HEAT RATE OF THERMAL POWER

PLANT
Heat Rate Of Thermal Power Plant
What is Heat Rate ?
In Thermal Power Plant Chemical Energy is
converted to Electrical Energy. Conversion cycle is
based on Rankine Cycle. Which is irreversible process.
There are Various losses Such as
• Losses to atmosphere
• Friction losses
• Heat Transfer losses
Why Efficiency is Less than 100%
Above mentioned losses
Some heat is rejected because steam temp & pressure
drops to such a low value that further conversion to useful
work is not possible
Due to all these Energy input is much more for one Kwh
of Electrical Energy output
This ratio of Output/Input is Efficiency
The ratio of Electrical Energy output per Hour to
Chemical Energy Input per Hour is called Heat Rate
 Definition of Heat Rate
Energy input to the Boiler
 Net Unit Heat Rate=
Electrical Energy Output at the Busbar

 Gross Unit Heat rate =

Energy Input to the Boiler
Electrical Energy Output at GT

(N.B. - Auxiliary Consumption is not accounted for)

 Net Turbine Heat Rate = Energy Input to the Turbine

Electrical Energy Output at the GT

 Operating Heat Rate : is calculated by considering input

and output from plant only when it is synchronized with
the grid.
 Why Heat Rate is necessary?
Gives valuable information regarding O&M practices.
Problem area can be identified and analyzed for
improvement.
Tells us how much extra amount of energy is put in and
how much money is wasted.
While fixing tariff MERC gives Benchmark Heat Rate
values for all Power Plants (Additional expenditure
incurred shall not be considered for computing the
Generation cost)
Factors affecting the HEAT RATE
Main Stream temperature/ pressure at HPT Inlet.
Reheat Steam temperature/ pressure at IPT Inlet.
Condenser Vaccume
Feed water temperature at ECO inlet
Boiler efficiency
SH and RH attemperation flow rate
Calculation of HEAT RATE

 Net Heat Rate = (Coal Cons * CV) + (Oil Cons * CV)

Generation Measured at Bus Bar

 Unit Heat Rate = Turbine Cycle Heat Rate

Boiler efficiency
calculated by loss method
 Turbine Cycle Heat Rate
 (Total heat added to turbine in Kcal) / (generation in million units)
 (Total heat added to turbine in Kcal) =

(Sp Enthalpy of SH Steam @ BLR O/L * Total Steam Flow of HPT)

– ( Sp Enthalpy of FW ECO inlet * Feed Flow at ECO) +((Sp
Enthalpy of HRH- Sp Enthalpy of CRH)* HRH Steam Flow)
+ ((Sp Enthalpy of SH Steam @ BLR O/L – Sp Enthalpy of SH
Spray)* Attemperation flow)
+ (Sp Enthalpy of HRH – Sp Enthalpy of RH Attemperation)* RH
Attemperation flow)
When turbine is operated at designed steam
temperature and pressure, condenser vaccume with
regenerative system in service so that we achieve
desired ECO inlet outlet temperatures
Boiler Losses and Efficiency

LOSS TAKING PLACE % LOSS

Dry Flue gas Loss 4.64
H2O and H2 in Fuel 5.6
H2O in Air 0.18
Unburnt Carbon 0.60
Radiation 0.19
Unaccounted 0.40
Manufacturers Margin 0.50
Total Losses 12.11
Efficiency 87.9
Controllable losses
Dry Flue Gas Loss
Unburnt Carbon

Uncontrollable Losses
Moisture in Fuel and Air
Hydrogen in Coal reacts with O2 in Air and forms
Moisture. This energy is lost to atmosphere.
Dry Flue Gas Loss
Flue Gas’s Major constituents are:
1. Carbon Dioxide produced by Carbon and Oxygen
reaction.
2. Nitrogen from Air
3. Fly Ash
4. Oxygen
5. Water Vapours
Operation with optimum Air Supply
Flue gas leaving Air heaters is 140 oC
Sp Heat of Flue Gas is 30.6 Kjoules /Kg/Degree C
Sp Weight of Flue gas is 0.796 Kg/m 3
Heat Contained in Flue gas is =
( Volume of Flue gas in m3/sec) *
(Sp heat of Flue gas) *
(Sp Weight) *
(Flue gas Temperature)
When the boiler is operated with optimum air supply and
temperature of flue gas at APH outlet, Dry Flue gas loss is at
its minimum.
Reasons for poor Vaccume in Condenser
1. Air Ingrace in condenser
2. High CW inlet and outlet temperature

Non availability of CT fans.

Poor performance of cooling towers
Microbial growth
CONCLUSION
With this information we can achieve design Heat Rate
by optimising the combustion process, by maintaining
design parameters with effective regenerative system
and by reducing air heater, steam and water leakages
to minimum.

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