DE-CARBONISATION OF GENERATION THROUGH AN INTEGRATED

SOLAR THERMAL HEAT EXCHANGER: A PILOT PROJECT AT NTPC

DADRI

Neel Kumar Sharma, AGM-Operation, NTPC Dadri

Shishir Dubey, Manager-Operation, NTPC Dadri
Abhinav Chitranshu, Manager-Operation, NTPC Dadri

ABSTRACT:

To combat the looming disaster of climate change in the incumbent post-machine age era, it
has become an imperative for heavy industries including power plants to cut their green
house gas emissions. In an effort to test one such power production de-carbonisation
technology, NTPC Dadri has installed an Integrated Solar-Thermal heat exchanger as a pilot
project that is first of its kind in Asia and only second in the world. Rather than solar
photovoltaic technology, the project uses solar thermal technology to leverage its comparative
advantages such as low area requirement, high thermal efficiency and very low startup time
etc. The project consists of solar reflectors, which accumulate sunlight to impart energy to a
working fluid. The working fluid transfers energy to feed water through a heat exchanger
installed in parallel of a high pressure heater (HPH) in a 210 MW coal based unit. The
process employs solar power to save steam used in the HP heater and de-carbonises
production.

The paper discusses the technical as well as the operational aspects of the installation. It also
shares the lessons learnt through the commissioning phase of the project as well as the
modifications and the problems in the original design. Although some seasonal and
operational constraints hindered the full-fledged operations and the project was not run for a
considerable time to assess its efficiency and economic viability, based on the limited hours
of operation the paper shares the efficiency aspects of the project. During this winter season
when sufficient Direct normal irradiance (DNI) was not available for operation, the auto tuning
of the reflectors and the feed water flow valves has been carried out. During the upcoming
summer season the project is expected to run smoothly and the full picture of operational
benefits will be seen. Finally the paper discusses the way forward for the project and its
possible replications in power plants and other heavy industries.
INTRODUCTION:

India stands as the third largest green house gas emitter in the world. While the national GDP
continues to rise, the industries will need more electricity to fire the economic growth in the
future. In such a scenario an intervention is much needed to change the Indian energy
production landscape. As a signatory to Paris agreement, India continues to invest towards
de-carbonizing its power production. It has targeted 100 GW solar power installations by 2022
and has achieved 31.696 GW of solar power installations by October 2019. The tropical
geography of India has endowed it with high solar insolation. The total annual incident energy
12 9
is 7260 x 10 kWh while the present Indian power requirement is estimated to be 600 x 10
9
kWh. It is expected to rise to 5000 X 10 kWh by 2050. The incident radiation is 1000 times
more than the total expected power demand even in 2050. This also means that only if 1% of
incident radiation is converted to power at 10% efficiency, the complete power demand of
2050 can be met with solar power. Hence both technology routes for conversion of solar
radiation into heat and electricity, namely, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic, can effectively
be harnessed providing huge scalability for solar in India.

To produce greener power for the nation, NTPC Ltd. has installed various solar photovoltaic
projects in the country. However the coal based power generation is essential to provide
stability to the grid until economically viable energy storage solutions are available. In such a
scenario, to increase the share of green power in the thermal power production NTPC Ltd.
has installed an “Integrated solar thermal power project” in its Dadri station. The project is first
of its kind in Asia and only second in the world. The project has deployed a solar thermal
plant in parallel of a high pressure heater (HPH) in a 210 MW coal based unit to save steam
used in the HPH.

Amongst the two solar technologies, solar photovoltaic has been more popular than the solar
thermal because the latter provides direct power output and can be installed on rooftops for
household energy consumption. The solar photovoltaic plants can be passive, they do not
need much operation to generate electricity. However if the operational hassles are taken
care of, the solar thermal technology offers tremendous advantages over photovoltaic such
as low initial costs, high efficiency of heat to power conversion and hence lower area
requirement for the same output. The high temperature experienced during summers in the
Indian weather condition adversely affects the performance of solar photovoltaic cells while a
solar thermal installation can utilize the high amount of heat very efficiently. Considering the
advantages, the solar thermal was chosen for deployment in NTPC Dadri as there is a power
plant already in place and the operations could be easily tackled.

Solar Thermal technology:

Solar thermal power generation systems start with capturing heat from solar radiation. Direct
solar radiation can be concentrated and collected by a range of concentrating solar power
technologies to provide medium to high temperature heat. This heat then operates a
conventional power cycle, for example, through a steam turbine or a Stirling engine to
generate electricity. Solar thermal power plants can be designed for solar-only or hybrid
operation, where some fossil fuel is used in case of lower radiation intensity to secure reliable
peak-load supply. The plants can also be used to impart energy to steam in an existing
conventional plant. Five distinct solar thermal power generation concepts are available,
namely, Solar parabolic trough, Solar parabolic dish, Solar central tower, Fresnel lens and
Solar chimney (Figure 1). Solar chimney is a non-concentrated type of technology. The four
concentrated types of solar thermal technologies are solar parabolic trough, solar central
receiver, Fresnel lens and solar parabolic dish have received greater degree of attention over
the years due to their favorable technical and commercial characteristics. These technologies
can be used to generate electricity for a variety of applications, ranging from remote power
systems as small as a few kilowatts (kW) up to grid-connected applications of megawatts.

Amongst all the applications of solar thermal technology, the Fresnel lens concept was
selected fro implantation in NTPC Dadri because of its advantages such as a low cost linear
concentrating array, simpler tracking, low wind load and high land utilization. It could be
0
designed to produce saturated steam at 150-350 C with less than 1Ha/MW land use and is
very suitable for integration into combined cycle heat recovery steam generator. Compact
linear Fresnel Reflectors are very large bank of mirrors focusing on tube.

Parabolic trough Parabolic dish Central tower Fresnel lens Solar chimney
Figure 1: The vaious solar thermal application concepts

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

National Capital Power Station at NTPC Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar - UP has an installed
capacity of 1820 MW of Coal Based generation and 817 MW of gas Based generation. For
the Unit-4 of 210 MW, NTPC has decided to go for solar thermal integration in its HPH-6.

Figure 2 (a): Integrated Solar Thermal Power Plant

Figure 2(b): Conceptual Flow Diagram

Solar Thermal Integration with Coal Based Power Plant is being set up as a Demo-Project in
the premises of NCPS, Dadri. The intended solar Power process for integration involves
collection of Solar Thermal Energy through a concentrated Solar Power Technology and use
it to partially substitute the Heat Duty Requirement of HPH-6 by adding the heat in parallel to
HPH-6. (Figure 2a)

For that certain amount of Feed Water going to HPH-6 shall be diverted for Heating in a water
to water Solar Heat Exchanger which will then be connected back to the Main Circuit
downstream of HPH-6.The Hot Water used for Heating the Feed Water in the Solar Heat
Exchanger comes from the “Solar Field”, which is 1.5 KM away from the Main Plant Area. The
flow diagram of the system is shown in the Figure 2b above. The system consists of a solar
field, which delivers hot water to the solar heat exchanger. The solar heat exchanger in turn
heats the incoming hot water in the Power plant.

The process of hybridization:

The solar field is supplying ~16 MW of heat into the power plant cycle. It does this between
the HPH#5 and HPH#6 of the existing power plant cycle. The water from the outlet of HP#5 at
0 0
200 C is heated up to 247 C using the solar heat via the solar heat exchanger. This heat of
16MW offsets the steam required from the turbine. The steam saved from the turbine
performs more work in the turbine and delivers more electrical output.
0
The solar field works at an optimum temperature of 257 C, which reduces the heat loss from
the solar system. The power plant operates at the rated capacity (210 MW) and generates
electricity at a high efficiency. The two advantages are coupled together in this hybrid plant
to optimize the generation of electricity

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION:

The Solar Hybridization Plant can be divided in the following – Solar Field, Solar Heat
Exchanger and associated Pumping, Piping & interconnected systems.

1. Solar Field Area consists of

a. Loops – 7 numbers: 3 of the Loop consists of 8 number of Base Module
whereas 4 of the Loop consists of 6 number of Base Module
b. Inlet Header, carrying cold water from Circulating Pump discharge
c. Outlet Header, carrying hot water to the Solar Heat Exchanger
d. Associated Instrumentation
e. Weather station
f. Cleaning System

2. Solar heat exchanger system consists of

a. Water to Water Heat Exchanger
b. Control Valves - in Feed-Water System and in Cold Water circuit of Solar
Heat Exchanger
c. Motorized Isolation Valve in the Inlet of the Hot Water circuit of the Solar Heat
Exchanger
d. Interconnection Piping & associated Instrumentation

3. Pumping, Piping and associated Instrumentation consists of

a. Circulating Pump – 3 Numbers
b. Surge Tank and its instrumentation
c. Nitrogen filling System for the surge tank
d. Make Up water System for the Surge Tank

Scope of Solar Field:

In first instance the scope of the entire system (SF and BOP) is heat generation in a
closed water cycle system and transfer of the generated heat to the primary cycle feed
water system of the coal fired unit #4 by a heat exchanger.

While the SF is responsible for the generation of hot water (257°C, 63bar at the heat
exchanger) by solar irradiation, the objective of the BOP is the transfer of the generated
heat and the operation of the closed cycle, i.e. pressure control, handling of the water’s
thermal expansion and contraction, the provision of water conditions to the SF according
to the requirements and in general the interface to the coal fired unit #4.
Composition of the Solar Field:

In the Linear Fresnel Solar Field, multiple loops of mirrors are installed to concentrate the
reflected solar radiation in a focal line. A receiver, which consists of secondary reflectors
and the absorber pipe is located in the focal line. The absorber pipe converts the solar
radiation into heat energy and heats up water, which is streaming inside the absorber pipe.
The Solar Field thus operates as a forced circulation solar heater. The primary mirror
elements are rotated continuously by servo-motors via gears and a linkage system to track
the position of the sun. This ensures that the mirror elements are always focused on the
absorber tube.

Figure 3: Primary and secondary reflectors (actual site picture)

The secondary reflector increases the acceptable target area from 70 mm to about 300 mm
for the reflected solar radiation from the primary reflector. A metal sheet covering the
insulation is used as weather protection and as construction support.

Collector loops of different configurations are employed in this project because of the
constraints of the existing land. The longer collector loop consists of eight collector base
modules. These are arranged in two rows of four base modules each and connected at the
end to form a continuous loop of eight modules. The shorter collector loop consists of six
collector base modules. These are arranged in two rows of three base modules each and
connected at the end to form a continuous loop of six modules.

The system consists of four short and three long loops. These are connected in parallel to
each other. The complete system thus consists of 48 base modules.

Feed water will be pumped to the Cold Header Piping of the Solar Field and then will be
distributed to each Collector Loop by the corresponding Collector Loop inlet control valve.
The water will be heated up inside the absorber tube system and subsequently the hot water
will be collected in the Hot Header piping. From here, the hot water will be supplied to the
Solar Heat exchanger who realizes the heat transfer to the feed water system of the coal
fired unit #4 in order to economize Turbine Extraction steam.

The NTPC-Dadri STP is separated into two Solar Fields, which includes in total 48 base
modules as indicated in the solar field layout attached.

The Solar Field system is subdivided in Cold Header piping system, the Collector Loop
Absorber piping system and the Hot Header piping system
Solar Field Instrumentation and Control:

1. Tracking system overview

The electrical and tracking sub-system (components) consists of the following

components:

1. Inclination sensors

2. Motor drives

3. PV-tracking

5. Cable installation and cabinets and

6. Control system

Every base module of a loop is divided into an eastern and a western control unit, which
can be controlled separately. A control unit can be tracked with actuators and sensors,
which are connected to a Can Bus. This Can Bus connects all control units of a solar field
loop to the control software “Loop Controller” which is installed on embedded system
device servers, located in the loop cabinets.

All loop “Loop Controller” device servers are redundantly connected via Ethernet to two
redundant superior control software “STP PLC” which are installed on embedded system
device servers located in the STP PLC cabinet, which are connected with an ethernet
interface to the Plant PLC.

2. Inclination Sensor

The inclination of the primary reflectors is evaluated by measuring the proportion of

gravitational acceleration on a seismic body being deflected. The inclination sensor has a
4-20 mA analog output and is connected to a data acquisition device. Each standard
cabinet collects the signals from two inclination sensors, one from each of the two
control units in a base module. The inclination sensors are attached to the levers acting
on the most inner mirror line.

3. Motor / Drives with linear shaft

Every base module has a standard cabinet with a 400V AC power supply. An inverter
converts the 400V AC into 24V DC and supplies two motors and the PV cells with
power. The motor with linear shaft is connected to a drive rod and tracks the 88 mirrors
of a given control unit. The 24 V DC motors are controlled via Can Bus (a bus standard
designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other within a
vehicle without a host computer). A linear spindle connects the motor to the drive rod
which ensures the connection to the eight lines of primary reflectors in each control unit.
Each line of primary reflectors is connected to the drive rod with a lever on the primary
reflectors of the fifth module.
4. PV-tracking

The PV-tracking system controls the focusing of the primary mirrors and adjusts their
angle automatically implementing a closed loop control process. Each control unit of the
Solar Field is equipped with two sensor units. The sensor units are installed on east and
west edge at bottom side of the receiver structure, located inside a radiation protective
casing. Currents measured by the PV cells indicate the position of the focal line and
serve the controller software as input for motor drive control.

5. Control System

The control system for the STP includes all electric installations forming the DCS. At
the field BUS level all sensors and actuators are connected via CanBus to an
embedded Loop Controller for each Solar Field Loop. The Loop Controller performs the
tracking of the mirrors, including defocusing and focusing of base modules for operation
and maintenance purposes. A Solar Field Master Controller serves as an interface
between the infield Solar Field controllers and the plant DCS. The Solar Field Master
Controller will control the Solar Field devices via Loop Controllers as well as all sensors
and actuators of the ancillary infrastructure. The daily start up and shut down
sequence is automated and will be performed by the Solar Field Master Controller.

User Interface Operation (HMI):

All communication and control of the STP is done via a Human Machine Interface (HMI)
screen client software installed on a operator work station and connected with the Solar
Field Master Controller. The main screen shows general information for all loops of a solar
field including a status summary of the control units of the loops. The actual and target inlet
mass-flow, the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature are also displayed.
Temperature and pressure in the cold end header and hot end header respectively are also
shown on the screen. For more detailed information the operator can click on a loop, which
will open a pop-up window with detailed information for that loop

Cleaning System:

Primary reflector cleaning has to be performed to keep the mirror reflectivity high. The
mirror reflectivity directly influences the thermal output of the solar field and cleaning is
therefore an essential part of the solar field maintenance. Automated cleaning robots
move on the mirrors while cleaning. The cleaning robots are manually relocated from
one line to another by a handling system of tables guided on rails.

Cleaning is done during the evening, night and early morning outside of solar field
focus times. A DM water tap is installed at the fix points of each loop. This water source
is used to fill the cleaning robot tanks and clean the robot’s rubber lips.

Patented cleaning technology is based on automated cleaning robots. The robot uses the
mirror line as track and cleans one line per pass with a velocity of approximately 1 m/s.
Cleaning is achieved by pulling rubber lips that are in contact with the mirror surface
along each line. Sixteen passes and approximately three hours are required in total for
cleaning one loop. After each pass and at the end of the line the robot’s speed is
automatically reduced and the robot enters a handling table. The handling table is
needed for relocating the robot from one line to the next, these tasks are executed
manually by maintenance personnel.

Optical measuring devices will be used to check the cleanliness of the mirrors in order
to monitor the cleaning quality. To get a meaningful overall average cleanliness,
measurements are taken manually and regularly, preferably before and after cleaning
periods, on a certain percentage of loops. The measurements are used in the thermal
power generation forecast estimation and also to control cleaning frequency and quality.

Figure 4: Novatec’s cleaning robot towing a cleaning trailer that cleans one mirror line in a single pass

Weather Station:

A weather station is located in the solar field area. The weather station contains several
sensors to measure the climate data. The Field Master Controller communicates via
CanBus with the weather station and receives continuously the current measurement
values and transmits all relevant data to Plant PLC Historian for logging. The control
software of the STP will shut down the STP in unsuitable weather conditions (e.g. high
wind). This procedure will be executed automatically by the control system.

WORKING OVERVIEW:

There are two control valves (TCV 100 & TCV 101), which are operated to bypass the water
from the current main line of the system. The two valves work in tandem to control the flow
through the heat exchanger. (Figure 5)

Figure 5: Scheme depiction of the system operation

During start-up operation, the control valve (TCV 100) is fully opened. After this, the
motorized valve (XV 100) is also fully opened. The power plant system is requested to close
the existing motorized valve (FD 4) fully. Once the motorized valve in existing power plant is
closed, the motorized valve (XV101A near TCV 101) is fully open and the control valve TCV
101 begins its control action.

The control action of the valves is as follows:

a) To maintain the outlet target temperature (as provided by Main plant DCS) within ±
0
2 C, the control valve (TCV 101) will start to open. By opening the control valve (TCV
101) the mass- flow through the solar heater is adjusted.
b) If the control valve (TCV 101) has reached its 100% open position, and the
temperature is still higher than the target temperature, the control valve (TCV 100)
will begin to close. This is done to increase the mass flow through the solar heater.
The control valve (TCV 100) will only be used for control when the control valve (TCV
101) is in the fully open position.
c) If the target temperature begins to fall, the first control action will be to fully open the
control valve (TCV 100)
d) If the control valve (TCV 100) is in the fully open position, and the target temperature
begins to fall, corresponding control action will be done by the control valve (TCV
101) to reduce the flow and maintain the temperature

During periods when the solar field is not in operation, the control valve (TCV 100) will be
taken out of service by closing the motorized valve in the upstream of the control valve.

Working fluid system:

To minimize heat loss and optimize the operation, considering a long interconnecting pipe,
the working fluid selected is water. The solar heater therefore is a water-to-water heat
exchanger, which requires more area than a steam to water heat exchanger.

Figure 6: The water circulation system in the Solar thermal plant

The working fluid system comprises

a) Surge Tank, located at the highest point (11.5 m above ground) of the Solar Hybrid
Plant. The purpose of the Surge Tank is to maintain a certain pressure level in the
system by providing adequate compensation capacity for the system’s water volume
change due to thermal expansion and contraction of water.

b) Having filled the entire system and ensuring the Start Up level in the Surge-Tank,
3
11m of Nitrogen is injected in the Tank. This Nitrogen provides a pressure pocket on
top of the Tank which compensates for normal operation fluctuation – especially for
changes during every day start up and shut down
 c) Three Number of Circulation Pumps of 50% Capacity. All the 3 Pumps are having
VFD operation for controlling the Pump Speed. At a time, depending on the Solar
Field Load, at the most only 2 out of the 3 Pumps will be in running condition. For the
Circulation water pump bearing cooling, a cooling water system is provided.

d) Make-Up water system consists of a Make-Up Water Tank , DM Water Supply system
to the Surge Tank and 2 x100% Make-Up Water Pump set ( i,e of One Booster Pump +
One Make-up Water Pump). These Pumps supply water to the Surge Tank through a
common header

e) There are 2 x 100% pH Boosting Pumps. These Pumps takes the pH Solution water
from the pH Boosting Tank and dose it on the DM water inlet Supply header – pH is
monitored in the DM Water common header before make-up tank

OPERATIONAL ISSUES AND MODIFICATIONS:

On the successful completion of erection, the initial charging of the system pointed out some
shortcomings in the original design. Theses were broadly related to the operational aspects
rather than efficiency. Modifications were sought and subsequently implemented for ensuring
smooth running of the system. Following is a description of the issues.

Feed water transmitter position issue:

While charging HPH-6 bypass circuit envisaged for solar thermal heat exchanger, the feed
water flow reduction was observed in the unit. This was caused due to the location of the feed
water flow transmitters (04 no’s), which was upstream of the solar heater outlet connection
(Figure 7). Such a reduction triggered a drum level emergency at the time of charging since
the logic could not tackle the changes. For stable running of unit after integration with the
solar hybrid system, it was proposed that the FW flow through the solar heater be added to
the present FW flow transmitter for Drum level control system to function properly. There are
06 number of flow transmitters (new) provided for measurement of feed water flow through
the solar heater. The necessary approval was sought and the output of these transmitters
was integrated with the original Feed water flow transmitters installed in the unit.

Figure 7: Location of original FW flow transmitters (4 no’s) and Location of proposed drain for flushing of
system at the time of charging

When the required changes were made to the system and the flow addition through the
original transmitters (4 no’s) and the new transmitter (6 nos) was provided in the logic with the
help of C&I the problem in feed water flow reduction and hence drum level fluctuation was
rooted out. The system was hence ready for further operational testing.

Feed water cooling issue:

The system was taken in regular service from 22/6/19. Once the system was being taken out
of service at the end of the day, the temperature of the feed water entrapped in the solar heat
exchangers and the piping used to drop to range of 70 to 130 deg. The temperature could
even drop to ambient if solar circuit was not taken in service for few days. In the original
scheme there was no provision for bringing the temperature of the entrapped feed water to
around the HPH6 feed water outlet temperature. Hence in the original condition there was a
mixing of water with high difference in temperature was not healthy for the system. There was
a possibility of flashing or hammering which could damage the piping and joints in the long
term. Such mixing would have also resulted in unwanted energy loss.

It was proposed that a drain line with a motorized valve to be provided just upstream of solar
heater discharge connection to HPH6 FW outlet (Figure 7). It was proposed that the drain line
be connected to HP flash box to avoid wastage of DM water. The line would be used for
preheating the Feed water to close to FW temperature at HPH6 outlet before putting the solar
heater in service. While the proposal note was sent for approval, the primary reflectors auto
tuning work was started by the commissioning team. As the rainy season had started sooner
this year, the proposal could not be implemented and tested after getting the approval.

EFFICIENCY CALCULATIONS:

Specific Specific
Enthalpy Enthalpy
(KJ/Kg) (KJ/Kg)
Date 03/07/19 06/07/19
Time 1440 to 1615 1625 to 1752
GHI (W/m2) 660 439
DHI (W/m2) 360 209
DNI (W/m2) 424.2 460
FW flow through heat
exchanger (KG/sec) 15.7 16
Average FW pressure (Bar) 122 123
FW inet temp (Deg C) 180 768.79 177 755.91
FW outlet temp (Deg C) 220 946.57 218 937.5
Total Enthalpy gain (KJ/Sec) 2791.146 2905.44
2403857.7
Total Enthalpy gain (kcal/hr) 99 2502292.823
Unit GTCHR (kcal/kwh) 2212 2125
specific coal (TPH/MW) 0.6869565 0.652173913
Calculated Calorific value
(Kcal/Kg) 3220 3258.333333
APC consumption (MW) 0.17 0.17
Coal saving (TPH) 0.6297570 0.657097542
CO2 emmission saving(TPH) 0.9320404 0.972504362
Total coal flow (TPH) 79 75
Coal saving (%) 0.7971608 0.876130055
Table 1: Energy calculations
The project was ready for operations after tackling with abovementioned issues and
implementing the modifications in the last week of May 19. Grappling with the initial
operational difficulties, due to constraint such as cloudy weather and low DNI availability, only
a few hours of operations were possible during the first two weeks of July 19. The long
connecting pipe from the reflectors to the solar heat exchangers took time for heating hence
the project could not be taken into service on days which saw only a few hours of intense
sunlight. The early onset of rainy season in 2019 and the subsequent shortage of sunshine
also hindered operations of the project. There were no operations beyond the first week of
August 19 as the erection-commissioning team took over the project for auto tuning of
primary reflectors and smoothening of auto operations. The auto opening and closing of feed
water control valves were also subsequently commissioned.

Following were the observations and the inferences from the energy calculations:

1. The limited DNI allowed suboptimal flow to be passed through the heat exchanger,
the flow (~15 kg/s) was almost one fifth of the designed flow through the heat
exchanger (300TPH).
2. The DNI (~420 w/m2) at the time of operation was approximately half of DNI
considered during design (821 w/m2).
3. The limited operation saved almost 0.8% coal consumption and corresponding power
was produced in form of solar energy on 55% PLF. (Table 1)
4. The APC consumption by the makeup pumps, which keep running though operating
hours came out to be ~0.17 MW.
5. The reached coal saving translates to ~1 TPH CO2 emission saving, assuming 40%
carbon content in coal.
6. The average monthly DNI data suggests the project could be run for almost all
throughout the year except the months of December and January. (Figure) During
these winter months the average DNI per day falls below 4 kwh/m2/day, which will be
too less for feed water heating.

OPERATIONAL LIMITATIONS:

Even though the project has not seen full-fledged operations till date and has just completed
commissioning, while some of the operational limitations have been taken care of in
abovementioned modifications, it has shown some more operational limitations discussed
below.

1. High threshold DNI requirement:

In case of a standalone application of a solar thermal power station, the steam has to be sent
directly to a turbine to generate power output. In such a case if DNI is less on a day, the plant
can operate at less loading, but will still churn out some power output. However in case of an
integrated application like in our project, the thermal energy gained by the working fluid
through the reflectors is to be imparted to HPH 5 outlet feed water which is already at a
considerably high energy state. Hence the project cannot be taken into operation if the
working fluid is not heated beyond the HPH 6 outlet temperature. For example, the HPH 6
0
outlet temperature is maintained around 220 C when the unit runs at 55% load, if on any day
0
the DNI is not enough to heat the working fluid in the solar thermal system to around 225 C,
the project cannot be taken into service.

2. DNI availability:

The pilot nature of the project also has some limitations associated with it. NTPC dadri
receives good DNI around the year but the winter and rainy season is not good for the project
operation. A location within the country with lesser rains and winter season and higher DNI
availability can be chosen for further replications to achieve better results.
3. Startup time:

Since the working fluid needs to be heated beyond HPH 6 outlet temperature, after a long
shutdown when the whole working fluid has reached ambient temperature, the project will
have a high startup time. Since the piping is very long (1.5 km), the large quantity of working
water will take one or two days to be heated for taking the heat exchangers into operation.
This problem can be addressed by improving the thermal insulation on the piping.

4. APC consumption:

The makeup pumps have to be run at the time of operation. If the DNI is not high, the APC
consumption is a considerable amount of power at low plant output. Thus operating the plant
in low DNI will be considerably less efficient.

Economic viability:

The limited hours of operation are not sufficient to draw a conclusion about the economic
viability of the project. The calculations however can be carried out once the project assumes
full-fledged operations in the upcoming summer season. The abovementioned issues will
remain hindrances towards the efficiency and viability prospects of the project but hopefully
can be tackled through some system modifications. Since the primary aim of the project is to
produce greener power, a suboptimal economic performance can be borne to save the
environment.

THE WAY FORWARD:

The results achieved during the few hours of operations are not yet enough to reach a
substantial conclusion. The operations performed could not be carried out on continuous day
to day basis hence during the non operational hours, the water present in the secondary
reflector piping, the1.5 km long pipe connecting the solar loops with the heat exchangers and
the heat exchangers themselves used to drop around ambient temperature and had to be
reheated to operate the project. The daily operation of the project will phase out such
inefficiencies.

The passive time during this rainy season and the winter months have been utilized to
commission auto tuning of primary reflectors. The auto tuning of the control valves is
expected to be completed as soon as the sufficient DNI is available for charging of solar heat
exchangers. With most of the operational preparations complete, the project is expected to
operate fully during the upcoming summer. As the operations become smooth in the future,
the project will become single push button operated. Through push of a single button, it will
focus the primary reflectors in the morning hours and correspondingly auto-operate the
control valves to direct set flow through the heat exchangers. In the evening hours it will
defocus and go out of operation also through a single button push.

The approved modification to provide a drain towards HP flash box to avoid water mixing, will
be implemented and tested this season. During the dry months of April, May and June when
the desired DNI becomes available, the actual efficiency and economic viability calculations
could be done and a conclusion about the benefits of the project could be reached upon.

In all, the project is a good option to de-carbinose power production and could be replicated in
the other coal-based units in India. The solar thermal nature of the projects can effectively
utilise higher DNI availability in the other parts of the country and based on the area
availability the project could replace one or more high-pressure heaters in units to increase
the share of renewable energy in production. A larger replication of the project could also be
integrated with units of high installed capacity i.e. 800 MW or 660 MW.
REFERENCES:

1. NETRA commissioning manual for Integrated solar thermal project

2. Thermax erection manuals for Integrated solar thermal project
3. www.mnre.nic.in
4. www.powermin.nic.in
5. www.wikipedia.com

AUTHORS:

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Mr. Neel Kumar Sharma has joined NTPC Ltd as 14 batch ET. He has done B. Tech in
Mechanical Engineering from NIT Jaipur. He has worked in operation department in NTPC
Ramagundam and NTPC Dadri. He has over 30 years of operation experience in 210 MW
and 500 MW units. Currently he is working as AGM-Operation in NTPC dadri.

Mr. Shishir Dubey has joined NTPC Ltd 2008 batch ET. He has done B. Tech in Mechanical
Engineering from IIT Delhi. He has worked in operation department in NTPC Vindhyachal and
NTPC Dadri. Currently he is working in NTPC Dadri as Manager in operation department.

Mr Abhinav Chitranshu has joined NTPC Ltd as ET 2010 batch. He has done B. Tech in
Electrical engineering from KNIT Sultanpur. He has worked in operation department in NTPC
dadri. He has experience in operation of 210 MW and 500 MW units. Currently he is working
in NTPC dadri as Manager operation.