International Journal of Mechanical and Production

Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD)

ISSN(P): 2249-6890; ISSN(E): 2249-8001
Vol. 9, Issue 1, Feb 2019, 201-216
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

EFFICIENCY AND COST BENEFIT ASSESSMENTS ON A TYPICAL

600MW COAL FIRED BOILER POWER PLANT

THARUN KANTH VENTRAPATI & BOGGARAPU NAGESWARA RAO

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation,
Deemed to be University, Green Fields, Vaddeswaram, Guntur, India
ABSTRACT

The overall efficiency of a coal fired boiler power plant ranges from 34 to 40% considering the boiler efficiency
and turbine cycle heat rate. A comparative study is made applying the necessary corrections while evaluating the boiler
efficiency (using the direct and indirect methods) and the turbine cycle heat rate for the design and actual operating
conditions of a typical 600MW coal fired boiler power plant. Heat rate deviation is assessed when the unit in live
operating conditions is deviated from the design operating conditions. Finally, cost benefit and CO2 reduction analyses
are performed fromthe estimated heat rate deviation for abundantly available coals in India. Curative actions and
applicability to conventional and non-conventional fuels, supercritical, combined cycle, nuclear power plants are
highlighted for efficient, economical and eco-friendly operation of the plant.

Original Article
KEYWORDS: Coal Fired Boiler, Cost Benefit, Direct Method, Efficiency, Heat Rate Deviation; Indirect Method, Power
Plant & Turbine Cycle Heat Rate

Received: Nov 22, 2018; Accepted: Dec 12, 2018; Published: Jan 05, 2019; Paper Id.: IJMPERDFEB201920

1. INTRODUCTION

Power plants play a major role in the country’s economic growth. In developed countries the individual
power consumption is very high (12071kwh/year in USA) when compared to that of developing countries
(1122kWh/year in India)[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2233rank.html].
This is mainly due to high power consumption in industries. Less power consumption indicates low growth in
industries and less job opportunities. India has developed from 1362MW(in 1947at its independence) to
3,43,899MW (in June 2018 having contributions:58% Coal, 20% renewable, 13% hydro, 7% gas, 1.8% Nuclear,
0.2% Oil)[https://powermin.nic.in/en/content/power-sector-glance-all-india/]. In the present scenario 65% of
electricity is generated from thermal power plants utilizing more than 80% of coal in india. For economical
operation there is a need to improve the efficiency of power plants. It is noted that 80% of the commissioned power
capacity is between 210 to 660MW; and theuneconomical operations of old units of 25 to 300MW are to be
scraped [https://npp.gov.in/public-reports/cea/daily/dgr/22-08-2018/dgr1-2018-08-22.pdf]. However, 500 to
660MWunits are producing more than half of the power required in India. Cost benefit analysis on power plants
indicatesa reductionof heat rate deviation which decreases operating costs, coal consumption, CO2 emissions and
improves overall efficiency [1-3]

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1.1 Operations in a Coal Fired Boiler Thermal Power Plants

Figure 1: A Typical Coal Fired Thermal Power Plant System

Figure 1 shows a typical thermal power plant operating with coal as a fuel. The coal handling plant transfers coal
through belt conveyor to coal hopper, then it supplies to a coal mill through conveyor. A coal mill pulverizes the coal to
fine powder. The air supplied from primary air fan forces this pulverized coal to the boiler through burner system. Forced
draft fan pumps, airinto boiler cavity through windbox. The fuel gun in the burner system makes the air and coal mixture
burn through a chemical reaction producing heat and combustion products (flue gases and ash). The heat produced is
absorbed by water supplied from a boiler feed pump. Water runs through waterwall tubes and converts to steam. Water and
steam mixture enter the boiler drum. The steam from boiler drum enters into super heater coils and goes to the high
pressure turbine (HPT) through main steam line (MS). The steam is partly expanded in HP turbine to avoid formation of
water vapour. This water is reheated in the boiler re-heater coils and goes to intermediate pressure turbine(IPT) through hot
reheat line(HRH) and then expands in IP turbine and low pressure turbine (LPT) and power is produced. The exhaust
steam from the low pressure turbine is condensed to water in condenser using cooling water. The heated up cooling water
is cooled down by a cooling tower and is recirculated by cooling water pump. The condensed steam from LP turbine is
pumped by condensate extraction pump through low pressure heaters which pre-heats the water by extraction steam from
LP turbine. The pre-heated water is supplied through de-aerator to boiler feed pump for raising its pressure. The high
pressure water is further heated by extracting steam from IP turbine and HP turbine in high pressure heaters and then enters
the boiler.

1.2 Unit Operating Conditions

Table 1: Main Operating Conditions of a Typical 600MW Thermal Plant

Power Main Steam Cold Reheat Hot Reheat Feed Water
Main Operating
Output mi hi mi hi mi hi mi hi
Conditions
(MW) T/h kJ/kg T/h kJ/kg T/h kJ/kg T/h kJ/kg
100% BMCR/ VWO 648 2028 3397 1719 3048 1719 3534 2028 1236
100% TMCR 600 1849 3397 1576 3033 1576 3537 1849 1206
3% Make Up Water 600 1865 3397 1581 3033 1581 3537 1865 1207
TRIAL RUN 600 1902 3397 1611 3036 1611 3536 1902 1214
80% TMCR 480 1465 3418 1465 3048 1267 3544 1465 1140
60% TMCR 360 1123 3451 1123 3085 0984 3523 1123 1069
50% TMCR 300 0957 3466 0957 3102 0845 3498 0957 1028

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Table 1: Contd.,
40% TMCR 240 0793 3471 0793 3111 0704 3468 0793 0980
All HP heaters
600 1619 3397 1619 3054 1592 3536 1619 0769
bypassed
NO.1 HP heater
600 1751 3397 1751 3041 1607 3536 1751 1065
bypassed
Extraction Steam 600 1997 3397 1997 3030 1599 3537 1997 1221
Live Near 100%
576 1798 3392 1552 3046 1552 3515 1728 1221
TMCR

To achieve the maximum possible efficiency the power plant needs a specification of operating conditions
through experimental trials on a replica module or similar model in a controlled laboratory or the data from the running or
live operating power plants. Data of pressure, temperature, flow rates etc. Guides a power plant to operate in the most
effective manner. The design operating conditions are classified on the boiler rated capacity, turbine rated capacity, load
applied by power grid, feed water heaters conditionand co-generation.

Table 2: Ultimate Analysis Report on Various Types of Coal

Indian Semi-
Design Bituminous Worst
Type of Coal Lignite Bituminous
Coal Coal Coal
Coal Coal
GCV (Kcal/kg) 3500 4300 4410 5800 3140
Carbon (%) 35.64 37 43.81 59 32.2
Hydrogen (%) 2.48 2.9 2.92 3.1 2.32
Nitrogen (%) 0.68 1.1 1.45 1.1 0.65
Oxygen (%) 5.7 4.5 11.9 10.4 7.33
Sulphur (%) 0.5 1.5 0.02 1.4 0.5
Moisture (%) 10 17 10.75 12.9 12
Ash (%) 45 36 29.15 12.1 45

Figure 2: Types of Coal and Mining Depth

When a boiler operates at its maximum ratecapacity, itit is called 100%BMCR or V. O. All valves of the turbine
are to be fully opened to generate more power than its rated capacity. Similarily when a turbine operates at its maximum
rated capacity it called 100%TMCR (600MW). The grid load on the plant varies seasonally. During the summer the grid
load is maximized and the plant operates at 100%BMCR. When the grid load equals the turbine maximum rated capacity,
it is full load (600MW). When the grid has 40%load the turbine operates at 40% and its rated power is 240MW. When the
grid load is above 100%BMCR it overloads plant system. When it falls below 40%TMCR, efficient and economical
operations of the plant are not possible. When high pressure feed water heaters underperform or malfunction then plant
shall operate by hp heaters bypassed. Also, whensome of the steam is extracted from turbine system for supply to other
units or for co-generation then extraction steam condition occurs. The main operating conditions of a typical 600MW

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204 Tharun Kanth Ventrapati & Boggarapu Nageswara Rao

power plant are presented in Table 1. The ultimate analysis report of Table 2 and Figure 2 on different types of coal helps
the plant operator to opt fuels close to the design fuel. The boiler efficiency and turbine heat rate for operating conditions
in Table 1 with the type of fuel in Table 2 can have 60 multiple values.

Figure 3: Schematic of a Typical 600MW Boiler

with Semi-Bituminous Coal as Pulverized Fuel

A schematic of a typical 600MW boiler with semi-bituminous coal as pulverized fuel is shown in Figure 3. The
energy balanceof the coal fired steam power plant in Figure 4 shows the conversion of electrical power from the 100%
chemical energy of design coal. The mechanical losses of steam turbine are found to be negligible.

Figure 4: Energy Balance for Coal Fired Steam

Power Plant with Design Coal Flow 376.9T/h

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1.3 Objectives of the Present Study

In this paper a comparative study is made initially on the boiler efficiency using direct and indirect methods
taking design coal as reference. The turbine cycle heat rate is evaluated atthe 100% TMCR conditionby dividing the heat
input to steam bya boilerwitha net turbine power output. Turbine cycle heat rate is divided by boiler efficiency to estimate
the unit heat rate. The overall efficiency of the plant is found by dividing the ideal unit heat rate of 860kcal/kWh
withassessedunit heat rate. Heat rate deviation for live operating plant is found by applying the necessary correction factors
and estimated the cost of heat rate deviation and increase in CO2 production. Curative actions are proposed for reduction of
plant heat rate and CO2considering various types of coal in India. This paper highlights on the applicability of various
carbon compound fuel powered plants, combined cycle power plant consisting steam and gas turbines, nuclear power
plants.

2. BOILER EFFICIENCY

Direct method (input-output method) and indirect method (energy balance method)[4] are being used for
evaluation of the boiler efficiency. In direct method, the boiler efficiency ( ηboiler ) is the ratio of energy absorbed by fluid
flowing through boiler(output) to the chemical energy of the fuel (input):

mFW ( hMS  - hFW )+mCRH (hHRH -hCRH )

ηboiler =  ×100 (1)
mCoal  ×GCVCoal

Indirect method for efficiency evaluationrequires chemical analysis of fuel, mass flow rates, temperatures and
pressures of involving parameters. This method estimates boiler efficiency (%) by deducting %heat losses and
superimposing %credits from 100%.

Energylosses -Energycredits
ηboiler = 1- ×100 (2)
Energyinput

Srinivas et al. [1] have hinted that boiler efficiency by the direct method is simple but unable to provide the plant
operators about the root cause of lowering the efficiency of the system, which may sometimes mislead. In such a situation,
indirect method (heat balance method/energy balance method) seems to be reliable.

The boiler efficiency by direct method for live plant near 100%TMCR with semi-bituminous coal with GCV of
4410kcal/kg or 18433.8kJ/kg is worked out to be 90.55%. For the design coal flow of 354.29 T/h, the boiler efficiency of
87.87% is taken as reference in the cost benefit and CO2 reduction analyses for coals in Table 2. Boiler efficiency is
evaluated and presented in Table 3. Evaluation of boiler efficiency by indirect method requires the results ofpsychometric
analysis, fuel ultimate analysis, flue gas analysis, ash analysis, boiler and equipment design specifications. Figure 3gives
the data for a live operating plant operating near 100%TMCR with semi-bituminous coal. As per ASME PTC 4 [4], heat
balance method provides the boiler efficiency by considering various percentage heat losses and credits. Sinivas et al. [1]
and Nag [5] have presented formulae for various heat losses. The additional losses introduced in
[https://www.scribd.com/document/253990874/Power-Plant-Commissioning-pdf] are as follows.

COppm ×10-6 ×GCVCO

Heat loss due toIncomplete combustion= mdfg × ×100 (3)
GCVCoal

BA%×Ash%×CarbonBA % ×GCVCarbon
Heat loss due to unburnt carbon in fly ash = ×100 (4)
GCVCoal

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FA%×Ash%×CarbonFA %×GCVCarbon
Heat loss due to unburnt carboninbottom
carbonin ash = ×100 (5)
GCVCoal

FA%×Ash%×CP(FA) ×(TFA -Ta )

Sensible heat loss due to fly ash=
ash ×100 (6)
GCVCoal

BA%×Ash%×CP(BA) ×(TFA -Ta )

Sensible heat loss due to bottom ash=
ash ×100 (7)
GCVCoal

Figure 5: Mass Balance for 1 Kg of Semi-Bituminous

Semi Bituminous Coal Burnt

When complete combustion takes place, water vapour, ash and dry flue gases become combustion products.
products The
mass of the dry flue gases (mdfg) is the sum of the mass of combustion gases (Carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen,
Oxygen) excluding water vapour (see Figure 5). But when incomplete combustion takes place Carbon monoxide, Nitrous
oxides (NOx) and Acid causing substance like SOx are present.. CO is present due to less supply of oxygen.
oxygen NOx is due to
very high combustion temperatures above 11100oC and Sulphuric acid from SOx is due to less dispersion space and high
water vapour [6]. Mass
ass of dry flue gases can be computed by neglecting water vapour present and mass of solid
combustion products [https://beeindia.gov.in/sites/default/files/4Ch1.pdf
https://beeindia.gov.in/sites/default/files/4Ch1.pdf].

Various heat losses accounted in the boiler efficiency evaluation

eval are presented below

Theoritical Air required, TAR=5.58

TAR= kg/kg of fuel

Excess Air Supplied, EA=35.05%

Actual Air Supplied, AAS=7.54

7.54 kg/kg of fuel

Mass of the dry flue gasses, mdfg= AAS +1= 8.54 kg/kg of fuel

Heat loss due to dry flue gases: Loss1=3.96%

Heat loss due to moisture formed from H2 present in fuel: Loss2=3.73%

Heat loss due to moisture in fuel: Loss3=1.53%

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Heat loss due to moisture presesnt in air: Loss4=0.06%

Heat loss due to incomplete combustion: Loss5=0.02%

Heat loss due to unburnt carbon in bottom ash: Loss6=0.15%

Heat loss due to unburnt carbon in fly ash: Loss7=0.16%

Heat loss due to sensible heat in bottom ash: Loss8=0.1%

Heat loss due to sensible heat in fly ash: Loss9=0.22%

Heat loss due to convection and radiation from asme ptc 4.1 amba curve: Loss10=0.16%

Heat credit due to dry air entering the boiler =0.38%

Heat credit due to moisture in entering air =0.01%

Heat credit due to sensible heat in fuel=0.01

Heat credit due to coal mill=0.19%

Heat credit due to seal air fan=0.01%

Net heat credits=0.6%

= 100% − ∑ + Net heat credits = 90.56% (8)

Table 3: Boiler Efficiency for Various Types of Coal

Near 100%TMCR Live Operating Condition
Semi-
Design Bituminous Lignite Worst
Description Bituminous
Coal Coal Coal Coal
Coal
Fuel Consumption (T/h) 354.29 276.93 207.46 286.92 399.11
TAR (kg/kg) 4.77 5.58 7.53 5.17 4.25
EA (kg/kg) 35.05 35.05 35.05 35.05 35.05
AAS (kg/kg) 6.44 7.54 10.17 6.98 5.73
LOSS1 (%) 4.35 3.96 3.94 3.79 4.38
LOSS2(%) 3.99 3.73 3.01 3.80 4.16
LOSS3 (%) 1.79 1.53 1.39 2.47 2.39
LOSS4 (%) 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.06
LOSS5 (%) 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02
LOSS6 (%) 0.29 0.15 0.05 0.19 0.32
LOSS7(%) 0.31 0.16 0.05 0.20 0.34
LOSS8(%) 0.1 0.1 0.02 0.1 0.1
LOSS9(%) 0.39 0.22 0.06 0.25 0.43
LOSS10(%) 0.16 0.16 0.16 0.16 0.16
Credits (%) 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
Boiler Efficiency (%) 89.12 90.55 91.84 89.57 88.18

With inclusion of net heat credits, the boiler efficiency evaluated by the indirect method closely matches with that
of the direct method. Considering the same ambient conditions, flue gas analyser report, fly ash and bottom ash conditions
as in Figure 3and specifying thefuel consumption rate and the data of ultimate analysis report in Table 2,the boiler
efficiencyisevaluated for various types of coal and presented in Table 3. Usage of bituminous coal leads to higher boiler
efficiency.

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Table 4: Expressions for the Boiler Efficiency Correction

Variable ( x ) ξ Correction ( C f )
Moisture in coal (%),x∈ [5,15] 2.02815-0.202088x 0.0478ξ2 - 0.9508ξ + 0.0015
Hydrogen in (%), x∈ [1,5] 1.68056-0.540476x -0.369ξ2 - 2.4963ξ + 0.8754
Air absolute Humidity (%), x∈ [0.015,0.045] 2.00938-67.0464x -0.1258ξ - 0.0002
Air inlet temperature at Air-heater (0C),x∈ [21,62] 2.00519-0.0483254x -0.0152ξ2 - 0.6686ξ + 0.007
Feed Water Inlet temperature (0C), x∈ [220,324] 5.22058-0.0191613x 0.2708ξ2 - 0.6249ξ - 0.038
Ash in Coal (%), x∈ [30,62] 2.78071-0.0610689x 0.0114ξ2 - 0.0828ξ + 0.0026
HHV of Coal(kcal/kg), x∈ [3164,3824] -10.0262+0.0028634x 0.0389ξ2 - 0.3648ξ - 0.0051

When live operating conditions (feed water inlet temperature, ambient conditions, fuel/flue-gas/ash chemical
composition) differ from the design operating conditions (100%TMCR with design coal), the necessary corrections to
boiler efficiency are made for moisture in coal, hydrogen in coal, air absolute humidity, air temperature at the air heater
entrance, feed water inlet temperature, ash percentage in coal and heating value of coal from the expressions in Table 4.
Using these expressions, the required corrections are found for the semi-bituminous coal and presented in Table 5. The
corrected boiler efficiency is worked out to be 90.15%.

Table 5: Corrected Boiler Efficiency for Semi-Bituminous Coal

Design Actual Value Corrections (%)
Total Moisture in Coal (%) 10 10.75 0.14
H2 in Coal (%) 2.48 2.92 0.6
Air absolute Humidity @60% RH (%) 0.03 0.02 -0.084
Air Temperature at APH inlet (oC) 41.36 25.06 -0.53
Feed Water inlet Temperature (oC) 274.9 277.8 0.03
Ash percentage in Coal (%) 45 29.15 -0.069
Heating Value of Fuel (kcal/kg) 3500 4410 -0.5+
Total -0.40
Corrected Boiler Efficiency (%) 90.15
+
HHV maximum Cf=-0.5 when x>>3824

3. CYCLE HEAT RATE AND OVERALL EFFICIENCY

Figure-6: Heat Balance Diagram of a Typical 600 MW Plant Representing Mass Flow Rates
m1 =m’-L1-L2-L3, m2=m1-Ex1-L4-L5-L6, m3=m2-Ex2+L1,m4=m3-Ex3-L7-L8-L9,
m5=m4-Ex4+L6+L3, m6=m5-Ex5,m7=m6-Ex6, m8=m7-Ex7, m9=m8-Ex8

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Using the heat balance diagram of Figure 6 cycle heat rate and overall efficiency of the unit are estimated. Figure
7shows temperature and entropy. Tables 6 and 7 give the mass flow rate, leakages, temperature, pressure, enthalpy for
main design conditionsand various operating parameters for live operating plant. Heat rate is the energy required to
produce one kWh power. Theoretically 1kWh equals3600kJ. So plant with 100% efficiency will have 3600kJ/kWh or
860kcal/kWh of heat rate. But due to heat losses in boiler,turbine and auxiliaries it is between 7400 to 9400 kJ/kWh[7].
Turbine cycle heat rate (TCHR) is the ratio of heat input to the cycle to the Net power output [8]:

Heat input to the Turbine cycle Main Steam Flow hMS -hFW +CRH Flow hHRH -HCRH
TCHR= = (9)
Net Power Output Net Power Output

The net power output (PNet) of turbine is power output times the generator efficiency:

Figure 7: Temperature and Entropy Diagram

PNet =P×ηgenerator (10)

Here P =PHPT+PIPT+PLPT (11)

The power output in HP turbine,

PHPT =.m1 hMS -hEx1 +m2 hEx1 -hCRH . (12)

The power output in IP turbine,

PIPT =m3 hHRH -hEx3 +m4 hEx3 -hLPT in (13)

The power out in LP turbine,

PLPT =m5 hLPT in -hEx5 +m6 hEx5 -hEx6 +m7 hEx6 -hEx7 +m8 (hEx7 -hEx8 )+m9 (hEx8 -hLPT Exhaust ) (14)

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Table 6: Desing Operating Parameters at 100%TMCR with Design Coal and

Live Operating Parameters Near 100%TMCR with Semi-Bituminous Coal

Using the design data in Table 6 and referring Figure 6, the net power output is evaluated as

kcal
PNet =(180.5+152.8+274)×0.988=600MW andTCHR=1931.58 .
kWh

Turbine efficiency, unit heat rate (UHR) and overall efficiency are evaluated from[9]

860
Turbine Efficiency = ×100=44.52% (15)
TCHR

Unit heat rate /UHR)=

TCHR
=9187.53 kJ/kWh=2198 kcal/kWh (16)
Boiler Efficiency

860
Overall Efficiency = ×100=39.12% (17)
UHR

Similarily, the overall efficiency is evaluated for the operating conditions of Table 1 and presentedthe results in
Table 7. It is noted that the heat rate is morewhen unit operates at less load or power ouput. Overall efficiency is maximum
when heat rate is minimum. Unit heat rate for extraction steam condition is minimum and is similar to cogeneration.

Table 7: Power Output and TCHR, UHR, Overall Efficiency at Main Operating Conditions
No.1 HP
Description TMCR ALL HP Extraction
80% 40% heater
(See Figure UOM with 3% VWO Heaters Steam
TMCR TMCR Out of
6) Make Up Out Condition
Service
MS T/h 1864.50 2028.00 1465.31 792.71 1618.90 1751.10 1997.10
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 16.67/538 16.67/538 14.82/538 7.41/527 16.67/538 16.67/538 16.67/538
CRH T/h 1581.09 1718.94 1266.83 704.14 1591.64 1606.92 1598.86
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 3.8/324 4.13/333 3.07/322 1.68/335 3.94/333 3.87/327 3.82/323
HRH T/h 1581.09 1718.94 1266.83 704.14 1591.64 1606.92 1598.86
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 3.42/538 3.72/538 2.76/538 1.51/498 3.55/538 3.48/538 3.43/538
FW T/h 1864.50 2028.00 1465.31 792.71 1618.90 1751.10 1997.10
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 18.66/275 18.66/281 16.81/261 9.4/228 18.66/183 18.66/245 18.66/278
Ext 1 T/h 137.01 150.66 93.56 40.45 0.00 0.00 213.87
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 6.12/389 6.67/399 4.91/385 2.74/401 6/391 6.23/393 3.82/323
Ext 2 T/h 117.50 127.07 82.04 35.87 0.00 115.86 154.22
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 3.8/324 4.13/333 3.07/322 1.68/335 3.94/333 3.87/327 6.37/393

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Ext 3 T/h 95.30 102.64 68.31 33.25 0.00 93.76 104.58

Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 2.17/469 2.36/469 1.76/471 0.97/435 2.33/475 2.21/470 2.15/468
Ext-4 T/h 166.77 177.34 120.58 49.10 166.02 161.51 252.32
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 1/357 1.09/357 0.82/360 0.46/332 1.08/363 1.02/358 0.93/349
Ext 5 T/h 48.00 51.31 35.38 17.57 50.00 47.19 48.98
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 0.37/241 0.4/241 0.3/244 0.11/221 0.4/246 0.38/242 0.34/234
Ext 6 T/h 44.79 47.65 33.43 16.72 46.73 44.05 45.45
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 0.21/182 0.23/182 0.17/185 0.1/165 0.23/186 0.22/183 0.2/175
Ext 7 T/h 46.28 49.61 34.13 16.80 48.07 45.47 47.51
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 0.21/125 0.13/125 0.1/127 0.06/110 0.13/129 0.12/126 0.11/119
Ext 8 T/h 78.05 86.74 53.14 18.03 84.27 77.95 76.72
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 0.06/85 0.06/87 0.05/80 0.03/68 0.06/87 0.06/85 0.05/83
IPT to LPT T/h 1342.25 1464.12 1096.23 631.54 1446.81 1374.19 1266.74
Prs. /Temp MPa/oC 0.98/357 1.07/357 0.81/360 0.46/332 1.06/363 1.01/358 0.92/349
LPT exhaust T/h 1126.79 1230.47 941.79 564.08 1219.40 1161.18 1049.74
Enthalpy kJ/kg 2.38 2.37 2.42 2.52 2.38 2.38 2.39
Total Gland
T/h 22.00 24.00 17.00 11.00 22.00 22.00 22.00
Leakage
Power Output (MWh) 600.2 648.6 480.1 240.0 600.0 600.1 605.7
TCHR (kJ/kWh) 8034.1 8055.9 8262.4 9272.1 8321.3 8133.8 7695.7
UHR (kJ/kWh) 9142.2 9166.9 9402.0 10550.8 9468.9 9255.6 8757.1
Overall Efficiency (%) 39.3 39.2 38.2 34.1 38.0 38.8 41.1

Cost per unit power produced is [3, 7]

TCHR
Cost Per kWh= ×Cost of Coal per kcal (18)
ηboiler

4. HEAT RATE DEVIATION

When thermal performance parameters of the unit deviate from the main operating conditions, their influence on
the unit heat rate (UHR) can be found using the heat rate deviation method [https://www.scribd.com/document/379461735/4-
EEMS]. As in [9] correction factors for the 600MW turbine are provided in Table 8

Corrected Heat Rate= Heat Rate0/1+ )

Cf
(19)
100

Table 8: Expressions for the Unit Heat Rate Correction

Variable ( x ) ξ Correction ( C f )
Main Steam Pressure (MPa), x∈ [15, 18] -13.3903+0.815262x 0.0844ξ2 - 0.8359ξ + 0.1657
Main Steam temp (0C), x∈ [522, 549] -37.4137+0.0699032x -0.3821ξ + 0.0762
Reheater Pressure Drop (MPa), x∈ [7, 12] -35.5767+0.0663746x -0.4018ξ + 0.0555
Reheat temperature(0C), x∈ [522, 552] -3.82108+0.402317x 0.2407ξ - 0.0445
Condenser Back pressure (kPa), x∈ [5.3, 14.7] -2.12746+0.213783x 0.3411ξ2 + 3.2634ξ + 0.3864
BFPT Steam Flow (T/h), x∈ [32.75, 34] 31.7498-0.950661x -0.0011ξ2 - 0.0892ξ + 0.0592
SH spray ratio, x∈ [0, 8] -1+0.248437x -0.104ξ2 + 1.115ξ + 1.199
HPH TD (0C), x∈ [-3,1.6] -0.200787-0.40058x -0.0451ξ + 0.0232
HPH DC (0C), x∈ [2,10] 1.49894-0.250073x -0.0078ξ + 0.0008
Control Valve#3 open (%), x∈ [32,100] -1.86883+0.0286883x -0.1813ξ2 - 0.1942ξ + 0.3784
Control Valve#4 open (%), x∈ [0,48] -1.04251+0.0423932x -0.0651ξ2 + 0.1486ξ + 0.2148

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Table 9: Cost of Heat Rate Deviation for Live Operating Plant near 100%TMCR
Cost of Heat
Description Correction Corrected Heat Rate
Design Actual Rate Deviation
(see Figure 6) Factor, Cf UHR+ Deviation++
(Crores.)
Throttle pressure, MPa 16.67 16.11 0.39 2189 9.2 1.04
Throttle temperature, oC 538 533.12 0.13 2195 2.9 0.35
RH Temp. oC 538 527.74 0.28 2192 6.1 0.75
RH pressure drop % 10 9.45 -0.05 2199 -1.1 -0.13
Condenser pressure. Kpa 9.4 10.8 0.99 2174 23.9 2.63
Spray water flow ratio 0 6.11 1.75 2161 36.7 4.61
RH spray flow. Ratio 0 0 0 2198 0.0 -
Make up flow, T/h 0 0 0 2198 0.0 -
Valve position, CV1-3 100 100 0 2198 0.0 -
Valve position, CV4 0 30.65 0.25 2193 5.5 0.67
Speed, rpm 3000 2998.2 0 2198 0.0 -
HP heater TD, oC -1.7 -1.2 0.01 2198 0.2 0.03
HP heater DC. oC 5.6 29 0.01+++ 2198 0.2 0.03
o
Condenser sub cooling, C 0 0 0 2198 0.0 -
TDBFP steam flow, T/h 32.7 32.63 -0.01 2198 -0.2 -0.03
Unit aging, month 10 10 0.5 2187 10.9 1.34
Cost Reduction per annum(Crores.) 92.4 11.28
+
Corrected UHR, CUHR= UHR/(1+Cf/100)
++
Heat rate deviation= UHR-CUHR
+++
HP heater DC maximum possible Cf=0.01 when x>>10

Using the design and live plant parameters of Table 6 and correction factors in Table 8, the heat rate deviation
calculated in Table 9 is 92.4. Throttle pressure andtemperature in Table 9 indicate the main steam pressure andtemperature
at inlet to HP turbine. RH temperature andpressure indicate the hot reheat temperature inlet to IP turbine. Pressure drop due
to reheating of CRH (cold reheat) to HRH (hot reheat) can be found from

CRH pressure 3.489

Reheat Pressure Drop=100- ×100=100- ×100=9.45 (20)
HRH pressure 3.853

SH spray is used to control the temperature and pressure of the main steam line. Using the flow of super heater
spray(110T/h) and themain steam flow (1798.85T/h), one can obtain

SH spreay flow 110

Spray water flow ratio (%)= ×100= ×100=6.11 (21)
Main steam flow 1798.85

Using the flow of re-heater spray (0 T/h) andhot reheat flow (1527 T/h),one can obtain

RH spray flow
RH spray flow ratio (%)= ×100=0 (22)
Reheat steam flow

The de-mineralized water is added to the plant cycle due to water and steam leakages. Generally 3% make-up
water is added, which is 3% of Throttle Flow (= 3%×1798.85=53.96 T/h ). Control valve (CV) position indicates the
percentage opening of 4 control valves on HP turbine. In general first 3 control valves (CV1, CV2, CV3) are fully open in
most conditions, whereas CV4fully opens only in 100% BMCR or VWO condition. Figure 8 shows thermal profile of feed
water heater.

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Figure 8: Feed Water Heater Thermal Profile

Heater TD=Tsat -TFw/out) , (23)

is the temperature difference

ifference between extraction steam saturation temperature (Tsat) at inlet pressure and thefeed
water outlet temperature (TFW(out)).

Heater DC=TDrip -TFw/in) , (24)

is the heater drain cooler temperature

emperature difference
ifference between heater drain outlet temperature (TDrip) and feed water
inlet temperature (TFW(in)).

When cooling water

ater flow through condenser is higher than its design,condenser sub
ub-cooling increases condenser
back
ack pressure and reduces heat transfer due to formation of water droplets and air bubbles on condenser tube bundle and
baffle plates. TDBFP or BFPT steam flow indicates the amount of steam flow to turbine driven
d boiler feed pump. In a
typical 600MW unit, two numbers of TDBFP are used to pump the feed water after unit start-up.
start Boiler feed pump driven
by motor is kept idle. Usagee of TDBFP reduces power consumption, and can have safe and flexibility operations. Unit
aging is counted from the time when unit achievessynchronization
ac mile stone
tone (i.e. Turbine runs at 3000rpm).
3000rpm) Cost of semi-
bituminous coal is Rs.1024/ton [https://www.coalindia.in/
https://www.coalindia.in/].

Cost of Coal per kg Rs.

Fuel Cost= =0.000232
000232 (25)
GCVCoal kcal

Cost of heat rate deviation per annum=

annum Heat rate deviation×net generation×fuel cost×plant load factor

= 92.4 1 600000 1 24 1 365 1 0.000232 1 1= 11,28,00,927 Rs. ≈ 11.28 crores

Plant load factor (PLF)is taken as unity assuming 100% load on the plant through the year.
year Table 10 givesthe cost
of heat rate deviation for live operating unit near 100%TMCR for different types of coals in India. The cost of heat rate
deviation is found to be minimum for Indian lignite coal due to low fuel cost and reasonably high GCV value.

Table 10: Cost of Heat Rate Deviation for Live Operating

Unit near 100% TMCR for Various Coals
Semi- Indian
Design Bituminous Worst
Description Bituminous Lignite
Coal Coal Coal
Coal Coal
GGV of coal (Kcal/Kg) 3500 4410 5800 4300 3140
Coal cost per ton (Rs.) 817 1024 2317 955 748
Coal cost per Kcal (Rs.) 0.0233 0.0232 0.03995 0.02221 0.02382

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Heat rate deviation (Kcal/kWh) 92.43 92.43 92.43 92.43 92.43

Cost (Crores) 11.34 11.28 19.41 10.79 11.57

Cost of Heat Rate Deviation per annum

Increase in coal input per annum= = 11,28,00,927 /1024= 1,10,157 tons
Coal cost per ton

= 0.4381 1 = 1.6064kg/kg of fuel

molecular weight of CO2 44
CO2 produced per kg of fuel=%C in fuel×
atomic weight of Carbon 12

Increase in CO2 per annum=Increase in Coal input per annum×CO2 produced of ton coal

= 1,10,157 1 1.6064 Ton = 1,76,953 Ton per annum

Table 11 gives the possible CO2reduction for live operating unit near 100% TMCR forvarious coals. When carbon
in coal completely burns it converts to CO2.CO and CO2 are produced when incomplete combustion takes place.

CO produced per kg of fuel=mdfg ×CO in ppm×10-6 = 7.44 1 40 1 1036 = 0.000297 Kg/Kg of fuel

Since the carbon monoxide produced is very less compared to that of CO2and hence, it is neglected.

Similarily,cost of heat rate deviation iscalculated for the coals in Table 2 and the operating parameters of Table 8.

Table 11: Possible CO2 Reduction for Live Operating Unit near 100% TMCR
Design Semi-Bituminous Bituminous
Description Lignite Coal Worst Coal
Coal Coal Coal
GCV(Kcal/kg) 3500 4410 5800 4300 3140
Carbon (%) 35.64 43.81 59 37 32.2
Coal cost per ton (Rs.) 817 1024 2317 955 748
Cost of heat rate deviation
11.34 11.28 19.41 10.79 11.57
(Cr./year)
Coal wasted per annum
1,38,798 1,10,157 83,757 1,12,975 1,54,711
(Tons)
CO2 produced per kg coal 1.31 1.61 2.16 1.36 1.18
CO2 reduction per annum
1,81,381 1,76,953 1,81,195 1,53,270 1,82,662
(Ton)

5. OTHER APPLICATIONS

In combined cycle power plant unit heat rate is the ratio of heat input in a gas turbine to the gross power output of
gas & steam turbines, power output & heat rate deviation procedures for steam turbine part remain same. The overall
efficiency of combined cycle plant is above 48%. The power output of gas turbine and efficiency of the Heat recovery
steam generator can be evaluated as per ASME PTC 4.4 [10].

In cogeneration for evaluation of the unit heat rate, the heat carried away by the process steam is to be deducted
from heat input to the cycle while adding heat input by make-up water for all power plants, which decreases net heat input.
The decrease net heat input leads to decrease in the unit heat rate and increase in overall efficiency.

In a nuclear power plant the boiler in coal fired steam power plant is replaced with a nuclear reactor. The reactor
has 13% energy loss due to radiation and circulation loss, whereas49% energy loss in steam turbine and condenser. when
reactor efficiency is given It should be noted that the overall efficiency and the unit heat rate evaluation procedures are
same for super critical/ultra mega power projects. When changes take place in the fuel input to the power plant, its furnace
size and combustion mechanism in burner system are to be changed accordingly. Fluidized bed combustion is preferred

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against pulverized fuel wall firing for the fuels having high percentage of solid waste products
[http://drtlud.com/BEF/proximat.htm].

6. CONCLUSIONS

The overall plant efficiency is found to increase with the decreasingunit heat rate (UHR). The cost per kWh is also
decreased. For less UHR, the cost of heat rate deviation can be minimized for highmain steam throttle temperature and
pressure. Superheat spray and reheater spray water utilization need to be minimized or to be avoided. Condenser back
pressure need to be maintained below 9.4kPa to achieve the cost saving of 11.3crores per annum. Also this cost per annum
can be minimizedthrough lowcost coal having highGCV. CO2 Production can also be minimized using coal having high
GCV and less Carbon Content as in lignitecoal. As the efficiency of combined cycle plant is high when compared to coal
fired boiler power plant, coal gasification is preferred instead of direct coal firing. The fuel from coal gasification can be
used in combined cycle plants, which minimizes environmental pollution due to ash absent in the combustion products.

REFERENCES

1. G. T. Srinivas, D. Rajeev Kumar, V. Peruri, V. Murali, and B. Nageswara Rao, “Efficiency of a Coal Fired Boiler in a Typical
Thermal Power Plant,” AJMIE, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 32–36, 2017.

2. M. Blessy Raisa and B. Nageswara Rao, “Performance of AFBC and CFBC boilers in thermal power plants,” Int. J. Control
Theory Appl., vol. 10, no. 10, pp. 83–89, 2017.

3. Palo and S. Korellis, “Range and Applicability of Heat Rate Improvements,” California, 2014.

4. Fired Steam Generators: Performance Test Codes, ASME PTC 4-2013.

5. P. K. Nag, Power Plant Engineering, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Education (India) Private Limited, 2015.

6. E. Krawczyk and M. Zajemska, “The chemical mechanism of SOx formation and elimination in coal combustion process,”
CHEMIK, vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 856–862, 2013.

7. J. Robert Tramel, “Heat rate improvement guidelines for Indian Power Plants,” United States Tennessee Valley Authority,
Knoxville, Tennessee, 2000.

8. Geete and A. I. Khandwawala, “Thermodynamic analysis of 120 MW thermal power plant with combined effect of constant
inlet pressure (124.61 bar) and different inlet temperatures,” Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 17–25, 2013.

9. Pradip and M. Suparna, Operation and Maintenance of Thermal Power Stations, 1st Edition. Noida: Springer, 2016.

10. Gas Turbine Heat Recovery Steam Generators Performance Test Codes, New York: ASME, 2009.

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