SUPER CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY

Presented By:
Amit Joshi UPES Dehradun,India

Introduction
"Supercritical" is a thermodynamic expression

describing the state of a substance where there is no clear distinction between the liquid and the gaseous phase. Supercritical Power plants operate at higher temperatures & higher pressure resulting in higher efficiencies i.e., up to 46 percent for supercritical plants and lower emissions than traditional (subcritical) coal-fired plants.

WHAT IS A SUPERCRITICAL BOILER?

Supercritical steam generators (also known as Benson boilers) are

frequently used for the production of electric power. In contrast to a "subcritical boiler", a supercritical steam generator operates at such a high pressure (over 3,200 psi/22.06 MPa 3,200 psi/220.6 bar that actual boiling ceases to occur, and the boiler has no water - steam separation. There is no generation of steam bubbles within the water, because the pressure is above the "critical pressure" at which steam bubbles can form. It passes below the critical point as it does work in the high pressure turbine and enters the generator's condenser. This is more efficient, resulting in slightly less fuel use. The term "boiler" should not be used for a supercritical pressure steam generator, as no "boiling" actually occurs in this device.

 Above 221 bars, two phase mixtures of water and steam cease to exist They are replaced by a single supercritical fluid.

WHAT IS SUPERCRITICAL TECHNOLOGY?

This eliminates the need for water/steam separation in drums during

operation Thus allowing a simpler separator to be employed during start-up conditions. The transition to steam temperatures of 600C and higher is now a further major development step, which decisively affects many aspects of the design of the power plant, especially of the boiler
Critical Point 22.1MPa-373C

Special feature of supercritical boilers

Capacity to operate under low load.
Suitability for continuous variable loads. Suitability for cyclic operations.

Suitability for two shift operations.

Quicker start up and shut down capability. Larger unit size.

Advantages of Supercritical technology

Today supercritical units can achieve thermal

efficiency of more than 45 percent, compared with a typical subcritical plants 30-38 percent. Higher firing temperatures and pressures translate into better efficiency, defined as more electricity generated per BTU of coal consumed. super critical technology will result in saving of about 4% of fuel and correspondingly less emission. The Benson design offers a number of advantages, including simplified start up and the ability to operate in sliding pressure mode.

LIMITATIONS
Economy of scale.
Problem with the metallurgical limit . An increase in steam temperature (>700 C) is possible but

without NICKEL based materials it is not possible to obtain more than 10K to 20K.
Double reheating is required to prevent Inlet pressure

turbine exhaust wetness

 Extremely high initial build cost. More complicated to operate. Much higher O&M costs. Not very flexible, generation changes are slow and minimal, usually only for "base-load" generation. Environmental considerations.

International Scenario of Supercritical Technology

SUBCRITICAL

SUPERCRITICAL

ULTRA SUPERCRITICAL
382-700/720

285-630/650 285-600-620

Super critical 245/540/540 Subcritical 170/540oC/540o

245/540/565

Mature Technology 1960s

1970s

1980s 1990s

2000s

Already Inducted

245-580/600

2010s

Year

Under Induction

R&DAdvance USC

CO2 Reduction Scenarios

1400 1200 CO2 Emissionskg/MWh 1000 800 600 400 200 0 30 35 40 45 Plant Net Efficiency 50 55 60

Super Critical USC A-USC

Capacity addition based on Supercritical technology

11 number supercritical units totaling to 7,540 MW under construction during 11th Plan.
20 number supercritical units totaling to 14,000 MW ordered so far for 12th Plan 13 number UMPP, each of about 4,000 MW capacity, based on supercritical technology planned. Four UMPP already awarded About 62 number supercritical units totaling to 44,000 MW likely to be added during 12th Plan.

Super Critical Technology in NTPC

UPCOMING PLANTS

North Karanpura, Jharkhand 3x660 MW

Darlipali, Orissa 4x800 MW Lara, Chattisgarh 5x800 MW Marakanam, Tamilnadu 4x800 MW

Tanda-II, Uttar Pradesh - 2x660 MW

Meja, Uttar Pradesh - 2x660 MW Sholapur 2x660 MW New Nabinagar-3x660 MW Many more projects including 800 MW ultra super critical units under consideration