Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Steam Power Plant & Gas Power Plant (14 Marks)

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

3.1 Introduction-

 A Steam Power plant convert the Chemical energy of the fossil fuel (Coal) into
Mechanical energy and then into Electrical energy
 This is done by producing the steam in the Boiler, expanding it through the Turbines and
coupling the turbine to the generator which converts mechanical energy into electrical
energy.

Purpose of steam Power plant-

1) To produce electrical power
2) To produce steam for industrial processes like textile, food manufacturing, Paper mill
etc

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Components of Steam power plant-

1) Boiler
a) Super heater
b) Re heater
c) Economizer
d) Air Heater
2) Steam turbine
3) Generator
4) Condenser
5) Cooling tower
6) Circulating Water pump
7) Boiler feed pump
8) Crusher house
9) Coal mill
10) Ash Precipitators
11) Boiler chimney
12) Water treatment plant
13) Control room
14) Coal handling devices
15) Wagon Tippler

Advantages

1. As compared with the power generating plant, it has a low initial cost and hence
economical.
2. Less land area is required as compared with the hydro power plant.
3. Coal is used as fuel and the cost of coal is cheaper than petrol and diesel fuel. So the
power generation cost is economical.
4. Steam power plant can be installed in any area where water sources and transportation
facility are easily available.

Disadvantages

1. High Running Cost: The running cost of the steam power plant is comparatively high
because of fuel, maintenance, etc
2. Low Efficiency: If we talk about the overall efficiency of the steam power plant then it is
about 35 % to 41% which is low.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
 Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

3. Global Warming: Due to the release of burnt gases of coal or fuel, it contributes to global
warming to a larger extent.
4. Adverse Effect on the aquatic living organism: The heated water that is thrown in the
rivers, ponds etc puts and adverse effect on the living organism and disturbs the ecology.

3.2 FUEL HANDLING:

Three types of fuels can be burnt in any type of steam generating plant:
1. Solid fuel such as coal
2. Liquid fuel as oil and
3. Gaseous fuel as gas.

Supply of these fuels to the power plants from various sources is one of the important
considerations for a power plant engineer. The handling of these fuels is an important aspect.

The following factors should be considered in selecting the fuel handling system :
1.Plant fuel rate.
2.Plant location in respect of fuel shipping.
3.Storage area available.

Fuel handling plant needs extra attention, while designing a thermal power station, as almost 50
to 60 percent of the total operating cost consists of fuel purchasing and handling. Fuel system is designed
in accordance with the type and nature of fuel. Continuously increasing demand for power at lower cost
calls for setting up of higher capacity power stations. Rise in capacity of the plant poses a problem in coal
supply system from coal mines to the power stations.

The coal from coal mines may be transported by the following means:
1. Transportation by sea or river,
2. Transportation by rail,
3. Transportation by rope ways,
4. Transportation by road,
5. Transportation of coal by pipeline.

Requirements of Good Coal Handling Plant:

1. It should need minimum maintenance.

2. It should be reliable.
3. It should be simple and sound.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
 Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

4. It should require a minimum of operatives.

5. It should be able to deliver requisite quantity of coal at the destination during peak periods.
6. There should be minimum wear in running the equipment due to abrasive action of coal particles.

Coal Handling Systems:

"Mechanical handling" of coal is preferred over "manual handling" due to the following reasons:
1. Higher reliability.
2. Less labour required.
3. Economical for medium and large capacity plants.
4. Operation is easy and smooth.
5. Can be easily started and can be economically adjusted according to the need.
6. With reduced labour , management and control of the plant becomes easy and smooth.
7. Minimum labour is put to unhealthy condition.
8. Losses in transport are minimized.

Disadvantages:
1. needs continuous maintenance and repair.
2. Capital cost of the plant is increased.
3. In mechanical handling some power generated is usually consumed, resulting in less net power
available for supply to consumers.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Various stages in Coal handling system

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Coal Delivery :

• The coal from supply points is delivered by ships or boats to PP if near to sea or river
• Rail or trucks to the power stations which are situated away from sea or river.
• Trucks is used if railway facilities are not available.

Unloading:

• The type of equipment to be used for unloading the coal received at power station
depends on how coal is received at the power station .
• If coal is delivered by trucks, there is no need of unloading device as the trucks may
dump the coal to the outdoor storage.
• In case the coal is brought by railway wagons, ships or boats, the unloading may be done
by rotary car dumpers, cranes, grab buckets. Rotary car dumpers although costly, are
quite efficient for unloading closed wagons.

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, sizer driers and magnetic separators.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Coal Transfer

'Transfer' means the handling of coal between the unloading point and the final storage point
from here it is discharged to the firing equipment.

The following equipment may be used for transfer of coal:

1.Belt conveyors
2.Screw conveyors
3.Bucket elevator and conveyor
4.Pivoted bucket conveyor
5.Grab bucket conveyor
6.Flight conveyors (or scrapers)
7.Skip hoists
8.Mass flow conveyor
9.Chutes.

Belt Conveyor:
It consists of an endless belt, moving over a pair of end drums (rollers). 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 the 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 of belt conveyors varies between 200-300 R.P.M.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Advantages of belt conveyor

1. Its operation is smooth and clean.
2. It requires less power as compared to other types of systems .
3. Large quantities of coal can be discharged quickly and continuously.
4. Material can be transported on moderates inclines.

Disadvantages of belt conveyor

1. Not suitable for greater height and short distance

2. Limited inclination (about 20˚) at which coal can be transferred.

Screw Conveyor:
It consists of an endless helicoids screw fitted to a shaft. 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 system is
low. It suffers from the drawbacks that the power consumption is high and there is considerable
wear of screw. Rotation of screw varies between 75-125 R.P.M.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Advantages-
1. It is suitable for the coal transfer between small distances.
2. It require minimum space
3. Initial cost is low
4. It is very simple and compact

Disadvantages –
1. Power consumption is very high
2. Wear and tear is very high
3. Life is short compared to belt conveyor.

Bucket Elevator:

It consists of buckets fixed to a chain. The chain moves over two wheels. The coal is carried by
the buckets from bottom and discharged at the top.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
 Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Advantages-
1. Coal can be discharged at elevated places
2. Less floor area is required.
3. Less power is required.

Disadvantages-
1. Its capacity is limited and hence, it is not suitable for large capacity station.

Grab Bucket Elevator:

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 Fig. Although the initial cost of this system is high but operating
cost is less.

Advantages-

1. Low operational cost

2. It can be used to the location where other types of conveyor cannot be used.

Disadvantages-
1. High initial cost
Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)
Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Coal Storage:

Why storage??

It gives protection against the interruption/ delay of coal supplies. Also when the prices
are low, the coal can be purchased and stored for future use.

How much??

The amount of coal to be stored depends on the availability of space for storage,
transportation facilities, 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 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.

Any disadvantage??

Storage of coal for longer periods is not advantageous because it blocks the capital and
results in decrease of the quality of coal.

Dead storage or Outdoor storage

Due to oxidation the coal may ignite spontaneously. This is avoided by storing coal in the form
of piles so that air cannot pass through the coal piles.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Live storage or Active storage:

Live coal storage implies the reclaiming and combustion of coal that has been stored for only a
relatively short time, usually less than a week.

Coal from a live coal (storage pile is usually supplied to combustion equipment without the use
of mobile equipment.

The coal is usually stored in the vertical cylinder bunkers. Coal from bunkers is transferred to the
boiler grate.

In plant handling:

It is referred to transferring coal from dead or live storage to the boiler furnace. For in plant
handling, the same equipment are used as used for coal transfer like belt conveyors, screw
conveyors, bucket elevators etc.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

Coal Weighting:

The commonly used methods to weigh the coal are as follows:

(i) Mechanical
(ii) Pneumatic
(iii) Electronic.

• The Mechanical method works on a suitable lever system - mounted on knife edges.
• The Pneumatic weighters use a pneumatic transmitter weight head - the corresponding air
pressure determined by the load applied.
• The Electronic weighing machines make use of load cells that produce voltage signals
proportional to the load applied.

Dewatering of Coal:

Excessive surface moisture of coal reduces heating value of coal and creates
handling problems. The coal should therefore be dewatered to produce clean coal.

Cleaning of coal has the following advantages:

• Improved heating value.

• Easier crushing and pulverizing

• Easy handling and transportation

• Improve boiler performance

• Reduce amount of ash handling

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
 Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

3.3 Electrostatic Precipitator:

1. An electrostatic precipitator is a device that is capable of removing undesirable particles from
air or any other gases.

2. It takes the help of electric charges in order to remove dust particles. The precipitator is capable
of applying energy to the particulate matter without hampering the flow of gases.

3. The electrostatic precipitators were initially used for various industrial processes. Today, it is
used to control air pollution by removing particles from different gases. It is also used
effectively in fossil-fuel power-generating stations
4. Electrostatic precipitators are extremely important tools from the industrial point of view. They
are used in the cleaning of flue gases.
5. They can help reduce particle pollution by removing particles whose sizes are nearly 1 micron
(0.00004 inches) in diameter.
6. Some precipitators can also remove particles of 0.01 micron. They are also capable of handling
large volumes of gas at different temperatures.

Working Principle of Electrostatic Precipitator:

• Ionization is the process by which ions are formed by gain or loss of an electron from an
atom or molecule.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

• If an atom or molecule gains an electron, it becomes negatively charged (an anion), and if
it loses an electron, it becomes positively charged (a cation).

• In electrostatic precipitator the particles gain electrons and become anion (negative
charged particle).

• This negatively charger particles are attracted towards positively charged electrode i.e
collecting plates.

• An electrostatic precipitator basically consists of a stack of flat vertical metal plates and a
row of thin vertical wires. The plates have a separation of fewer than 0.5 inches to about

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

7 inches (about between them. The distance between the plates depending on the
particular application.
• An electrostatic precipitator consists of two electrodes out of which one electrode is
positive and the other electrode is negative. The negative electrode is nothing but a wire
mesh and the positive electrodes are in the form of plates. The negative electrodes are
attached to a negative terminal and positive plates are connected to a positive terminal of
the DC source.
• These negatively charged particles will get attracted by the positive plates. This will
cause the charged dust particles to move towards the positive plates.
• The negative electrodes and the positive plates are placed vertically in the electrostatic
precipitator one after another. Air is present between the electrodes. because of the high
negativity of the negative electrodes, The air molecules between the electrodes may
become ionized resulting in the generation of plenty of free electrons and ions
• The stream of gases is made to flow horizontally through the stack of plates and between
the rows of vertical wires. A negative charge of thousands of volts is applied between the
plates and the wires. This helps to remove the dust particles from the gas stream.
• This entire arrangement is placed inside a metallic container. On one side of the
container, an inlet for the impure gases is present and on the opposite side, an outlet is
provided for the filtered gases.
• As soon as the impure gases enter the metallic container, the dust particles collide with
the free electrons present between the electrodes. The free electrons will then get attached
to the dust particles. As a result, the dust particles will become negatively charged.
• Here, the dust particles will become neutral and they will fall down due to gravitational
force. These positive plates are called collecting plates.

Advantages

The advantages of electrostatic precipitator are

• The electrostatic precipitators have excellent efficiency and they can be used to remove
99% of the dust particles from the impure air.

• They are capable of collecting both dry as well as wet pollutants. The dry precipitators
collect the dry pollutants whereas the wet precipitators collect the wet pollutants.

• The electrostatic precipitators have low operating costs and they are quite economically
feasible in the long run.

• Disadvantages

• The disadvantages of electrostatic precipitator are

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing
Power Plant Engineering Chapter 01

• The electrostatic precipitators have a very high capital cost which makes it unsuitable for
the small-scale industries.

• The device requires a very large space to operate properly.

• The electrostatic precipitators cannot be used to remove gaseous pollutants. They are
only suitable for dry and wet pollutants.

Mr. R.Y. Chavan (Mechanical Engineering)

Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Rajaramnagar
Diploma wing