Improvement of Efficiency of Coal Fired Power Plants

Energy is the driving force for civilization. Per capita energy consumption is the index to
judge the quality of life and prosperity of nation.

World is passing through an energy crisis due to depletion of fossil fuel so it is

imperative to improve the efficiency of Thermal Power Plants which is mostly dependent
on fossil fuels.

India is the world's third largest producer and third largest consumer of electricity.
The national electric grid in India has an installed capacity of 362.12 GW as of 30
September 2019.

Share of fossil energy is 79.8 percent. Green House gasses emission for production of
electricity is 2,194.74 MtCO2.

In 2017-18, the per-capita energy consumption is 23.355 Giga Joules (0.558 Mtoe )
excluding traditional biomass use and the energy intensity of the Indian economy is
0.2332 Mega Joules per INR (56 kcal/INR). Due to rapid economic expansion, India has
one of the world's fastest growing energy markets and is expected to be the second-
largest contributor to the increase in global energy demand by 9 percent by 2035,
accounting for 18% of the rise in global energy consumption.
Coal will remain the dominant fuel for production of electricity in India with 45 percent
share of total production in 2035.

So it is very pertinent to improve the efficiency of coal fired power plants to cut down the
prices of production of electricity and release of green house gasses into the
atmosphere.

Energy Efficiency Improvement of Thermal Power Plants

• It is responsibility of Operation & Maintenance Engineers/Managers of the plant

• It involves systematic data collection & analysis (weekly/fortnigtly); and not once
a year by an External Energy Auditor

• Understand the science/technology for each equipment sub-system of the plant;

and keep yourself abreast with their latest technology development

• Planned improvements in stages; don’t wait for R&M

• Retire old plants with Heat Rate deviation more than 20 percent.

Energy Efficiency Improvement – A Necessity

• Power demand (as on date) is low (PLF); thus need for efficiency improvement
for financial sustainability

• Energy efficiency improvement leads to fuel cost saving and thus plant
profitability

• It leads to CO2 emission reduction (a national & international commitment)

Change Mindset for Energy Efficiency Improvement

• Don’t make excuse that coal quality has become bad

• We have to work with the available fuel, and achieve the best possible results

• Blame no more the design defects; it is we who have to overcome/remove these

• Don’t be defensive while analyzing results, or receiving suggestions from

external Energy Auditors

• Make PG Test results as the baseline; and make all efforts to achieve & maintain
these

• Important that all key instruments used in the plant are calibrated regularly and
at least conform to prescribe accuracy
Typical Energy Losses in a Power Plant

Typical Energy Losses in a Boiler

 Typical Energy Losses in Steam Cycle

What needs to be measured for Efficiency Improvement of a Power Plant ?

• Heat rate of the plant

• Heat rate of the steam turbine cycle & Boiler Efficiency

• Auxiliary Power Consumption

• Net heat rate of the power plant

(Monitored by CEA & BEE under PAT scheme)

Heat Rate of Steam cycle and the Power Plant

Heat Rate of steam cycle, HRsc = {(Enthalpy of SH steam) +(Heat added during
RH) – (Sensible heat in feed water)} / (kW
electricity generated), kCal/kWh

Efficiency of steam cycle, ƞsc = 860 /HRsc

Gross Heat Rate of the Power Plant, HRpp = HRsc / ƞ BOILER , kCal / kWh

Gross Calorific value of Fuel = GCV kCal /kg of fuel

Specific fuel consumption = HRpp / GCV, kg/kWh

Net Heat rate of the Power Plant = HRpp / (1 – APC in fraction)

Perform Achieve & Trade (PAT) scheme under Energy Conservation Act 2001

• Applicable for all Designated Consumers (DCs)

• Thermal Power Plants are also DCs

• Every DC is given a target for reduction in energy consumption by end of three

years

• For power plants, the target will be in terms of reduction of Net Heat Rate of the
Plant

• Power plants who don’t achieve the target will have to buy Energy Certificates
from those who have achieved more than their targets

Benefits from Heat Rate Improvement

Take the case of a typical 210 MW power plant and assume that it has the
following operating variables:

Heat rate = 2450 kCal/kWh

Plant load factor = 85 %

Coal GCV = 3997 kCal/kg (C = 41.7 %)

Coal cost = INR 2000 /T (approx.)

CO2 emission per t of coal burnt = (41.07/100) x (44/12) = 1.5059 t

The coal consumed and its cost, and CO2 emissions per year are as follows:

Specific coal consumption = 2450/3997 =0.613 t/MWh

Electricity produced = 210 x 0.85 x 365 x 24

= 1,563,660 MWh

Coal consumed = 1,563,660 x 0.613

= 958,524 t

Coal cost = INR 958,524 x 2,000

= INR 1,917,048,000

CO2 emissions = 958,524 x 1.5059 = 1,443,441 t

 If the energy audit and modifications in O&M practices yields an improvement of
heat rate by just 50 kCal/kWh, the fuel and fuel cost saved per year would be as
follows:

Heat rate (improved to) = 2400 kCal/kWh

Specific coal consumption = 2400/3997

= 0.60045 t/MWh

Coal consumed for generating

1,563,660 MWh of electricity = 1,563,660 x 0.60045

= 938,900 tonne

Coal cost = 938,900 x 2000

= 1,877,800,000 INR

CO2 emissions = 938,900 x1.5059

= 1,413,890 Tonnes

Thus, coal cost saved in one year = INR (1,917,048,000 – 1,877,800,000)

= INR 39,248,000

CO2 emissions saved in one year = 1,443,441 - 1,413,890

= 29,551 Tonnes

Case study: Boiler efficiency evaluation for a 500 MW unit (Steam

parameters- 1700 t/h, 179 ata,540oC/540oC)

• Coal properties

Design Actual

C (Wt %) 37.92 44.73

H 02.33 01.99

S 00.29 00.37

N 00.84 00.62

O 06.23 01.83
 Design Actual

H2O 12.00 14.10

Ash 40.39 36.22

GCV (kCal/kg) 3500 3622

Measured data for energy audit

• Boiler

O2 in flue gas (%) 4.01

Excess air (%) 23.06

CO (ppm) 9.3

Flue gas temp. (OC) 167.57

Ambient temp. (OC) 23.9

Wet bulb temp. (OC) 18.1

• Air heater

O2 (%) in flue gas after eco. 4.01

O2 (%) in flue gas after air heater 7.50

Calculation of boiler efficiency

Parameter (%) Design Calculated

Dry flue gas loss 5.08 8.89

Heat loss due to CO 0.00 0.00

Heat loss due to moisture in air 0.12 0.12

Heat loss due to moisture and

Hydrogen in fuel 5.95 5.78

Heat loss due to unburnt in bottom ash 0.90 0.07

Heat loss due to unburnt in fly ash 0.00 0.02

 Sensible heat in bottom ash 0.38 0.26

Sensible heat in fly ash 0.18 0.33

Surface & unaccounted loss 0.67 0.10

Total heat losses 12.57 15.65

Boiler efficiency 87.43 84.35

Analysis of boiler efficiency test results

• Flue gas losses are higher than design

• Excess air level is 23.6 % (recommended value is 20 %)

• Flue gas temperature (OC)

Measured 167.57

Corrected after applying

leakage correction 190.0

Design value 146.0

Expected improvement in boiler efficiency

From To

Flue gas temp. (OC) 190 146

Excess air (%) 23.6 20.0

Boiler efficiency (%) 84.35 87.18*

* This would be very close to the design value of 87.43%.

Coal and monetary savings potential through efficiency improvement

Current coal consumption (t/y) 2,632,181

Saving potential through

efficiency improvement (t/y) 74,490

Coal cost (INR/t) 2,000

Monetary savings (INR/y) 148,980,000