ME 403

Power Plant
Engineering
Capt Najmus Saquib Sifat
Military Institute of Science &
Technology
 Thermal Power Plants
• Fuels
• Combustion equipment
• Boilers
Coal Analysis
• General coal analysis and testing include the following:
• 1.Proximate analysis: moisture content, ash content, volatile
matter, fixed carbon; FC+M+VM+A=100

• 2.Ultimate analysis: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur;

• 3.Ash analysis: major and minor elements in coal and coal ash;

• 4.Calorific value (also known as heating value or specific energy).

Coal Power Plant
• Working Procedure of a Coal power plant
Coal Handling and
Storage

Power Plant Engineering (ME 403) 18

 Coal handling and storage
• The main purpose of storage of coal is:
• To store the coal for a period of 30 to 90 days,
therefore the plant is not required to be shut down
due to failure of normal supply of coal.
• To permit the choice of the date of purchase
allowing the management to take advantage of
seasonal market conditions in prices of coal.
 Dead storage or outdoor storage
• In this storage the coal received at the power plant
is stored in dead storage in the form of piles laid
directly on the ground. The coal stored has the
tendency to combine with oxygen of air and during
this process coal loss some of its heating value and
ignition quality.

• Due to oxidation the coal may ignite spontaneously.

This can be avoided by storing coal in following
ways.
 Coal handling and storage
• Generally concrete floored area is used to
prevent the flow of air from the bottom for
stocking the coal.

• Coal is stored in the form of heaps or piles up

to a height of 10 to 12 m directly on concrete
ground, the coal should be compacted in layer
of 15 to 30 cm in thickness.
 Coal handling and storage
• This effectively prevents the air circulation in
the interior of the pile. The pile top should be
given a gentle slope in which the rain may be
drained off.

• Sealing of stored pile is desirable in order to

avoid the oxidation of coal after packing an
air tight layer of coal. Asphalt, fine coal dust,
and bituminous coating are the materials
commonly used for this purpose.
 Coal handling and storage
• Under water storage:
• The possibility of slow oxidation and
spontaneous combustion can be completely
eliminated by storing the coal under water.
 Live storage or active storage
• Coal from a live coal storage pile is usually
supplied to combustion equipment
• The coal is usually stored in vertical cylinder
bunkers or coal bins or silo. Coal from silos is
transferred to the boiler grate.
• Live coal storage bunkers are normally
constructed with a diamond-shaped cross section
storage area.
• The storage bunkers are made of steel or
reinforced concrete to store the live coal.
 Requirement of good coal handling
plants at site
• It should have minimum maintenance.
• It should be simple
• It should be reliable
• It should supply coal continuously as per the
demand of power plant.
• It should have minimum wear in running the
equipment.
Coal handling
Coal Firing

Power Plant Engineering (ME 403) 27

 Firing systems
• Fuel is burnt in a confined space known as
furnace. The furnace provides supports and
enclosures for burning equipment.
• Solid fuels such as coal, coke,wood are burnt
by means of stockers whereas burners are
used to burn pulverized coal and liquid fuels.
• Solid fuels require a grate in the furnace to
hold the bed of fuel.
 Selection of firing methods
• The characteristics of the available coal
• Capacity of the plant
• Efficiency and reliability of the combustion
equipments.
• The power plant load factor
• Nature of load fluctuation.
 Solid fuel firing
• Hand firing system: it is simple and suitable for
small power plant. Since it is difficult to achieve
the uniform combustion and it gives low
combustion efficiency.

• Stoker firing: stoker is a power operated fuel

feeding mechanism and grate. With stoker firing ,
it allows to burn large quantities of fuel, with
easy in controlling the combustion with higher
efficiency, less labour of handling ash and are self
cleaning.
 Advantages of stoker firing
• Easy of control of combustion
• High combustion efficiency
• Cheaper grade of fuel can be used
• Smokeless combustion
• Less labour required
• System is realiable
 Disadvantages of stoker firing
• Capital cost is high
• Loss of coal through the grates
• Steam demand due to load fluctuations on
plant can not be met efficiently
• Complicated construction and arrangement
• Excessive wear of parts.
Power Plant Engineering (ME 403) 33
 Types of stoker their working
• A grate is used at furnace bottom to hold a
bed of fuel. There are two ways of feeding
coal on to the grate
• Over feeding
• Under feeding
Therefore automatic stockers may be classified
as overfeed and under feed stockers.
Principles of overfeed stokers
 Principles of overfeed stokers
• It receives the coal on its top surface and is
characterized by the following five zones from top to
the bottom.
• A layer of fresh or green coal-fresh coal zone
• A layer of coal losing moisture-drying zone
• A cooking layer of coal losing its volatile content-
distillation zone.
• A layer of incandescent coke where the fixed carbon is
consumed-combustion zone
• A layer of ash progressively getting cooler-ash zone.
 Principles of overfeed stokers
• Pressurized air--- FD Fan--- enters--- bottom of
the grate----- heated by absorbing heat from ash
and grate-----ash and grate are cooled------ hot
air----- incandescent coke----- O2 reacts with C-----
-CO2-----hot gases----- distillation zone-----volatile
matter added-------drying zone-----moisture is
picked up-----finally come out from the bed
containing N2,CO2,CO,H2-----secondary air
supplied-----high speed----turbulence---for
complete combustion
38
Chain Grate Stocker

Power Plant Engineering (ME 403) 39

Travelling grate stoker
Travelling grate stoker
• It may be chain grate type or bar grate type.
These two are different only in the details of
grate construction.
• The travelling grate stoker is also known as
conveyer grate stoker.
• In the chain grate stoker the grate is made of a
series of cast iron links connected by bars or
pins to form an endless chain.
Travelling grate stoker
• In the bar grate stoker the grate surface consists
of series of cast iron bars joined together by links
to form an endless belt running over two sets of
sprocket wheels with a wide surface as per need.
• The chain grate stoker consists of an endless
chain which forms a support for the fuel bed. The
chain travels over two sprocket wheels one at the
front and other at the rear of furnace. The front
sprocket is connected to a variable speed drive
mechanism.
Travelling grate stoker
• The travelling chain receives coal by gravity at
its front end through a hopper and carries it
into the furnace. The depth of the coal on the
grate is regulated by adjustable gate. The
speed of the grate varies at the rate at which
the coal is fed to the furnace. The ash is tipped
from the rear end of chain. The air required
for combustion enters through the air inlets
situated below the grate.
Travelling grate stoker
• The secondary air is supplied through the
openings provided in the furnace wall above
the grate. The combination of primary air and
secondary air provide turbulence required for
rapid combustion.
• These grate are suitable for low grade coal
because the fuel must be burnt before it
reaches the rear end of the furnace.
Travelling grate stoker
• Advantages:
• Simple in construction
• Maintenance cost is low
• Initial cost is low.
• Self cleaning stoker
• Heat release rate can be controlled just by
controlling the speed of chain.
Travelling grate stoker
• Disadvantages:
• Always some loss of coal in the form of fine
particles carried with the ashes.
• Temperature of preheated air is limited to
180°C.
• Not suitable for high capacity boiler
• Clinker trouble are very common.