Concerns and measures

during part load operation

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 CAUSES OF PARTIAL
LOADING
• RENEWABLE POWER
• AVAILABILITY OF CHEAPER POWER &
MERIT ORDER SCHEDULING
• NEW MARKET DRIVEN SYSTEM
• POOR DISCOM CONDITION
• EQUIPMENT
• INTERNAL ISSUES SUCH AS FUEL
AVAILABILITY
Effect of Non conventional sources
 Areas of concerns
• Regulatory requirement
• Commercial / Efficiency Issues
• Maintenance planning
• Life of Equipment
• Stability of Unit and safety issues

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 Regulatory requirement
• RGMO/FGMO
• Requirement of Grid

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Commericial / Efficiency Issues
• Merit order generation
• Reducing margins
– Optimisation of Equipment
– Optimisation of Process
• Reserve shutdown

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 EFFECT OF PARTIAL LOADING
• STABILITY
• MACHINE HEALTH
– EFFECT OF CYCLIC OPERATION
– EFFECTS OF FREQ START & STOPS
– EXPANSION ISSUES
– LOW FLUE GAS TEMP
• DETERIORATION IN AUX POWER
CONSUMPTION
• DETERIORATION IN HEAT RATE
• COMMERCIAL IMPLICATION
• ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
EFFECT OF CYCLIC OPERATION
 Impacts of cycling and
operating at low loads
• Thermal fatigue
• Large temperature swings, for example, from cold feedwater entering the
boiler on start-up and from steam heating up, create fluctuating thermal
stresses within single components and between components when
materials heat up at different rates (for example, welds).
• Stresses on components and turbine shells resulting from changing
pressures
• Wear and tear on the auxiliary equipment
• Corrosion caused by oxygen entering the system (e.g., during start-up),
and changes to water quality and chemistry, resulting from, for example,
falling pH
• The impacts from cycling can take several years to
show up as damage or forced outages.
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 Equipment Life Enhancement
• Physical modifications
• Adherence to operation procedures
• Controlled ramp rates to minimize thermal fatigue, and
continual reinforcement of its importance through training
helps ensure that ramp rate procedures are followed
• Boiler metal temperature monitoring
• Temperature monitoring for turbine parts
• Training of operation personnel
• Water chemistry maintenance
• Layup procedures
• Breaker maintenance

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 Maintenance planning
• Long term Planning: Modify scope of work for Overhauls
– Failures of boiler tubes caused by cyclic fatigue, corrosion
fatigue and pitting.
– Cracking in dissimilar metal welds, headers and valves, and
other thick-walled components due to rapid changes in steam
temperature.
– Oxidation, from exposure to air on start-up and draining; oxides
in boiler tubes can dislodge due to thermal changes.
– Corrosion of turbine parts, not only from oxides but also from
wet steam that occurs on start-up, during low-load operations,
and during poor layup conditions when the plant is dried.
– Condenser problems, when tubes crack from thermal stresses
at start-up and shutdown
• Short term Planning
– Modified preventive maintenance schedules
– Equipment health monitoring
– Opportunity based maintenance 11
 MANAGING PARTIAL LOADING
• HEAT RATE OPTIMISATION
– SLIDING PRESSURE OPERATION
– RGMO REQUIREMENT
– BOILER PARAMETERS
• OPTIMISATION OF AUX POWER
– CONFIGURATION OF UNITS IN STAGES
– DURATION OF PARTIAL LOADING
– QUANTUM OF PARTIAL LOADING
– RELIABILITY OF SYSTEM / EQUIPMENT
– OPTIMUM USAGE OF AUXILIARIES
– STOPPAGE OF EQUIPMENTS BASED ON TECHNICAL CRITERIA
– STABILITY OF SYSTEM
– RIGHT COMBINATION OF EQUIPMENT
– INTEGRITY OF PROTECTION SYSTEMS
• FINANCIAL IMPLICATION
– COST OF GENERATION
 COMPENSATION FOR PARTIAL LOSS

Unit % % Compensation % Compensation

Loading Compensation SHR SHR
APC (Super Critical (Sub Critical
Units) Units)
85-100 NIL Nil Nil
75-84.99 0.35 1.25 2.25
65-74.99 0.65 2 4
55-64.99 1.00 3 6

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PART LOAD AND TECH MINIMUM OPTIMISATION

• DEVELOP DESIGN HEAT RATE CURVES

FOR VARIOUS LOADS UPTO 55% FROM
HBD DATA
• DEVELOP ACTUAL HEAT RATE CURVES
• DEVELOP NORMATIVE HEAT RATE
CURVES FOR VARIOUS LOADS UPTO 55%
• IDENTIFY MARGINS
• OPTIMISATION
• MERIT ORDER BASED OPERATION
 RESERVE SHUT DOWN
• RSD DECISION BASED ON TECHNICAL CRITERIA
– RELIABILITY
– EFFICIENCY
– CONFIGURATION OF UNITS IN THE COMMERCIAL STAGE.
• RSD DECISION BASED ON COMMERCIAL CALCULATION
– QUANTUM BELOW TECH MINIMUM
– DURATION OF SCHEDULE
– OIL SUPPORT REQUIREMENT
– UI RATE
– SHUTDOWN AND START UP COST
– EVALUATION BASED ON REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
• DC DECLARATION FOR APC CONSIDERATION
 RESERVE SHUT DOWN
OPTION 1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3
AT SCHEDULE AT TECH MINIMUM SHUT DOWN
INCOME
1 FC RECOVERY FULL FCR FULL FCR FULL FCR
2 ENERGY SG x ECR SG x ECR SG x ECR
CHARGE
3 UI 0 (55%-SG) x UI SG x UI
EXPENDITURE
1 OIL KL x OIL COST 0 0
2 COAL (GEN x (HR-OIL (55% GEN x 0
CONT)/ GCV) x HR/GCV) x COAL
COAL COST COST

3 STARTUP 0 0 OIL+COAL+AP
COST C
4 SHUTDOWN 0 0 OIL+COAL+AP
COST C
 Stability and Safety of Unit

• Behavior of equipment
• Quality of coal
• Auto loops behavior at part load
• Oil support
• Technical minimum operation
• Protection and interlocks

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 Optimization Opportunities at Part Load

Excess Air Optimisation

• Potential for excess air reduction at Part loads

• CO feedback – a pre requisite to optimize excess air

• Optimum values - @ unit conditions, steam parameters, mill combination etc.

Sliding Pressure Operation

• Potential for HR improvement due to reduced HPC throttling loss

• Potential for APC reduction due to reduction in BFP discharge pressure

• No appreciable changes in boiler efficiency at reduced pressures

• Minimum 10 C superheat after De-superheater to be ensured

• Optimum values - SH/RH sprays, metal temperature limitation, FW

temperature at Economizer outlet etc.
 EQUIPMENT STOPPAGE AT PARTIAL LOAD

• UPTO 85%
– CONTROL BY ID SCOOP / BFP SCOOP(FCV FULL OPEN)
• 84.99-75%
– CT FANS - Ensure design /better vacuum
• 74.99-65%
– CT FANS (ADDITIONAL) Ensure design / better vacuum
– FD FAN, 1 COMMON CW PUMP -Ensure design / better
vacuum
• 64.99-55%
– CW PUMP ADDITIONAL
– BOTTOM / FLY ASH SERIES
– BFP
– ID FANS
– ARCW PUMPS
 PART LOAD OPERATION

• INSTALLATION OF VFDS IN ALL ID FANS

• ID FAN OPERATION WITH IGV FULL OPEN
• SLIDING PRESSURE OPERATION
• VFDS IN CEPS
• REMOTE START OF CT FANS
• AUTO START OF CW PUMPS
• SINGLE STREAM OPERATION AT <60% LOAD
• MILL OPTIMISATION
 REQUIREMENTS
• All Auto loops including CMC has to be proved at 55-70%
load along with existing tuning (presently the auto loops are
tuned for 70 - 100 % Range).
• Flame scanners sensitivity to be checked and ensured for low
load operations.
• Some of the stations having 210 MW units e.g Kahalgaon
stage I / Badarpur have expressed concern w.r.t unit
operation at 55 % load. For such stations, a detailed action
plan may be prepared to address all issues restricting unit
operation at technical minimum. Issues like flame failure
protection logics in Kahalgaon, needs to be reviewed and
modified.
• Reliability of run back system to be ensured.
 REQUIREMENTS
• MILLS COMBINATION : Continuous mills during low load
operation
• SCAPH availability must be ensured for low load operation
• Mill inerting system to be kept in service.
• Maximum allowable rate of pressure change curve to be
followed
• Blocking of spray control valve to be followed in order to
prevent condensate accumulation in tubes
 REQUIREMENTS
• ACV operation at low load for TDBFPs to be ensured.
• Installation of VFDs in all ID fans and CEPs to be explored in view of
low PLF future scenario.
• ID fan operation should be done with IGV full open to reduce
throttling loss.
• Provision of remote start of CT fans, wherever not available.
• Reliability of all unit auxiliaries is the single most important
requirement for part load operation. All aspects to ensure reliability of
critical auxiliaries should be reviewed and problems, if any, be
addressed by making short term and long term plan.
• All critical chemical parameters to be controlled within technical limit.
• Monitoring APC through Energy Management System
 105% Capability &
Optimization at Part Load

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Objectives - 105% Capability Tests

• Demonstration of FGMO / RGMO

• DSM management

• Achieving & maximizing DC

• Earning Incentive

• Ensuring healthiness of units

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