CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Process Description Overview

The relevant investigation is a thermal power plant with a unit having the restriction of 110MW

yield. It has three game plans of turbines which are the high pressure turbine, Intermediate

pressure turbine and low-Pressure Turbine. The turbines are mounted on a single shaft and a

generator is coupled directly with them. Single stage warming is used between the high-pressure

turbine and halfway tension turbine. The steam exhaust from the low-pressure turbine is thick in

the condenser using cooling water from the nearby stream. The thick steam is directed from the

hot well by the condensate guide to the low-pressure turbine hotter from which it is gone through

steam catch for most outrageous energy move. This is moreover guided through the middle

tension turbine radiators after which it is coordinated to the deaerator to dispense with the air and

make up water is in like manner added here.

The feed water siphon is used to siphon the water through the abundance two warmers (high

strain and Intermediate tension), to the economizer of the pot. The water is heated up on account

of the glow delivered from the consuming of the oil gas in the radiator. The yield from the

economizer goes into the warmer drum which separate the steam from the water. The steam is

gone through the steam radiator to outline superheated steam which is transported off the high

squeezing factor turbine where it gives shaft work that drives the turbine sharp edges. Exhaust

steam from high turbine returns into the reheater before being passed to the moderate squeezing

factor turbine since its squeezing variable would have dropped. The exhaust from the moderate

squeezing factor turbine enters directly into the low oblige turbine to give shaft work that drives
the generator to deliver the force. The exhaust steam from the low squeezing factor turbine is

thick in the condenser using nearby Lagoon water as the cooling framework.

3.2 Plant Simulation and Process Description

In this section, the process description of the steam power plant using water as a working fluid

for turning the shaft of the generator, we will able to generate electricity. The generator derives

motion from a steam turbine, the heart of the power plant.

In order to turn steam turbine, a high temperature and high-pressure steam is supplied at the

inlet of the turbine. As the turbines absolves energy from the high energy fluid, it pressures and

temperature drop toward the outlet. The power plant used different stages of turbines i.e. High-

Pressure Turbine (HP) Intermediate Pressure Turbine (IP) and Low-Pressure Turbine (LP). The

pressure is raised using condenser heat exchanger by converting the steam to liquid and boost the

pressure and it sits beneath low pressure turbines.

In the condenser, a stream of cold-water flows through the tubes, the stream rejects heat to

this liquid stream and became condensed. Now we use a pump to increase the pressure of this

feed water. Using multistage traffical pumping for this purpose, the pressure will revert to its

original state i.e. bringing it to its original value. For this purpose, heat is added to the exit of the

pump with the help of the boiler. Using fired heater, the incoming water initially passes through

the economizer section here the water will capture the energy from the flue gas the water flow

straight down-comer and then through water walls where transforms into steam. The pure steam

is separated at a steam drum then the working fluid is back to its original state (high temperature

and pressure). This steam can be fed back into the steam turbine and the circle can be repeated

over and over again with efficiency of 20-25% with low capacity. The efficiency and the
capacity is upgraded by Superheating Reheating and feedwater heating. In the case of

superheating, even after the liquid has been converted into steam, even more is added and the

steam become superheated but the steam turbine will not withstand temperature of more than 600

degrees celcius so superheating is limited to thar threshold. The temperature of the steam

decreases as it flows along the rows of the blade. Consequently, the efficiency is increased by

adding more heat after the first turbine stage which is known as REHEATING which increase

the temperature of the steam again leading to a high-power output and greater efficiency.

Superheating increase the efficiency by 5% and Reheating 3%.

The dissolved gasses in the feed water will spoil the boiler overtime. To remove this dissolved

gas, an open water feed water heater is then introduced; hot stream from the turbine is mixed into

the feedwater, stream bubbles generated will absorb the dissolved gases. The water coming out is

dearated water. The mixing also preheats the feedwater which helps improve the efficiency of

the power plant to an even greater extent say 40-45%.

Heat addition and rejection are executed. The cold liquid is supplied at the condenser with the

help of cooling tower. In the cooling tower, the heated-up water from the condenser are rid is

sprayed in the cooling tower which induces a natural air draft and the sprayed water losses heat

and cold water is fed into the inlet of the condenser.

The simulation software used was ASPEN HYSYS since it’s one of the commercially available

simulators use in the industry and due to its flexibility. The process flow diagram(PFD) is shown

in Figure 3.1. Each unit operation is described vividly in this section. The plant is grouped into

sections for easy description

3.2.1 Boiler Section

The purpose of the boiler is to convert water (pumped into it under pressure) to steam. The steam

may emerge wet, dry saturated, or superheated depending on the boiler design. Thermal

electrical power generation is one of the major methods. For a thermal power plant, the range of

pressure may vary from 10kg/cm2 to super critical pressures and the range of temperature may

be from250°C to 650°C. The boiler was modelled as the Fired heater since it is the unit operation

that best represents it. The boiler is fired with natural gas unlike some other power plants that are

fired using pulverized coal. The composition of the natural used is shown in Table 3.1.

Compressed air was used which served as the source of oxygen to bring about the combustion.

Both were charged at the bottom of the boiler and ignited in order to convert the chemical energy

present in the fuel to heat energy used to heat up the feed water to be converted to the steam.

Excess air of 10% was utilized initially though it was later varied to check its effect on the

performance of the plant. The boiler section also contains the following sub sections. The

subsections include:

1. Economizer: The economizer is a feed water heater, deriving heat from the flue gases.

The justifiable cost of the economizer depends on the total gain in efficiency. In turn this

depends on the flue gas temperature leaving the boiler and the feed water inlet

temperature.

2. Steam Drum: The pure steam of the incoming water that was initially passing through an

economizer section which captured energy from the natural gas that flowed through the

down-comer and then the water walls where it was been transformed to steam is being

separated in the steam drum.

3. Steam Heater: The separated steam from the boiler drum was converted to supersaturated

steam to remove any form of small drop that may be present. The supersaturated steam

was sent to the high-pressure turbine where the heat energy was converted to mechanical

energy that drove the blades of the turbine. Supersaturated steam was allowed in order to

prevent (slow chemical breakdown of something/rust, etc.) effect on the turbine blades

which might result to damage and replcement. It is also worthy to note that the steam has

to enter the turbine at a temperature that is less than or at the design temperature of the

turbine, otherwise extreme damage can be caused to the turbine.

4. Steam Reheater: The reheater functions similar to the superheater in that it serves to

elevate the steam temperature. Primary steam is supplied to the high-pressure turbine.

After passing through the high-pressure turbine, the steam is returned to the boiler for

reheating (in a reheater) after which it is sent to the low-pressure turbine.

With heat dropping after passing through the first turbine (high pressure turbine) there is

a need to for addition of heat to the steam for more efficient cycle and steam reheater Is

used for increasing temperature of the steam again leading to high power output.
Table 3.1: Composition of the Natural Gas used in the Boiler

Component Mole Fraction

H2O 0.0000

Nitrogen 0.0025

Oxygen 0.0000

CO 0.0000

CO2 0.0048

Methane 0.7041

Ethane 0.1921

Propane 0.0706

i-Butane 0.0112

n-Butane 0.0085

i-Pentane 0.0036

n-Pentane 0.0020

n-Hexane 0.0003

n-Heptane 0.0002

n-Octane 0.0001

Total 1.0000
3.2.2 Turbine Section

High Pressure Turbine: The superheated steam from the steam superheater entered the high-

pressure turbine at a temperature of 550 degrees Celsius and pressure of 150 bar. The

superheated steam rotates the turbine blades and convert its energy to mechanical energy for the

power generation. There was a drastic drop in both the temperature and the pressure of the steam

to 257.1 degree Celsius and 13.49 bar respectively. The exhaust from this turbine was split into

two different streams. The first stream (2) was charged to the HP turbine heater which heated up

the boiler feed water for maximum energy recovery. The second stream (3) which was to be sent

to the intermediate turbine, was reheated to increase its temperature and pressure to 550 degree

Celsius and 20 bar respectively using the steam reheater present in the boiler section.

Intermediate and Low-Pressure Turbines: The two turbines were coupled together in the

simulation. The reheated steam from the boiler entered here where the energy of the steam was

also utilized by the turbine blades and converted to shaft work to argument the power generated

by the high-pressure turbine since all the turbines were mounted on the same shaft connected to

the generator. There was a significant temperature and pressure drop in the exhaust saturated

steam from the coupled IP and LP turbines to 5.566 degree Celsius and 0.00881 bar respectively.

This stream was split into five different streams, three (streams 5,6,7) of which were used in the

Intermediate turbine heaters with one of them serving as the deaerator. The fourth stream (stream

8) was used in the low-pressure turbine heater to heat up the returning boiler feed water while the

last stream entered the condenser for energy removal and conversion to condensate to be pumped

to the boiler.
3.2.3 Condenser Section
A steam condenser is a closed vessel-type heat exchanger applied to convert low-pressure

exhaust steam from the turbine to water. A steam condenser is a mechanical device employed to

condense exhaust steam of the turbine into the water. It conducts this process with the help of

cooling water that circulates inside it from the cooling tower. The pressure within a steam

condenser is held below the atmospheric pressure to enhance efficiency. It is commonly used to

lower the backpressure of the exhaust at the turbine end.

The purpose of using a steam condenser is:

 helping keep the pressure low (below atmospheric pressure) at the steam turbine end to

get maximum possible energy and reduce the specific steam consumption of a power plant.

 supplying pure feed water to and from the hot well. The water is again pumped to the

boiler using a boiler feed pump.

 raising the heat transfer rate by removing other non-condensable gases from the exiting

steam.

3.2.3.1 Condenser

It is used to condense the steam. The steam with low pressure delivers its heat to the coolant

(here water from the cooling tower), and it converts into the water through the condensation

process. The use of a condenser in a power plant is to improve the efficiency of the powerplant

by decreasing the exhaust pressure of the steam below atmosphere. Another advantage of the

condenser is that the steam condensed may be recovered to provide a source of good pure feed
water to the boiler and reduce the water softening capacity to a considerable extent. A condenser

is one of the essential components of a power plant.

The main purposes of the condenser are to condense the exhaust steam from the turbine for reuse

in the cycle and to maximize turbine efficiency by maintaining proper vacuum. As the operating

pressure of the condenser is lowered (vacuum is increased), the enthalpy drop of the expanding

steam in the turbine will also increase. This will increase the amount of available work from the

turbine (electrical output). By lowering the condenser operating pressure, the following will

occur:

(a) Increased turbine output

(b) Increased plant efficiency

(c) Reduced steam flow (for a given plant output) It is therefore very advantageous to operate the

condenser at the lowest possible pressure (highest vacuum)

3.2.3.2 Steam Condenser Working Principle

In this section, we will give a basic description of how a steam condenser works. A flow of

cooling water is continuously circulating from the condenser inside a steam condenser to the

cooling tower and the cooling tower to the condenser. When low-pressure exhaust steam leaves

the turbine and passes through the condenser, it loses the heat and condenses into water. The

circulating cooling water performs the extraction of the heat from the steam.
Two types of devices are installed on the condenser: the condensate extraction pump and the air

extraction pump. Therefore, when the steam condenses into water, it re-circulates again to the

steam generator with the help of a condensate extraction pump. Using the air extraction pump, a

vacuum (the pressure below the atmospheric pressure) is created inside the condenser so that

cooling water can circulate easily and also the condensate flow can be stabilized.

Due to the low pressure inside the condenser, the air enters the system so that the condenser is

filled with a mixture of water, air, and steam.

3.2.3.3 Vacuum Efficiency 

The vacuum efficiency describes the degree of completeness in obtaining the required vacuum in

the condenser. It can be expressed by the following relation.

Vacuum efficiency= Actual vacuum / Ideal vacuum}

= Actual vacuum recorded by gauge / Barometric pressure- Absorbed pressure by steam
Figure 3.2: Element of a Steam Condenser
3.2.3.4 Condenser Efficiency

The ideal condenser only dissipates the latent heat so that the condensate temperature is equal to

the saturation temperature (boiling point of water) corresponding to the condenser pressure.

Latent heat is referred to the heat needed to turn a solid into a liquid or vapor without

temperature change.

Ideally, the maximum temperature of the outlet cooling water is the condensate temperature

but is less than the actual. So, the efficiency of the condenser is expressed as the ratio of the

actual increase in cooling water temperature to the maximum increase in temperature:

Condenser efficiency = t2−t1 / t3−t1/

 
where, t1 and t2 are the cooling water inlet and outlet temperatures, respectively. Also, t3 is the

saturation temperature corresponding to the pressure of the condenser.

3.2.3.5 Condenser Types

There are two primary types of condensers that can be used in a power plant:

 Direct contact

 Surface

Direct contact condensers condense the turbine exhaust steam by mixing it directly with cooling

water. The older type Barometric and Jet-Type condensers operate on similar principles. Steam

surface condensers are the most commonly used condensers in modern power plants. The

exhaust steam from the turbine flows on the shell side (under vacuum) of the condenser, while

the plant’s circulating water flows in the tube side. The source of the circulating water can be
either a closed-loop (i.e. cooling tower, spray pond, etc.) or once through (i.e. from a lake, ocean,

or river). The condensed steam from the turbine, called condensate, is collected in the bottom of

the condenser, which is called a hot well. The condensate is then pumped back to the boiler to

repeat the cycle.

3.2.3.6 Surface Condenser

The surface condenser is a shell and tube heat exchanger in which cooling water is circulated

through the tubes. The exhaust steam from the low-pressure turbine enters the shell where it is

cooled and converted to condensate (water)by flowing over the tubes as shown in the diagram.

Such condensers use steam ejectors or rotary motor-driven exhausters for continuous removal of

air and gases from the steam side to maintain vacuum.

For best efficiency, the temperature in the condenser must be kept as low as practical in order to

achieve the lowest possible pressure in the condensing steam. Since the condenser temperature

can almost always be kept significantly below 100oC where the vapor pressure of water is much

less than atmospheric pressure, the condenser generally works under vacuum. Thus leaks of non-

condensable air into the closed loop must be prevented. The condenser generally uses either

circulating cooling water from a cooling tower to reject waste heat to the atmosphere, or once-

through water from a river, lake or ocean. To improve the efficiency of the plant, the steam

exhausted from the turbine is condensed by means of a condenser. Water is drawn from a natural

source of supply such as a river, canal or lake and is circulated through the condenser. The

circulating water takes up the heat of the exhausted steam and itself becomes hot. This hot water

coming out from the condenser is discharged at a suitable location down the river. In case the

availability of water from the source of supply is not assured throughout the year, cooling towers
are used. During the scarcity of water in the river, hot water from the condenser is passed on to

the cooling towers where it is cooled. The cold water from the cooling tower is reused in the

condenser

3.2.3.7 Cooling Tower

It is a tower containing cold water, and this water is provided to circulate inside the condenser to

cool the steam. The importance of the cooling tower is felt when the cooling water from the

condenser has to be cooled. The cooling water after condensing the steam becomes hot and it has

to be cooled as it belongs to a closed system. The Cooling towers do the job of decreasing the

temperature of the cooling water after condensing the steam in the condenser.

In the cooling tower, the heated up water are rid and sprayed in the cooling tower which induces

a natural air draft and the sprayed water loses heat. The cold water is always provided at the

condenser inlet.

3.2.3.8 Drain Cooler

The drain cooler is a water-to-water heat exchanger formed within the heater shell by a baffle

which envelopes some of the tubes at the condensate (or feedwater) inlet. The condensed heating

steam is subcooled there before it drains from the heater. The drain cooler was modelled as a

shell and tube heat exchanger.

FIGURE 3.: Diagram of a typical water-cooled Surface Condenser
FIGURE 3.: TYPICAL POWER PLANT CONDENSER