DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARIÑAS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

SPECIAL TOPIC 2
MODULE 1
POWER STATION
PERFORMANCE
BY:

ENGR. EDARDO L. ALASCO

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. MODULE – POWER STATION PERFORMANCE

1.1 GOSPEL READING

1.2 INTRODUCTION

1.3 TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

1.4 POWER PLANT ENGINEERING / POWER STATION PERFORMANCE

1.5 TERMINOLOGIES

1.6 FORMULAS

1.1 GOSPEL READING

Let us put ourselves in the presence of God..

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..

Proverbs 2:6 and 10, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come

knowledge and understanding. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge

will be pleasant to your soul”

St. John Baptist de la Salle..pray for us.. Live Jesus in our hearts. Forever

1.2 INTRODUCTION .

Power Plants - Performance Efficiencies

Power plants heat rates, thermal efficiencies, capacity factors, load factors,

economic efficiencies, operational efficiencies and energy efficiencies.

he performance of a power plant can be expressed through some common performance factors:

• heat rate (energy efficiency)

• thermal efficiency

• capacity factor

• load factor

• economic efficiency

• operational efficiency

Heat Rate (Energy Efficiency)

Overall thermal performance or energy efficiency for a power plant for a period can be

defined as

φhr = H / E (1)

where

φhr = heat rate (Btu/kWh, kJ/kWh)

H = heat supplied to the power plant for a period (Btu, kJ)

E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)

Thermal Efficiency

Thermal efficiency of a power plant can be expressed as

μte = (100) (3412.75 Btu/kWh) / φ (2)

where

μte = thermal efficiency (%)

• 1 kWh = 3412.75 Btu

Capacity Factor

The capacity factor for a power plant is the ratio between average load and rated load

for a period of time and can be expressed as

μcf = (100) Pal / Prl (3)

where

μcf = capacity factor (%)

Pal = average load for the power plant for a period (kW)

Prl = rated capacity for the power plant (kW)

Load Factor

Load factor for a power plant is the ratio between average load and peak load and can

be expressed as

μlf = (100) Pal / Ppl (4)

where

μlf = load factor (%)

Ppl = peak load for the power plant in the period (kW)

Economic Efficiency

Economic efficiency is the ratio between production costs, including fuel, labor,

materials and services, and energy output from the power plant for a period of time.

Economic efficiency can be expressed as

φee = C / E (5)

where

φee = economic efficiency (cents/kW, euro/kW, ...)

C = production costs for a period (cents, euro, ..)

E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)

Operational Efficiency
Operational efficiency is the ratio of the total electricity produced by the plant during a

period of time compared to the total potential electricity that could have been produced

if the plant operated at 100 percent in the period.

Operational efficiency can be expressed as

μoe = (100) E / E100% (6)

where

μeo = operational efficiency (%)

E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)

E100% = potential energy output from the power plant operated at 100% in the period (kWh)

Reference:

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/power-plant-efficiency-d_960.html
1.3 COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, students are expected to:

TLO1. Understand different types of electrical load: steady load and variable

load.

TLO2. Learn to plot load curve and load duration curve.

TLO3. Develop skills and technique in solving problems related to power

station performance.

1.4 Power Plant Engineering / Power Station Performance

1.4.1 Power Plant Engineering - deals with the study of energy, its sources and
utilization of energy for power generation.
 1.4.2 Power Distribution System.

POWER PLANT

Electrical energy produced from the generators is sent to substation which are

located at the end of primary distribution system

SUBSTATION

Energy is supplied to the transformer thru feeder line from the substation

↓
______________________________
↓ FEEDER ↓
Distribution Distribution Distribution
Transformer Transformer Transformer

Transformer
Each transformer is connected by low voltages lines to the system
↓ of one or ↓ more customers ↓
Connected Loads Connected loads Connected Loads

(Residential Customers) (Commercial Customers) (Industrial Customers)

)
1.5 Terminologies:

1.5.1 Ideal (Steady) load – load of constant magnitude and steady duration.

1.5.2 Variable load – load that varies in magnitude and duration.

1.5.3 Load curve – curve of capacity (power) versus time, showing the

magnitude of specific load of the period covered.

1.5.4 Load duration curve – curve showing the total time within a specified

period, during which the load equaled or exceeded the

power values shown.

1.5.5 Peak load – a maximum load consumed or produced by a unit or group

of units in a stated period of time.

1.5.6 Connected load – sum of continuous ratings of all the equipment and

outlets on the customer’s circuit.

1.6 Formulas:

𝑴𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝑫𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅
1.6.1 Demand Factor, D.F. =
𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅

𝑺𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅

1.6.2 Group Diversity Factor, Div.F =
𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅

Note: The group diversity factor is always greater than unity.

For residential, Div.F = 5

For industrial, Div.F = 1.3

𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑳 𝒂𝒗𝒆

1.6.3 Load Factor, L.F. = =
𝑴𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝑳 𝒎𝒂𝒙

and E = 𝑳 𝒂𝒗𝒆 h
 where: E = energy output
h = total number of hours for the period considered
𝑬
𝒉
hence, L.F =
𝑳 𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝑳 𝒂𝒗𝒆
1.6.4 Capacity Factor, C.F. =
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚
𝑬
1.6.5 Output Factor or Useful Factor, O.F. =
𝑬′

where: 𝑬′ = energy output if the plants operated at its full rating

during the actual hour ( ℎ′ ) the plant was in operation
during the period considered.

𝑬′ = Capacity ( ℎ′ )
𝑳 𝒎𝒂𝒙
1.6.6 Utilization Factor. U.F. =
𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚

ℎ′
1.6.7 Operation Factor. Oper. F. =
ℎ

ℎ′ = actual number of hours the plant was in operation during the

period considered

ℎ = total number of hours for the period.

1.6.8 Reserve Over Peak, ROP = Capacity – Maximum load

ROP = Cap- 𝑳 𝒎𝒂𝒙
Example 1. A unit has a rated capacity of 80,000 KW. It operates for 6,950 hrs during
the year and generates 350,000,000 kw hr with a peak load of 75,000 KW.
Calculate:
a) load factor
b) capacity factor
c) operation factor
d) output factor
e) utilization factor
f) Reserve Over Peak (ROP)

Solution: Capacity = 80,000 KW

ℎ′ = 6, 950 hrs
𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 24 ℎ𝑟𝑠 8,760 ℎ𝑟𝑠
ℎ= 365 x =
𝑦𝑟
𝑦𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦

E = 350,000,000 kw hr
𝐿𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 75,000 KW

𝑬 350,000,000 𝑘𝑤 ℎ𝑟
a) 𝐿 𝑎𝑣𝑒 = = = 39,954.33 KW
𝒉 8,760 ℎ𝑟

𝐿 𝑎𝑣𝑒 39,954.33 𝐾𝑊
L.F = = = 0.53 ans.
𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 75,000 𝐾𝑊

𝐿 𝑎𝑣𝑒
b) C.F. =
𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

39,954.33 𝐾𝑊
C.F. = = 0.50 ans.
80,000 𝐾𝑊

ℎ′
c) Oper. F. =
ℎ

6,950
Oper. F. = = 0.79 ans.
8,760
 𝐸
d) O.F. =
𝐸′

𝐸′ = Capacity ( ℎ′ ) = 80,000 (6,950)

𝐸′ = 556,000,000 kw hr

350,000,000 kw hr
O.F. = = 0.63 ans.
556,000,000 kw hr

𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥
e) U.F. =
𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

75,000
U.F. = = 0.94 ans.
80,000

g) ROP = Cap - 𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥

ROP = 80,000 – 75,000 = 5,000 KW ans.

Example 2. Central station is supplying energy to a community through a two sub

stations. One substation feeds four distributing circuits, the other substation, six.

The maximum daily recorded demands are:

Power station = 12,000 KW

Substation A = 6,000 KW Substation B = 9,000 KW

Feeders: 1. = 1,700 KW Feeder: 1. = 620 KW

2. = 1,800 KW 2. = 1,500 KW

3. = 2,800 KW 3. = 1,000 KW

4. = 600 KW 4. = 2,900 KW

5. = 2,200 KW

6. = 3,000 KW
 Calculate: Diversity factor of:

a) between feeders on substation A

b) between feeders on substation B

c) between substation

Solution:

a) between feeders on substation A:

𝑆𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑

Div.F =
𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑

1,700+1,800+2,800+600
Div.F =
6,000

Div.F = 1.15 ans.

b) between feeders on substation B:

620+1,500+1,000+2,900+2,200+3,000
Div.F =
9,000

Div.F = 1.25 ans.

c) between substation:

6,000+9,000
Div.F =
12,000

Div.F = 1.25 ans.

Example 3. An electric system has a linear variations in load so that the daily load

curves can be described by the following instantaneous readings:

TIME LOAD, MW TIME LOAD, MW

12 mn 30 4 pm 60

1 am 20 5 pm 70

5 am 20 6 pm 90

6 am 40 8 pm 80

8 am 60 11 pm 50

12 mn 30

To meet this load, three turbine generator units at 50 MW each are installed. The

electrical plant operates whole year round.

Determine:

a) average load in MW d) output factor

b) load factor e) operating factor

c) utilization factor
Solution:

E = ∑ A = 𝐴1 + 𝐴2 + 𝐴2 + 𝐴3 + 𝐴4 + 𝐴5 +𝐴6 + 𝐴7 + 𝐴8 + 𝐴9 +𝐴10 + 𝐴11 + 𝐴12

+ 𝐴13 + 𝐴14 + 𝐴15 + 𝐴16 + 𝐴17 + 𝐴18 + 𝐴19 + 𝐴20 + 𝐴21

+ 𝐴22
1
For triangle, A = bh
2

1 1
𝐴1 = (1) (10) = 5 MW hr 𝐴11 = (1) (10) = 5 MW hr
2 2

𝐴2 = (1) (20) = 20 MW hr 𝐴12 = (1) (60) = 60 MW hr

1
𝐴3 = (4)(20) = 80 MW hr 𝐴13 = (1) (20) = 10 MW hr
2

1
𝐴4 = (1) (20) = 10 MW hr 𝐴14 = (1) (70) = 70 MW hr
2

1
𝐴5 = (1) (20) = 20 MW hr 𝐴15 = (2) (10) = 10 MW hr
2
 1
𝐴6 = (1) (10) = 5 MW hr 𝐴16 = (2) (80) = 160 MW hr
2

1
𝐴7 = (1) (40) = 40 MW hr 𝐴17 = (2) (20) = 20 MW hr
2

1
𝐴8 = (1) (10) = 5 MW hr 𝐴18 = (2) (60) = 120 MW hr
2

1
𝐴9 = (1) (50) = 50 MW hr 𝐴19 = (1) (10) = 5 MW hr
2

𝐴10 = (8) (60) = 480 MW hr 𝐴20 = (1) (50) = 50 MW hr

1
𝐴21 = 2
(1) (20) = 10 MW hr

𝐴22 = (1) (30) = 30 MW hr

∑A= 𝐴𝑇 = 1,265 MW hr

𝐸 1,265 𝑀𝑤 ℎ𝑟
a) 𝐿 𝑎𝑣𝑒 = = = 52.71 MW ans.
ℎ 24 ℎ𝑟

𝐿 𝑎𝑣𝑒 52.71
b) L.F = = = 0.59 ans.
𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 90

𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 90
c) U.F. = = = 0.60 ans.
𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 150

𝐸
d) O.F. =
𝐸′

𝐸 ′ = Capacity ( ℎ′ ) and ℎ = ℎ′ = 24 hrs

hence, 𝐸 ′ = 150 MW ( 24 hr) = 3,600 MW hr

1,265
O.F. = = 0.35 ans.
3,600

ℎ′
e) Oper. F. =
ℎ
 24
Oper. F. = = 1.0 ans.
24

REFERENCES

Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRhYfSOFvdY
Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on00q7Mw-rU
Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-8Tbe2jasY
Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZFAR4pwC88
Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2SqkpTrrZk
Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjjMVx1UwSs

On-Site References
Call Reference Material
number or
e-provider
Call #: TP Sutton, Ian (2017), Plant Design and Operations, Waltham, MA : Gulf Professional Publishing,
155.5 .Su87 c2017, Second Edition.
2017
Call #:TP Soares, Claire (2002),Process Engineering Equipment Handbook,New York, N.Y. : McGraw-
157 .So11 Hill, 2002
2002
EBSCO Plant Engineer's Handbook, R. Keith Mobley, Boston : Butterworth-Heinemann. 2001,eBook

EBSCO Plant Engineer's Reference Book, Snow, Dennis A. ScienceDirect (Online service) Oxford :
Butterworth-Heinemann. 2002, 2nd Edition, eBook
Call #: Sugarman, Samuel C.(2016) HVAC Fundamentals, Lilburn, GA : The Fairmont Press, Inc., CRC
TH735 Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016,3rd Edition.
.Su32 2016
Call #: TH Auvil Ronnie J, (2014), HVAC and Refrigeration Systems, Orland Park, IL : ATP, American
7012 .Au88 Technical Publishers
2014
PSME Code