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A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns
for desalination of water as well as delivering electrical power. A large part of human CO2 emissions comes from fossil fueled thermal power plants; efforts to reduce these outputs are various and widespread.
Thermal power is generally classified into three categories based on the type of fuel, known as liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum and coal. While petroleum used to be used as fuel in most situations, the utilization ratios of LNG and coal have increased since the first oil crisis of 1973 as petroleum use has decreased over the years.
energy in much the same way that it's done in a gas fired
power plant, a nuclear power plant, or even a solar thermoelectric power plant. The only thing that differs among these different types of power plants is the way that the heat is generated.
Thus a thermoelectric power plant converts the energy in coal, gas, oil, nuclear fuel, or the suns rays into electrical energy.
Coal
Mining is the process of removing coal from
is
Holes are drilled into the rock and explosives are placed in these holes. The explosion breaks up the dirt and rock called overburden.
Large
earth-moving
machines move the overburden to expose the coal seam. When the coal is uncovered,
bulldozers
and
Underground
UNDERGROUND MINING
mining
is
used when the coal seam lies deep in the earth. In an underground mine only
some
of
the
coal
is
that
Underground mines look like a system of tunnels. The tunnels are used for traveling throughout the mine, moving coal from place to place and
is put on conveyor
belts. The conveyor
Shaft
mine.
These
mines may be 125 to 1,000 feet deep. A large hole, or shaft, is drilled down into the ground until it reaches the coal seam.
Fuel Consumption
For 2008, the power plant is expected to consume half of an estimated purchase of 1.67 million tonnes of coal intended for Calaca and Masinloc coal power plants. [2] The Calaca power plant is fired by pulverized coal, with two generating units of 300 MW each. The plant includes an offshore coal unloading jetty and unloading facilities. Half of the electricity produced from Calaca at peak load is partly covered by transitional supply contracts. [3]
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.
The coal input to the boiler of the power plant passes through three different phases before combustion in the boiler.
Receiving, storing, and transporting the coal to the boiler. This is bulk storage and bulk handling. Preparing the coal for firing or pulverizing. This is what is special in a coal fired power plant, especially large thermal power plants. Burning the coal in the combustion process to release the energy in the fuel.
Coal Pulverizing
The basic requirement of coal combustion is that all the carbon particles in coal should get sufficient air to burn and release the heat. Coal normally is available to power plants in large lumps ranging from 2 mm to 50 mm size. Coal is commercially available in different sizes known as Run of Mine, stoker, slack, etc. depending on their size.
Grindability
-Important characteristic of coal that decides the type, size, and power required for pulverizing. -denoted by the Hardgrove Grindability Index (or HGI).
Stage 2
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.
3. Transmission line (3-phase) 12. Deaerator 4. Unit transformer (3-phase) 13. Feed heater
21. Reheater 22. Air intake 23. Economiser 24. Air preheater 25. Precipitator 26. Induced
5. Electric generator (3-phase 14. Coal conveyor 6. Low pressure turbine 7. Boiler feed pump 8. Condensor draught fan 15. Coal hopper 16. Pulverised fuel mill 17. Boiler drum
1. Coal is conveyed (14) from an external stack and ground to a very fine powder by large metal spheres in the pulverized fuel mill (16).
2. There it is mixed with preheated air (24) driven by the forced draught fan (20). 3. The hot air-fuel mixture is forced at high pressure into the boiler where it rapidly ignites.
4. Water of a high purity flows vertically up the tube-lined walls of the boiler, where it turns into steam, and is passed to the boiler drum, where steam is separated from any remaining water.
5. The steam passes through a manifold in the roof of the drum into the pendant superheater (19) where its temperature and pressure increase rapidly to around 200 bar and 570C, sufficient to make the tube walls glow a dull red.
6. The steam is piped to the high-pressure turbine (11), the first of a three-stage turbine process.
7. A steam governor valve (10) allows for both manual control of the turbine and automatic set point following. 8. The steam is exhausted from the high-pressure turbine, and reduced in both pressure and temperature, is returned to the boiler reheater (21). 9. The reheated steam is then passed to the intermediate pressure turbine (9), and from there passed directly to the low pressure turbine set (6).
10. The exiting steam, now a little above its boiling point, is brought into thermal contact with cold water (pumped in from the cooling tower) in the condensor (8), where it condenses rapidly back into water, creating near vacuum-like conditions inside the condensor chest. 11. The condensed water is then passed by a feed pump (7) through a deaerator (12), and prewarmed, first in a feed heater (13) powered by steam drawn from the high pressure set, and then in the economiser (23), before being returned to the boiler drum.
12. The cooling water from the condensor is sprayed inside a cooling tower (1), creating a highly visible plume of water vapor, before being pumped back to the condensor (8) in cooling water cycle.
13. The three turbine sets are coupled on the same shaft as the three-phase electrical generator (5) which generates an intermediate level voltage (typically 20-25 kV). 14. This is stepped up by the unit transformer (4) to a voltage more suitable for transmission (typically 250-500 kV) and is sent out onto the three-phase transmission system (3).
15. Exhaust gas from the boiler is drawn by the induced draft fan (26) through an electrostatic precipitator (25) and is then vented through the chimney stack (27).
Reliability
Coals ability to supply power during peak power demand either as base power or as off-peak power is greatly valued as a power plant fuel
Affordability
Energy produced from coal fired plants is cheaper and more affordable than other energy sources.
Abundance
There are approximately over 300 years of economic coal deposits still accessible.
Known technologies.
The production and use of coal as a fuel are well understood, and the technology required in producing it is constantly advancing.
Safety
A coal power plant's failure is certainly not likely to cause catastrophic events such as a nuclear meltdown would. Additionally, the welfare and productivity of coal industry employees has greatly improved over the years
It cannot be denied that coal leaves behind harmful byproducts upon combustion
Mining destruction
Mining of coal not only results in the destruction of habitat and scenery, but it also displaces humans as well.
Millions of tons of waste products which can no longer be reused are generated from coal fired plants. Aside from the fact that these waste products contribute to waste disposal problems, these also contain harmful substances.
Thermal plants like coal fired plants emit harmful substances to the environment. These include mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, selenium, and arsenic
Environmental Audit
Review the actual operating and environmental performance of the plant in relation to its original design parameters. Examine the reasons for poor performance to identify measures that should be taken to address specific problems or to provide a basis for more appropriate assumptions about operating conditions in the futurefor example, with respect to average fuel characteristics. Assess the scope for making improvements in maintenance and housekeeping inside and around the plant
Evaluate the readiness and capacity of the plants emergency management systems to cope with incidents varying from small spills to major accidents (check storage of flammables, safe boiler and air pollution control system operation, and so on). Examine the plants record with respect to worker safety and occupational health.
Environmental Assessment
An environmental assessment of the proposed rehabilitation should be carried out early in the process of preparing the project in order to allow an opportunity to evaluate alternative rehabilitation options before key design decisions are finalized.
Assessment points:
Ambient environmental quality in the air shed or water basin affected by the plant, together with approximate estimates of the contribution of the plant to total emissions loads of the main pollutants of concern The impact of the plant, under existing operating conditions and under alternative scenarios for rehabilitation, on ambient air and water quality affecting neighbouring populations and sensitive ecosystems The likely costs of achieving alternative emissions standards or other environmental targets for the plant as a whole or for specific aspects of its operations Recommendations concerning a range of cost effective measures for improving the environmental performance of the plant within the Thermal Power: Rehabilitation of Existing Plants 429 framework of the rehabilitation project and any associated emissions standards or other requirements implied by the adoption of specific measures.
Emissions Guidelines
Normally, the energy conversion efficiency of the plant should be increased by at least 25% of its current level. Baseline emissions levels for particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides should be computed. An analysis of the feasibility (including benefits) of switching to a cleaner fuel should be conducted. Gas is preferred where its supply can be assured at or below world average prices. Coal with high heat content and low sulfur content is preferred over coal with high heat content and high sulfur content, which in turn is preferred over coal with low heat content and high sulfur content.
Washed coal should be used, if feasible. Low-NOx burners should be used, where feasible. Either the emissions levels recommended for new plants, or at least a 25% reduction in baseline level, should be achieved for the pollutant being addressed by the rehabilitation project. The maximum emissions level for PM is 100 milligrams per normal cubic meter (mg/Nm3 ), but the target should be 50 mg/Nm3 . In rare cases, an emissions level of up to 150 mg/Nm3 may be acceptable. SO2 emissions levels should meet regional load targets. Cleaner fuels should be used, to avoid shortterm exposure to sulfur dioxide.
Monitoring and reporting requirements for a thermal power plant that has been rehabilitated should be the same as those for a new thermal power plant of similar size and fuel type.