ASSESSMENT PRACTICE

1. How is electricity produced at Hwange Power Station?

Hwange is a thermal power station where chemical energy in coal is converted to heat energy
by the burning of coal. This heat energy is used to boil water in a Boiler to produce high-
pressure steam, which drives a steam turbine which is coupled to an electrical generator, hence
producing electricity.
 Chemical Energy (energy stored in coal) Heat Energy (burning of coal) Kinetic Energy
(movement of steam from boiler to Turbine) Mechanical Energy (work of steam inside the
Turbine) Electrical Energy (electricity).

DUTIES OF A BOILER AND TURBINE OPERATOR

1. Involved in handover/takeover of the plant.
2. Carries out plant pre-start checks as per the check sheets.
3. Carries out running checks as per the check sheets.
4. Logs all plant checks in the log books and on the check sheets.
5. Reports all defects after having diagnosed the fault and after having tried to correct the
situation.
6. Monitors, observes and records all local plant parameters.
7. Good housekeeping.
8. Test runs standby plant.
9. Charges and drains systems and pumps.
10. Carries out mechanical isolations and de-isolations of plant equipment.
11. Opens and closes valves in sequence upon signal from the Unit Controller and Senior Unit
Controller.
12. Assists with the hands on operation of power plant systems during steady state, start-up,
shutdown and emergency situations as directed by the Unit Controller.

HWANGE POWER COMPANY

 The Hwange Thermal Power Station is the biggest power plant in Zimbabwe with an installed
capacity of 920 MW.
 It was built in two stages and consists of 4 units of 120 MW each and 2 units of 220 MW
each.
 However, is being expanded with two additional coal-fired units of 300MW capacity
each.
Fuel handling and Storage Facility
 The most essential part of any power plant is to store the fuel safely in an appropriate amount
so that the plant can run smoothly in normal days as well as when the supply of fuel from mines
is improper.
 So a fuel storage facility is defined in a plant to store an adequate amount of fuel.
 Hwange Colliery Company (HCCL) delivers coal to the power station via an overland conveyor
belt as well as by trucks from the Jin Ann and Turbo-Mine.
Water
 A reliable source of water lies further north, in the Zambezi River.
 From there, through a 44 kilometres long pipeline, water for the boilers and cooling towers is
drawn by both high and low lift pumps to a storage reservoir located adjacent to the station and
conveyed by gravity to the station.
 This water contains a lot of dirt, suspended particulate matter (SPM), dissolved minerals and
dissolved gases such as air etc.
 If the water fed to the boiler is not treated then it will reduce the life and efficiency of
equipment by corroding the surfaces and scaling of equipment.
 Hence there is a plant which treats this water before it is fed to the boilers.

WORKING COMPONENTS OF A THERMAL POWER PLANT

BOILER
What is a Boiler?
 It is a closed pressure vessel in which water is heated to produce steam and this steam is used
for other purposes.
 Hence it is a steam Generator.
 Hence it is designed to convert liquid to vapour.
 In a conventional steam power plant, a boiler consists of a furnace in which fuel is burned,
surfaces to transmit heat from the combustion products to the water, and a space where steam
can form and collect.

FURNACE
What is a Furnace?
 It is an enclosed structure in which heat is produced with the help of Combustion.
 In other words, it is an enclosed structure in which material can be heated to very high
temperatures.
 Hence it is a Combustion chamber.

COMBUSTION
What is Combustion?
 Combustion is a chemical reaction that occurs between a fuel and an oxidizing agent that
produces energy, usually in the form of heat and light.
 Therefore it is the burning of a fuel to release heat and light.

3Ts of Combustion
 Combustion relies on the right combination of three specific elements: Time, Temperature, and
Turbulence.

Time
 Time is the residence time of the fuel inside the combustion chamber and for coal its between 2-
3 seconds.
 Within this time, the fuel particle should have been completely burnt.
Temperature
 Refers t the combustion/Furnace temperature.
 The Furnace temperature should be between 1200-1500 degrees Celsius.
 At very low temperatures, hydrocarbons will not break properly.

Turbulence
 It is the proper mixing of the fuel and air.
 Is used to define the proper air flow needed to mix oxygen with hydrocarbons.

Fire Triangle
 The triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel, and an oxidizing
agent (usually oxygen).
 Take out one of these and the fire will be extinguished.

AIR AND FLUE GAS CIRCUIT

 The air and flue gas circuit consists of the following:

i. 2 Induced Draft fans (ID Fans)
ii. 2 Forced Draft fans (FD Fans)
iii. 1 Electrostatic Precipitator
 iv. 2 Air heaters, each having 2 motors
v. Front and Rear Windbox

a) Forced Draft Fans (FD Fans)

 Supplies the air which is necessary for combustion to take place.
 These fans are located at the inlet of boiler to push high pressure fresh air through the
Air heaters to the Combustion chamber.
 As they create a positive pressure inside the Furnace, the ID Fans are started first.
 Compared to ID fans, FD fans are more efficient, easier to maintain, and have cleaner
operating conditions.

b) Induced Draft Fans (ID Fans)

 They create a negative pressure inside the Furnace by exhausting all gaseous
combustion products or flue gases from the boiler, through dust collector [Electrostatic
Precipitator (ESP)] and delivering it to the chimney into the open atmosphere.
 Hence the ID fans are usually located at the outlet of the boiler system (between a dust
collector (ESP) and chimney).
 Since ID fans can handle hot flue gases, they have more corrosion and erosion problems
even more used with electrostatic precipitators.
 It is started first for safe boiler operation to prevent pressurization of boiler.

c) Air Pre-heaters
 They preheats the combustion air for rapid and efficient combustion in the furnace.
 The air heater recovers the waste heat from the outgoing flue gas of a Boiler and
transfers the same to the combustion air.

Advantages of Using Air Heater

 The recovery of waste heat from the flue gas and heating the air required for Boiler
In an air heater gives the following advantages.
i. The Boiler efficiency is increased.
ii. More stable combustion in furnace.
iii. The coal can be dried effectively for easy pulverization and combustion.

Types of Air heaters

A. Rotary Regenerative Air Heater

B. Tubular Air Heater

d) Windbox
 It is a receptacle from which a blast of air is supplied.
 It is the area behind the burner throats that supplies combustion air to the burners.)
 Secondary air dampers or air registers are found in the Windbox.

e) Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP)

 It is a piece of equipment that is used to capture dust particles that are in the flue gas
system.
 It electrically charges the ash particles and imparts a strong electric field in the flue gas
to collect and remove them.
 An ESP is comprised of a series of parallel, vertical metallic plates (collecting electrodes)
forming lanes through which the flue gas passes.
 Centered between the collecting electrodes are discharge electrodes which provide the
particle charging and electric field.
 A transformer-rectifier (T-R) set along with an automatic voltage controller (AVC) supply
the high-voltage and unidirectional current to the discharge electrodes.
 The purpose of an ESP is to avoid these dust particles from:
i. Being expelled into the atmosphere where they can cause pollution.
ii. From reaching the ID Fans as they will damage the ID Fans and result in the fans
being worn out.
 Fly Ash can cause respiratory diseases, such as cancer, heart failure and other
reactions.
 Coal dust causes lung diseases such as pneumoconiosis.

How Precipitators work

 The ESP charges the dust particles as the gas flows through the ESP.
 These negatively charged dust particles are attracted to positively charge large flat
plates within the ESP, where they gradually accumulate upon the surfaces of the plates.
 Once a significant number of dust particles have accumulated on the plates, a
mechanical mechanism (rapping system) hits the plates, with the resultant vibration
shaking the dust particles off the plates.
 The dust particles then fall due to gravity and are collected in hoppers at the base of the
ESP.

How does the ESP charge the dust particles

 The electrical system incorporates a rectification unit to transform AC to DC voltage.
 This is necessary to achieve the required electric field that will ionise the dust
particles as they pass through the ESP.
  DC voltage is fed to discharge electrode, which results in a negative electric field
being generated around them.
 The negative electric field around the discharge electrodes causes a negative charge
to be imparted on the dust particles, which causes them to be attracted to the
positively charged collector plates.

ID and FD Fans pre-start checks

 Permit should have been cancelled.
  Before going into the plant, check the position of dampers and vanes in the control room and
check whether they are on local or remote.
 In the plant check:
Fan
i. Access doors securely closed
ii. Fan casing drain plugs fitted
iii. Inlet vane linkages not loose.
iv. Mesh guards fitted correctly.
v. Inlet vane actuator coupled.
vi. Inlet vane and dampers position corresponds with the control room position.
vii. Inlet vane and dampers selected to remote.
Fan bearings
i. Boxed up and bolted down.
ii. Clean.
iii. Thermocouples inserted and intact.
iv. Bearing cooling water valves open, and to check for flow in the sight glass.
v. Oil levels (half full).
vi. Oil is clean.
vii. Oil rings are intact and that the oil ring scrappers are fitted correctly.
Motor
i. Motor is boxed up and bolted down.
ii. Coupling guard is fitted and secure.
iii. Motor power cable connected.
iv. Motor air thermoprobe inserted and intact.
v. Air vents clean and free from debris.
Motor bearings
i. Thermocouples inserted and intact.
ii. Clean.
iii. Oil level (half full).
iv. Oil clean.
 Log the checks on the check sheet and report to the Senior Unit Controller.

ID and FD Fans Running checks

 Before going into the plant, check for fan bearings, motor air and motor bearings temperatures.
 In the plant, check;
Fan
i. Fan ducting for vibrations and gas leaks.
ii. Inlet vane linkages are not loose.
Fan bearings
i. Feel by hand if the bearings are not overheating.
ii. Feel by hand for vibrations.
iii. For cleanliness.
iv. Oil levels (between half and three quarters).
v. If oil is clean.
 vi. For oil leaks on the bearings.
vii. Oil rings intact, turning and picking up oil.
viii. Bearings cooling water flows.
ix. Thermocouples intact and not damaged.
Motor
i. Vibrations.
ii. Temperature
iii. Abnormal noises.
iv. Air vents clear from debris and also that how air is being blown out.
Motor bearings
i. Cleanliness
ii. Oil level (between half and three quarters).
iii. Cleanliness of oil.
iv. For oil leaks.
v. Feel for temperature
 Log on the check sheets and report to the Senior Unit Controller.

Causes of high bearing temperatures

1. Lubrication failure caused by:
a) No oil or lack of lubrication
b) 100% oil or bearing overfilled
c) Wrong type of oil
d) Mixing oils
e) Dirty oil
2. Lack of cooling water or no cooling water
3. Radiation from the fan casing
4. Dirty bearings
5. Hot ambient temperatures

Causes of Fan vibrations

1. Worn out impellers.
2. Worn out or damaged bearings.
3. Shaft misalignment
4. Bent shaft
5. Mechanically loose connections
6. Rotor cracks.
7. Coupling Misalignment