Thermal power stations

Convert heat energy of fossil fuels Boiler converts water into steam Expansion of steam produces mechanical power, drives the alternator So main equipments are Boiler, Turbine, and Alternator . In this conversion variety of auxiliary (Furnishing added support) Coal handling Ash handling

 Air taken from atmosphere by the action of forced or induced draft fan is heated in the preheater before being fed to boiler. Flue gases passes through dust collector, air pre-heater and ecconomiser before being discharged through the chimney. Boiler vaporized the steam, further heated in super-heater and fed to high pressure turbine, again heated to fed in low pressure turbine, Exhaust of L.P turbine is condensed by condenser and condensate with water is passed through ecconomisser before boiler.

Equipments of Steam Power Station

1. Steam generating equipment 2. Condenser 3. Prime mover 4. Water treatment plant 5. Electrical equipments Steam generating equipments -It is concerned with generation of superheated steam and includes Boiler, boiler furnace, superheater, economiser, air pre-heater and other useful devices

1. Boiler -A boiler is closed vessel (An object used as a container) which contain water converted into steam by utilizing heat of coal combustion a) Water tube boilers b) Fire tube boilers Water tube boilers has number of advantages over fire tube boilers: require less space Smaller size of tubes and drum, high working pressure , less liable to explosion etc

2) Boiler furnace -Chamber in which fuel is burnt to liberate the heat energy. -provide support to burners - Boiler furnace walls are made of refractory materials such as: fire clay, silica, kaoline etc - They have property to resist the change of shape, weight and physical property at high temperature

- There are three type of boiler furnace walls 1) Plain refractory (high melting point) walls, 2) Hollow refractory walls with an arrangement for air cooling 3) Water walls - Plain refractory walls are suitable for small plants, furnace temp low. - For large power plants refractory material gets damaged so hollow refractory walls with air cooling and recent development is using water in it

3)Superheater - A device which raises the temperature of steam above boiling point of water. - Increases over all efficiency of the plant - It consist of the group of tubes made of alloy steel such as chromium-molybdenum - These tubes heated through the flue gases while their journey from furnace to chimney. - There are two type according to system of heat transfer a) Radiant b)convection

 Radiant superheater - It is placed in b/w furnace and water walls receives heat by radiation process. - It may gets over heated so careful design is needed - Increased steam falls the temperature Convection superheater - Convection [The transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecular motion] - Is placed in boiler tube bank receives heat from flue gases entirely through convection process, - Increase steam o/p increases temp of superheater.

4) Economiser - Device heats the feed water on its way to boiler driving heat from flue gases. - Results boiler efficiency increases, saving fuel - Consists of closely placed parallel steel tubes 5) Air pre-heater - superheaters and economisers cannot completely extract heat form the flue gases. - Therefore air pre-heater are employed to recover heat escaping in flue gases - Increases thermal efficiency of plant depending upon method of heat transfer

a) Recuperative type b) Regenerative type Recuperative - Consist of steel tubes flue gases passes through the tubes and air passes through externally Regenerative type - Consist of drum made of metal plates flue gases flow through one side and air from other side so heat transfer is taking place

6) Condenser - Device which condenses the steam at exhaust of the turbine. a device or unit used to condense vapor into liquid - It creates very low pressure thus expansion of steam at primemover - secondly condensed steam is used as feed water to boiler a) Jet condenser b) Surface condenser

 Jet condenser - Cooling water and steam are mixed together - Steam temperature and cooling water temperature becomes same - Low initial cost , less floor area is required, less cooling water is required , low maintenance charges - Disadvantage condensate is wasted as high power is required

 Surface condenser - No direct contact with cooling water and exhaust steam - Consist of bank of horizontal tubes enclosed in cast iron shell - Cooling water flows into tubes and exhausted steam over surface of the tubes. - Steam gives up its heat to water and itself condensed - Condensate can be used as feed water, less pumping power creation of better vacuum at turbine exhaust - High initial cost, large surface floor area, high maintenance cost.