Unit 3 Steam & Gas Power Plant

Mr. Ramesh S. Bolade

Head of Department Mech. Engg.
 Steam Power Plant
• A steam power plant, also known as a Thermal
power plant , is a facility designed to generate
electricity through the use of steam as the primary
working fluid. It operates based on the principles
of thermodynamics, utilizing the conversion of
heat energy into mechanical work and
subsequently into electrical energy. The primary
components of a steam power plant include a
boiler, a turbine, a condenser, and a generator.
Schematic Layout of Steam Power Plant
 Cont….
A thermal power plant generates electricity by
burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or gas.
The heat produced by the burning fuel is used
to create steam, which then drives a turbine
to generate electricity. The steam is cooled
and condensed back into water, which is
reused in the process.
 Cont…
• As we know in a power plant electrical power is
obtained from the fuel being used. A Thermal Power
Plant makes use of Coal to boil water and produce
steam. This steam is made to hit on the blades of the
Steam turbine. From there further, the mechanical
energy is converted to electricity using generators. We
refer to them as thermal power plants because we
make use of heat energy released by the burning of fuel
to produce electricity. Thermal power plants work on
the Rankine vapor cycle. The below figure shows the
Thermal Power Plant view.
 Fuel Handling System
• FUEL HANDLING SYSTEM
• Coal delivery equipment is one of the major components of plant cost. The
various steps involved in coal handling are as follows:
1. Coal delivery.
2. Unloading
3. Preparation
4. Transfer
5. Outdoor storage
6. Covered storage
7. Implant handling
8. Weighing and measuring
9. Feeding the coal into furnace
Cont…
 Cont…
i) Coal delivery
• The coal from supply points is delivered by
ships or boats to power stations situated near
to sea or river whereas coal is supplied by rail
or trucks to the power stations which are
situated away from sea or river. The
transportation of coal by trucks is used if the
railway facilities are not available.
 Cont…
ii) Unloading
• The type of equipment to be used for unloading the coal
received at the power station depends on how coal is received
at the power station.
• If coal delivered by trucks, there is no need of unloading device
as the trucks may dump the coal to the outdoor storage. Coal is
easily handled if the lift trucks with scoop are used. In case the
coal is brought by railways wagons, ships or boats, the
unloading may be done by car shakes, rotary car dumpers,
cranes, grab buckets and coal accelerators. Rotary car dumpers
although costly are quite efficient for unloading closed wagons.
 Cont…
(iii) Preparation
• When the coal delivered is in the form of big
lumps and it is not of proper size, the
preparation (sizing) of coal can be achieved by
crushers, breakers, sizers, driers and magnetic
separators.
 Cont..
iv) Transfer
• After preparation coal is transferred to the dead storage
by means of the following systems.
1. Belt conveyors
2. Screw conveyors
3. Bucket elevators
4. Grab bucket elevators
5. Skip hoists
6. Flight conveyor
Belt Conveyor
 Cont…
Figure shows a belt conveyor. It consists of an endless
belt moving over a pair of end drums (rollers). At some
distance a supporting roller is provided at the centre.
The belt is made up of rubber or canvas. Belt conveyor
is suitable for the transfer of coal over long distances.
It is used in medium and large power plants. The initial
cost of system is not high and power consumption is
also low. The inclination at which coal can be
successfully elevated by belt conveyor is about
20 .Average speed preferred than other types.
2. Screw Conveyor
 Cont..
• It consists of an endless helicoid screw fitted to a
shaft (figure). The screw while rotating in a trough
transfers the coal from feeding end to the
discharge end.
• This system is suitable, where coal is to be
transferred over shorter distance and space
limitations exist. The initial cost of the
consumption is high and there is considerable
wear o screw. Rotation of screw varies between
75-125 r.p.m
3. Bucket elevator
 Cont..
• It consists of buckets fixed to a chain (figure).
The chain moves over two wheels. The coal is
carried by the bucket from bottom and
discharged at the top.
4. Grab bucket elevator
 Storage of Coal

• It is desirable that sufficient quantity of coal should be stored.Storage of

coal gives protection against the interruption of coal supplies when there
is delay in transportation of coal or due to strike in coal mines. Also when
the prices are low, the coal can be purchased and stored for future use.
•
• The amount of coal to be stored depends on the availability of space for
storage, transportation facilities, the amount of coal that will whether
away and nearness to coal mines of the power station. Usually coal
required for one month operation of power plant is stored in case of
power stations is situated at longer distance from the collieries whereas
coal need for about 15 days is stored in case of power station situated
near to collieries. Storage of coal for longer periods is not advantageous
because it blocks the capital and results in deterioration of the quality of
coal.
 PULVERIZED COAL STORAGE

• Periodically a power plant may encounter the situation where coal

must be stored for sometimes in a bunker, for instance during a
plant shut down. The bunker, fires can occur in dormant
pulverized coal from spontaneous heating within 6 day of loading.
• This time can be extended to 13 days when a blanket of CO2 is
piped into the top of the bunker. The perfect sealing of the bunker
from air leakage can extend the storage time as two months or
more. The coal in the bunker can be stored as long as six months
by expelling air from above the coal with the use of CO2 and then
blanketing of all sources of air. A control system used for storing
the pulverized fuel in bunker is shown in figure.
 Pulverized Fuel Handling System:

• Two methods are in general use to feed the pulverized

fuel to the combustion chamber of the power plant.
First is ‘Unit System’ second is ‘Central or Bin System ‘.
• In unit system, each burner of the plant is fired by one
or more pulverizers connected to the burners, while in
the central system, the fuel is pulverized in the central
plant and then disturbed to each furnace with the help
of high pressure air current. Each type of fuel handling
system consists of crushers, magnetic separators,
driers, pulverizing mills, storage bins, conveyors and
feeders.
Cont…
 Cont….
• It lifts and transfers coal on a single rail or track
from one point to the other. The coal lifted by
grab buckets is transferred to overhead bunker
or storage. This system requires less power for
operation and requires minimum maintenance.
• The grab bucket conveyor can be used with
crane or tower as shown in figure . Although
the initial cost of this system is high but
operating cost is less.
Ball Mill
 Cont…
• A line diagram of ball mill using two classifiers is shown in figure.
It consists of a slowly rotating drum which is partly filled with
steel balls. Raw coal from feeders is supplied to the classifiers
from where it moves to the drum by means of a screw conveyor.
As the drum rotates the coal get pulverized due to the combine
impact between coal and steel balls. Hot air is introduced into the
drum.
• The powdered coal is picked up by the air and the coal air mixture
enters the classifiers, where sharp changes in the direction of the
mixture throw out the oversized coal particles. The over-sized
particles are returned to the drum. The coal air mixture from the
classifier moves to the exhauster fan and then it is supplied to the
burners.
Electrostatic Precipitator
Typical Thermal Power Plant Electrostatic
Precipitator Components
 ESP
• An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) removes
particles from a gas stream by using electrical
energy to charge particles either positively or
negatively. The charged particles are then
attracted to collector plates carrying the
opposite charge.
 ESP
• The electrostatic precipitator functions by charging
particulates within a gas stream as the gas flows through
the ESP. These negatively charged particulates are
attracted to positively charge large flat plates within the
ESP, where they gradually accumulate upon the surfaces
of the plates. Once a significant number of particulates
have accumulated on the plates, a mechanical
mechanism (rapping system) hits the plates, with the
resultant vibration shaking the particulates off the
plates; the particulates then fall due to gravity and are
collected in hoppers at the base of the ESP.
 Gas Turbine Power Plant
• Gas Turbines are used mainly for electric
power generation and also in jet engines of
aircrafts and in turbochargers of internal
combustion(IC) engines.
• It has limited application in marine engines.
Gas turbines have the unique advantage of
using any type of fuel, i.e. solid, liquid or gas.
• Gas turbine operate either on an open cycle or
in a closed cycle.
 Open Cycle Gas turbine
Fresh air is drawn into the
compressor from atmosphere.

Heat is added by combustion

of fuel.

Exhaust from turbine is

released in atmosphere.

Arrangement of continuous
replacement of working medium
is required.
 Closed Cycle Gas turbine
In this , cycle is closed and
exhaust is not open to
atmosphere.

In this there is continuously

supply of same working gas.

Higher density gases like

hydrogen or carbon dioxide is
used.

So we get higher efficiency

than open cycle GT.
 Applications
Applications
 Turbojet engines

Marine field

 Supercharging

Railway engines

Generation of electric
power

Industry
Schematic Arrangement of Gas
Turbine Power Plant
 Cont…
• A generating station which employs a gas
turbine as the prime mover for the generation
of electrical energy is known as a gas turbine
power plant.
• In a gas turbine power plant, air is used as the
working fluid. The air is compressed by the
compressor and is led to the combustion
chamber where heat is added to the air, thus
raising its temperature.
 Cont..
• Heat is added to the compressed air either by burning fuel in
the chamber or by the use of air heaters. The hot and high-
pressure air from the combustion chamber is then passed to
the gas turbine where it expands and does the mechanical
work. The gas turbine drives the alternator which
converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• It may be mentioned here that compressor, gas turbine
and the alternator are mounted on the same shaft so that a
part of the mechanical power of the turbine can be utilised for
the operation of the compressor. Gas turbine power plants are
being used as standby plants for hydro-electric stations, as a
starting plant for driving auxiliaries in power plants etc.
Gas Turbine Power Plant Schematic Diagram:

• The gas turbine power plant layout is shown in

above The main components of the Gas Turbine
Power Plant are :
• (i) Compressor
• (ii) Regenerator
• (iii) Combustion chamber
• (iv) Gas turbine
• (v) Alternator
• (vi) Starting motor
 Cont….
(i) Compressor: The compressor used in the plant is generally of
rotatory type. The air at atmospheric pressure is drawn by the
compressor via the filter which removes the dust from the air. The
rotatory blades of the compressor push the air between stationary
blades to raise its pressure. Thus air at high pressure is available at
the output of the compressor.
(ii) Regenerator: A regenerator is a device which recovers heat from
the exhaust gases of the turbine. The exhaust is passed through the
regenerator before wasting to the atmosphere. A regenerator
consists of a nest of tubes contained in a shell as seen in the below
power plant layout. The compressed air from the compressor
passes through the tubes on its way to the combustion chamber. In
this way, compressed air is heated by the hot exhaust gases.
 Cont…
(iii) Combustion chamber: The air at high pressure from the
compressor is led to the combustion chamber via the regenerator.
In the combustion chamber, heat is added to the air by burning oil.
The oil is injected through the burner into the chamber at high
pressure to ensure atomisation of oil and its thorough mixing with
air. The result is that the chamber attains a very high temperature
(about 3000 F). The combustion gases are suitably cooled to 1300F
to 1500F and then delivered to the gas turbine.
(iv) Gas turbine: The products of combustion consisting of a mixture of
gases at high temperature and pressure are passed to the gas
turbine.These gases in passing over the turbine blades expand and
thus do the mechanical work. The temperature of the exhaust
gases from the turbine is about 900F.
 Cont…
(v) Alternator: The gas turbine is coupled to the alternator as
seen in the gas turbine plant layout. The alternator converts
mechanical energy of the turbine into electrical energy. The
output from the alternator is given to the bus-bars through
the transformer, circuit breakers and isolators.
(vi) Starting motor: Before starting the turbine, the
compressor has to be started. For this purpose, an electric
motor is mounted on the same shaft as that of the turbine.
The motor is energised by the batteries. Once the unit
starts, a part of the mechanical power of the turbine drives
the compressor and there is no need of motor now.