NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Steam Power Plant

Prepared by:
Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan
Instructor I
 Midterm Topics
1.1 Introduction to Power Plant
1.2 Review of Thermodynamic Principle
1.3 Vapor Power Cycle
2.1 Steam Power Plant
a. Steam Boiler
b. Steam Turbine/Engine
c. Steam Condenser
d. Feedwater Pump
e. Draft System
2.2 Variable Load Problem
3.0 Diesel Electric Power Plants
4.0 Gas Turbine Power Plants

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Learning Objective
Upon completion of this lesson, the students are able to:
1. Explain the working principle of the steam power plant,
2. Describe the four main circuits of the steam power plant,
3. Learn about major components of the steam power plant,
4. Define each of the major components of a steam power plant
and its function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Steam(Thermal) Power Plant

Chemical Energy
 Chemical reaction of
fuel(Coal)
Thermal Energy
 Heat energy is transferred
to fluid in the boiler.
Steam Energy
 Heat energy is converted
to mechanical energy by
Mechanical Energy prime mover (steam
turbine)

Electrical Energy  Mechanical energy is

converted to electrical
energy by the generator.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Purpose of Steam Power Plant
1. To produce electric power
2. To produce steam for industrial processes like textile, food
manufacturers, paper mills, etc.

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Principle of Steam Power Plant

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 Main Components of Steam Power Plant
1. Main Parts:
a. Boiler
b. Steam Turbine
c. Draught System
d. Boiler Feed Pump
e. Condenser
f. Cooling Tower
g. Generator
2. Heat Recovery Parts:
a. Economizer
b. Air Heaters
c. Deaerator

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Steam Boiler (Steam Generator) Function
 The boiler has the function to convert water into steam.
 The process of change of water to vapor is done by heating the water
in the pipes with heat from burning fuel.
 Combustion processes are carried out continuously in the combustion
chamber with fuel and airflow from the outside.
 The resulting Steam is superheated steam which has high temperature
and high pressure.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

Steam Boiler (Steam Generator) Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Steam Turbine Function
 Steam turbine working to change the heat energy contained in the
steam into rotary motion.
 Steam with high pressure and temperature was directed to push
turbine blades mounted on the shaft, so the shaft rotates.
 This steam then flows to the condenser, while the rotary power is used
to turn a generator.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Steam Turbine Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Draught System Function
 To overcome the resistance offered by the pipelines, air ducts, fuel
beds, dampers, chimneys, etc. for the flow of air, a flue gases draught
system is required in a thermal power plant.
 Normally FD (forced draft) fan, ID (induced draft) fan, and chimney
facilitate this function.
 FD fan provides air from the atmosphere to the boiler with positive
pressure, whereas ID fan along with the chimney sucks air and waste
gas from the boiler to the atmosphere.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

Draught System Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Boiler Feed Pump Function
 The function is to feed the water to be steamed in the boiler of a
thermal power plant.
 Condensate water to be coming out from condenser and makeup
water coming from water treatment plant ad together forming total
feed water.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

Boiler Feed Pump Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Condenser Function
 The use of a condenser in a power plant is to improve the efficiency of
the power plant by decreasing the exhaust pressure of the steam
below the atmosphere.
 Another advantage of the condenser is that the steam condensed
may be recovered to provide a source of good pure feed water to
the boiler and reduce the water softening capacity to a considerable
extent.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Condenser Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Cooling Tower Function
The importance of the cooling tower is felt when the cooling water from
the condenser has to be cooled.
The cooling water after condensing the steam becomes hot and it has to
be cooled as it belongs to a closed system.
The Cooling towers do the job of decreasing the temperature of the
cooling water after condensing the steam in the condenser.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Cooling Tower Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Electrical Generator Function
 Is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy,
generally using electromagnetic induction.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

Electrical Generator Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Economizer Function
 The economizer is a feed water heater, deriving heat from the flue
gases.
 The justifiable cost of the economizer depends on the total gain in
efficiency. In turn, this depends on the flue gas temperature leaving
the boiler and the feed water inlet temperature.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Economizer Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Air Heaters Function
 The flue gases coming out of the economizer is used to preheat the
air before supplying it to the combustion chamber.
 An increase in air temperature of 20 degrees can be achieved by this
method.
 The pre heated air is used for combustion and also to dry the crushed
coal before pulverizing.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Air Heaters Function

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Deaerator Function
 Deaerators is commonly employed in any chemical process industry
or in Power Plants wherever a boiler is utilized for steam production
from boiler feed water.
 Deaerator is a device that is widely used for the removal of oxygen
and other dissolved gases from the feed water. In particular, dissolved
oxygen in boiler feed waters will cause serious corrosion damage in
steam systems by attaching to the walls of metal piping and other
metallic equipment and forming oxides (rust).

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Deaerator Function

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General Layout Coal Fired Power Plant

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Flow Diagram of Coal Fired Power Plant

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Division of Coal Fired Power Plant

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Coal and Ash Circuit
 Pulverized coal from the storage area (called a stack) is taken to the
boiler by means of coal handling equipment such as belt conveyors,
bucket elevators, etc.
 Note: A thermal power plant of 400 MW capacity requires 5000 to
6000 tons of coal per day.
 After the pulverized coal is burnt at 15000C to 20000C by combustion
it gets collected in the ash pit.
 It is removed from the ash pit by ash handling systems like belt
conveyors, screw conveyors, etc.
 Note: A thermal power plant of 400 MW capacity requires a 10
hectares area per year if ash is damped to a height of 6.5 meters.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Air and Flue Gas Circuit
 The air from the atmosphere gets heated in the air preheater. The air
receives its heat from the hot flue gases passing to the chimney.
 The hot air enters the boiler and helps in combustion of fuel in the
boiler.
 The flue gases, after combustion in the boiler furnace, pass around
the boiler tubes, heating the water present in the tubes.
 The flue gases then pass through a dust collector which removes any
dust or solid particles.
 The filtered flue gas passes through the economizer and preheater
and is forced out through the chimney by a draught fan.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Feed Water and Steam Circuit
 The superheated steam from the boiler enters the steam turbine. The
superheated steam temperature is about 6000C at a pressure of 30
MPa(300 kg/cm2)
 The steam expands in the turbine causing the turbine blades to
rotate. After doing mechanical work on the blades and losing its
energy, the steam becomes wet and the pressure of the steam
becomes less.
 The wet steam passes through a condenser where it completely
becomes water. The condensed water that has a temperature of
300C to 400C is collected in a tank called a hot well.
 The water from the hot well is fed into the boiler through the
economizer.
 The economizer preheats the water before entering the boiler. The
economizer receives its heat from the flue gases leaving the boiler.
 Preheating the feed water in the economizer increases the boiler
efficiency and helps quicker production of steam.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Cooling Water Circuit
 Water is circulated around the condenser to condense the steam
coming out of the turbine.
 Cooling water enters the condenser at 100C to 150C and leaves at
200C to 250C.
 Plenty of water is required for condensing the steam in the
condenser. The water may be taken from sources such as rivers or
lakes.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Advantages of Steam Power Plant
 The fuel used is quite cheap.
 Less initial cost as compared to other generating plants.
 Less space required in setup in comparison to hydroelectric power
plant.
 It can be installed at any place irrespective of the existence of coal.
 The coal(or fuel) can be transported to the site of the plant by rail or
road.
 A portion of steam generated can be used as a process steam in
different industries.
 As these plants can be set up near industries, therefore the
transmission costs are reduced.
 Cost of generation is less than that of diesel power plants.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

 Disadvantages of Steam Power Plant
 It pollutes the atmosphere due to production of large amount of
smoke and fumes.
 Maintenance & operating costs are high.
 Cost of plant increases with increase in temperature & pressure.
 Long time required for erection & putting into action.
 Transportation of fuel is one of the major difficulties for the plants
located away from coal fields.
 Life of the plant is hardly 3 to 4 decades compared with hydro-plant
(1 to 2 centuries).
 Fuel is a non-renewable source of energy.

Prepared by: Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Next Meeting: Steam Boiler

Prepared by:
Engr. Anthony Vic C. Agulan
Instructor I