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Base Load & Peak Load

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152 views

Base Load & Peak Load

Uploaded by

srinivas p
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Base Load and Peak Load on Power Station

The changing load on the power station makes


its load curve of variable nature. Fig. 3.13.
shows the typical load curve of a power station.
It is clear that load on the power station varies
from time to time. However, a close look at the
load curve reveals that load on the power
station can be considered in two parts, namely;

(i) Base load

(ii) Peak load


(i) Base load. The unvarying load which
occurs almost the whole day on the station
is known as base load.
Referring to the load curve of Fig. 3.13, it is
clear that
20 MW of load has to be supplied by the station
at all times of day and night i.e. throughout
24 hours. Therefore, 20 MW is the base load
of the station. As base load on the station is
almost of constant nature, therefore, it can be
suitably supplied without facing the problems
of variable load.
(ii) Peak load. The various peak demands
of load over and above the base load of
the station is known as peak load.

Referring to the load curve of Fig. 3.13, it is


clear that there are peak demands of load
excluding base load. These peak demands of
the station generally form a small part of the
total load and may
occur throughout the day
Method of Meeting the Load
The total load on a power station consists of two parts
viz., base load and peak load. In order to achieve
overall economy, the best method to meet load is to
interconnect two different power stations.
The more efficient plant is used to supply the base load
and is known as base load powerstation.
The less efficient plant is used to supply the peak loads
and is known as peak load power station. There is no
hard and fast rule for selection of base load and peak
load stations as it would
depend upon the particular situation. For example, both
hydro-electric and steam power stations are quite
efficient and can be used as base load as well as peak
load station to meet a particular load requirement
Illustration. The interconnection of
steam and hydro plants is a beautiful
illustration to meet
the load. When water is available in sufficient
quantity as in summer and rainy season, the
hydroelectric
plant is used to carry the base load and the
steam plant supplies the peak load as shown
in
Fig 3.14 (i).
However, when the water is not available in
sufficient quantity as in winter, the steam plant
carries the base load,
whereas the hydro-electric plant carries the
peak load as shown in Fig. 3.14 (ii).
Important Points in the Selection of Units
While making the selection of number and
sizes of the generating units, the following
points should
be kept in view :
(i) The number and sizes of the units
should be so selected that they
approximately fit the annual load curve of
the station
(ii) The units should be preferably of different capacities
to meet the load requirements. Although
use of identical units (i.e., having same capacity) ensures
saving* in cost, they often do not meet the load requirement.
(iii) The capacity of the plant should be made 15% to
20% more than the maximum demand to meet the future
load requirements.
(iv) There should be a spare generating unit so that
repairs and overhauling of the working units can be
carried out.
(v) The tendency to select a large number of units of
smaller capacity in order to fit the load curve very
accurately should be avoided. It is because the investment
cost per kW of capacity
increases as the size of the units decreases.
Example 3.18. A proposed station has the
following daily load cycle :
Time in hours 6—8 8—11 11—16 16—19 19—22 22
—24 24—6
Load in MW 20 40 50 35 70
40 20
Draw the load curve and select suitable
generator units from the 10,000, 20,000,
25,000, 30,000 kVA. Prepare the operation
schedule for the machines selected and
determine the load factor from the curve
Solution. The load curve of the power station
can be drawn to some suitable scale as
shown in
Fig. 3.12.
Units generated per day = Area (in kWh) under
the load curve
= 103 [20 × 8 + 40 × 3 + 50 × 5 + 35 × 3 + 70
× 3 + 40 × 2]
= 103 [160 + 120 + 250 + 105 + 210 + 80] kWh
= 925 × 103 kWh
Average load = 925 × 10 3/24= 38541·7 kW
Load factor = 38541.7/70×103× 100 = 55·06%
Selection of number and sizes of units :
Assuming power factor of the machines to be 0·8, the
output of the generating units available will be 8, 16,
20 and 24 MW. There can be several possibilities.
However, while selecting the size and number of units,
it has to be borne in mind that (i) one set of highest
capacity should be kept as standby unit
(ii) the units should meet the maximum demand (70
MW in this case) on the station
(iii) there should be overall economy.
Keeping in view the above facts, 4 sets of 24 MW each
may
be chosen. Three sets will meet the maximum demand of
70 MW and one unit will serve as a standby unit
Operational schedule
Referring to the load curve shown
in Fig. 3.12, the operational schedule will be as
under :
(i) Set No. 1 will run for 24 hours.
(ii) Set No. 2 will run from 8.00 hours to
midnight.
(iii) Set No. 3 will run from 11.00 hours to
16 hours and again from 19 hours to 22
hours

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