​ ​ VOCATIONAL TRAINING REPORT

​ ON
​ ​“THERMAL POWER PLANT”

​ ​NATIONAL THERMAL POWER CORPORATION KORBA(C.G.)

​SUBMITTED BY:
SHUBHAM AGRAWAL
MECHANICAL ENGG(VI SEM)
JECRC UNIVERSITY, JAIPUR
DECLARATION
 
I hereby declare that this project is being submitted in fulfilment of
the VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME in NTPC KORBA and
is the result of self done work carried out by me under the guidance
of various Engineers and other officers.
I further declare that the structure and content of this project are
original and have not been submitted before for any purpose.
 
SUBMITTED BY:
​ SHUBHAM AGRAWAL
MECHANICAL ENGG(VI SEM)
JECRC UNIVERSITY,JAIPUR
CONTENTS
1. About NTPC
2. About NTPC KORBA
3. NTPC power stations in INDIA
4.Principal and Operation of Power Plant
5.Principal components of Power Plant
6.The Layout of Power Plant
7.Boiler and its auxiliaries
8.The Steam Turbine Theory
9. Turbine and its auxiliaries
10. Auxilaries in a Power plant
11. DM treatment plant
12. Cooling Towers
13. Circulating Water System
14. Principal component of CWS
15. Ash Handling System
16. Ways to increase the thermal efficiency of power plant
17. Losses during operation and maintenance of a power plant
18.Generator Theory
19. Switchyard and its Elements
20. Future capacity addition in NTPC, awards and Ranking
21.Conclusion
22.References

 
 ABOUT NTPC
India largest power company, NTPC was set up in 1975 to accelerate power
development in India. NTPC is emerging as a diversified power major with presence
in the entire value chain of the power generation business. Apart from power
generation,which is the mainstay of the company, NTPC has already ventured into
consultancy, power trading, ash utilization and coal mining. NTPC ranked 341​st​ in the
2010 Forbes Global 2000 ranking of the World biggest companies. NTPC became a
Maharatna company in May, 2010, one of the only four companies to be awarded
this status.The total installed capacity of the company is 39,174 MW (including JVs)
with 16 coal based and 7 gas based stations, located across the country. In addition
under JVs, 7stations are coal based & another station uses naptha/LNG as fuel. The
company has set a target to have an installed power generating capacity of 1,28,000
MW by the year 2032.The capacity will have a diversified fuel mix comprising 56%
coal, 16% Gas, 11%Nuclear and 17% Renewable Energy Sources(RES) including
hydro. By 2032, non-fossil fuel based generation capacity shall make up nearly 28%
of NTPC‟s portfolio.NTPC has been operating plants at high efficiency level
Although the company has 17.75% of the total national capacity, it contributes
27.40% of total power generation due to its focus on high efficiency.
 ABOUT NTPC KORBA
Address​ P.O. Vikas Bhawan, Jamanipali-495 450,Dist. Korba, Chhattisgarh
Telephone​ (STD-07759) - 233021
Fax​ 233095
Approved Capacity ​ 2600 MW
Installed Capacity ​ 2600 MW
Location ​ Korba ( Chhattisgarh)
Coal Source ​ Kusmunda Block, Gevra Mines
Water Source ​ Hasdeo River
Beneficiary States ​ Madhya Pradesh,Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman,
Diu & Nagar Haveli
Approved Investment​ Rs. 2448.49 Crore
Unit Sizes​ Stage - I: 3x 200 MW
Stage -II: 3x 500 MW
Stage -III: 1x500 MW
Units Commissioned ​ Unit -I 200 MW March 1983
Unit -II 200 MW October 1983
Unit -III 200 MW March 1984
Unit -IV 500 MW May 1987
Unit -V 500 MW March 1988
Unit -VI 500 MW March 1989
Unit -VII 500 MW December 2010
International Assistance ​ IDA OPEC KFW
NTPC Power Stations in INDIA
 Principal and Operation of Power Plant
A Thermal Power Plant works on the Rankine Cycle with some modifications. Let us know
about the Rankine Cycle first. Like other thermal cycles, the Rankine Cycle also converts
heat into mechanical work. It is a Slight modification of the Carnot cycle. The cycle involves
two adiabatic processes ( compression and expansion) and two isobaric processes. How it
is done lets see:
A typical power plant has these things in common, a boiler (to generate steam), a turbine(
for expansion and power generation), a condenser (to condense the steam expanded in the
turbine) and lastly the pump. Apart from these there are other components like the cooling
tower, Air pre-heater , FD fan, ID fan, CHP (Coal Handling Plant), de-super heater etc.
Keeping these aside, just lets go into the basics of operation…

From the boiler let us start. Water is heated in the boiler by using some kind of fuel(
be it coal based or diesel based, to generate heat). From the boiler the steam is extracted
and made to pass onto the blades of the Turbine which makes the turbine to rotate at a
very high RPM. Now , the turbine is coupled to a generator to build up voltage. As soon as
the turbine rotates , the generator builds up voltage and hence generates electric power.
After all the steam is expanded in the turbine blades, it is fed into the condenser where it is
cooled to saturated liquid and then pumped to the boiler again and the process continues.
Thus heat energy or thermal energy is converted to mechanical energy which in turn is
used to generate power.

OPERATION
Korba is connected to other parts of India through national and state highways.The city is
directly connected to Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg,Bhilai Nagar,Rajnandgaon.Korba is also well
with national highways like NH200 etc. Korba railway station is connected to Champa,
the nearest railway junction on the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line.The stations comes
under South East Central Railway Zone. It is directly connected to Bilaspur which the
Divisional Headquarter by rail and road through Katghora-Pali-Ratanpur. The 50.7
km (32 mi) ,1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad Gauge was constructed between 1953 and
1956, electrified in 1987 and 1988, and extended to Gevra Road railway station in
1988 and 1989. New line surveys of Indian Railway were taken during 2012 and
2013, and included a line from Renukoot-Korba via Ambikapur Katghora and
Korba-Ranchi.A Rankine cycle with a two-stage steam turbine and a single feed water
heater. The energy efficiency of a conventional thermal power station, considered
salable energy produced as a percent of the heating value of the fuel consumed, is
typically 33% to 48%. As with all heat engines, their efficiency is limited, and
governed by the laws of thermodynamics. By comparison, most hydropower stations
in the United States are about 90 percent efficient in converting the energy of
falling water into electricity. The energy of a thermal not utilized in power production
must leave the plant in the form of heat to the environment. This waste heat can go
through a condenser and be disposed of with cooling water or in cooling towers. If the
waste heat is instead utilized for district heating, it is called co-generation. An
important class of thermal power station are associated with desalination facilities;
these are typically found in desert countries with large supplies of natural gas
and in these plant

Pulverizing
A pulverized coal-fired boiler is an industrial or utility boiler that generates
thermal energy by burning pulverized coal (also known as powdered coal or coal dust
since it is as fine as face powder in cosmetic makeup) that is blown into the firebox.
The basic idea of a firing system using pulverised fuel is to use the whole volume
of the furnace for the combustion of solid fuels. Coal is ground to the size of a fine
grain, mixed with air and burned in the flue gas flow. Biomass and other materials
can also be added to the mixture. Coal contains mineral matter which is converted to
ash during combustion. The ash is removed as bottom ash and fly ash. The bottom
ash is removed at the Furnace bottom. This type of boiler dominates the electric
power industry, providing steam to drive large turbines. Pulverized coal provides the
thermal energy which produces about 50% of the world's electric supply. The concept
of burning coal that has been pulverized into a fine powder stems from the belief
that if the coal is made fine enough, it will burn almost as easily and efficiently as
a gas.The feeding rate of coal according to the boiler demand and the amount of
air available for drying and transporting the pulverized coal fuel is controlled by
computers.Pieces of coal are crushed between balls or cylindrical rollers that move
between two tracks or "races."The raw coal is then fed into the pulverizer along with
air heated to about 650 degrees from the boiler.As the coal gets crushed by the
rolling action, the hot air dries it and blows the usable fine coal powder out to be
used as fuel

FURNACE:-
Controls semiautomatic furnaces and auxiliary equipment to produce carbon black
by partial combustion of crude oil, natural gas, or mixture of both Notifies Unit Operators
to start or shut down equipment. In units, such as reactors, quenchers,
precipitators, cyclones, and filters to maintain efficient production.Monitors
pyrometers, recording meters, and other gauges to verify process conditions as
indicated by control panel instruments.Turns valves and moves switches on
central control panel to regulate temperature,pressure, and flow of fuel and air in
reactors, and to transfer accumulated carbon black through auxiliary units to produce
carbon black of specified type and grade.Tours plant area to verify that equipment is
operating as indicated by central control panel.Records instrument readings in
operating log and reports abnormal conditions to supervisory personnel.Gives
directions to crew during manual operation of equipment to maintain production or
verify accuracy of instrument zed control .
 Principal components of Power Plant
1. Cooling tower

2. Cooling water pump

3. Transmission line(3-phase)
4. Unit transformer(3-phase)
5. Electric generator(3-phase)
6. Low pressure turbine
7. Feed Water Pump
8. Condenser
9. Intermediate pressure turbine
10. Steam governor valve
11. High pressure turbine
12. Deaerator
13. Feed heater
14. Coal conveyor
15. Coal hopper
16. Pulverized coal mill
17. Boiler drum
18. Ash hopper
19. Super heater
20. Forced draught fan
21. Reheater
22. Air intake tower
23. Economizer
24. Air preheater
25. Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP)
26. Induced draught fan
27. Flue Gas
The Layout of Power Plant
​
 Boiler and its auxiliaries:-
A boiler is the central component of a power plant, and it is the unit where the steam
required for driving the turbine is generated. The heat absorbing parts subject to internal
pressure in a boiler are called as pressure parts. The main pressure parts in a boiler are
Drums, Water walls, Superheaters, Re heaters, Economisers and valves & fittings. The
Drum, Down comers, water wall headers and water walls forms the circulation system and
cover the furnace zone. The components of Boiler and their functions are as follows :-

a)Boiler Drum:
The drum provides the necessary space for locating the steam separating equipment for
separation of steam from mixture of steam and water. It also serves as a reservoir for the
supply of water to circulation system to avoid possible starvation during operation. The
drum is filled with water coming from the economizer, from where it is brought down with
the help of downcomer tubes, entering the bottom ring headers. From there they enter the
riser, which carries the water (which now is a liquid-vapor mixture), back to the drum. Now,
the steam is sent to be superheated.For a 660 MW plant, the boiler does not employ any
drum; instead the water and steam go directly into the super heater.Drum is located at 78
m elevation in the boiler front. Water enters the drum from the bottom via three ECO links.
Drum has connections for Chemical dosing , Emergency drain, Continuous blowdown &
sample cooler tapping. Total 5 no. of vents and 6 no of safety valves, 3 on each side are
provided on the drum. Total 18 MTM thermocouples, 6 no of level transmitters, 3 pressure
transmitters and 3 pressure indicators are provided on the drum. There are 2 no of
Electronic Water Level Indicators (EWLI) and 1 no of Direct Water Level Gauge (DWLG)
provided on each side of the drum.

b) Economiser:
The economizer is a tube-shaped structure which contains water from the boiler feed
pump. This water is heated up by the hot flue gases which pass through the economizer
layout, which then enters the drum. The economizer is usually placed below the second
pass of the boiler. As the flue gases are being constantly produced due to the combustion
of coal, the water in the economizer is being continuously being heated up, resulting in the
formation of steam to a partial extent. Feedwater (FW) from Feed Regulating Station (FRS)
with parameters P=200.2 ksc, T=255.2 C travels to Economiser inlet header located at
Elevation 44.2m through ECO feed line. ECO feed line connects to the ECO inlet header at
the right side of boiler back pass. One NRV and motorised ECO stop valve is provided in
the ECO feed line just before it connects to the ECO inlet header. One no of drain is also
provided in the ECO feed line just after the ECO stop valve. The drain is connected to the
water wall (WW) drain header located at „0‟ meter. One no of ECO recirculation line is
provided after the ECO stop valve which connects to the rear ring header.
ECO inlet header:- It is arranged parallel to the drum at the bottom of back pass middle at
the elevation 44.2m. One no of drain is provided in the header. The drain is connected to
the WW drain header.192 x 3 loose tubes connect the ECO inlet header to the ECO lower
assembly.
ECO outlet header:- Located at the Elevation 57.5m, it is arranged parallel to the drum in
back pass. Two links from ECO outlet header project out from back pass side walls and join
again at the boiler front at 66.5m elevation. From this junction three pipes carry feed water
to the drum.

c) CC Pumps:-
Six no. of Downcomers carry feedwater(FW) from drum to suction manifold of CC Pumps
located at 29.5m elevation. 3 no. of suction spool pieces carry FW from suction manifold to
the 3 no. of CC Pumps located at 23.3m elevation. The pumps are of double discharge
type. Parameters at the pump: P=197.4 ksc, 359.1 C and flow/pump= 3135 cu.m/hr.
Connections to the pump include HP fill and purge lines, LP coolant lines. Inter tie line
connecting discharges of all pumps. One equalising line from the center pump suction
connects to the intertie line.Two no of coolers are also provided: HP Fill and Purge Cooler
and LP Cooler for motor.Source of HP fill & Purge is from 1. Feed line (for periodic use) 2.
From Condensate system(low pressure fill source).Source of LP coolant supply: 1. Normal
supply 2. From Emergency tank

d) Bottom Ring Header:-

The 6 no. of CC pump discharge lines carry FW to the bottom ring header located at
10.6m. Ring header is provided with one no of blow off line from front ring header which is
connected to the IBD Tank. One no of drain is also provided from the rear ring header
which is connected to the WW drain header. ECO recirculation line also connects to the
rear ring header.

e) Water walls:-
331 tubes each from front & rear ring headers form the front, rear and corner water walls.
There are 25 tubes in each corner wall & 281 tubes in front and rear water walls each.
Front water wall is integral with the corners 1 & 4 and rear wall is integral with the corners 2
& 3. Each side water wall (Left & Right) has 224 tubes. All water wall tubes are rifled from
inside except the „S‟ panel tubes. Total no of tubes originating from Bottom ring header =
331x2 + 224x2 = 1110.In a 500 MW unit, the water walls are of the vertical type, and have
rifled tubing while in 600 MW, the water walls are spiral type and have smooth tubing.

F) Deaerator :-
A deaerator is a device that is widely used for the removal of air and other dissolved
gases from the feedwater to steam-generating boilers.There are two basic types of
deaerators, the tray-type and the spray-type:
The tray-type (also called the cascade-type) includes a vertical domed deaeration section
mounted on top of a horizontal cylindrical vessel which serves as the deaerated boiler
feedwater storage tank.
The spray-type consists only of a horizontal (or vertical) cylindrical vessel which serves as
both the deaeration section and the boiler feedwater storage tank.

G) Superheaters:
Super-heaters are used to raise the steam temperature above the saturation temperature
by absorbing heat from flue gas to increase the cycle efficiency.Superheating takes place in
three stages. In the first stage, the steam is sent to a simple super heater, known as the
low temperature superheater, after which the second stage consists of several divisional
panels. The final stage involves further heating in a Platen superheater, after which the
steam is released for driving the turbine. After the HP stage of the turbine the steam is
re-heated and then again released.Superheating is done to increase the dryness fraction of
the exiting steam. This is because if the dryness fraction is low, as is the case with
saturated steam, the presence of moisture can cause corrosion of the blades of the turbine.
Superheated steam also has several merits such as increased working capacity, ability to
increase the plant efficiency, lesser erosion and so on. It is also of interest to know that
while the super heater increases the temperature of the steam, it does not change the
pressure. There are different stages of superheaters besides the sidewalls and extended
sidewalls. The first stage consists of LTSH(low temperature superheater), which is
conventional mixed type with upper & lower banks above the economiser assembly in rear
pass. The other is Divisional Panel Superheater which is hanging above in the first pass of
the boiler above the furnace. The third stage is the Platen Superheater from where the
steam goes into the HP turbine through the main steam line. The outlet temperature &
pressure of the steam coming out from the superheater is 540 degrees Celsius & 157
kg/cm2.
 The Steam Turbine Theory
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized
steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work.Here steam expands from high pressure
to low pressure. The steam turbine is a form of heat engine that derives much of its
improvement in thermodynamic efficiency from the use of multiple stages in the expansion
of the steam.
Characteristics of a Steam turbine:
● It can be operated from <1 MW to > 1300 MW
● High-pressure steam flows through the turbine blades and turns the turbine shaft.
● The shaft of the turbine is coupled to the generator shaft to produce electricity.
● Power output is proportional to the steam pressure drop in the turbine.

Operating Principle: 
A steam turbine’s two main parts are the cylinder (casing) and the rotor.As the steam
passes through the fixed blades or nozzles it expands and its velocity increases. The
high-velocity jet of steam strikes the first set of moving blades. The kinetic energy of the
steam changes into mechanical energy, causing the shaft to rotate.The steam then enters
the next set of fixed blades and strikes the next row of moving blades. As the steam flows
through the turbine, its pressure and temperature decreases, while its volume increases.
The decrease in pressure and temperature occurs as the steam transmits .energy to the
shaft and performs work. After passing through the last turbinestage, the steam exhausts
into the condenser or process steam system. The kinetic energy of the steam changes into
mechanical erringly through the impact (impulse) or reaction of the steam against the
blades.
 Turbine and its auxiliaries  
The turbine employed in a thermal power plant is a steam turbine. The initial steam is
admitted ahead of the blading via two main stop and control valve combinations. The
turbine unit of any thermal power plant is not a single stage operation, rather it consists of
three stages:

High Pressure Turbine Stage (HPT Stage): This stage takes place
immediately after the Platen superheater stage. This is the first stage of the turbine
operation. Its outer casing is of a barrel type and has neither a radial nor an axial flange.
The inner casing is axially split and supported so as to be free to move in response to
thermal expansion.

Intermediate Pressure Turbine Stage (IPT Stage): After the HPT stage,
the steam gets saturated and, consequently, gets cooled. It is, therefore, first sent back to
the boiler unit to be reheated, after which it is sent to the IPT stage. Its section is of double
flow construction with horizontally split casings.

Low Pressure Turbine Stage (LPT Stage): After the IPT, the steam gets
cooled to an intermediate extent, thus directly entering the LPT, where it gets saturated. Its
casing is of the three-shell design. After this stage the water enters the condenser, which is
connected to a condensate extraction pump.
A turbine assembly consists of a rotor assembly on whose circumference is attached a
series of vanes, a bearing assembly to support the shaft, a metallic casing surrounding the
blades, nozzle, rotor etc, a governor to control the speed and a lubrication system.The
shaft of the turbine is connected to the generator. The purpose of the generator is to
convert the mechanical shaft energy it receives from the turbine into electrical energy.
Steam turbine driven AC synchronous generators (alternators) are of two or four pole
designs. These are three phase machines offering economic advantages in generation and
transmission. Large generators have cylindrical rotors with minimum heat dissipation
surface and so they have forced ventilation to remove the heat. Such generators generally
use an enclosed system with air or hydrogen coolant. The gas picks up the heat from the
generator and gives it up to the circulating water in the heat exchanger.Every turbine,
except the LPT, has a stop valve and a regulating valve attached to it. The stop valve is
used to stop the flow of steam, whenever required, whereas the regulating valve is also a
kind of a flow controlling device. Each turbine also has an inlet and an outlet pipe for the
steam to enter and exit, respectively. Between the HPT-IPT combine and the IPT-LPT
combine is attached a bearing assembly. It is constructed using a cross around pipe.After
the steam leaves the turbine, it enters the condenser.The condenser is meant to receive
the steam from the turbine, condense it and to maintain a pressure at the exhaust lower
than the atmospheric pressure. The condenser is an important unit and some of the
auxiliaries required for it to function properly are the cooling water supply pump, the
condensate extraction pump, feed water pump and the air removal pump.
 Auxilaries in a Power plant
1) PA FANS: The primary air fans are used to carry the pulverized coal particles from
the mills to the boiler. They are also used to maintain the coal-air temperature. The
specifications of the PA fan used at the plant under investigation are: axial flow, double
stage, reaction fan.The PA fan circuit consists of:
a) Primary air path through cold air duct
b) Air pre-heater
c) Hot air duct
d) Mills

2) FD FANS: The forced draft fans, also known as the secondary air fans are used to
provide the secondary air required for combustion, and to maintain the windbox differential
pressure. Specifications of the FD fans are: axial flow, single stage, impulse fan.The FD fan
circuit consists of:
a) Secondary air path through cold air duct
b) Air pre-heater
c) Hot air duct
d) Wind box

3) ID FANS: An induced fan circuit consists of:

a) Flue gas through water walls
b) Superheater
c) Re-heater
d) Platen superheater
e) Low temperature superheater
f) Air pre-heater
g) Electrostatic precipitator
The main purpose of an ID fan is to suck the flue gas through all the above mentioned
equipments and to maintain the furnace pressure. ID fans use 1.41% of plant load for a 500
MW plant.

4) SCANNER AIR FAN: Scanner air fan is used to provide air to the scanner. For
a tangentially fired boiler, the vital thing is to maintain a stable ball of flame at the centre. A
scanner is used to detect the flame, to see whether it is proper and stable. The fan is used
to provide air to the scanner, and it is a crucial component which prevents the boiler from
tripping.

5) SEAL AIR FAN: The seal air fan is used near the mill to prevent the loss of any
heat from the coal which is in a pulverized state and to protect the bearings from coal
particle deposition.

6) AIR PRE-HEATERS: Air pre-heaters are used to take heat from the flue gases
and transfer it to the incoming air. They are of two types:
a) Regenerative
b) Recuperative
A regenerative type air pre- heater absorbs waste heat from flue gas and transfers this heat
to the incoming cold air by means of continuously rotating heat transfer elements of
specially formed metal sheets. A bi-sector APH preheats the combustion air. Thousands of
these high efficiency elements are spaced and compactly arranged within sector shaped
compartments of a radially divided cylindrical shell called the rotor. The housing
surrounding the rotor is provided with duct connections at both ends, and is adequately
sealed by radial and axial sealing members forming an air passage through one half of the
APH and a gas passage through the other.As the rotor slowly revolves the elements
alternately pass through the air and gas passages; heat is absorbed by the element
surfaces passing through the hot gas stream, then as the same surfaces pass through the
air stream, they release the heat to increase the temperature of the combustion of process
air.A single APH is divided into 4 parts: 2 PAPHs and 2 SAPHs. The P and S refer to
primary and secondary respectively. Each part is divided into two slots, one slot carrying
the primary/secondary air, and the other slot carrying the hot flue gases coming from the
2nd pass of the boiler. The PAPH is connected to the mills, whereas the SAPH is
connected to a wind box.

7) ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS: They are used to separate the ash

particles from the flue gases. In this the flue gas is allowed into the ESP, where there are
several metallic plates placed at a certain distance from each other. When these gases
enter, a very high potential difference is applied, which causes the gas particles to ionize
and stick to the plates, whereas the ash particles fall down and are collected in a hopper
attached to the bottom of the ESP. The flue gas is allowed to cool down and is then
released to the ID fan to be sent to the chimney.Indian coal contains about 30% of ash. The
hourly consumption of coal of a 200 MW unit is about 110 tons. With this, the hourly
production of ash will be 33 tons. If such large amount of ash is discharge in atmosphere, it
will create heavy air pollution thereby resulting health hazards. Hence it is necessary to
precipitate dust and ash of the flue gases.Precipitation of ash has another advantage too. It
protects the wear and erosion of ID fan.To achieve the above objectives, Electrostatic
Precipitator (ESP) is used. As they are efficient in precipitating particle form submicron to
large size they are preferred to mechanical precipitation.
Construction:
An ESP has series of collecting and emitting electrons in a chamber collecting electrodes
are steel plates while emitting electrodes are thin wire of 2.5mm diameter and helical form.
Entire ESP is a hanging structure hence the electrodes are hung on shock bars in an
alternative manner.It has a series of rapping hammer mounted on a single shaft device by
a motor with the help of a gear box at a speed of 1.2 rpm. At the inlet of the chamber there
are distributor screens that distributes the gas uniformly throughout the chamber.There are
transformer and rectifiers located at the roof of chamber. Hopper and flushing system form
the base of chamber.
Working:
Flue gases enter the chamber through distributor screen and get uniformly distributed. High
voltage of about 40 to 70 KV form the transformer is fed to rectifier. Here ac is converted to
dc. The negative polarity of this dc is applied across the emitting electrode while the
positive polarity is applied across the collecting electrodes. This high voltage produces
corona effect negative (–ve) ions from emitting electrode move to collecting electrode.
During their motion, they collide with ash particles and transfer their charge. On gaining this
charge, ash particles too move to collecting electrode and stock to them. Similar is the case
with positive (+ve) ions that moves in opposite direction.The rapping hammers hit the shock
bars periodically and dislodge the collected dust from it. This dust fall into hopper and
passes to flushing system. Here it is mixed with water to form slurry which is passed to
AHP.Efficiency of ESP is approximately 99.8%.
Theory of Precipitation:
Electrostatic precipitation removes particles from the exhaust gas stream of Boiler
combustion process. Six activities typically take place:
✓ Ionization - Charging of particles
✓ Migration - Transporting the charged particles to the collecting surfaces
✓ Collection - Precipitation of the charged particles onto the collecting surfaces
✓ Charge Dissipation - Neutralizing the charged particles on the collecting surfaces
✓ Particle Dislodging - Removing the particles from the collecting surface to the hopper
✓ Particle Removal - Conveying the particles from the hopper to a disposal point
The ash produced on the combustion of coal is collected by ESP. This ash is now required
to be disposed off. This purpose of ash disposal is solved by Ash Handling Plant (AHP).

8) CONDENSATE EXTRACTION PUMP: The condensate extraction pump

(CEP) is a centrifugal, vertical pump, consisting of the pump body, the can, the distributor
housing and the driver lantern. A rising main of length depending upon NPSH available, is
also provided. The pump body is arranged vertically in the can and is attached to the
distributor body with the rising main. The rotor is guided in bearings lubricated by the fluid
pumped, is suspended from the support bearing, which is located in the bearing pedestal in
the driver lantern. The shaft exit in the driver lantern is sealed off by one packed stuffing
box.Casing It is split on right to the shaft and consists of suction rings and 4 no. of guide
vane housing. Casing components are bolted together and sealed off from one another by
'O' rings. For internal sealing of individual stages, the casing components are provided with
exchangeable casing wear rings in the arc of impeller necks. In each guide vane casing, a
bearing bush is installed to guide the shaft of pump.Rotor The pump impellers are radially
fixed on the shaft by keys. The impellers are fixed in position axially by the bearing sleeves
and are attached to the shaft by means of impeller nut. Impellers are single entry type,
semi- axial and hydraulically balanced by means of balance holes in the shroud and throttle
sections at suction and discharge side. A thrust bearing located in the motor stool absorbs
residual axial thrusts.Bearings In each guide vane housing the shaft is guided by a plain
bearing. These bearings do not absorb any axial forces. Pump bearings consist of bearing
sleeve, rotating with the shaft and bearing bush, mounted in guide vane housing. The
intermediate shaft is guided in bearing spider and shaft sleeve. The arrangement of bearing
corresponds to the bearings of pump shaft. They are lubricated by condensate itself. A
combined thrust and radial bearing is installed as support bearing to absorb residual thrust.
Axial load is transmitted to the distributor casing via the thrust bearing plate, the thrust
bearing and bearing housing. A radial bearing attached to the bearing is installed in an
enclosed housing and is splash lubricated by oil filled in the enclosure. Built-in cooling coils
in the bath and cooling water control oil temperature.
9) BOILER FEED PUMP: The auxiliary component which consumes the maximum
amount of power earmarked for such purposes is the boiler feed pump. At NTPC Sipat, the
auxiliaries consume about 7% of the plant load. The boiler feed pump is used to feed water
to the boiler, as the name suggests, through the economizer. The BFP is fed from the CEP
and the water source. The BFP is of two types
a) TDBFP: turbo-driven boiler feed pump.
b) MDBFP: motor driven boiler feed pump.
The boiler feed pump is fed water from the condensate extraction pump. The condensate
extraction pump collects the condensate from the condenser. Then the condensate is
further cooled by being sent into the gland steam coolers, after which it is sent into the
BFP.

10) WIND BOX: These act as distributing media for supplying secondary/excess air to
the furnace for combustion. These are generally located on the left and and right sides of
the furnace while facing the chimney.

11) IGNITER FAN: Igniter fans which are 2 per boiler are used to supply air for
cooling Igniters & combustion of igniter air fuel mixture.

12) CHIMNEY: These are tall RCC structures with single & multiple flues. Here, for I &
II we have 1 chimney, for unit III there is 1 chimney & for units IV & V there is 1 chimney.
So number of chimneys is 5 and the height of each is 275 metres.

13) COAL BUNKER: These are in process storage used for storing crushed coal
from the coal handling system. Generally, these are made up of welded steel plates.
Normally, these are located on top of mills to aid in gravity feeding of coal. There are 10
such bunkers corresponding to each mill.

14) REHEATER: The function of reheater is to reheat the steam coming out from the
high pressure turbine to a temperature of 540 degrees Celsius. It is composed of two
sections: the rear pendant section is located above the furnace arc & the front pendant
section is located between the rear water hanger tubes & the Platen superheater section.

15) BURNERS: There are total 20 pulverised coal burners for the boiler present here,
& 10 of the burners provided in each side at every elevation named as
A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,J,K. There are oil burners present in every elevation to fire the fuel oil
(LDO & HFO) during light up.

DM treatment plant
As the types of boiler are not alike their working pressure and operating conditions vary and
so do the types and methods of water treatment. Water treatment plants used in thermal
power plants are designed to process the raw water to water low in dissolved solids known
as "dematerialized w a t e r " . No doubt, this plant has to be engineered very carefully
keeping in view the type of raw water to the thermal plant, its treatment costs and overall
economics. The type of demineralization process chosen for a power station depends on
three main factors:
● The quality of the raw water.
● The degree of de-ionization i.e. treated water quality
● Selectivity of resins.
Water treatment process which is generally made up of two sections:
● Pretreatment section
● Demineralization section

Pretreatment section
Pretreatment plant removes the suspended solids such as clay, silt,organic and inorganic
matter, plants and other microscopic organism. The turbidity may be taken as of two types
of suspended solids in water. Firstly, the separable solids and secondly the non separable
solids (colloids). The coarse components, such as sand, silt etc, can be removed from the
water by simple sedimentation. Finer particles however, will not settle in any reasonable
time and must be flocculated to produce the large particles which are able to settle. Long
term ability to remain suspended in water is basically a function of both size and specific
gravity. The settling rate of the colloidal and finely divided (approximately 0.01 to 1 micron)
suspended matter is so slow that removing them from water by plain sedimentation is tank
shaving ordinary dimensions is
impossible. Settling velocity of finely divided and collide particles under gravity also are so
small that ordinary sedimentation is not possible. It is necessary, therefore, to use
procedures which agglomerate the small particles into larger aggregates, which have
practical settling velocities.The term "Coagulation"and "flocculation" have been used
indiscriminately to describe process of turbidity removal."Coagulation" means to bring
together the suspended particles.The process describes the effect produced by the addition
of a chemical Al (SP) g to a colloidal dispersion resulting in particle destabilization by a
reduction of force tending to keep particles apart. Rapid mixing is important at this stage to
obtain. Uniform dispersion of the chemical and to increase opportunity for particles to
particle contact . This operation is done by flash mixer in the clarifier. Second stage of
formation of settleable particles from destabilized colloidal sized particles is termed
a"flocculation". Here coagulated particles grow in size by attaching to each other. In
contrast to coagulation where the primary force is electro static or intrinsic, "flocculation"
occurs by chemical bridging. Flocculation is obtained by gentle and prolonged mixing which
converts the submicroscopic coagulated particle into discrete, visible & suspended
particles. At this stage particles are large enough to settle rapidly under the influence of
gravity anomaly be removed.This is best at pH ~6.5 - 7.0 & higher retention time.For
removing the organic matter chlorine as a biocide is dosed in clarifier. It is essential to
remove organic matter because it may lead to fouling of ion exchange resin in DM Plant.
Also the organic matter at high temperature may get converted to CO​2 ​& cause metal
corrosion in boiler system. To completely eliminate the organic matter a slight excess of
chlorine is dosed (~ 0.5ppm at Clarifier O/l).The clarified water so produced is passed
through filter beds (Graded Sand / Anthracite can be used) to remove any floating turbid
matter. This is called filtered water.This water is being used for drinking purpose & for
demineralization.If pretreatment of the water is not done efficiently then the consequences
are as follows:
● Si02 may escape with water which will increase the anion loading.
● Organic matter may escape which may cause organic fouling i n the anion
exchanger beds. In the 'pre-treatment plant chlorine addition provision is normally
made to combat organic contamination.
● Cation loading may unnecessary increase due to addition of Ca (OH)2 in excess of
calculated amount for raising the pH of the water for maximum floe formation and
also AKOrDg may precipitate out. If less than calculated amount of Ca (OH)2 is
added,proper pH flocculation will not be obtained and silica escape to
demineralization section will occur, thereby increasing load on anion bed.

Demineralization section
This filter water is now used for de mineralizing purpose and is fed to cation exchanger
bed, but enroute being first de chlorinated, which is either done by passing through
activated carbon filter or injecting along the flow of water, an equivalent amount of sodium
sulphite through some stroke pumps.Excess chlorine is removed in ACF.At ACF O/l
Turbidity <0.1 NTU &Free Cl​2​<0.1ppm. The absorbed chlorine is released by backwash
whenever Free Cl​2​>0.1ppm or the end of rated cycle whichever is earlier. The residual
chlorine which is-maintained in clarification plant to remove organic matter from raw water
is now detrimental to action resin and must be eliminated before its entry to this bed.
Normally, the typical scheme of demineralization up to the .mark against average surface
water is three bed systems with a provision of removing gaseous carbon dioxide from water
before feeding to Anion Exchanger. Resins, which are built on synthetic matrix of a styrene
divinely benzene copolymer, are manufactured in such a way that these have the ability to,
exchange one ion for another, hold it temporarily in chemical combination and give it to a
strong electrolytic solution. Suitable treatment is also given to them in such a way that a
particular resin absorbs only a particular group of ions.Resins, when absorbing and
releasing cationic portion of dissolved salts, is called cation, exchanger resin and when
removing anionic portion is called anion exchanger resin. Preset trend is of employing
'strongly acidic cation exchanger resin and strongly basic anion exchanger resin in a DM
Plant of modern thermal power station. We may see that the chemically active group in a
cationic resin is SOx-H (normally represented by RH) and in an anionic resin the active
group is either tertiary amine or quaternary ammonium group (normally the resin is
represented by ROH). The reaction of exchange may be further represented as below
Cation Resin
R-H + Na → R-Na + H2SO4
K K HCl
Mg Mg
Ca Ca HNO3

In the form of Resins in Removed in

Salts H2CO3 degasser tower
Anion Resin
R-OH + H2SO4 → R-SO4 + H2O
HCl
HNO3
Mineral acid obtained Resins in
from cation exhausted form
The water from the ex-cation contains carbonic acid also sufficiently,which is very weak
acid difficult to be removed by strongly basic anion resin and causing hindrance to remove
silicate ions from the bed. It is therefore a usual practice to remove carbonic acid before it
is led to anion exchanger bed; this is done in a degasser.In the degasser, the ex-cation
water is trickled in fine streams from top of a tall tower packed with, rasching rings, and
compressed air is passed from the bottom. Carbonic acid breaks into C02 and water
mechanically ( Henry's Law ) w i t h t h e carbon dioxide escaping into the atmosphere.The
water is accumulated in suitable storage tank below the tower, called degassed water
dump from where the same is led to anion exchanger bed, using acid resistant pump.
H2CO3​→​H2O + CO2
The ex-anion water is fed to the mixed bed exchanger (regenerative type ion exchanger
resin beds both strong and weak) containing both cationic resin and anionic resin. This bed
not only takes care of sodium slip from cation but also silica slip from anion exchanger very
effectively. The final output from the mixed bed is Extraordinarily pure water having less t h
a n 0.2/mho conductivity 7.0 and silica content less than 0.02 pm. Any deviation from the
above quality means that the resins in mixed bed are exhausted and need regeneration,
regeneration of the mixed bed first calls for suitable, back washing and settling, so that the
two types of resins are separated from each other. Lighter anion resin rises to the top and
the heavier cation resin settles to the bottom. Both the resins are then regenerated
separately with alkali and acid, rinsed to the desired value and air mixed, to mix the resin
again thoroughly. It is then put to final rinsing till the desired quality is obtained.It may be
mentioned here that there are two types of strongly basic anion exchanger. Type II resins
are slightly less basic than type I,but have higher regeneration efficiency than type I. Again
as type II resins are unable to remove silica effectively, type I resins also have to be used
for the purpose. As such, the general condition so far prevailing in India, is to employ type II
resin in anion exchangers bed and type I resin in mixed bed (for the anionic portion). It is
also a general convention to regenerate the above two resins under through fare system
i.e. the caustic soda entering into mixed bed for regeneration, of type I anion resin, is
utilized to regenerate type II resin in anion exchanger bed.The content of utilizing the above
resin and mode of regeneration is nowadays being switched over from the economy to a
higher cost so as to have more stringent quality control of the final DM water.
R-OH + HCl → RCl + H20
2 R-OH + H2SO4→ R2SO4 +2H20
At anion O/l, pH 8-9, Conductivity < 20 umhos/cm , Silica< 200 ppb will
be achieved.

Internal Treatment
This final D.M. effluent is then either led to hot well of the condenser directly as makeup to
boilers, or being stored in D.M. Water storage tanks first and then pumped for makeup
purpose to boiler feed.As the D.M. Water has a good affinity to absorb carbon dioxide and
oxygen, and both are extremely harmful to metal surfaces for their destruction like
corrosion, these have to be removed before it is fed to boiler. This is being done in
desecrator.Still the residual oxygen which is remaining in the water is neutralized by a
suitable dose of hydrazine, at the point after desecrator. To have further minimum
corrosion, the pH of feed water is to be maintained at around 9.0 for which purpose
ammonia in suitable doze is added to this make up water at a point along with hydrazine as
stated above.

Cooling Towers
Necessity
Cooling water system plays a vital role in dissipation of waste heat in power station. More
than 60 % of total heat input to the plant is finally dissipated as waste heat. The waste heat
from the power plant is carried away by circulating water and ultimately gets dissipated in
cooling tower.​Where water supply is not consistent, closed loop cooling system with
cooling tower is used.

Types
● Natural draught cooling tower (NDCT):These are structures supported on
RCC columns, Most of the structure is empty shell but the lower portion contains a
cooling stack over which hot water is distributed by RCC channel or pipe system.
The lower portion of the shell is open to allow the air to go to the cooling stack
supported on the RCC columns, which are designed for horizontal load due to wind.
A pond is constructed below the toer to catch the cooled water and make-up water
for circulation. As the warm water falls in the stack, it gives its heat to the air there,
which becomes lighter than the ambient air and a draft is created due to chimney
action. In this case, cooling is dependent on dry bulb temperature i.e. better in humid
conditions. Natural draft cooling towers are normally adopted near coastal areas
where humidity is generally very high. But the capital cost of NDCT is about 60%
than that of IDCT and FDCT put together.

● I​ nduced draught cooling tower (IDCT): In this system the fan is located at
the top and air enters from the openings located at the ground level. Air, mixed with
vapors, is discharged through a fan stack located at the top of the tower. In this
case, moist air is discharged higher in the atmosphere thereby dispersing to a
greater distance from the tower. There is a cylindrical RCC structure supported on
RCC columns. Hot water is taken to the top of the tower by steel pipes and
discharged on the packing with distribution system of precast RCC trough and tubes.
Eliminators of asbestos are provided at the top to arrest the droplets. The fan is
located at the top to draw air from the cylinder for dispersion.Hot water is cooled by
the induced air travelling up. Cold water is collected in the pond located below the
cooling tower where make– up water is also discharged.
● ​ orced draught cooling tower (FDCT): Here, motor driven fans located at
F
the base, i.e. ground level, below air into the tower from the sides. The top of the
tower is open to the air vapor discharge.The main drawback in this type of tower is
that exit velocity is low and this results in recirculation of hot air into the fan intake.
Thus,the efficiency of the tower is reduced. The other disadvantages of FDCTs are:
High velocity from the fan located at the base makes it difficult to distribute air evenly
over the whole of packing. Low height, low velocity of air and low wind velocity
generally results in recirculation of hot air. This results in rise in cold water
temperature and reduction in efficiency. Frequent clogging due to organic matter and
thus reduction in efficiency.
 Circulating Water System
Modern high capacity thermal power stations requires enormous quantity of water for
steam production. This steam has to be recycled again generate power.For recycling steam
it has to be condensed into water.Circulating water is a system that is used for condensing
the steam.
USES OF CIRCULATING WATER
● Condensing of steam
● Cooling of dm cooling water
● Ash evacuation
● Bottom de ashing
● Fly ash removal
Theory of circulation
Water must flow through the heat absorption surface of the boiler in order that it is
evaporated into steam. In drum type units(natural and controlled circulation) the water is
circulated from the drum through the generating circuits and then back to the drum where
the steam is separated and directed to the super heater. The water leaves the drum
through the down comers at a temperature slightly below the saturation temperature. The
flow through the furnace wall is at saturation temperature.Heat absorbed in water wall is
latent heat of vaporization creating a mixture of steam and water. The ratio of the weight of
the water to the weight of the steam in the mixture leaving the heat absorption surface is
called Circulation ratio.
The types of boiler circulating system are:
● Natural circulation system
● Controlled circulation system
● Combines circulation system
Natural circulation system
Water delivered to steam generator from feed heater is at a temperature well below the
saturation value corresponding to that pressure. Entering first the economizer it is heated to
about 30-40 ̊C below saturation temperature. From economizer the water enters the drum
and thus joins the circulation system. Water entering the drum flows through the
downcomer and enters ring heater at the bottom. In the water walls a part of The water is
converted to steam and the mixture flows back to the drum. In the drum, the steam is
separated, and sent to super heaterfor super heating and then sent to the high pressure
turbine. Remaining water mixes with the incoming water from the economizer and
the cycle is repeated. The circulation in this case takes place on the thermo-siphon
principle. The downcomers contain relatively cold water whereas the riser tubes contain a
steam water mixture. Circulation takes place at such a rate that the driving force and the
frictional resistance in water walls are balanced.As the pressure increases, the difference in
density between water and steam reduces. Thus the hydrostatic head available will not be
able to overcome the frictional resistance for a flow corresponding to the minimum
requirement of cooling of water wall tubes.Therefore natural circulation is limited to the
boiler with drum operating pressure around 175 kg/cm2.
Controlled circulation system
Beyond 80 kg/cm2 of pressure, circulation is to be assisted with mechanical pumps to
overcome the frictional losses. To regulate the flow through various tubes, orifice plates are
used. This system is applicable in the high sub-critical regions (200 kg/cm2).
Combined circulation system
Beyond the critical pressure, phase transformation is absent,and hence once through
system is adopted.However, it has been found that even at supercritical pressure, it is
advantageous to recirculate the water through the furnace tubes and simplifies the start up
procedure. A typical operating pressure for such a system is 260 kg/cm2.
 ​Principal component of CWS
Condenser
There are two condensers entered to the two exhausters of the LP turbine. These are
surface type condensers with two pass arrangement.Cooling water pumped into each
condenser by a vertical CW pump through the inlet pipe. Water enters the inlet chamber of
the front water box, passes horizontally through the brass tubes to the water box at the
other end, takes a turn, passes through the upper cluster of tubes and reaches the outlet
chamber in the front water box. From there, cooling water leaves the condenser through
the outlet pipe and discharged into the discharge duct.Steam exhausted from the LP
turbine washing the outside of the condenser tubes losses its latent heat to the cooling
water in the steam side of the condenser. This condensate collects in the hot well, welded
to the bottom of the condensers.
Ejectors
There are two 100% capacity ejectors of the steam eject type. The purpose of the ejector is
to evacuate air and other non-condensing gases from the condensers and thus maintain
the vacuum in the condensers.A 3 stage ejector using steam from the deaerator with 11 ata
header as the working medium is employed. In addition to the main ejectors there is a
single starting ejector which is used for initial pulling of vacuum up to 500mm of Hg. It
consists of nozzle through which the working steam expands; the throat of the nozzle is
connected to the air pipe from the condenser.
C.W. pumps
The pumps which supply the cooling water to the condensers are called circulating water
pumps. There are two such pumps for each unit with requisite capacity.These pumps are
normally vertical, wet pit, mixed flow type, designed for continuous heavy duty; suitable for
water drawn through an open gravity intake channel terminating in twin-closed ducts
running parallel to the main building.The fluid through the suction bow/eye provided with
streamlined guide vanes, whose function is to prevent pre-whirl and impart hydraulically
correct flow to the liquid. The propeller, in turn, imparts motion to the fluid. The purpose of
the discharge bowl provided with streamlined diffuser vanes, is to direct the flow of water
into the discharge column.Bulk requirement of water is used in thermal plants for the
purpose of cooling the steam in condensers. The requirement of water for this purpose is of
the order of 1.5-to2.0 cusecs/MW of installation where sufficient water is available once
through system is used.
Auxiliary cooling water system
Usually a part of the water to condenser is tapped off and supplied for the following
subsystems:
● Turbine lubricant oil and gas cooler directly from CW pump discharge
● Bearing cooling system
● DM plant
● General services and miscellaneous cooling.
 Ash Handling System
The ash produced in the boiler is transported to ash dump area by means of sluicing type
hydraulic ash handling system, which consists of Bottom ash system, Ash water system
and Ash slurry system.

Bottom ash system

In the bottom ash system the ash discharged from the furnace bottom is collected in two
water compounded scraper through installed below bottom ash hoppers. The ash is
continuously transported by means of the scraper chain conveyor onto the respective
clinker grinders which reduce the lump sizes to the required fineness. The crushed ash
from the bottom ash hopper from where the ash slurry is further transported to operation,
the bottom ash can is discharged directly into the sluice channel through the bifurcating
chute bypass the grinder. The position of the flap gate in the bifurcating chute bypasses the
grinder. The position of the flap gate in the bifurcating chute is to be manually changed.
The main types of hoppers used in power stations are:

1. Water Filter Hoppers: This consists of a tank made of steel plate.The bottom ash from
the boiler falls into water filled tank and is immediately quenched large pieces of ash break
up due to thermal shock, thus the ash collected will be fairly small size and during the
disposal not much difficulty in terms of crushing aspects will be encountered. These
hoppers may or may not be lined with refractory which goes off too frequently due to
temperature variations. The unlined hoppers have problems on corrosion for which special
coating are recommended.

2. Quencher cooled Ash hopper: This uses a series of quenchers located near the top of
the hoppers which provide fine spray of water. This ensures that the ash is cooled
sufficiently to prevent after combustion and simitering within the hopper. The spray water
also keeps the refractory lining of the hopper cool. The quencher type hoppers are not very
effective as far as the breaking up of ash due to thermal shocks is concerned. If there is a
tendency of slag accumulation of large pieces clinker grinders are normally used.
Fly ash system
The flushing apparatus are provided under E . P . h o p p e r s ( 4 0 nos.), economizer
hoppers (4 nos.), air preheaters (2 nos.), and stack hoppers (4 nos.). The fly ash gets
mixed with flushing water and the resulting slurry drops into the ash sluice channel. Low
pressure water is applied through the nozzle directing tangentially to the section of pipe to
create turbulence and proper mixing of ash with water. For the maintenance of flushing
apparatus plate valve is provided between apparatus and connecting tube.

Ash water system

High pressure water required for bottom ash hopper quenching nozzles, bottom ash hopper
spraying, clinker grinder sealing scraper bars, cleaning nozzles, bottom ash hopper seal
through flushing, economizer hopper flushing nozzles and sluicing trench jetting nozzles is
tapped from the high pressure water ring mainly provided in the plant area. Low pressure
water required for bottom ash hopper seal through makeup, scraper conveyor makeup,
flushing apparatus jetting nozzles for all fly ash hoppers except economizer hoppers, is
trapped from low pressure water rings mainly provided in the plant area​.

Ash slurry system

Bottom ash and fly ash slurry of the system is sluiced up to ash pump along the channel
with the acid of high pressure water jets located at suitable intervals along the channel.
Slurry pump suction line consisting of reducing elbow with drain valve,reducer and butterfly
valve and portion of slurry pump delivery line consisting of butterfly valve, pipe & fitting has
also been provided.
 Ways to increase the thermal
efficiency of power plant
The basic idea behind all the modifications to increase the thermal efficiency of a power
cycle is the same: Increase the average ​temperature at which heat is transferred to the
working fluid in the boiler, or decrease the average temperature at which heat is
rejected from the working fluid in the condenser. That is, the ​average fluid temperature
should be as high as possible during heat addition and as low as possible during heat
rejection.

Lowering the Condenser Pressure (Lowers T low,avg): Steam exists as a saturated

mixture in the condenser at the saturation temperature corresponding to the pressure
inside the condenser. Therefore, lowering the operating pressure of the condenser
automatically lowers the temperature of the steam, and thus the temperature at which heat
is rejected. The effect of lowering the condenser pressure on the Rankine cycle efficiency is
illustrated on a T-s diagram in Fig.1. For comparison purposes, the turbine inlet state is
maintained the same. The colored area on this diagram represents the increase in net work
output as a result of lowering the condenser pressure from P4 to P4’. The heat input
requirements also increase (represented by the area under curve 2-2),but this increase is
very small. Thus the overall effect of lowering the condenser pressure is an increase in the
thermal efficiency of the cycle.
Superheating the Steam to High Temperatures (Increases T high, avg):The average
temperature at which heat is transferred to steam can be increased without increasing the
boiler pressure by superheating the steam to high temperatures. The effect of superheating
on the performance of vapor power cycles is illustrated on a T-s diagram in Fig.2. The
colored area on this diagram represents the increase in the net work. The total area under
the process curve 3-3 represents the increase in the heat input. Thus both the net work and
heat input increase as a result of superheating the steam to a higher temperature.The
overall effect is an increase in thermal efficiency, however, since the average temperature
at which heat is added increases.

Superheating the Steam to High Temperatures Increasing the Boiler Pressure

Increasing the Boiler Pressure (Increases Thigh, avg): Another way of increasing
the average temperature during the heat-addition process is to increase the operating
pressure of the boiler, which automatically raises the temperature at which boiling takes
place. This, in turn, raises the average temperature at which heat is transferred to the
steam and thus raises the thermal efficiency of the cycle. The effect of increasing the boiler
pressure on the performance of vapor power cycles is illustrated on a T-s diagram in Fig.3.
Notice that for a fixed turbine inlet temperature, the cycle shifts to the left and the moisture
content of steam at the turbine exit increases. This undesirable side effect can be

corrected, however, by reheating the steam, as discussed in the next section.

Losses during operation and
maintenance of a power plant

1) SURFACE ROUGHNESS:
It increases friction & resistance. It can be due to Chemical deposits,Solid particle damage,
and Corrosion Pitting & Water erosion. As a thumb rule, surface roughness of about 0.05
mm can lead to a decrease in efficiency of 4%.

2) LEAKAGE LOSS:
● Inter stage Leakage
● Turbine end Gland Leakages
● About 2 - 7.5 kW is lost per stage if clearances are increased 0.025 mm depending
upon LP or HP stage.

3) WETNESS LOSS:
● Drag Loss: Due to difference in the velocities of the steam & water particles, water
particles lag behind & can even take different trajectory leading to losses.
● Sudden condensation can create shock disturbances & hence losses.
● About 1% wetness leads to 1% loss in stage efficiency.

4) OFF DESIGN LOSSES:

● Losses resulting due to turbine not operating with design terminal conditions.
● Change in Main Steam pressure & temperature.
● Change in HRH pressure & temperature.
● Condenser Back Pressure
● Convergent-Divergent nozzles are more prone to Off Design losses then Convergent
nozzles as shock formation is not there in convergent nozzles.
5) PARTIAL ADMISSION LOSSES:
● In Impulse turbines, the controlling stage is fed with means of nozzle boxes, the
control valves of which open or close sequentially.
● At some partial load some nozzle boxes can be partially open / completely closed.
● Shock formation takes place as rotor blades at some time are full of steam & at
some other moment, devoid of steam leading to considerable losses.

6) LOSS DUE TO EROSION OF LP LAST STAGE BLADES:

● Erosion of the last stage blades leads to considerable loss of energy. Also, it is the
least efficient stage.
● Erosion in the 10% length of the blade leads to decrease in 0.1% of efficiency
 Generator Theory
​

In ​electricity generation​, a generator is a device that converts ​motive power​ (​mechanical

energy​) into ​electrical power​ for use in an external ​circuit​. Sources of mechanical energy
include ​steam turbines​, ​gas turbines​, ​water turbines​, ​internal combustion engines​ and even
hand ​cranks​. The first electromagnetic generator, the Faraday disk, was invented in 1831
by British scientist ​Michael Faraday​. Generators provide nearly all of the power for ​electric
power grids​.The reverse conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy is done by
an ​electric motor​, and motors and generators have many similarities. Many motors can be
mechanically driven to generate electricity and frequently make acceptable manual
generators.

Generator Components- This deals with the two main components of the Generator viz.
Rotor, its winding & balancing and stator, its frame, core & windings. Stator-

1-Rotor-
The electrical rotor is the most difficult part of the generator to design. It revolves in most
modern generators at a speed of 3,000 rpm. The problem of guaranteeing the dynamic
strength and operating stability of such a rotor is complicated by the fact that a massive
non-uniform shaft subjected to a multiplicity of differential stresses must operate in oil
lubricated sleeve bearings supported by a structure mounted on foundations all of which
possess complex dynamic be behavior peculiar to them. It is also an electromagnet and to
give it the necessary magnetic strength The windings must carry a fairly high current. The
passage of the current through the windings generates heat but the temperature must not
be allowed to become so high, otherwise difficulties will be experienced with insulation. To
keep the temperature down, the cross section of the conductor could not be increased but
this would introduce another problems. In order to make room for the large conductors,
body and this would cause mechanical weakness. The problem is really to get the
maximum amount of copper into the windings without reducing the mechanical strength.
With good design and great care in construction this can be achieved. The rotor is a cast
steel ingot, and it is further forged and machined. Very often a hole is bored through the
centre of the rotor axially from one end of the other for inspection. Slots are then machined
for windings and ventilation.

2- Rotor Winding-
Silver bearing copper is used for the winding with mica as the insulation between
conductors. A mechanically strong insulator such as micanite is used for lining the slots.
Later designs of windings for large rotor incorporate combination of hollow conductors with
slots or holes arranged to provide for circulation of the cooling gas through the actual
conductors. When rotating at high speed. Centrifugal force tries to lift the windings out of
the slots and they are contained by wedges. The end rings are secured to a turned recess
in the rotor body, by shrinking or screwing and supported at the other end by fittings carried
by the rotor body. The two ends of windings are connected to slip rings, usually made of
forged steel, and mounted on insulated sleeves.

3- Rotor Balancing-
When completed the rotor must be tested for mechanical balance, which means that a
check is made to see if it will run up to normal speed without vibration. To do this it would
have to be uniform about its central axis and it is most unlikely that this will be so to the
degree necessary for perfect balance. Arrangements are therefore made in all designs to
fix adjustable balance weights around the circumference at each end.

4- Stator-
The stator is the heaviest load to be transported. The major part of this load is the stator
core. This comprises an inner frame and outer frame. The outer frame is a rigid fabricated
structure of welded steel plates, within this shell is a fixed cage of girder built circular and
axial ribs. The ribs divide the yoke in the compartments through which hydrogen flows into
radial ducts in the stator core and circulate through the gas coolers housed in the frame.
The inner cage is usually fixed in to the yoke by an arrangement of springs to dampen the
double frequency vibrations inherent in 2 pole generators. The end shields of hydrogen
cooled generators must be strong enough to carry shaft seals. In large generators the
frame is constructed as two separate parts. The fabricated inner cage is inserted in the
outer frame after the stator core has been constructed and the winding completed. Stator
core: The stator core is built up from a large number of 'punching" or sections of thin steel
plates. The use of cold rolled grain-oriented steel can contribute to reduction in the weight
of stator core for two main reasons:
a) There is an increase in core stacking factor with improvement in lamination cold Rolling
and in cold buildings techniques.
b) The advantage can be taken of the high magnetic permeance of grain-oriented steels of
work the stator core at comparatively high magnetic saturation without fear or excessive
iron loss of two heavy a demand for excitation ampere turns from the generator rotor.
5- Stator Winding-
Each stator conductor must be capable of carrying the rated current without overheating.
The insulation must be sufficient to prevent leakage currents flowing between the phases to
earth. Windings for the stator are made up from copper strips wound with insulated tape
which is impregnated with varnish, dried under vacuum and hot pressed to form a solid
insulation bar. These bars are then place in the stator slots and held in with wedges to form
the complete winding which is connected together at each end of the core forming the end
turns. These end turns are rigidly braced and packed with blocks of insulation material to
withstand the heavy forces which might result from a short circuit or other fault conditions.
The generator terminals are usually arranged below the stator. On recent generators (210
MW) the windings are made up from copper tubes instead of strips through which water is
circulated for cooling purposes. The water is fed to the windings through plastic tubes.

6- Generator Cooling System-The 200/210 MW Generator is provided with an efficient

cooling system to avoid excessive heating and consequent wear and tear of its main
components during operation. This Chapter deals with the rotor-hydrogen cooling system
and stator water cooling system along with the shaft sealing and bearing cooling systems.

• Rotor Cooling System-The rotor is cooled by means of gap pick-up cooling, wherein the
hydrogen gas in the air gap is sucked through the scoops on the rotor wedges and is
directed to flow along the ventilating canals milled on the sides of the rotor coil, to the
bottom of the slot where it takes a turn and comes out on the similar canal milled on the
other side of the rotor coil to the hot zone of the rotor. Due to the rotation of the rotor, a
positive suction as well as discharge is created due to which a certain quantity of gas flows
and cools the rotor. This method of cooling gives uniform distribution of temperature. Also,
this method has an inherent advantage of eliminating the deformation of copper due to
varying temperatures.

• Hydrogen Cooling - Hydrogen is used as a cooling medium in large capacity generator

in view of its high heat carrying capacity and low density. But in view of it’s forming an
explosive mixture with oxygen, proper arrangement for filling, purging and maintaining its
purity inside the generator have to be made. Also, in order to prevent escape of hydrogen
from the generator casing, shaft sealing system is used to provide oil sealing.
The hydrogen cooling system mainly comprises of a gas control stand, a drier, an liquid
level indicator, hydrogen control panel, gas purity measuring and indicating
instruments,The system is capable of performing the following functions:
I. Filling in and purging of hydrogen safely without bringing in contact with air.
II. Maintaining the gas pressure inside the machine at the desired value at all the times.
III. Provide indication to the operator about the condition of the gas inside the machine i.e.
its pressure, temperature and purity.
IV. Continuous circulation of gas inside the machine through a drier in order to remove any
water vapor that may be present in it.
V. Indication of liquid level in the generator and alarm in case of high level.

• Stator Cooling System- The stator winding is cooled by distillate. Turbo generators
require water cooling arrangement over and above the usual hydrogen cooling
arrangement. The stator winding is cooled in this system by circulating demineralised water
(DM water) through hollow conductors. The cooling water used for cooling stator winding
calls for the use of very high quality of cooling water. For this purpose DM water of proper
specific resistance is selected. Generator is to be loaded within a very short period if the
specific resistance of the cooling DM water goes beyond certain preset values. The system
is designed to maintain a constant rate of cooling water flow to the stator winding at a
nominal inlet water temperature of 400C.

Rating Of 200 MW Generator-

Manufacture by Bharat heavy electrical Limited (BHEL)
Capacity - 247000 KVA
Voltage (stator) - 15750 V
Current (stator) - 9050 A
Voltage (rotor) - 310 V
Current (rotor) - 2600 V
Speed - 3000 rpm
Power factor - 0.85
Frequency - 50 Hz
Hydrogen - 3.5 Kg/cm2
Stator winding connection - 3 phase star connection
Insulation class - B
 Switchyard and its Elements
The switchyard is a ​ junction ​connecting the Transmission & Distribution system to the
power plant.Switchyard consists of the air insulated aluminium ​bus​ type and of high voltage
SF6–insulated dead tank ​circuit breakers ​arranged in a ring bus configuration.Each circuit
breaker are equipped with a no-loadbreaker, air insulated, disconnect switch on each
side.An ​isolating disconnect switch ​are installed in each generator transformer
connection to the bus.In switchyard, a power transformer is used to step up or step down
the voltage.​Current and Voltage transformers ​are located at points within the switchyard
to provide for metering and relaying.Control, protection and monitoring for the switchyard
will be located in the switchyard relay room of the electrical building.All protection and
circuit breaker control will be powered from the ​station battery​- backed 220V DC system.A
grounding grid ​are provided to control step and touch potentials .Lightning protection are
provided by shield wires for any overhead lines- Lightning arrestors.Interface with ​SCADA
system are provided. The communication between the facility switchyard and the control
building is facilitated.Revenue metering are provided on the outgoing lines, recording net
power to or from the switchyard.

Switchyard Equipments

Transformers: Transformer transforms the voltage levels from higher to lower level or vice
versa, keeping the power constant. Inter connecting transformer (ICT) are used to connect
400KV switchyard to 132KV switchyard.

Circuit breakers: Circuit breakers makes or automatically breaks the electrical circuits
under loaded condition.

Isolators: Opens or closes the electrical circuits under No-load conditions.

Instrument transformers : Instrument transformers are used for stepping-down the

electrical parameter (Voltage or Current) to a lower and safe value for Metering and
Protection logics. CTs are single phase oil immersed type.secondary current is generally
1A, but also 5A in certain cases. The CVTS are used at 220KV & above. For lower voltages
electromagnetic type transformers are mostly used. The secondary voltage is 110/sqrt(3).

Earth switch: Earth switches are device which are normally used to earth a particular
system to avoid accident, which may happen due to induction on account of live adjoining
circuits. These don’t handle any appreciable current at all.

Lightning arrestors: station type “lightning arresters” are provided at the terminals of the
transformers for protection against lightning or any surges developing in the system, the
practice is also to install lightning arresters at the incoming terminals of the line. Shielding
of substation from direct lightning stroke is provided through earth wires located at
structures ‘peaks’. Recently masts are also used for the purpose of shielding substation.

Overhead earth wire: It protects the O/H transmission line from Lightning strokes.

Earth switches: are devices which are normally used to earth a particular system to avoid
accident, which may happen due to induction on account of live adjoin circuits. These do
not handle any appreciable current at all.

CIRCUIT BREAKER: Types of breaker in NTPC switchyard

1- 400 kv Air Blast circuit breaker
2- 220 kv SF6 Filled circuit breaker.

Air Blast circuit breaker:In this the compressed air pressure around 15 kg per cm^2 is
used for extinction of arc caused by flow of air around the moving circuit. The breaker is
closed by applying pressure at lower opening and opened by applying pressure at upper
opening. When contacts operate, the cold air rushes around the movable contacts and
blown the arc.

SPECIFICATION OF AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKER

Type DLYF420 nc4

Normal Voltage 420KV
Normal Current 2000A
Trip coil voltage 220V dc
Close coil voltage 220V dc
Frequency 50HZ
Short time Current 40KA 3Sec.
Breaking Current Sym. 40KA
Asym. 48 KA
R I L at 50HZ 630KV
Voltage switching impulse 1050
Operating pressure 27-31 Kg
Mass 3850 Kg
Make Hindustan Brown Boveri

SF6 Filled Circuit Breaker: This type of circuit breaker is of construction to dead tank bulk
oil to circuit breaker but the principle of current interruption is similar of that of air blast
circuit breaker. It simply employs the arc extinguishing medium namely SF6 the
performance of gas. When it is broken down under an electrical stress, it will quickly
reconstitute itself.

SPECIFICATION OF SF6 GAS CIRCUIT BREAKER

CIRCUIT BREAKER TYPE ELF SL 4-1

SR. NUMBER 20000070
Month and year of Mfg. JANUARY - 2001
Voltage 245 KV
Normal current 1600/2500 AMP.
Lightning impulse withstand voltage 1050 KV
Switching impulse withstand voltage - KV
Short circuit breaking current 40 KA
Short time withstand current & duration 40 LA 1Sec.
Line charging breaking current 125 AMP.
Operating sequence 0-0 3S - CO – 3Min- CO
First - pole - to - clear factor 1.3
Gas pressure SF6 at 200C (abs) 7.0 bar
Closing & opening device supply voltage 220 V DC
Auxiliary circuit supply voltage 240 V AC
Air pressure 20.5 bar
Frequency 50 Hz
Mass (approx) for 3 poles 4000 kg
Future capacity addition in NTPC,
awards and Ranking

NTPC has formulated a long term Corporate Plan to become a 1,28,000 MW company upto
2032. NTPC has a glorious record of excellence in every field of its activities ever since its
inception in 1975. Leading the country‟s power sector, we take pride in our people and
their performance which has been acknowledged time and again at various national and
international fora.

AWARDS GAIN BY NTPC

Environment Award
1. Earthcare Award - 2012 to NTPC for Climate Change Initiatives
2. Golden Peacock Environmental Management Award
3. CII Sustainability Award
4. 3rd Green Globe Foundation Awards
5. The Sunday Indian Special Mega Excellence – “India’s Best Environment Driven
Company Award – 2009.

Performance Awards
1. LifeTime Achievement Award to GM NTPC -CenPEEP
2. SCOPE Excellence Award to NTPC
3. NTPC Finance Director bags GSBA- Top Rankers Excellence Award
4. Top Liner Maharatna Award to NTPC
5. SCOPE Excellence Award to Shri Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD, NTPC
6. PSU Excellence Award for NTPC
7. Enertia Awards for NTPC Projects & Shri D K Jain, Director (Technical), NTPC Ltd
receives award for Excellence in Nuclear, Thermal (Conventional Energy)
8. Vishwakarma Award for 12 NTPC Employees
9. Prime Minister’s Shram Award to NTPC’s Misri Lal Choudhary
10. The Best Performing CFO Award
11. India Pride Awards – Energy and Power Category
12. Enertia Award 2010
13. SAFA Best Presented Accounts Awards 2008
14. CII-EXIM Excellence Award, 2010
15. National Awards for Meritorious Performance

Quality Awards
1. International Gold Star Award for Quality 2009

Company Rankings
1. Ranked 348th in Global ranking among ‘Global 2000’ list of companies compiled by
Forbes in 2011.
2. Forbes' Global 2000 list of top listed firms
3. Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings – 2010
4. NTPC – the Most Respected Company in Power Sector
5. India’s Biggest NewsMakers Survey
6. Business Standard's "BS1000" companies
 Conclusion

On completion of my vocational training at national Thermal Power

Cooperation (NTPC),Korba(C.G.) I have come to know about how the very
necessity of our lives nowadays i.e., electricity is generated. What all
processes are needed to generate and run the plant on a 24x7 basis.
NTPC Korba is one the plants in India to be under highest load factor for the
maximum duration of time and that to operating at highest plant efficiencies.
This plant is an example in terms of working efficiency and management of
resources to all other thermal plants in our country. The operating plf of the
NTPC as compared to the rest of country is the highest with 87.54% the
highest since its inception.
The training gave me an opportunity to clear my concepts from practical point
of view with the availability of machinery of such large rating.
 References
➢ ‘Modern power station practice-Volume-B.
-Volume-C.
➢ ‘ Power plant Engg.’ By P.K.NAG
➢ Control & Instrumentation-Volume l
➢ Operation & Maintenance Manual (MTPS)-Volume H
➢ Wikipedia
➢ www.ntpc.cpo.in
➢ http://indianpowersector.com/home/power-station/thermal-power-
plant/