SUPERCRITICAL BOILER

REQUIREMENTS FOR BOILER DESIGN

PHILOSOPHY

Steam cycle parameters:
Optimumbest q
Boiler and auxilieries : Most efficient lowest sp. Coal
consumption i.e. q highest
High availability
Short start-up timeminimum start-up losses e.g. fuel oil
consumption+
Quick load-following capability
Flexible when coal of varying quality or fouling
tendencies
Sophisticated firing system minimise NOx emissions
IMPORTANCE OF EFFICIENCY
The cost of operating the Plant of 3 x 660
MW, one percentage point below the design
point, will incur additional fuel cost of Rs. 20
Crores in a year.
The indirect costs for Maintenance, Ash Dyke
land etc. will give additional burden of Rs. 2
Crores in a year.
The life time loss is Rs. 660 Crores for
efficiency lower by one percentage point .
At Sipat, we gain an efficiency of 2.5
percentage point by adopting super critical
technology in 1980 MW station, thus saving
Rs. 1650 Crores in its life time.


QUEST FOR EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT
Supercritical parameters (Press. above
225Kg/cm2 and temperature above
374.15 C) is an effort in that direction.
The selected supercritical parameters
for Sipat Boiler are :
Pressure : 256 kg/cm
2
Temperature : 540 C SH and
568C RH
RANKINE CYCLE
The Carnot Cycle is theoretically most efficient, but it is
having practical difficulties.
For steam power plant, practical thermal cycle was
suggested by Rankine, called Ideal cycle or Rankine
cycle.
3-3 BFP raises pressure from p2 to p1
3-4 Heating In feed heaters & eco
4 -1 Heating In boiler
1-2 Work done in Turbine from p
1 to
p
2




1
2
3
3
4
T
S
T1
T2
p1
p2
THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF RANKINE CYCLE
Q
1
-Q
2
W Useful work
= ------- = --- = ----------------
Q
1
Q Heat supplied
Rejected Heat
= 1 - --------------------
Useful Heat
T
1
- T
2
T
2
Carnot = -------- = 1 - ---

T
1
T
1
To achieve more efficiency T
2
should be as low as
possible and T
1
should be as high as possible
CYCLE THERMODYNAMICS ANALYSIS

q| How?
P0|
T0|
Reheat one or two , Treheat|
Regeneration
- the best
- More the better7 to 8 ?
Higher P0(P0-Pc)|

8-10 heaters
Pc+


METHODS OF INCREASING RANKINE CYCLE
EFFICIENCY
Raising supply temperature by super heating.
Increasing the inlet temperature will raise the heat
supply to the cycle more than the heat rejection.

Raising inlet pressure of steam :
Increasing the pressure will mean increase in
saturation temperature at which steam
evaporates thus increasing the average inlet
temperature (T
1
)

(Contd..)
Dropping the final pressure (or temperature) at which heat is
rejected.
Regenerative Heating : Heating the feed water pumped to Boiler
by bleeding steam from turbine.
Reheat Cycle : Reheating of steam in boiler after it has already
expanded in HP Turbine will avoid moisture formation in LT
Turbine. Also, more heat content of steam before IP Turbine,
will improve efficiency.
WHY SUPERCRITICAL PRESSURE
A Boiler operating at a pressure above
critical point is called SUPERCRITICAL
BOILER
A point where boiling water and dry
saturated lines meet so that associated
latent heat is zero, this point is called
Critical Point and occurs at 225 kg/cm2
(abs) 374.15 C temperature.
CRITICAL CONDITION
Definition
CRITICAL is a thermodynamic expression
describing the state of a substance
beyond which there is no clear distinction
between the liquid and gaseous phase.
The critical pressure & temperature for
water are
Pressure = 225.56 Kg / cm2
Temperature = 374.15 C
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
SUPER CRITICAL
BOILER CYCLE
WITH SH, RH &
Regeneration
of SIPAT 3 x 660 MW
540C
568C
Steam flow :2225 T/Hr
Steam temp : 540 c
Steam Pres : 256 kg/cm2
RH pre : 51.6 Kg/cm2
RH Temp : 568c
Feed water Temp : 291c
ENTROPY
TEMP
SUPERCRITICAL BOILER
Supercritical pressure boiler has no drum and heat
absorbing surface being, in effect, one continuous
tube, hence called once through Supercritical
pressure boilers.
The water in boiler is pressurized by Boiler Feed
Pump, sensible heat is added in feed heaters,
economizer and furnace tubes, until water attains
saturation temperature and flashes instantaneously
to dry saturated steam and super heating
commences.
SUPERCRITICALTHERMAL CYCLE
ADVANTAGES (1)
Improvements in plant efficiency by
more than 2 %
Decrease in Coal Consumption
Reduction in Green House gases.
Overall reduction in Auxiliary Power
consumption.
Reduction in requirement of Ash dyke
Land & Consumptive water.

SUPERCRITICAL ADVANTAGES (2)
Sliding pressure operation because of Once
through system .
Even distribution of heat due to spiral wall
arrangement leading to less Boiler tube
failure, thereby improving system continuity
and availability of the station.
Low thermal stress in Turbine .
The startup time is less for boiler.


SUPERCRITICAL DISADVANTAGES

Higher power consumption of BFP
Higher feed water quality required.
More complex supporting and framing in
Boiler due to Spiral Wall tubes.
Slight higher capital cost.
COMPARISION OF THERMAL CYCLE
EFFICIENCIES.
OPEN CYCLE EFFICIENCY - 14.68 %
WITH CONDENSER - 26.2 %
WITH SUPER HEAT 30.75 TO 34.15 %
WITH REHEAT - 34.2 TO 36.6 %
WITH SUPER CRITICAL PARAMETERS-
36.0 TO 39.15 %
INCREASE IN PLANT EFFICIENCY by SUPER
CRITICAL PARAMETERS
1.5
0.9
0.6
3.2
167 bar
538/538c
250 bar
538/538
250 bar
540/560c
250 bar
580/600c
250bar
566/566 c
1
2
3
4
5
6
.
Efficiency Increase
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t

A
L
S
T
O
M

2
0
0
5


Well suited for < 2100 psi cycles
Natural Circulation System
To Superheater
Risers
Furnace
or
Combustor
Econ
Drum
Downcomers
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t

A
L
S
T
O
M

2
0
0
5

Optimum solution for reliable high pressure subcritical operation
Controlled Circulation System
To Superheater
Furnace
Econ
Drum
Downcomers
BWCPs
(Orifices)
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t

A
L
S
T
O
M

2
0
0
5

Suitable for Sub and Supercritical Cycles
Once-Through Circulation System
Separator
Furnace
or
Combustor
Econ
Circ.
Pump
Distribution Header
To Superheater
SLIDING PRESSURE
OPERATION(SPO)
Natural S.P.O.(NSPO)
Turbine inlet valves :fully open during
normal operation
P live steam o steam flow
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t

A
L
S
T
O
M

2
0
0
5

Sliding Pressure Supercritical
Operation
Pressure operation mode at boiler outlet
4350
3625
2900
2175
1450
725
0
p
s
i
g
)

1
2
3
1. Constant Pressure Operation
2. Modified Sliding Pressure Operation
3. Pure Sliding Pressure Operation
S.P.O. - ADVANTAGES

1. No additional pressure loss between boiler and turbine
qcycle | within (Pb.o. Pc)
2. Boiler Pr. at low loads : low FW pump auxiliary power
consumption : low q |
At full load : same for both Operating modes
E.x. : 50% load , Power consumption in fixed Pr.
operation (f . p. o) is double as in S.P.O
3. Lower Pr. at low loads less fatigue of Pr. part
components e.g. boiler , turbine piping longer life
of all components, Less wear of components Less
Maintenance

N.C.B. with F.P.O :

- Pr. loss at turbine inlet for f.p.o significant
temp+
- Higher Pr. loss higher temp+
- Different loads : Pr. loss = var, temp = var
- Each load change Tt.i. = var
- Permissible temp change at t.i. : LMITED
load change in f.p.o : LIMITED


O.T.B with S.P.O
Much larger permissible load transients (twice as high
as in natural circulation boilers)
A boiler requirement : maintain T0 = T0 rated
within widest load change
Special methods employed : Flue gas
recirculation, Attemperators, Special heat
exchangers
In drum boilers: T0 + at loads < (50 60 )%
In supercritical boilers : T0= T0 rated in entire
controlled load range


Start up time and start up
losses :

- Thick walled drum of n. c. boiler (thickness >200mm ,P > 180
bar ) : permits only small temp . gradients and a small no. of
sharp changes
Thin walled separating vessels of once through boilers : larger
gradients and a small no. of sharp changes
- This is increasingly more important as Tstart up +
E.g. 48 hrs after shut down : boiler relatively cold :
O.T.B start up ~ 80 min
N.C.B start up ~ 210 min
Disadvantage of NSPO:

Storage effect of boiler >>that of turbine
This slows down load changes
Turbine inlet valve opening = const
Pr before turbine must first be raised or lowered .
The same for the complete boiler.
Requirements of electrical grid can hardly be
fulfilled using NSPO
REMEDY? Modified S.P.O. (MSPO)
Modified SPO (MSPO)

With load variation admission cross
section at turbine : altered briefly
Accumulated steam in boiler : discharged
at once
Dynamic response of boiler : improved
substantially
Advantages of SPO: lost partly
WHY NOT SLIDING Pr. OPERATION IN
NATURAL CIRCULATION BOILERS?

P+ steam formation in down comers instabilities in
circulation system
P+ water surface in drum disturbed drum level
control problems feed water control problems
Drum : most critical thick walled component
Tin drum = Ts = f(P)
In S.P.O ,P= var
Drum under highest thermal stresses
Note: almost all natural circulation boilers operated in fixed
Pr. mode and mostly for base load operation
THANK YOU