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Experiment No.02
Thermal Power Plant Parts And Their Working
Power Plant:
Almost two third of electricity requirement of the world is fulfilled by thermal power
plants (or thermal power stations). In these power stations, steam is produced by burning some
fossil fuel (e.g. coal) and then used to run a steam turbine. Thus, a thermal power station may
sometimes called as a Steam Power Station. After the steam passes through the steam turbine, it
is condensed in a condenser and again fed back into the boiler to become steam. This is known
as ranking cycle.

Layout:
A simplified layout of a thermal power station is shown below.
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Parts And Working:

 Coal: In a coal based thermal power plant, coal is transported from coal mines to the
generating station. Generally, bituminous coal or brown coal is used as fuel. The coal is
stored in either 'dead storage' or in 'live storage'. Dead storage is generally 40 days
backup coal storage which is used when coal supply is unavailable. Live storage is a raw
coal bunker in boiler house. The coal is cleaned in a magnetic cleaner to filter out if any
iron particles are present which may cause wear and tear in the equipment. The coal from
live storage is first crushed in small particles and then taken into pulverizer to make it in
powdered form. Fine powdered coal undergoes complete combustion, and thus
pulverized coal improves efficiency of the boiler. The ash produced after the combustion
of coal is taken out of the boiler furnace and then properly disposed. Periodic removal of
ash from the boiler furnace is necessary for the proper combustion.

 Boiler: The mixture of pulverized coal and air (usually preheated air) is taken into boiler
and then burnt in the combustion zone. On ignition of fuel a large fireball is formed at the
center of the boiler and large amount of heat energy is radiated from it. The heat energy is
utilized to convert the water into steam at high temperature and pressure. Steel tubes run
along the boiler walls in which water is converted in steam. The flue gases from the
boiler make their way through superheater, economizer, air preheater and finally get
exhausted to the atmosphere from the chimney.

I. Superheater: The superheater tubes are hanged at the hottest part of the boiler. The
saturated steam produced in the boiler tubes is superheated to about 540 °C in
the superheater. The superheated high pressure steam is then fed to the steam
turbine.

II. Economizer: An economizer is essentially a feed water heater which heats the
water before supplying to the boiler.

III. Air pre-heater: The primary air fan takes air from the atmosphere and it is then
warmed in the air pre-heater. Pre-heated air is injected with coal in the boiler. The
advantage of pre-heating the air is that it improves the coal combustion.

 Steam turbine: High pressure super heated steam is fed to the steam turbine which
causes turbine blades to rotate. Energy in the steam is converted into mechanical energy
in the steam turbine which acts as the prime mover. The pressure and temperature of the
steam falls to a lower value and it expands in volume as it passes through the turbine. The
expanded low pressure steam is exhausted in the condenser.

 Condenser: The exhausted steam is condensed in the condenser by means of cold water
circulation. Here, the steam loses it's pressure as well as temperature and it is converted
back into water. Condensing is essential because, compressing a fluid
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which is in gaseous state requires a huge amount of energy with respect to the energy
required in compressing liquid. Thus, condensing increases efficiency of the cycle.

 Cooling Towers: The condensate (water) formed in the condeser after condensation is
initially at high temperature.This hot water is passed to cooling towers.It is a tower- or
building-like device in which atmospheric air (the heat receiver) circulates in direct or
indirect contact with warmer water (the heat source) and the water is thereby cooled (see
illustration). A cooling tower may serve as the heat sink in a conventional
thermodynamic process, such as refrigeration or steam power generation, and when it is
convenient or desirable to make final heat rejection to atmospheric air. Water, acting as
the heat-transfer fluid, gives up heat to atmospheric air, and thus cooled, is recirculated
through the system, affording economical operation of the process.

 Alternator: The steam turbine is coupled to an alternator. When the turbine rotates the
alternator, electrical energy is generated. This generated electrical voltage is then stepped
up with the help of a transformer and then transmitted where it is to be utilized.

 Generator: An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy

to alternating current electrical energy. Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field.
Different geometries - such as a linear alternator for use with stirling engines - are also
occasionally used. In principle, any AC generator can be called an alternator, but usually
the word refers to small rotating machines driven by automotive and other internal
combustion engines.

 Transformers: It is a device that transfers electric energy from one alternating-current

circuit to one or more other circuits, either increasing (stepping up) or reducing (stepping
down) the voltage.

 Feed water pump: The condensed water is again fed to the boiler by a feed water pump.
Some water may be lost during the cycle, which is suitably supplied from an external
water source.

This was the basic working principle of a thermal power station and its typical
components. A practical thermal plant possess more complicated design and multiple stages of
turbine such as High Pressure Turbine (HPT), Intermediate Pressure Turbine (IPT) and Low
Pressure Turbine (LPT)
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Experiment No.03
Rankine Cycle:
The Rankine cycle most closely describes the process by which steam-
operated heat engines most commonly found in power generation plants to generate power.

Rankine Curve:

Process 1-2: The working fluid is pumped from low to high pressure, as the fluid is a liquid at
this stage the pump requires little input energy.

Process 2-3: The high pressure liquid enters a boiler where it is heated at constant pressure by an
external heat source to become a dry saturated vapor.

Process 3-4: The dry saturated vapor expands through a turbine, generating power. This
decreases the temperature and pressure of the vapor

Process 4-1: The wet vapor then enters a condenser where it is condensed at a constant
temperature to become a saturated liquid.
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Thermal Efficiency of Rankine Cycle:

 Heat Input = Q2-3 = H3 – H2

 Heat Rejected = Q4-1 = H4 – H1
 Work Output = W3-4 = H3 – H4
 Work done by Pump = W1-2 = H2 – H1
 Work output – Pump work = W3-4 – W1-2

Work output – Pump work W3−4 – W1−2

η= =
Heat Input H3 – H2

“the rankine cycle has a lower efficiency compared to corresponding Carnot cycle
2’-3-4-1’ with the same maximum and minimum temperatures.”

Reasons for Considering Rankine Cycle As an Ideal Cycle For Steam Power Plant:

 It is very difficult to build a pump that will handle a mixture of liquid and vapor

at state 1’ (refer T-s diagram) and deliver saturated liquid at state 2’. It is

much easier to completely condense the vapor and handle only liquid in the

pump.

 In the rankine cycle, the vapor may be superheated at constant pressure from
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3 to 3” without difficulty. In a Carnot cycle using superheated steam, the

superheating will have to be done at constant temperature along path 3-5.

During this process, the pressure has to be dropped. This means that heat is

transferred to the vapor as it undergoes expansion doing work. This is difficult

to achieve in practice.

Deviation Of Actual Vapour Power Cycles From Idealized Cycle:

 The actual vapor power cycle differs from the ideal Rankine cycle as a
result of irreversibilities in various components.
 Fluid friction and heat loss to the surroundings are the two common
sources of irreversibilities.

How To Improve Efficiency:

The basic idea behind all the modifications to increase the thermal efficiencyof a power cycle is
the same: Increase the average temperature at which heat is transferred to the working fluid in the
boiler, or decrease the average temperature at which heat is rejected from the working fluid in the
condenser.

 Lowering the Condenser Pressure (Lowers Tlow,avg)

To take advantage of the increased efficiencies at low pressures, the condensers of steam
power plants usually operate well below the atmospheric pressure. There is a lower limit
to this pressure depending on the temperature of the cooling medium.
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Side Effect: Lowering the condenser pressure increases the moisture content of the steam at the
final stages of the turbine.

 Superheating the Steam to High Temperatures (Increases Thigh,avg):

Both the net work and heat input increase as a result of superheating the steam to a higher
temperature. The overall effect is an increase in thermal efficiency since the average
temperature at which heat is added increases.Superheating to higher temperatures
decreases the moisture content of the steam at the turbine exit, which is desirable.
Constraint: The temperature is limited by metallurgical considerations. Presently the highest
steam temperature allowed at the turbine inlet is about 620°C.
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 Increasing the Boiler Pressure (Increases Thigh,avg):

For a fixed turbine inlet temperature, the cycle shifts to the left and the moisture content
of steam at the turbine exit increases. This side effect can be corrected by reheating the
steam.

Today many modern steam power plants operate at supercritical pressures (P > 22.06
MPa) and have thermal efficiencies of about 40% for fossil-fuel plants and 34% for
nuclear plants.

The Ideal Reheat Cycle:

How can we take advantage of the increased efficiencies at higher boiler pressures without
facing the problem of excessive moisture at the final stages of the turbine?

1. Superheat the steam to very high temperatures. It is limited metallurgically.

2. Expand the steam in the turbine in two stages, and reheat it in between (reheat)
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The single reheat in a modern power plant improves the cycle efficiency by 4 to 5% by
increasing the average temperature at which heat is transferred to the steam.

The average temperature during the reheat process can be increased by increasing the number of
expansion and reheat stages. As the number of stages is increased, the expansion and reheat
processes approach an isothermal process at the maximum temperature. The use of more than
two reheat stages is not practical. The theoretical improvement in efficiency from the second
reheat isabout half of that which results from a single reheat.

The reheat temperatures are very close or equal to the turbine inlet temperature.The optimum
reheat pressure is about one-fourth of the maximum cycle pressure.
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Experiment No.04
Mini Steam Power Plant
Overview:

Mechanical power is produced by a heat engine that transforms thermal energy (from combustion
of a fuel) into rotational energy.Heat (generated in the furnace) is transmitted to the boiler where
water forced into the boiler by the feed pump is converted into steam.

Layout:

Components:
1. Feed Water Tank
2. Feed Pump
3. Boiler
4. Super Heater
5. Impulse Turbine
6. Generator
7. Condensor
8. LPG tank

Sensors:
1. Temperature Sensor
2. Pressure Guage
3. Voltmeter
4. Ammeter
5. Flow Meter
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6. Valve
7. Speed Sensor
8. Speed Controller
9. Pressure Switch
10. Temperature Controller
11. Emergency Switch
12. Solenoid Valve
13. Pressure Relief Valve

Working:
Steam Cycle:

A steam cycle power plant is operated using the Rankine cycle. Water enters a boiler where it is
heated to create steam. The steam is then sent through a steam turbine that rotates the shaft of a
generator to create electricity. The steam exits the turbine into a condenser, which converts the
steam back into saturated water. The saturated water is then pumped back into the boiler to
repeat the process.

It may seem strange that in the Rankine cycle the steam is first cooled down so that it condenses
into liquid water and then is heated back up to create steam. This is done because liquid requires
much less energy to move than vapor. Because pumps are much more efficient than compressors,
the energy consumed by a pump to move the liquid water is negligible compared to the overall
amount of energy produced by the system.

Feedwater System:

Feedwater is water that is circulated through the steam cycle as it comes out of the condenser and
is sent into the boiler. Feedwater heaters are used preheat the water in order to decrease the
heating time in the boiler and increase the plant’s overall efficiency. In large power plants, the
water that exits the condenser is sent through a series of feedwater heaters. The tanks are heated
by steam from the turbine. Each stage of the heating process in the turbine produces steam of a
specific temperature that is used to preheat the feedwater for that stage. The feedwater heater
closest to the boiler receives steam from the high-pressure turbine.

Boiler:

Boiler has the function to convert water into steam. The process of change of water to vapor
done by heating the water in the pipes with heat from burning fuel. Combustion processes carried
out continuously in the combustion chamber with fuel and air flow from the outside.

The resulting steam is superheat steam which have high temperature and high pressure. Steam
production quantities dependent on the surface area of heat transfer, flow rate, and the heat of
combustion is given. Boiler construction consisting of water-filled pipes called a water tube
boiler.
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Steam Turbine:

Steam turbine working to change the heat energy contained in the steam into rotary motion.
Steam with high pressure and temperature were directed to push turbine blades mounted on the
shaft, so the shaft rotates. Due to perform work on the turbine, the pressure and temperature of
steam coming into the turbine down to saturated vapor. This steam then flows to the condenser,
while the rotary power is used to turn a generator. Today almost all of the steam turbine is a type
of condensing turbine.

Condenser:

Condensers are devices to convert steam into water. The changes done by the steam flow into a
room containing tubes. Steam flows outside tubes, while the cooling water flowing inside the
tubes.This is called surface condenser condenser. Usually for coolant use sea water.

Heat transfer rate depends on the flow of cooling water, sanitation tubes and the temperature
difference between the steam and cooling water. The process of change into water vapor occurs
at saturated pressure and temperature, in this case the condenser is under vacuum. because the
cooling water temperature equal to the outside temperature, the maximum temperature
condensate water near the outside air temperature. if the rate of heat transfer interrupted it will
affect the pressure and temperature.

Generator:

The main purpose of the activities at a plant is electricity. Electrical energy generated from the
generator. Function generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy in the form of a
round with the principle of magnetic induction.Generator consists of stator and rotor. stator
consists of the casing which contains coils and a rotor magnetic field station consists of a core
containing a coil.