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UNIT 3 : STEAM POWER PLANT

INTRODUCTION
Steam is an important medium of producing mechanical energy. Steam has the advantage that,
it can be raised from water which is available in abundance; it does not react much with the materials
of the equipment of power plant and is stable at the temperature required in the plant. Steam is used to
drive steam engines, steam turbines etc. Steam power station is most suitable where coal is available in
abundance. Thermal electrical power generation is one of the major methods. Out of total power
developed in India about 60% is thermal.
3.1 ESSENTIALS OF STEAM POWER PLANT EQUIPMENT
A steam power plant must have following equipments :

3.2 POWER STATION DESIGN

Power station design requires wide experience. A satisfactory design consists of the following
steps :
(i) Selection of site
(ii) Estimation of capacity of power station.
(iii) Selection of turbines and their auxiliaries.
(iv) Selection of boilers, and their auxiliaries.

(v) Design of fuel handling system.

(vi) Selection of condensers.
(vii) Design of cooling system.
(viii) Design of piping system to carry steam and water.
(ix) Selection of electrical generator.
(x) Design and control of instruments.
(xi) Design of layout of power station. Quality of coal used in steam power station plays an important
role in the design of power plant.
The various factors to be considered while designing the boilers and coal handling units are as
follows :
(a) Slugging and erosion properties of ash.
(b) Moisture in the coal. Excessive moisture creates additional problems particularly in case of
pulverized fuel power plants.
(c) Burning characteristic of coal.
(d) Corrosive nature of ash.
3.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF STEAM POWER PLANT
The desirable characteristic for a steam power plant are as follows :
(i) Higher efficiency.
(ii) Lower cost.
(iii) Ability to burn coal especially of high ash content, and inferior coals.
(iv) Reduced environmental impact in terms of air pollution.
(v) Reduced water requirement.
(vi) Higher reliability and availability.