Steam Power Station (Thermal Station)

• A generating station which converts heat energy into

electrical energy through turning water into heated
steam is known as a steam power station.
• A steam power station basically works on the
RANKINE cycle.
Steam is produced in the boiler by utilizing the heat of
combustion. The steam is then expanded in the prime
mover (steam turbine) and is condensed in a condenser
to be fed into the boiler again. The steam turbine drives
the alternator which converts mechanical energy of the
turbine into electrical energy.

Flue gases from the boiler pass through super-heater,

economizer, air pre-heater and are finally exhausted to
atmosphere through the chimney.
 Chimney
Bus-bars
R
induced Y
draught fan
B
isolators
Hot air
Air pre C.B.
heater
isolators
Flue gases Forced draught fan
Economizer
Transformer
Flue gases Turbine
Exciter
Exciter
Fuel storage Boiler
Super
heater
Valve
and Alternator
Flue gases
handling Feed water
Exhaust
steam
heater Condensate

∼
extraction
Feed water pump
pump
∼ Condenser

∼ Circulating
water pump

Cooling
Water Tower
treatment
chamber

River

Schematic arrangement of Steam Power Station

 Equipment of Steam Power Station

Water Condenser Steam Prime Electrical &

treatment generating mover control
plant equipment equipment

Boiler Alternator

Boiler Exciter
furnace

Transformers
Super
heater Switchgear
Economizer
Control
Pre room
heater
 Water treatment plant

Boilers require clean and soft water for longer life and better
efficiency. However, the source of boiler feed water is
generally a river or lake which may contain suspended and
dissolved impurities and dissolved gases. Therefore, it is
very important that water is first purified and softened by
chemical treatment and then delivered to the boiler.

Source water is stored in storage tanks, where suspended

impurities are removed through sedimentation, coagulation
and filtration. Dissolved gases are removed by aeration and
degasification. The water is then ‘softened’ by removing
temporary and permanent hardness through different
chemical processes. The resulting pure and soft water is fed
to the boiler for steam generation.
 Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel where the heat of combustion
is utilized to convert water into steam at high
temperature and pressure.

Types of boilers:

Water tube boilers: Fire tube boilers:

-Water flows through the tubes and -The hot gases of

the hot gases of combustion flow combustion pass though
over these tubes the tubes surrounded by
- Requires less space water
- High working pressure - Not suitable for large
- Less liable to explosion capacity plants
 Boiler furnace
- A chamber in which fuel is burnt to liberate heat energy.
- Provides support and enclosure for the combustion equipment
- Walls made of refractory materials that resist change of shape or
physical properties at high temperatures (fire clay, silica, kaolin).

Types of wall construction

Plain refractory walls:
Suitable for small plants where the furnace temperature is not high.

Hollow refractory walls with arrangement for air cooling:

Suitable for large plants. Air is circulated through hollow space to keep
furnace walls at low temperature.

Water walls:
Recent development suitable for large plants. Plain tubes arranged side by
side on the inner face of refractory walls. Tubes are connected to the upper
and lower headers of the boiler. The boiler’s water is made to circulate
through these tubes. Water walls absorb radiant heat in the furnace.
 Super-heater
Wet steam produced in the boiler is passed through a super-heater
where it is dried and superheated by flue gases on their way to
chimney. Superheating provides two principal benefits; the overall
efficiency is increased, and too much condensation in the last
stages of turbine, liable to cause blade corrosion, is avoided. The
superheated steam from the super-heater is fed to steam turbine
through the main valve.

Radiant Super-heater Convention Super-heater

-Placed in furnace between the water -Placed in the boiler’s tube bank
walls.
- Receives heat from flue gasses
- Receives heat from burning fuel through convention process
through radiation process
- Its temperature increases with
- Requires careful design accounting increased steam output
for being superheated
- Its temperature falls with increased
steam output
 Economizer
The economizer is a feed water heater that extracts a part of
heat of flue gases to increase the feed water temperature.

Air pre-heater
The air pre-heater extracts heat from flue gases and
consequently increases the temperature of the air supplied
for fuel burning. Increased thermal efficiency and increased
steam capacity per square meter of boiler surface are attained
accordingly. Types depend on heat transfer method

Recuperative type: Regenerative type:

-Consists of a group of steel tubes, -Consists of a slowly moving
through which flue gases are passed. corrugated metal plates drum
- Heat is transferred from gases to air - Flue gases flow continuously on
flowing externally. one drum side, and air on the
other permitting heat transfer .
 Condenser
- Condenses steam at turbine’s exhaust creating low pressure.
- Permits steam’s expansion in prime-mover at very low pressure.
- Accordingly helps energy conversion in prime-mover.
- Condensed steam can be reused as feed water in surface type
Jet condenser: Surface condenser:
-Cooling water and exhaust steam are - Consists of a bank of horizontal
mixed together tubes enclosed in cast iron shell.
- Requires low initial cost, less floor - Cooling water flows through the
area, less cooling water and low tubes, while exhaust steam flows
maintenance charges. over its’ surface giving up its heat
and condensing.
- Limited to industrial sizes; ∼ 1000 kW
with 50 – 125 mm.Hg vacuum. - Prevail in Large installations;
(best vacuum: 12 – 50 mm.Hg)
-Condensate is wasted and High
power is required to pump water - Condensate can be used as feed
water, Less pumping power is
required and Better vacuum is
created at turbine exhaust.
- Requires high initial cost, large
floor area, high maintenance
 Prime-movers

Steam Engines Steam Turbines:

- High efficiency, Simple
construction, less floor area, low
maintenance requirements

Impulse Turbines: Reaction Turbines:

-Steam attains high velocity as it -Steam partially expands in
completely expands in stationary stationary nozzles, while
nozzles or fixed blades, while remaining expansion occurs
pressure over moving ones remains during flow over moving
constant. blades.
- Rotation results by impulse force - Rotation results by reaction
of steam impinging the moving force originated from steam’s
blades. momentum.
Generator

Alternator:
- Cylindrical rotor type
- Nitrogen or air cooled

Exciter:
- Separate (old)
-
- Brushless (most used)
 Switchyard
- Contains transformers and switchgear.
- Provided with protective lightning arrestors.

-Transformers:
- Main step-up transformers
- General service transformers
- Auxiliary transformers

Switchgear:
- Circuit breakers
- Switches
- Relays.
 Control room

- Contains panels of measuring instruments and communication

arrangements.

- Contains control equipment needed for alternator, feeder,

automatic voltage regulator, synchronizing gear and protective gear.

- Separate battery room and either a motor/generator set or a

rectifier are installed to supply make and break switchgear circuits.
 Steam plant Efficiency:
Steam plant Efficiency = Thermal efficiency × Electric efficiency

Thermal efficiency depends on the following factors:

- Pressure of steam entering the turbine (increases noticeably with increased
pressure)
- Temperature of steam entering the turbine (increases with increased temperature)
- Pressure in the condenser (increases with decreased condenser pressure; usually
kept at 0.04 kg/cm2)

To increase thermal efficiency beside high steam pressure and temperature, and low
condenser pressure, reheating of steam between turbine stages, and bleeding
steam for heating feed water may be adopted
 Heat equivalent of mech enery transmitted to turbine shaft
ηthermal =
Heat of feul cobustion

Huge amount of heat is lost in condenser (∼50%).

Unavoidable as energy conversion requires temperature
difference, necessitating low steam temperature in condenser,
while the greater the temperature difference, the greater the Low Efficiency
heat lost is.
(∼30%).

Heat is losses at other various stages of plant (∼20%).

Heat equivalent of elctric enery output Low Efficiency

η overall =
Heat of feul cobustion (∼29%).
Advantages

(i) Less initial cost as compared to other generating stations.

(ii) It can be installed at any place
(iii) It requires less space as compared to the hydroelectric power station.
(iv) The cost of generation is less than that of the diesel power station.

Disadvantages

(i) Pollution due to the production of large amount of smoke and fumes.
(ii) Higher running cost as compared to hydroelectric plant.