www.uptunotes.

com

POWER PLANT ENGINEERING (REE-401)

UNIT-II
Unit-II: Thermal Steam power plants- selection of site, elements and operational circuits of the power plant, turbo-alternators,
plant layout, steam turbines, control and auxiliaries.

2.1 THERMAL POWER STATION: A thermal power 2.3 MAIN PARTS & THEIR WORKING: Main steam
station converts the chemical energy of the fossil fuels into station of a thermal plant works on the Rankine cycle. The
electrical energy. In such plants, this action is achieved by plant can be divided into four basic circuits:
generation of steam in boilers and then fed this high
pressurized steam to turbine, which is mechanically coupled (a) Coal & Ash Circuit:
with generator and responsible of electrical energy generation.  Coal is transported from supply points to storage through
transportation medium like by road/train or from others.
Mechanical  After proper treatment i.e. passing the coal through curshers,
energy dryers and magnetic seperators (for sizing, removal of
Generator magnetic substances or imuprities) this coal is fed to the
Steam boiler furnace through a conveyer belt.
Steam Electrical
Coupling  After which this coal is fed to the stoker and burn it under
turbine energy
Water proper conditions to boil the water in boilers.
Boiler Flue gases

Thermal COAL STORAGE

energy
FIG.2.1 BASIC LAYOUT OF THERMAL POWER PLANT COAL HANDLING
PLANT

2.2 SITE SELECTION: Selection of site of any power plant ASH HADLING
plays an important role in the economy of the station. Site BOILER
PLANT FUEL
selection is based on various important factors, some of which GAS
for thermal power plant is given as:
ASH STORAGE
(a) Cost of land: Cost of land should be reasonable and FIG.2.2 COAL & ASH CIRCUIT
further extensions, if necessary should be possible.
(b) Nature of land: The type of the land selected as site (b) Air & Gas Circuit:
should have good bearing capability to withstand the load of  For combustion of fuel, air is required and this air is
the plant. supplied through the forced draught fan and induced draught
(c) Availability of fuel: Thermal power stations requires huge fan.
amount of fuel per day. Therefore it is necessary that the  The air fed to the boiler is pass through the air pre-heater to
location of the plant should in such that the fuel may available exhaust energy of flue gases coming out from the boiler.
at low cost and it should be easy to deliver fuel from coal  Then it passes through the economizer and dust collector
fields at a low transportation charges and within time. and then finally released to the atmosphere through
(d) Availability of water: Thermal (steam) power plants chimney.
requires large amount of water because water is used as
working fluid wich is respectively evaporated and condenced.
CHIMNEY

Abundant quantity of cooling water for condenser should also BOILER

available and its large amount is required for ash handling. It PREHEATER
is therefore, necessary to locate the power plant near water
body. FORCED
(e) Easy transportation facility: It is also a very important DRAFT FAN ECONOMIZER
consideration. It is always necessary to have easy INDUCED
transportation by which transportation of fuel and heavy FURNACE DRAFT FAN
machinery becomes an easy task. FIG.2.3 AIR & GAS CIRCUIT
(f) Waste disposal facility: It is an important factor because
proper disposal of wate products is very important, since they (c) Feed Water & Steam Circuit:
affects environment and may create serious problems.  The exhausting of turbine is condensed by condenser. Is
first heated in closed feed water heater through extracted
steam.

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 1

 www.uptunotes.com
 This water is then passed though deaerator (which plays a  It is one of the major components of the steam power plant.
role to reduce the dissolved oxygen content), then this feed  Boilers are broadly classified as: fire tube boiler & water
water is pumped to a high pressure heater to the boiler tube boiler. Generally water tube boilers are used.
through economizer.
 Some part of steam and water is lost in circulation of (a) Fire Tube Boiler:
different componets of the system, adding a make-up water  In these boilers, the products of the combustion pass
is necessary in feed water to compensate it. through the tubes which are surrounded water.
 In boiler, water is converted into high pressure steam, which  They have low initial cost.
is fed to super-heaters to absorb its moisture and make it  In such boilers, the water volume is more and circulating
dry. being poor so they cannot meet quickly changes in staem
 This high pressurized dry steam is now fed to the turbine demand.
through the main valve.  Depending on the tubes, they may be further classified as:
vertical and horizontal tube boilers.
STEAM  They may be internally fed or externally fed.
 In and internally fed boiler, grate and combustion chamber
enclosed within the boiler shell while in externally fed
SUPER- TO ALTERNATOR
HEATER
boilers all these are separate and distinct from boiler shell.
TURBINE

MAKE-UP WATER STEAM OUTLET

TANK

HOT GASES OUTLET

WATER

ECONOMIZER

FIRE TUBE
BOILER
CONDENSER

EVAPORATOR
FURNACE

HOT
GAS

FEED WATER
CONDENSATE
PUMP FEED WATER
PUMP
HEATER
FIG.2.4 FEED WATER & STEAM CIRCUIT FIG.2.6 FIRE TUBE BOILER
(d) Cooling Water Circuit: (b) Water Tube Boiler:
 Colling water is used to condense the steam in condenser  In this boiler, water tubes are surrounded by hot gases which
and maintaining it on a low pressure. are produced due to the combustion of fuel.
 In such process a large ammount of cooling water is
AIR
required, which may be taken from river side or any other
PREHEATER
reservoir.
FLUE GAS
SUPER
AIR
HEATER
ALTERNATOR

BOILER STEAM
SUPER VALVE
TO

HEATER
TURBINE

CONDENSER STEAM
CIRCULATING

DRUMS
WATER

COOLING
WATER PUMP COOL C
O
C MB
H U
A S
M T
BE I O
RIVER OR POND R N
FIG.2.5 COOLING WATER CIRCUIT ECONOMISER

2.4 BOILERS: ASH

 A device (closed vessel) which is use to produce steam
FIG.2.7 WATER TUBE BOILER
under high pressure.

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 2

 www.uptunotes.com
 These tubes are interconnected by common water storage  Condensers also help to recover steam and this provides a
and to steam outlet. source of good pure water to the boiler and this process
 Depending on the positions of tubes, water tube boiler may reduces the capacity of water softening plant.
classified as: vertical, horizontal and inclined tube boilers.  Condensers are of two types: (a) Jet/contact condensers;
 The circulation of water takes place naturally or it is a (b) Surface Condenser.
forced process as per requirment and condition.
 Jet/Contact Condenser:
2.5 SUPERHEATERS & REHEATERS:  In such condensers, colling water is mixed with exaust
 These are used to superheat steam to the desired value. steam.
 Superheated steam contains more heat than saturated steam  Generally water from river or any other storage is used for
at same pressure & it has been heated above the temprature this purpose through centrifugal pumps.
corresponding to its pressure.  After use this warm water is returned to the river.
 Due to superheating of the steam, the heat provides more
energy to the turbine and thus power output is more. EXHAUST
 Corrosion of the turbine blads reduces and the steam can be STEAM COOLING WATER
transmitted for longer distances with low heat loss. PLATE OUTLET
 Superheater removes the last traces of moisture from the
saturated steam leaving the boiler tube and increases the
temprature of this steam.
 Superheaters may be classified as:
(a) Convection superheaters, (b) Radiant superheaters or
may be combination of both.
 A convection superheater is located where gas stream
receives most of the heat convection. WATER
 A radiant superheater is placed near to the furnace where BOX COOLING
heat is received by radiation. CONDENSATE TO WATER INLET
 In modern boilers, reheaters also used to suoerheat the EXTRACTION PUMP
partly expended steam from the turbine.
 This action dries the steam through the last stage of turbine. FIG.2.9 SURFACE CONDENSER
Surface Condenser:
2.6 CONDENSER:  It consist of a air-tight cylindrical shell having a chamber
 Condenser are used to decrease the exaust pressuer of the at each end.
steam below atmospheric pressure, which improves the  Cooling water circulated through the tubes.
efficiency of the power plant.  The steam enters from the top and get condensed due to
contact with the surface of these cooling water tubes and
AIR leaves from the bottom.
INJECTION
WATER SPRAY 2.7 ECONOMISER:
 An economiser is a heat exchanger wich extract heat from
flue gases and this exctracted heat is used to raise the
CONDENSER temprature of feed water.
SHELL  The use of an economiser results in saving in coal
consumption and higher boiler efficiency. It also increases
EXHAUST the evaporation efficiency of boiler.
STEAM
FLUE GASES

FEED WATER
OUTLET
TO
BOILER
PUMP

FEED WATER
INTLET
FLUE GASES
COOLING POND FIG.2.10 ECONOMISER
FIG.2.8 JET/CONTACT CONDENSER

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 3

 www.uptunotes.com
 Economiser is generally used in all mordern power plants. Requirments odf a good fuel handling syatem are:
 Economiser contains thin water tubes of small diameter,  It should be reliable;
placed between two headers.  Should require minium mantinance and operating cost;
 Flue gases flow outside the tubes and feed water enters from  Should fulfill the requirment during peak periods, etc.
one header and leaves through the other. Various stages of a fuel handling system is as:
 The temprature range of the various parts of the boiler is
redused which is responsible for reduction of stress due to (a) Delivery of fuel: Fuel(coal) may be delivered by sea or
unequal expansion. river, rail or road. Coal selection
is depend upon the system Fuel Delivery
2.8 AIR PREHEATER: capacity in tonnes per hour, Road/River/Rail
 Air preheaters are used to extract more heat from the flue location of the plant with
gases coming out from economiser. transportation medium and the
 Cooling of flue gases by 200C raises the plant efficiency by storage facility. Unloading
1%. (b) Unloading: In unloading the
 Air preheaters may be classified as: plate type or tubular choice of equipment will Preparation
type or regenerative type. depend on how the coal is
 In plate type air heater, alternate narrow lanes are there for received.
gas na dair passages. In which two fluids flow in opposite (c) Preperation: Proper Transfer
directions. preparation of coal is very
important before its Outdoor storage
SHAFT combustion. It may contain
COLD AIR various other elements so coal
preparation plant may include: Indoor Storage
COLD FLUE
GAS (i) Crushers
(ii) Sizers (iii) Dryers In-plant Handling
(iv) Magnetic separators.
ROTOR ELEMENT

(d) Transfer: Tranfer of coal from

HOT AIR HOT FLUE
GAS
FIG.2.11 AIR PREHEATER
(REGENERATIVE)
 In tabular air heaters, the gases flow inside the tubes and the
air passes over the tube exteriers.
 The regenerative preheaters are the most popular preheatear
which uses a cylendrical rotor made of corrugated steel
plates, which is fixed on to a shaft and rotates at a speed of 2
to 4 rpm.
 The rotation of rotor alternatively passes through flue gases
and air zones.
 Flue gases heated the rotor element in their zone and this
element transfer this heat to air when they are in air zone.
 A regenerative air preheater forms a compact and efficient
heat exchanger for steam power plant due to its large
surface area provided by rotor element.
2.9 FUEL/COAL HANDLING SYSTEM: In most of the
thermal plants coal is used as fuel and more the half of the
operating cost is on account of coal, therefore its handling is
very important for proper operation of plant.
Measurement
unloading point to storage site
from where it is discharged to
the firing equipment, depends Furnace Firing
on local conditions. Various
equipments, which are used are FIG. 2.12 COAL
following: (i) Belt conveyors, HANDLING
(ii) Screw conveyors, (iii)
Bucket elevators, (iv) Grab bucket conveyers, (v) Skip
hoists, (vi) Flight conveyers etc.
(e) Outdoor/Dead Storage: Outdoor or dead storage is used
to store the coal for a long duration of time span. In most
of the plants such storage stores coal for 15 days to
1months or more than that.
(f) Indoor/Live storage: Such a storage constitutes coal
requirments of the plant for a day. The live storage can be
provided with bunkers and coal bins.
(g) Inplant Handling: This refers to handling of coal
between the final storage to the firing equipment.
Equipments used for inplant handling are the same as
used for coal transfer.
(h) Coal Weighing: A correct measurment of coal enables
one to have an idea of total quantity of coal delivered at
the site and also whether or not proper quantity has been
burned as per load on the plant. (i) Weigh bridge, (ii) Belt
scale, (iii) Automatic recording system.
2.10 COMBUSTION & COMBUSTION EQUIPMENT:
Fuel is burnt in a confined space called furnace. There are two
basic methods: hand firirng and stoker firing.
(a) Hand Firing: It is simple method which require no capital
investment.
(b) Stoker Firing: In this method of firing coal is carried into
the furnace for combustion and ash formed after combustion is
discharged at appropriate point.

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 4

 www.uptunotes.com
These are classified as: (i) overfeed, (ii) underfeed, and this 2.11 ASH HANDLING SYSTEM: The ash handling system
classification is based on how the coal is feed above or below mainly classified into four groups:
the level at which primary air is admitted in the frame. (a) Mechanical handling system
(b) Hydraulic system;
STOKER (c) Pneumatic system;
(d) Steam jet system.

(a) MECHANICAL HANDLING SYSTEM:

OVERFEED UNDERFEED  This system is generally used for low capacity power plant
SINGLE RETORT using coal as fuel.
SPREADER STOKER  The hot ash released from boiler furnace is made to fall over
STOKER the belt conveyer after cooling it through water seal.
MULTI RETORT  This cooled ash is transported to ash bunkers.
STOKER  From ash bunker this ash is removed to the dumping site
TRAVELING through trucks.
GRATE STOKER
BOILER
CHAIN GRATE FURNACES
STOKER

BAR GRATE
STOKER
. . . .
ASH ASH ASH
... . ASH

FIG. 2.13 TYPES OF STOKERS

.

BUNKER
 In case of overfeed stoker coal is fed on to the grate above BELT CONVEYER
the point of admission of air, as shown in figure 1.14.
CONTROL VALVE
 In case of an underfeed stoker fuel is fed from underneath
the fire and works gradually upward, primary the air being
supplied into the bed just below the level at which
combustion takes place. TRUCK
. .
FIG. 2.16 MECHANICAL HANDLING SYSTEM
FLAMES
…..
(b) HYDRAULIC SYSTEM:
…...……………………………………………
…………………………………………………
ASH …………………………………………………
…...……………………………………………  In this system ash is carried with the flow of water with high
….. velocity through a channel and finaly dumped in the site.
INCANDESCENT

 This syetm is further divided as:

COKE

(i) High Pressure System:

 This system having ash carrying capacity as large as 120
PRIMARY tonnes per hours and a covering distance of 1000 mtrs.
GREEN
AIR
COAL
FURNACE

FIG.2.14 OVERFEED STOKER

QUENCHING NOZZLE
FLAMES STOKER
GREEN
COAL …………
INCANDESCENT

……………..
ASH
…...…………………………………
………………………………………
………………………………………
…...…………………………………
ASH
……………..
…………
COKE

TROUGH
PRIMARY
AIR
FIG.2.15 UNDERFEED STOKER
FIG. 2.17 HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 5

 www.uptunotes.com
 In this system, the hoppers below the boilers are fitted  Some disadvanteges:
with water nozzles at the top and on the sides. High maintenance charge.
 The top nozzles quench the ash while side ones provide More noisy then other systems.
the drying force for the ash.
 The cooled ash is carried to the sump through the trough.

AIR
 Water is again saparated from ash and recirculated.

CRUSHERS
(ii) Low Pressure System:
 In this system a drain is provided below the boilers and

AIR & ASH PIPE

BOILER
the water is made to flow through the trough.
 The ash directly falls into the troughs and it carried by
water to sumps.
 In the sump the ash and water is seperated through a
screen and this water is pumped back to the trough for
reuse and ash is removed to the dumping yard.

ASH HOOPER
SUMP

WATER
TROUGHS BOILERS PRIMARY ASH

TRUCK
. .
SUMP SEPARATOR

FIG. 2.18 LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM

ASH SEPARATOR
ASH

(c) PNEUMATIC SYSTEM:
 This system is used for thr boiler plant from which ash and
soot is to be transported some far off distance for final
disposal.
 The exhauster provided at the discharge end creates a high
velocity stream which picks up ash and dust from all
discharge points and then carried out it in the conveyer pipe
to the point of delivery.
 Large ash particles are generally crushed into small sizes
through crushing units.
 These crushing units are fed from the furnace ash hopper
and discharge into the conveyer pipe which terminates into a
seperator at the delivery end.
 The separator works on the principle and removes dust and
ash which passout into the ash hopper at the botom while
clean ash is discharged from the top.
 The exhauster mey be mechanical or it may use steam jet for
its operation.
 When a mechanical exhauster is used it is essential to use a
filter to ensure that the exhauster handles clean air and such
exhausters used in large stations.
 Steam exhausters may be used in small amd medium size
stations where large quantity of water is easily and cheaply
available.
 The ash carrying capacity of this ayatem varies from 15 to
25 tonnes per hours.
 Some of the advantages of such systems are:-
No spillage and rehandling.
High flexibility.
No chance of ash freezing or sticking in the storage bin
and material can be discharged freely by gravity.
As materials are handled in an enclosed condition, so
dustless operation is possible.
The cost of plant per tonne of ash discharge is less as
compare to other systems.
SECONDARY
EXHAUSTER
FILTER
FIG. 2.19 PNEUMATIC ASH HANDLING SYSTEM
(d) STEAM JET SYSTEM:
 In this system, high velocity steam is passed through a pipe
and dry solid materials of considerable size are carried along
with it.
 This system can remove economically the ash through a
horizontal distance of 200 mtrs and vertical distance of 30
mtrs.
 Some of the advantages are:
Less space requirment.
Low capital cost as compare to other systems.
No need of auxiliary drives.
 Some disadvantages are:
Noisy operation.
Limited capacity of about 7 tonnes per hour.
2.12 TURBO-ALTERNATOR:
A turbo generator is the combination of a turbine directly
connected to an electric generator for the generation of electric
power. The normal speed of a turbo generator is 1500 or 3000
rpm with four or two poles and at 50 Hz. These alternators
have cylindrical rotor and therefore uniform air-gap. Upto the
rating of 40 MW, the rotor and stator of a turbo-alternator are
air-cooled. Above this rating, hydrogen is used for this
purpose.

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 6

 www.uptunotes.com
2.13 STEAM TURBINE:  Usually the number of stages in a reaction turbine are more
 A steam turbine utilized the heat energy of steam by thean in an impulse turbine of same rating.
converting it into mechanical energy which drive the  In an impulse turbine stationary nozzels are used to attain a
generator. high velocity.
 When steam passes through the small opening attain high  Nozzles converted potential enery of steam due to pressure
velocity and then it if used to rotate the turbine. in kinetic energy.
 Steam primover is of two types: (a) impulse turbine;  A reaction turbine has no nozzels.
(b) reaction turbine.  A potential drop of pressure is used to allow the steam into
 Both types of turbines have various stages in which pressure the moving blades.
drop takes place.

STATIONARY
BLADE
CLEARANCE MOVING
NOZZLE STATIONARY BLADES
BLADES
EXHAUST STEAM

EXHAUST STEAM
LIVE STEAM

LIVE STEAM
CLEARANCE

CASING
ROTOR
CASING

ROTOR

SHAFT SHAFT
EXHAUST STEAM
LIVE STEAM

LIVE STEAM

FIG.2.20(a) AN IMPULSE TURBINE FIG.2.20(b) A REACTION TURBINE

2.14 STATION CONTROL: constant and the change of excitation changes the power factor
A number of controls at boiler, turbine and generator unit of the generator.
are provided in a steam station in orer to maintain the best Most of the controls are automatic. A number of governing
conditions at different loads. and indicating instruments help in controlling the operation of
For turbine control, there are two basic ways: for small the steam station very effectively.
turbine it is throttling at a single inlet valve. For large turbine a
number of nozzles at the steam inlet are provided; these
nozzles gradually open one after the other as the load on the
turbine increased.
The load taken by the generator can be adjusted by adjusting
the speed of the turbine, for in that case the frequency remains

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 7

 www.uptunotes.com

THERMAL POWER STATION PLANT LAYOUT

EXHAUST
COAL
STORAGE

CHIMNEY
COAL FAN
HANDLING AIR
AIR
ASH ASH BOILER AIR
STORAGE HANDLING ECONOMISER HEATER FAN
ASH
FLUE

WATER
BOILER FEED
PUMP
L.P. HEATER

H.P. HEATER
SUPERHEATED
STEAM

CONDENSATE
EXTRACTION PUMP
CONDENSATE

CONDENSER
TURBINE
STEAM
CIRCULATING
CIRCULATING

WATER PUMP
WATER

ALTERNATOR

COOLING
TOWER
TRANSFORMER

CIRCUIT
BREAKER
NAL
R CA
ER O
, RIV
S EA

FIG.2.21 SCHEMATIC LAYOUT OF A TYPICAL COAL-FIRED POWER STATION

EXCERCISES (v) Advantages and disadvantages of a thermal power

Q.1.What are the factors to be considered for selection of the plant.
site for the thermal power station?
Q.2.Briefly discuss about the general layout of a thermal
power plant.
Q.3.Discuss the functions of economizer and super-heater.
Q.4.Write a short note o steam turbine.
Q.5.Briefly discuss about the working and characteristics of:
(i) Condenser; (ii) Boilers;
(iii) Ash disposal system; (iv) Turbo-alternators,

By: DEEPAK PANDEY email: d.pandey2906@gmail.com Page 8