loss in MS pipe line:
I) In unit 1 Boiler outlet to turbine inlet temperature fall is within 2oC limit. So loss due to
this is nil.
II) In unit 2 Boiler outlet MS temperature fall is 4oC in Left side and 5oC in right side.
MS flow in L and Right is is 366.6/2=183.3 TPH.
Heat loss Q = mL(hb out L-ht in L) + mR(hb out R-ht in R)
For 1oC fall ∆h=2.60/4.18 kCal/kg
mL=mR=183.3 X 103 kg/hr
III) In unit 3 Boiler outlet MS temperature fall is 8oC in Left side and 8oC in right side.
Heat loss Q = 114014.35 X [6 + 6] kCal/hr
= 1368172.2 kCal/hr
By curbing this loss, Expected heat rate = 2737.56 Kcal/ kWh
So gain in heat rate of unit-3 = 12.44 Kcal/ kWh
IV) In unit 4 Boiler outlet MS temperature fall is 9oC in Left side and 9oC in right side.
III) In unit 3 Boiler outlet HRH temperature fall is 4oC in Left side and 4oC in right side.
Heat loss Q = 85511.6 X [2 + 2] kCal/hr
= 342046.4 kCal/hr
By curbing this loss, Expected heat rate = 2746.89 Kcal/ kWh
So gain in heat rate of unit-3 = 3.11 Kcal/ kWh
IV) In unit 4 Boiler outlet HRH temperature fall is 2oC in Left side and 4oC in right side.
There are four motorized soot blower drain valves. While charging the soot blowing line, these drain
valve are opened to heat up the system and drain the condensate collected. After proper
temperature of the line upstream of these drain valve is achieved, these valves are closed.
Presently this operation is done manually. Due to this , many a times these drain valves remain open
for longer period than required and cause wastage of high temperature and pressure steam to drain.
So it is suggested to make the operation of these valves automatic by the following logic.
a) When the drain temperature is below 150oC, these valves should open automatically.
b) When the drain temperature rise above 180oC, the respective drain valve should close.
This will reduce the DM water makeup, hence heat rate will reduce.
Exact calculation is not possible of the gain, but it will optimize the loss due to drain occurring from
the soot blower system.
We already have an interconnecting line from PRDS to CRH, which were used earlier as MP start up
line during unit start-up to raise the steam parameters (This MP start –up line is equivalent to HP
Bypass line).
Now, with the availability of HP and LP Bypass system, This MP start up line is no longer used. This
line already has one control valve, NRV and one isolating valve.
From MS line
To reheater CRH
Bypass Controller
Cooler
1 Bypass Controller
Main Controller
nd
Direction of this NRV is
2
required to be changed
st
But HPH-2 extraction flow may be affected if this arrangement is done, care should be taken for this
also.
A suggestion was come to increase the area of economiser to reduce Dry FG losses. So the
committee has calculated the impact of increasing the area of Economiser on heat rate. The analysis
is as follows:
The rate of heat transfer from the flue gases to feed water is given by
=
−
=
−
= ∆
.
Where ∆
. = log-mean temperature difference,
= FG temperature at ECO inlet,
= FG temperature at ECO outlet, = mass of FG flow, = mass of Feed water,
= FW temperature at ECO outlet,
= FW temperature at ECO inlet,
= Overall heat transfer coefficient, = total area of Economiser,
= specific heat of FG = 0.24 Kcal/kg (which is generally acceptable valve worldwide)
∆
− ∆
∆
. =
∆
!" ∆
Where ∆
=
−
and ∆
=
−
Putting these values in the above heat transfer equation of Economiser, we get
FG temperature at ECO inlet
= 502.2oC (design temperature is 506oC)
So ∆
= 502.2-290 = 212.2oC and ∆
= 330-240 = 90oC
.$%&
So log-mean temperature difference ∆
. = .
'(
)*
= 142.47oC
Again putting these values in the Equation =
−
= ∆
.
Where = 3054 Sq mts
We get = 52.536 kCal/m2hroC
With this modified Economiser, we will be able to extract 662.69 X 103 kCal/hr from FG.
So gain in heat rate by increasing are of Economiser by 200 m2= 6.1 Kcal/ kWh
Note: Due to space constraint in Economiser area, this increase in area is difficult and requires CFD
(Computational fluid dynamics) analysis from an expert agency.
It is evident that the Gas Side Efficiency (GSE) is very low compared to design data. The GSE shows
the condition of the basket and heat transfer surface after making correction of leakage.
• Hence the condition of basket is not good and shows that significant amount of basket
weight has been lost. So it is recommended that during overhauling all the basket weight
should be measured after washing and if the weight of any basket is found 20% less than the
original weight, basket should be replaced.
• APH seal leakage is much higher than the designed 13.5%. Proper seal adjustment with the
new technology is recommended.
• APH to ID fan duct leakage is much higher than expected. It should be less than 1%. Care
should be taken to detect the leakage point during boiler ATT and all points should be
attended.
• The Economiser outlet FG temperature is lower than the designed temperature shows that
the heat absorption in Boiler pressure part in totality is good, but it does not indicate
anything about heat absorption in different area of boiler.
• Approximate Expected station DFG loss reduction if Basket weight increased 100% = 67
Kcal/kWh. (which is better than design due to less Economiser outlet temperature)
Though as reported, chemistry of the CW water is being maintained as per design, but following are
the point observed:
• During condenser cleaning, it is observed that the salt deposition inside the condenser tube
is not very high in lower zone but significant in upper zone tubes.
• Slime is found inside condenser tubes.
• A lot of algae formation is taking place in CT Fans hot basin.
• The CW water is muddy in appearance.
So it is recommended that the chemistry regime of the CW water is required to be revisited to tackle
these problems.
The measurement of effectiveness of cooling tower is quite tricky job and varies a lot depending
upon the atmospheric condition, heat load on the cooling tower, air condition etc.
For our reference, we have taken the test report of cooling tower effectiveness done by EEMG
department from 24th Nov 15 to 26th Nov 15. It was found the cooling tower effectiveness for CT-1,
2, 3 and 4 were 51.3%, 56.7%, 52.3% and 55.6% respectively. This is lower than designed value
(68%). Following are the recommendation to improve the CT fans effectiveness:
• Eliminate any potential obstructions in the air suction of the cooling tower. On the rear side
of Cooling tower-3 and 4 vegetation growth taking place. Trees are grown and coal boulders
are also collected behind these towers.
• Water droplets that are carried out of the cooling tower with the exhaust air is called drift or
windage loss. By maintain drift eliminator in proper shape, these losses may be minimized.
• The clearance between the tip of the blade of the axial flow fan and the fan stack is an often
neglected parameter which influences fan and cooling tower performance. Large clearances
allow the shedding of a vortex from the upper surface of the blade back to the low pressure
area beneath the fan; this produces lowered air flow rates and reduced fan efficiency.
• Water distribution in all the hot basins is required to be maintained uniform.
• The expansion gap between different cells should be covered by rubber mat to avoid air
ingress bypassing the water flow stream.
• Again, the hot basin should be ensured that it is free from debris, algae etc. The hot basin
may be installed with a sunshade to minimize algae formation, but poor chemistry of the
water is the primary cause of algae formation.
The condenser vacuum is a major point to be considered for heat rate loss. Following is the table of
loos attributed to poor condenser vacuum on 26th Apr 2016.
Daily HRD
Daily HRD
Daily HRD
Daily HRD
Design
Actual
Actual
Actual
Actual
Expdt
Expdt
Expdt
Expdt
Unit
Unit Load MW 110 110 110.6 1.9 110 110.5 1.5 110 111.1 3.4 110 112.1 6.6
CW inlet
C 33 33 27 -35.2 33 27 -35.2 33 27.4 -33.3 33 27.1 -34
Temp
Cond.
KSC -0.915 -0.959 -0.909 105.2 -0.953 -0.930 50.1 -0.962 -0.925 63.3 -0.954 -0.961 -6.8
Vacuum
It is clear from the above table that it is possible to improve heat rate a lot if the above losses can
minimized.
a) Air ingress in Unit-1 and 2 are higher side that are found by measuring Ejector outlet velocity.
Permanent rotameters may be provided for easy measurement of this velocity.
b) LP seal steam pressure is still varying with load. Though nowadays the LP seal steam controller in
auto, still in Unit-1 it requires a lot of manual intervention from local.
c) COLTs may be installed in Unit-1, 2 and 3 to minimize tube fouling and slime collection.
d) CW flow distribution should be balanced in all the units by regulating 1800 mm CW outlet valve.
e) CT should be maintained in good shape as mentioned in point no-11.
f) CW water chemistry should be maintained as mentioned in point no-10.
g) Number of CW pumps should be run as per design to minimize the fouling due to reduced
velocity in condenser tube.
h) The nozzles of ejectors should be checked and protocols should be made in each overhauling.
• CBD opening rate is higher than expected. (in the month of April 16, in four units, CBD
opening was for 9 times excluding after machine start up)
• There are incidences of chloride slipping in Boiler water.
• A number of flanges seem misaligned causing frequent leakages from few flanges e.g.
leakage from main ejector in Unit-2.
• In original scheme, during start-up of turbine, instead of HP and LP bypass system, MP start
up line and HRH vent to condenser line was used for raising the steam parameters. But now
HP LP bypass system has commissioned and aforementioned start up lines are not being
used. But in HRH vent to atmosphere line, continuous passing in all the units is being found.
So HRH vent to atmosphere line may be dummied.
• In all the units, there is slight passing in MS and HRH strainer drains (which are opened to
atmosphere).
• Similarly, a number of incidences occurred where passing from start-up vent, and low point
drains passing persisted for prolonged time.
• Gland leakages incidence from valves, especially on PRDS area is very frequent compared to
other stations.
This is to be noted that 1 TPH leakage translates in increasing heat rate by approximate
4Kcal/kWh.
As on date only four number LRSBs are operative in each Unit, out of which two LRSB are in RH zone
and two LRSBs are in Platen SH zone. Most of the time of Burner tilt remains on upper side i.e. >10o.
Sometimes even when Burner tilt remains in the uppermost position, the RH and SH temperature
remain below designed temperature. This not only causes heat rate loss due to less temperature,
but also causes high DFG losses. Moreover, unburnt carbon in Flue gas also increases when burner
tilt remains on higher side.
• So, it is recommended that four more LRSB may be re-commissioned i.e. LRSB#43, 44 and
LRSB#47, 48 or Platen SH zone and RH zone respectively.
• Moreover, operation of LRSB should be done upon requirement basis depending upon
burner tilt position as well as SH and RH temperature.
The designed radiation (unaccounted and manufacturing margin) loss is 1.50% for our boiler. This is
very high compared to modern boilers presently available in the market. It should be as low as 1% as
per present day requirement.
For this, it is recommended that the detailed insulation survey should be done with the help of
professional third party and the insulation quality should be improved as per the outcome of the
survey.
Moreover, insulation work should be completed before lighting up the boiler after overhauling
otherwise quality of the insulation work is compromised.