5/25/2017 ThermalpowerstationWikipedia

Thermalpowerstation
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Athermalpowerstationisapowerplantinwhichheatenergyis
convertedtoelectricpower.Inmostoftheplacesintheworldthe
turbineissteamdriven.Waterisheated,turnsintosteamandspins
asteamturbinewhichdrivesanelectricalgenerator.Afteritpasses
throughtheturbine,thesteamiscondensedinacondenserand
recycledtowhereitwasheatedthisisknownasaRankinecycle.
Thegreatestvariationinthedesignofthermalpowerstationsis
duetothedifferentheatsources,fossilfueldominateshere,
althoughnuclearheatenergyandsolarheatenergyarealsoused.
Someprefertousethetermenergycenterbecausesuchfacilities
convertformsofheatenergyintoelectricalenergy.[1]Certain NantongPowerStation,acoalfiredpower
thermalpowerplantsalsoaredesignedtoproduceheatenergyfor stationinNantong,China.
industrialpurposesofdistrictheating,ordesalinationofwater,in
additiontogeneratingelectricalpower.

Contents
1 Typesofthermalenergy
2 History
3 Thermalpowergenerationefficiency
4 Electricitycost
5 Typicalcoalthermalpowerstation
6 Boilerandsteamcycle MohaveGeneratingStation,a1,580MW
6.1 Feedwaterheatinganddeaeration thermalpowerstationnearLaughlin,
6.2 Boileroperation Nevada,USA,fuelledbycoal.
6.3 Boilerfurnaceandsteamdrum
6.4 Superheater
6.5 Steamcondensing
6.6 Reheater
6.7 Airpath
7 Steamturbinegenerator
8 Stackgaspathandcleanup
8.1 Flyashcollection
8.2 Bottomashcollectionanddisposal
9 Auxiliarysystems
9.1 Boilermakeupwatertreatmentplantand
storage
9.2 Fuelpreparationsystem NuclearthermalpowerstationinBavaria,
9.3 Barringgear Germany.
9.4 Oilsystem
9.5 Generatorcooling
9.6 Generatorhighvoltagesystem
9.7 Monitoringandalarmsystem
9.8 Batterysuppliedemergencylightingand
communication
9.9 Circulatingwatersystem
10 Transportofcoalfueltositeandtostorage
11 Seealso
12 References
13 Externallinks

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Typesofthermalenergy
Almostallcoal,nuclear,geothermal,solarthermalelectric,and
wasteincinerationplants,aswellasmanynaturalgaspowerplants
arethermal.Naturalgasisfrequentlycombustedingasturbinesas
wellasboilers.Thewasteheatfromagasturbine,intheformof
hotexhaustgas,canbeusedtoraisesteam,bypassingthisgas
throughaHeatRecoverySteamGenerator(HRSG)thesteamis
thenusedtodriveasteamturbineinacombinedcycleplantthat GeothermalpowerstationinIceland.
improvesoverallefficiency.Powerplantsburningcoal,fueloil,or
naturalgasareoftencalledfossilfuelpowerplants.Somebiomass
fueledthermalpowerplantshaveappearedalso.Nonnuclear
thermalpowerplants,particularlyfossilfueledplants,whichdo
notusecogenerationaresometimesreferredtoasconventional
powerplants.

Commercialelectricutilitypowerstationsareusuallyconstructed
onalargescaleanddesignedforcontinuousoperation.Virtuallyall
Electricpowerplantsusethreephaseelectricalgeneratorsto
producealternatingcurrent(AC)electricpoweratafrequencyof
50Hzor60Hz.Largecompaniesorinstitutionsmayhavetheir
ownpowerplantstosupplyheatingorelectricitytotheirfacilities, TaichungThermalPowerStation,the
especiallyifsteamiscreatedanywayforotherpurposes.Steam world'slargestcoalfiredpowerstation,in
drivenpowerplantshavebeenusedtodrivemostshipsinmostof Taichung,Taiwan.
the20thcenturyuntilrecently.Steampowerplantsarenowonly
usedinlargenuclearnavalships.Shipboardpowerplantsusually
directlycoupletheturbinetotheship'spropellersthroughgearboxes.Powerplantsinsuchshipsalsoprovide
steamtosmallerturbinesdrivingelectricgeneratorstosupplyelectricity.Nuclearmarinepropulsionis,with
fewexceptions,usedonlyinnavalvessels.Therehavebeenmanyturboelectricshipsinwhichasteamdriven
turbinedrivesanelectricgeneratorwhichpowersanelectricmotorforpropulsion.

Combinedheatandpowerplants(CH&Pplants),oftencalledcogenerationplants,producebothelectric
powerandheatforprocessheatorspaceheating.Steamandhotwater.

History
Theinitiallydevelopedreciprocatingsteamenginehasbeenusedtoproducemechanicalpowersincethe18th
Century,withnotableimprovementsbeingmadebyJamesWatt.Whenthefirstcommerciallydeveloped
centralelectricalpowerstationswereestablishedin1882atPearlStreetStationinNewYorkandHolborn
ViaductpowerstationinLondon,reciprocatingsteamengineswereused.Thedevelopmentofthesteamturbine
in1884providedlargerandmoreefficientmachinedesignsforcentralgeneratingstations.By1892theturbine
wasconsideredabetteralternativetoreciprocatingengines[2]turbinesofferedhigherspeeds,morecompact
machinery,andstablespeedregulationallowingforparallelsynchronousoperationofgeneratorsonacommon
bus.Afterabout1905,turbinesentirelyreplacedreciprocatingenginesinlargecentralpowerstations.

Thelargestreciprocatingenginegeneratorsetseverbuiltwerecompletedin1901fortheManhattanElevated
Railway.Eachofseventeenunitsweighedabout500tonsandwasrated6000kilowattsacontemporaryturbine
setofsimilarratingwouldhaveweighedabout20%asmuch.[3]

Thermalpowergenerationefficiency

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Theenergyefficiencyofaconventionalthermal
powerstation,consideredsalableenergyproduced
asapercentoftheheatingvalueofthefuel
consumed,istypically33%to48%.[4]Aswithall
heatengines,theirefficiencyislimited,and
governedbythelawsofthermodynamics.Other
typesofpowerstationsaresubjecttodifferent
efficiencylimitations,mosthydropowerstationsin
theUnitedStatesareabout90percentefficientin
convertingtheenergyoffallingwaterinto
electricity[5]whiletheefficiencyofawindturbine
islimitedbyBetz'slaw,toabout59.3%.

Theenergyofathermalpowerplantnotutilizedin
powerproductionmustleavetheplantintheform
ofheattotheenvironment.Thiswasteheatcango
throughacondenserandbedisposedofwith
coolingwaterorincoolingtowers.Ifthewaste
heatisinsteadutilizedfordistrictheating,itis
calledcogeneration.Animportantclassofthermal
powerstationareassociatedwithdesalination
facilitiesthesearetypicallyfoundindesert
countrieswithlargesuppliesofnaturalgasandin
theseplants,freshwaterproductionandelectricity
areequallyimportantcoproducts.
ARankinecyclewithatwostagesteamturbineandasingle
feedwaterheater.
TheCarnotefficiencydictatesthathigher
efficienciescanbeattainedbyincreasingthe
temperatureofthesteam.Subcriticalfossilfuelpowerplantscanachieve3640%efficiency.Supercritical
designshaveefficienciesinthelowtomid40%range,withnew"ultracritical"designsusingpressuresof4400
psi(30.3MPa)andmultiplestagereheatreachingabout48%efficiency.Abovethecriticalpointforwaterof
705F(374C)and3212psi(22.06MPa),thereisnophasetransitionfromwatertosteam,butonlyagradual
decreaseindensity.

Currentlymostofthenuclearpowerplantsmustoperatebelowthetemperaturesandpressuresthatcoalfired
plantsdo,inordertoprovidemoreconservativesafetymarginswithinthesystemsthatremoveheatfromthe
nuclearfuelrods.This,inturn,limitstheirthermodynamicefficiencyto3032%.Someadvancedreactor
designsbeingstudied,suchastheveryhightemperaturereactor,advancedgascooledreactorandsupercritical
waterreactor,wouldoperateattemperaturesandpressuressimilartocurrentcoalplants,producingcomparable
thermodynamicefficiency.

Electricitycost
Thedirectcostofelectricenergyproducedbyathermalpowerstationistheresultofcostoffuel,capitalcost
fortheplant,operatorlabour,maintenance,andsuchfactorsasashhandlinganddisposal.Indirect,socialor
environmentalcostssuchastheeconomicvalueofenvironmentalimpacts,orenvironmentalandhealtheffects
ofthecompletefuelcycleandplantdecommissioning,arenotusuallyassignedtogenerationcostsforthermal
stationsinutilitypractice,butmayformpartofanenvironmentalimpactassessment.

Typicalcoalthermalpowerstation

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Typicaldiagramofacoalfiredthermalpowerstation
1.Coolingtower 10.SteamControlvalve 19.Superheater
2.Coolingwaterpump 11.Highpressuresteamturbine 20.Forceddraught(draft)fan
3.Transmissionline(3phase) 12.Deaerator 21.Reheater
4.Stepuptransformer(3phase) 13.Feedwaterheater 22.Combustionairintake
5.Electricalgenerator(3phase) 14.Coalconveyor 23.Economiser
6.Lowpressuresteamturbine 15.Coalhopper 24.Airpreheater
7.Condensatepump 16.Coalpulverizer 25.Precipitator
8.Surfacecondenser 17.Boilersteamdrum 26.Induceddraught(draft)fan
9.Intermediatepressuresteamturbine 18.Bottomashhopper 27.Fluegasstack

Forunitsoverabout200MWcapacity,redundancyofkeycomponentsisprovidedbyinstallingduplicatesof
theforcedandinduceddraftfans,airpreheaters,andflyashcollectors.Onsomeunitsofabout60MW,two
boilersperunitmayinsteadbeprovided.Thelistofcoalpowerstationshasthe200largestpowerstations
ranginginsizefrom2,000MWto5,500MW.

Boilerandsteamcycle
Inthenuclearplantfield,steamgeneratorreferstoaspecifictypeoflargeheatexchangerusedinapressurized
waterreactor(PWR)tothermallyconnecttheprimary(reactorplant)andsecondary(steamplant)systems,
whichgeneratessteam.Inanuclearreactorcalledaboilingwaterreactor(BWR),waterisboiledtogenerate
steamdirectlyinthereactoritselfandtherearenounitscalledsteamgenerators.

Insomeindustrialsettings,therecanalsobesteamproducingheatexchangerscalledheatrecoverysteam
generators(HRSG)whichutilizeheatfromsomeindustrialprocess,mostcommonlyutilizinghotexhaustfrom
agasturbine.Thesteamgeneratingboilerhastoproducesteamatthehighpurity,pressureandtemperature
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requiredforthesteamturbinethatdrivestheelectricalgenerator.

Geothermalplantsneednoboilersincetheyusenaturallyoccurringsteamsources.Heatexchangersmaybe
usedwherethegeothermalsteamisverycorrosiveorcontainsexcessivesuspendedsolids.

Afossilfuelsteamgeneratorincludesaneconomizer,asteamdrum,andthefurnacewithitssteamgenerating
tubesandsuperheatercoils.Necessarysafetyvalvesarelocatedatsuitablepointstorelieveexcessiveboiler
pressure.Theairandfluegaspathequipmentinclude:forceddraft(FD)fan,airpreheater(AP),boilerfurnace,
induceddraft(ID)fan,flyashcollectors(electrostaticprecipitatororbaghouse)andthefluegasstack.[6][7][8]

Feedwaterheatinganddeaeration

Theboilerfeedwaterusedinthesteamboilerisameansoftransferringheatenergyfromtheburningfueltothe
mechanicalenergyofthespinningsteamturbine.Thetotalfeedwaterconsistsofrecirculatedcondensatewater
andpurifiedmakeupwater.Becausethemetallicmaterialsitcontactsaresubjecttocorrosionathigh
temperaturesandpressures,themakeupwaterishighlypurifiedbeforeuse.Asystemofwatersoftenersand
ionexchangedemineralizersproduceswatersopurethatitcoincidentallybecomesanelectricalinsulator,with
conductivityintherangeof0.31.0microsiemenspercentimeter.Themakeupwaterina500MWeplant
amountstoperhaps120USgallonsperminute(7.6L/s)toreplacewaterdrawnofffromtheboilerdrumsfor
waterpuritymanagement,andtoalsooffsetthesmalllossesfromsteamleaksinthesystem.

Thefeedwatercyclebeginswithcondensatewaterbeingpumpedoutofthecondenseraftertravelingthrough
thesteamturbines.Thecondensateflowrateatfullloadina500MWplantisabout6,000USgallonsper
minute(400L/s).

Thewaterispressurizedintwostages,andflowsthrougha
seriesofsixorsevenintermediatefeedwaterheaters,
heatedupateachpointwithsteamextractedfroman
appropriateductontheturbinesandgainingtemperatureat
eachstage.Typically,inthemiddleofthisseriesof
feedwaterheaters,andbeforethesecondstageof
pressurization,thecondensateplusthemakeupwaterflows
throughadeaerator[9][10]thatremovesdissolvedairfrom
thewater,furtherpurifyingandreducingitscorrosiveness.
Thewatermaybedosedfollowingthispointwith
hydrazine,achemicalthatremovestheremainingoxygenin
thewatertobelow5partsperbillion(ppb).Itisalsodosed
withpHcontrolagentssuchasammoniaormorpholineto
keeptheresidualaciditylowandthusnoncorrosive.

Boileroperation
Diagramofboilerfeedwaterdeaerator(with
Theboilerisarectangularfurnaceabout50feet(15m)ona vertical,domedaerationsectionandhorizontal
sideand130feet(40m)tall.Itswallsaremadeofawebof waterstoragesection).
highpressuresteeltubesabout2.3inches(58mm)in
diameter.

Pulverizedcoalisairblownintothefurnacethroughburnerslocatedatthefourcorners,oralongonewall,or
twooppositewalls,anditisignitedtorapidlyburn,formingalargefireballatthecenter.Thethermalradiation
ofthefireballheatsthewaterthatcirculatesthroughtheboilertubesneartheboilerperimeter.Thewater
circulationrateintheboileristhreetofourtimesthethroughput.Asthewaterintheboilercirculatesitabsorbs
heatandchangesintosteam.Itisseparatedfromthewaterinsideadrumatthetopofthefurnace.Thesaturated
steamisintroducedintosuperheatpendanttubesthathanginthehottestpartofthecombustiongasesasthey
exitthefurnace.Herethesteamissuperheatedto1,000F(540C)toprepareitfortheturbine.

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Plantsdesignedforlignite(browncoal)areincreasinglyusedinlocationsasvariedasGermany,Victoria,
AustraliaandNorthDakota.Ligniteisamuchyoungerformofcoalthanblackcoal.Ithasalowerenergy
densitythanblackcoalandrequiresamuchlargerfurnaceforequivalentheatoutput.Suchcoalsmaycontain
upto70%waterandash,yieldinglowerfurnacetemperaturesandrequiringlargerinduceddraftfans.The
firingsystemsalsodifferfromblackcoalandtypicallydrawhotgasfromthefurnaceexitlevelandmixitwith
theincomingcoalinfantypemillsthatinjectthepulverizedcoalandhotgasmixtureintotheboiler.

Plantsthatusegasturbinestoheatthewaterforconversionintosteamuseboilersknownasheatrecovery
steamgenerators(HRSG).Theexhaustheatfromthegasturbinesisusedtomakesuperheatedsteamthatis
thenusedinaconventionalwatersteamgenerationcycle,asdescribedingasturbinecombinedcycleplants
sectionbelow.

Boilerfurnaceandsteamdrum

Thewaterenterstheboilerthroughasectionintheconvectionpasscalledtheeconomizer.Fromthe
economizeritpassestothesteamdrumandfromthereitgoesthroughdowncomerstoinletheadersatthe
bottomofthewaterwalls.Fromtheseheadersthewaterrisesthroughthewaterwallsofthefurnacewhere
someofitisturnedintosteamandthemixtureofwaterandsteamthenreentersthesteamdrum.Thisprocess
maybedrivenpurelybynaturalcirculation(becausethewateristhedowncomersisdenserthanthe
water/steammixtureinthewaterwalls)orassistedbypumps.Inthesteamdrum,thewaterisreturnedtothe
downcomersandthesteamispassedthroughaseriesofsteamseparatorsanddryersthatremovewaterdroplets
fromthesteam.Thedrysteamthenflowsintothesuperheatercoils.

Theboilerfurnaceauxiliaryequipmentincludescoalfeednozzlesandigniterguns,sootblowers,waterlancing
andobservationports(inthefurnacewalls)forobservationofthefurnaceinterior.Furnaceexplosionsdueto
anyaccumulationofcombustiblegasesafteratripoutareavoidedbyflushingoutsuchgasesfromthe
combustionzonebeforeignitingthecoal.

Thesteamdrum(aswellasthesuperheatercoilsandheaders)haveairventsanddrainsneededforinitialstart
up.

Superheater

Fossilfuelpowerplantsoftenhaveasuperheatersectioninthesteamgeneratingfurnace.Thesteampasses
throughdryingequipmentinsidethesteamdrumontothesuperheater,asetoftubesinthefurnace.Herethe
steampicksupmoreenergyfromhotfluegasesoutsidethetubing,anditstemperatureisnowsuperheated
abovethesaturationtemperature.Thesuperheatedsteamisthenpipedthroughthemainsteamlinestothe
valvesbeforethehighpressureturbine.

Nuclearpoweredsteamplantsdonothavesuchsectionsbutproducesteamatessentiallysaturatedconditions.
Experimentalnuclearplantswereequippedwithfossilfiredsuperheatersinanattempttoimproveoverall
plantoperatingcost.

Steamcondensing

Thecondensercondensesthesteamfromtheexhaustoftheturbineintoliquidtoallowittobepumped.Ifthe
condensercanbemadecooler,thepressureoftheexhauststeamisreducedandefficiencyofthecycle
increases.

Thesurfacecondenserisashellandtubeheatexchangerinwhichcoolingwateriscirculatedthroughthe
tubes.[7][11][12][13]Theexhauststeamfromthelowpressureturbineenterstheshell,whereitiscooledand
convertedtocondensate(water)byflowingoverthetubesasshownintheadjacentdiagram.Suchcondensers
usesteamejectorsorrotarymotordrivenexhaustsforcontinuousremovalofairandgasesfromthesteamside
tomaintainvacuum.

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Forbestefficiency,thetemperatureinthe
condensermustbekeptaslowaspracticalinorder
toachievethelowestpossiblepressureinthe
condensingsteam.Sincethecondenser
temperaturecanalmostalwaysbekept
significantlybelow100Cwherethevapor
pressureofwaterismuchlessthanatmospheric
pressure,thecondensergenerallyworksunder
vacuum.Thusleaksofnoncondensibleairintothe
closedloopmustbeprevented.

Typicallythecoolingwatercausesthesteamto
condenseatatemperatureofabout25C(77F)
andthatcreatesanabsolutepressureinthe
condenserofabout27kPa(0.592.07inHg),i.e.
Diagramofatypicalwatercooledsurface
avacuumofabout95kPa(28inHg)relativeto
atmosphericpressure.Thelargedecreasein condenser. [7][8][11][12]
volumethatoccurswhenwatervaporcondensesto
liquidcreatesthelowvacuumthathelpspullsteamthroughandincreasetheefficiencyoftheturbines.

Thelimitingfactoristhetemperatureofthecoolingwaterandthat,inturn,islimitedbytheprevailingaverage
climaticconditionsatthepowerplant'slocation(itmaybepossibletolowerthetemperaturebeyondtheturbine
limitsduringwinter,causingexcessivecondensationintheturbine).Plantsoperatinginhotclimatesmayhave
toreduceoutputiftheirsourceofcondensercoolingwaterbecomeswarmerunfortunatelythisusually
coincideswithperiodsofhighelectricaldemandforairconditioning.

Thecondensergenerallyuseseithercirculatingcoolingwaterfromacoolingtowertorejectwasteheattothe
atmosphere,oroncethroughwaterfromariver,lakeorocean.

Theheatabsorbedbythecirculatingcoolingwaterinthecondensertubesmust
alsoberemovedtomaintaintheabilityofthewatertocoolasitcirculates.Thisis
donebypumpingthewarmwaterfromthecondenserthrougheithernaturaldraft,
forceddraftorinduceddraftcoolingtowers(asseenintheadjacentimage)that
reducethetemperatureofthewaterbyevaporation,byabout11to17C
(20to30F)expellingwasteheattotheatmosphere.Thecirculationflowrateof
thecoolingwaterina500MWunitisabout14.2m/s(500ft/sor225,000US
gal/min)atfullload.[14]
AMarleymechanical
Thecondensertubesaremadeofbrassorstainlesssteeltoresistcorrosionfrom induceddraftcooling
eitherside.Nevertheless,theymaybecomeinternallyfouledduringoperationby tower
bacteriaoralgaeinthecoolingwaterorbymineralscaling,allofwhichinhibit
heattransferandreducethermodynamicefficiency.Manyplantsincludeanautomaticcleaningsystemthat
circulatesspongerubberballsthroughthetubestoscrubthemcleanwithouttheneedtotakethesystemoff
line.

Thecoolingwaterusedtocondensethesteaminthecondenserreturnstoitssourcewithouthavingbeen
changedotherthanhavingbeenwarmed.Ifthewaterreturnstoalocalwaterbody(ratherthanacirculating
coolingtower),itisoftentemperedwithcool'raw'watertopreventthermalshockwhendischargedintothat
bodyofwater.

Anotherformofcondensingsystemistheaircooledcondenser.Theprocessissimilartothatofaradiatorand
fan.Exhaustheatfromthelowpressuresectionofasteamturbinerunsthroughthecondensingtubes,thetubes
areusuallyfinnedandambientairispushedthroughthefinswiththehelpofalargefan.Thesteamcondenses

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towatertobereusedinthewatersteamcycle.Aircooledcondenserstypicallyoperateatahighertemperature
thanwatercooledversions.Whilesavingwater,theefficiencyofthecycleisreduced(resultinginmorecarbon
dioxidepermegawatthourofelectricity).

Fromthebottomofthecondenser,powerfulcondensatepumpsrecyclethecondensedsteam(water)backtothe
water/steamcycle.

Reheater

Powerplantfurnacesmayhaveareheatersectioncontainingtubesheatedbyhotfluegasesoutsidethetubes.
Exhauststeamfromthehighpressureturbineispassedthroughtheseheatedtubestocollectmoreenergy
beforedrivingtheintermediateandthenlowpressureturbines.

Airpath

Externalfansareprovidedtogivesufficientairforcombustion.ThePrimaryairfantakesairfromthe
atmosphereand,firstwarmstheairintheairpreheaterforbettereconomy.Primaryairthenpassesthroughthe
coalpulverizers,andcarriesthecoaldusttotheburnersforinjectionintothefurnace.TheSecondaryairfan
takesairfromtheatmosphereand,firstwarmstheairintheairpreheaterforbettereconomy.Secondaryairis
mixedwiththecoal/primaryairflowintheburners.

TheinduceddraftfanassiststheFDfanbydrawingoutcombustiblegasesfromthefurnace,maintaininga
slightlynegativepressureinthefurnacetoavoidleakageofcombustionproductsfromtheboilercasing.

Steamturbinegenerator
Theturbinegeneratorconsistsofaseriesofsteamturbines
interconnectedtoeachotherandageneratoronacommonshaft.
Thereisusuallyahighpressureturbineatoneend,followedbyan
intermediatepressureturbine,andfinallyone,two,orthreelow
pressureturbines,andthegenerator.Assteammovesthroughthe
systemandlosespressureandthermalenergy,itexpandsin
volume,requiringincreasingdiameterandlongerbladesateach
succeedingstagetoextracttheremainingenergy.Theentire
rotatingmassmaybeover200metrictonsand100feet(30m)
long.Itissoheavythatitmustbekeptturningslowlyevenwhen
shutdown(at3rpm)sothattheshaftwillnotbowevenslightly
andbecomeunbalanced.Thisissoimportantthatitisoneofonly
sixfunctionsofblackoutemergencypowerbatteriesonsite.(The
otherfivebeingemergencylighting,communication,station
alarms,generatorhydrogensealsystem,andturbogeneratorlube Rotorofamodernsteamturbine,usedina
oil.) powerstation

Foratypicallate20thcenturypowerplant,superheatedsteam
fromtheboilerisdeliveredthrough1416inch(360410mm)diameterpipingat2,400psi(17MPa160atm)
and1,000F(540C)tothehighpressureturbine,whereitfallsinpressureto600psi(4.1MPa41atm)and
to600F(320C)intemperaturethroughthestage.Itexitsvia2426inch(610660mm)diametercold
reheatlinesandpassesbackintotheboiler,wherethesteamisreheatedinspecialreheatpendanttubesbackto
1,000F(540C).Thehotreheatsteamisconductedtotheintermediatepressureturbine,whereitfallsinboth
temperatureandpressureandexitsdirectlytothelongbladedlowpressureturbinesandfinallyexitstothe
condenser.

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Thegenerator,30feet(9m)longand12feet(3.7m)indiameter,containsastationarystatorandaspinning
rotor,eachcontainingmilesofheavycopperconductornopermanentmagnetshere.Inoperationitgenerates
upto21,000amperesat24,000voltsAC(504MWe)asitspinsateither3,000or3,600rpm,synchronizedto
thepowergrid.Therotorspinsinasealedchambercooledwithhydrogengas,selectedbecauseithasthe
highestknownheattransfercoefficientofanygasandforitslowviscosity,whichreduceswindagelosses.This
systemrequiresspecialhandlingduringstartup,withairinthechamberfirstdisplacedbycarbondioxidebefore
fillingwithhydrogen.Thisensuresthatahighlyexplosivehydrogenoxygenenvironmentisnotcreated.

Thepowergridfrequencyis60HzacrossNorthAmericaand50HzinEurope,Oceania,Asia(Koreaandparts
ofJapanarenotableexceptions)andpartsofAfrica.Thedesiredfrequencyaffectsthedesignoflargeturbines,
sincetheyarehighlyoptimizedforoneparticularspeed.

Theelectricityflowstoadistributionyardwheretransformersincreasethevoltagefortransmissiontoits
destination.

Thesteamturbinedrivengeneratorshaveauxiliarysystemsenablingthemtoworksatisfactorilyandsafely.
Thesteamturbinegenerator,beingrotatingequipment,generallyhasaheavy,largediametershaft.Theshaft
thereforerequiresnotonlysupportsbutalsohastobekeptinpositionwhilerunning.Tominimizethefrictional
resistancetotherotation,theshafthasanumberofbearings.Thebearingshells,inwhichtheshaftrotates,are
linedwithalowfrictionmateriallikeBabbittmetal.Oillubricationisprovidedtofurtherreducethefriction
betweenshaftandbearingsurfaceandtolimittheheatgenerated.

Stackgaspathandcleanup
Asthecombustionfluegasexitstheboileritisroutedthrougharotatingflatbasketofmetalmeshwhichpicks
upheatandreturnsittoincomingfreshairasthebasketrotates.Thisiscalledtheairpreheater.Thegasexiting
theboilerisladenwithflyash,whicharetinysphericalashparticles.Thefluegascontainsnitrogenalongwith
combustionproductscarbondioxide,sulfurdioxide,andnitrogenoxides.Theflyashisremovedbyfabricbag
filtersorelectrostaticprecipitators.Onceremoved,theflyashbyproductcansometimesbeusedinthe
manufacturingofconcrete.Thiscleaningupoffluegases,however,onlyoccursinplantsthatarefittedwiththe
appropriatetechnology.Still,themajorityofcoalfiredpowerplantsintheworlddonothavethesefacilities.
LegislationinEuropehasbeenefficienttoreducefluegaspollution.Japanhasbeenusingfluegascleaning
technologyforover30yearsandtheUShasbeendoingthesameforover25years.Chinaisnowbeginningto
grapplewiththepollutioncausedbycoalfiredpowerplants.

Whererequiredbylaw,thesulfurandnitrogenoxidepollutantsareremovedbystackgasscrubberswhichusea
pulverizedlimestoneorotheralkalinewetslurrytoremovethosepollutantsfromtheexitstackgas.Other
devicesusecatalyststoremoveNitrousOxidecompoundsfromthefluegasstream.Thegastravellingupthe
fluegasstackmaybythistimehavedroppedtoabout50C(120F).Atypicalfluegasstackmaybe150180
metres(490590ft)talltodispersetheremainingfluegascomponentsintheatmosphere.Thetallestfluegas
stackintheworldis419.7metres(1,377ft)tallattheGRES2powerplantinEkibastuz,Kazakhstan.

IntheUnitedStatesandanumberofothercountries,atmosphericdispersionmodeling[15]studiesarerequired
todeterminethefluegasstackheightneededtocomplywiththelocalairpollutionregulations.TheUnited
Statesalsorequirestheheightofafluegasstacktocomplywithwhatisknownasthe"GoodEngineering
Practice(GEP)"stackheight.[16][17]InthecaseofexistingfluegasstacksthatexceedtheGEPstackheight,any
airpollutiondispersionmodelingstudiesforsuchstacksmustusetheGEPstackheightratherthantheactual
stackheight.

Flyashcollection

Flyashiscapturedandremovedfromthefluegasbyelectrostaticprecipitatorsorfabricbagfilters(or
sometimesboth)locatedattheoutletofthefurnaceandbeforetheinduceddraftfan.Theflyashisperiodically
removedfromthecollectionhoppersbelowtheprecipitatorsorbagfilters.Generally,theflyashis

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pneumaticallytransportedtostoragesilosforsubsequenttransportbytrucksorrailroadcars.

Bottomashcollectionanddisposal

Atthebottomofthefurnace,thereisahopperforcollectionofbottomash.Thishopperisalwaysfilledwith
watertoquenchtheashandclinkersfallingdownfromthefurnace.Somearrangementisincludedtocrushthe
clinkersandforconveyingthecrushedclinkersandbottomashtoastoragesite.Ashextractorisusedto
dischargeashfromMunicipalsolidwastefiredboilers.

Auxiliarysystems
Boilermakeupwatertreatmentplantandstorage

Sincethereiscontinuouswithdrawalofsteamandcontinuousreturnofcondensatetotheboiler,lossesdueto
blowdownandleakageshavetobemadeuptomaintainadesiredwaterlevelintheboilersteamdrum.Forthis,
continuousmakeupwaterisaddedtotheboilerwatersystem.Impuritiesintherawwaterinputtotheplant
generallyconsistofcalciumandmagnesiumsaltswhichimparthardnesstothewater.Hardnessinthemakeup
watertotheboilerwillformdepositsonthetubewatersurfaceswhichwillleadtooverheatingandfailureof
thetubes.Thus,thesaltshavetoberemovedfromthewater,andthatisdonebyawaterdemineralising
treatmentplant(DM).ADMplantgenerallyconsistsofcation,anion,andmixedbedexchangers.Anyionsin
thefinalwaterfromthisprocessconsistessentiallyofhydrogenionsandhydroxideions,whichrecombineto
formpurewater.VerypureDMwaterbecomeshighlycorrosiveonceitabsorbsoxygenfromtheatmosphere
becauseofitsveryhighaffinityforoxygen.

ThecapacityoftheDMplantisdictatedbythetypeandquantityofsaltsintherawwaterinput.However,
somestorageisessentialastheDMplantmaybedownformaintenance.Forthispurpose,astoragetankis
installedfromwhichDMwateriscontinuouslywithdrawnforboilermakeup.ThestoragetankforDMwater
ismadefrommaterialsnotaffectedbycorrosivewater,suchasPVC.Thepipingandvalvesaregenerallyof
stainlesssteel.Sometimes,asteamblanketingarrangementorstainlesssteeldoughnutfloatisprovidedontop
ofthewaterinthetanktoavoidcontactwithair.DMwatermakeupisgenerallyaddedatthesteamspaceof
thesurfacecondenser(i.e.,thevacuumside).ThisarrangementnotonlyspraysthewaterbutalsoDMwater
getsdeaerated,withthedissolvedgasesbeingremovedbyadeaeratorthroughanejectorattachedtothe
condenser.

Fuelpreparationsystem

Incoalfiredpowerstations,therawfeedcoalfromthecoalstorage
areaisfirstcrushedintosmallpiecesandthenconveyedtothecoalfeed
hoppersattheboilers.Thecoalisnextpulverizedintoaveryfine
powder.Thepulverizersmaybeballmills,rotatingdrumgrinders,or
othertypesofgrinders.

Somepowerstationsburnfueloilratherthancoal.Theoilmustkept
warm(aboveitspourpoint)inthefueloilstoragetankstopreventthe
oilfromcongealingandbecomingunpumpable.Theoilisusually
heatedtoabout100Cbeforebeingpumpedthroughthefurnacefuel Conveyorsystemformovingcoal
oilspraynozzles. (visibleatfarleft)intoapowerplant

Boilersinsomepowerstationsuseprocessednaturalgasastheirmainfuel.Otherpowerstationsmayuse
processednaturalgasasauxiliaryfuelintheeventthattheirmainfuelsupply(coaloroil)isinterrupted.In
suchcases,separategasburnersareprovidedontheboilerfurnaces.

Barringgear

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Barringgear(or"turninggear")isthemechanismprovidedtorotatetheturbinegeneratorshaftataverylow
speedafterunitstoppages.Oncetheunitis"tripped"(i.e.,thesteaminletvalveisclosed),theturbinecoasts
downtowardsstandstill.Whenitstopscompletely,thereisatendencyfortheturbineshafttodeflectorbendif
allowedtoremaininonepositiontoolong.Thisisbecausetheheatinsidetheturbinecasingtendsto
concentrateinthetophalfofthecasing,makingthetophalfportionoftheshafthotterthanthebottomhalf.
Theshaftthereforecouldwarporbendbymillionthsofinches.

Thissmallshaftdeflection,onlydetectablebyeccentricitymeters,wouldbeenoughtocausedamaging
vibrationstotheentiresteamturbinegeneratorunitwhenitisrestarted.Theshaftisthereforeautomatically
turnedatlowspeed(aboutonepercentratedspeed)bythebarringgearuntilithascooledsufficientlytopermit
acompletestop.

Oilsystem

Anauxiliaryoilsystempumpisusedtosupplyoilatthestartupofthesteamturbinegenerator.Itsuppliesthe
hydraulicoilsystemrequiredforsteamturbine'smaininletsteamstopvalve,thegoverningcontrolvalves,the
bearingandsealoilsystems,therelevanthydraulicrelaysandothermechanisms.

Atapresetspeedoftheturbineduringstartups,apumpdrivenbytheturbinemainshafttakesoverthe
functionsoftheauxiliarysystem.

Generatorcooling

Whilesmallgeneratorsmaybecooledbyairdrawnthroughfiltersattheinlet,largerunitsgenerallyrequire
specialcoolingarrangements.Hydrogengascooling,inanoilsealedcasing,isusedbecauseithasthehighest
knownheattransfercoefficientofanygasandforitslowviscositywhichreduceswindagelosses.Thissystem
requiresspecialhandlingduringstartup,withairinthegeneratorenclosurefirstdisplacedbycarbondioxide
beforefillingwithhydrogen.Thisensuresthatthehighlyflammablehydrogendoesnotmixwithoxygeninthe
air.

Thehydrogenpressureinsidethecasingismaintainedslightlyhigherthanatmosphericpressuretoavoid
outsideairingress.Thehydrogenmustbesealedagainstoutwardleakagewheretheshaftemergesfromthe
casing.Mechanicalsealsaroundtheshaftareinstalledwithaverysmallannulargaptoavoidrubbingbetween
theshaftandtheseals.Sealoilisusedtopreventthehydrogengasleakagetoatmosphere.

Thegeneratoralsouseswatercooling.Sincethegeneratorcoilsareatapotentialofabout22kV,aninsulating
barriersuchasTeflonisusedtointerconnectthewaterlineandthegeneratorhighvoltagewindings.
Demineralizedwateroflowconductivityisused.

Generatorhighvoltagesystem

Thegeneratorvoltageformodernutilityconnectedgeneratorsrangesfrom11kVinsmallerunitsto30kVin
largerunits.Thegeneratorhighvoltageleadsarenormallylargealuminiumchannelsbecauseoftheirhigh
currentascomparedtothecablesusedinsmallermachines.Theyareenclosedinwellgroundedaluminiumbus
ductsandaresupportedonsuitableinsulators.Thegeneratorhighvoltageleadsareconnectedtostepup
transformersforconnectingtoahighvoltageelectricalsubstation(usuallyintherangeof115kVto765kV)
forfurthertransmissionbythelocalpowergrid.

Thenecessaryprotectionandmeteringdevicesareincludedforthehighvoltageleads.Thus,thesteamturbine
generatorandthetransformerformoneunit.Smallerunitsmayshareacommongeneratorstepuptransformer
withindividualcircuitbreakerstoconnectthegeneratorstoacommonbus.

Monitoringandalarmsystem

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Mostofthepowerplantoperationalcontrolsareautomatic.However,attimes,manualinterventionmaybe
required.Thus,theplantisprovidedwithmonitorsandalarmsystemsthatalerttheplantoperatorswhen
certainoperatingparametersareseriouslydeviatingfromtheirnormalrange.

Batterysuppliedemergencylightingandcommunication

Acentralbatterysystemconsistingofleadacidcellunitsisprovidedtosupplyemergencyelectricpower,when
needed,toessentialitemssuchasthepowerplant'scontrolsystems,communicationsystems,generator
hydrogensealsystem,turbinelubeoilpumps,andemergencylighting.Thisisessentialforasafe,damagefree
shutdownoftheunitsinanemergencysituation.

Circulatingwatersystem

Todissipatethethermalloadofmainturbineexhauststeam,condensatefromglandsteamcondenser,and
condensatefromLowPressureHeaterbyprovidingacontinuoussupplyofcoolingwatertothemaincondenser
therebyleadingtocondensation.

Theconsumptionofcoolingwaterbyinlandpowerplantsisestimatedtoreducepoweravailabilityforthe
majorityofthermalpowerplantsby20402069.[18]

Transportofcoalfueltositeandtostorage
Mostthermalstationsusecoalasthemainfuel.Rawcoalistransportedfromcoalminestoapowerstationsite
bytrucks,barges,bulkcargoshipsorrailwaycars.Generally,whenshippedbyrailways,thecoalcarsaresent
asafulltrainofcars.Thecoalreceivedatsitemaybeofdifferentsizes.Therailwaycarsareunloadedatsite
byrotarydumpersorsidetiltdumperstotipoverontoconveyorbeltsbelow.Thecoalisgenerallyconveyedto
crusherswhichcrushthecoaltoabout34inch(19mm)size.Thecrushedcoalisthensentbybeltconveyorsto
astoragepile.Normally,thecrushedcoaliscompactedbybulldozers,ascompactingofhighlyvolatilecoal
avoidsspontaneousignition.

Thecrushedcoalisconveyedfromthestoragepiletosilosorhoppersattheboilersbyanotherbeltconveyor
system.

Seealso
Boiler Geothermalpower Levelisedenergycost
Listofsignificantthermal Nuclearpower Watertubeboiler
powerstationfailures Powerstation IntegratedGasification
Combinedheatandpower Relativecostofelectricity CombinedCycle
Coolingtowersystem generatedbydifferent Listoflargestpowerstations
Fluegasstacks sources intheworld
Fossilfuelpowerstation Surfacecondenser
Geothermalpower Levelisedenergycost
References
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CambridgeUniversityPressArchive,pages174175
3.MauryKlein,ThePowerMakers:Steam,Electricity,andtheMenWhoInventedModernAmericaBloomsbury
PublishingUSA,2009ISBN159691677X
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original(http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/turbines/turbines_howitworks.html)onMay27,2010.
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5.ClimateTechBook,Hydropower(http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/Hydropower10%2009_FINAL_cleanPDF.pdf),
PewCenteronGlobalClimateChange,October2009
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practice(3rdEdition(12volumeset)ed.).Pergamon.ISBN008040510X.
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8.ThomasC.Elliott,KaoChen,RobertSwanekamp(coauthors)(1997).StandardHandbookofPowerplant
Engineering(2nded.).McGrawHillProfessional.ISBN0070194351.
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309155008/http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/presentations/maulbetsch.pdf)(PDF).CoolingWaterIntakes.
Washington,DC:USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Archivedfromtheoriginal(http://www.epa.gov/ostwater/pre
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Technologies,Arlington,Virginia.
15.Beychok,MiltonR.(2005).FundamentalsOfStackGasDispersion(4thed.).authorpublished.ISBN096445880
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vulnerabilityandadaptationtochangesinclimateandwaterresources"(http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v6/n
4/full/nclimate2903.html).NatureClimateChange.6:375380.doi:10.1038/nclimate2903(https://doi.org/10.1038%
2Fnclimate2903).Retrieved28March2016.

Externallinks
ThermalPowerPlant:IndianContext(http://indianpowersector.com/powerstation/thermalpowerplant)
Conventionalcoalfiredpowerplant(http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Conventional_coalfired_power_plan
t)
Powerplantdiagram(http://www.tva.gov/power/coalart.htm)
PowerPlantReferenceBooks(http://www.processassociates.com/bookshelf/units/power_plant_1.htm)
Steamjetejectors(http://www.sk.com/pages/pro_06_00.html)
Steamjetejectorperformanceguidelines(http://www.cheresources.com/ejectors.shtml)
First(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0i1E_lE_TE)onYouTubeandsecond(https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=8uwrMLrqQlU)onYouTubevideolecturesbyS.Banerjeeon"ThermalPowerPlants"

Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thermal_power_station&oldid=779293150"

Categories: Powerstationtechnology Energyconversion Chemicalprocessengineering Steampower

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