A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das
Professor Mechanical Engineering Department IIT Kharagpur
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Boiler Operations
Objectives of boiler operations: Satisfy the current power demand according to the load curve Ensure the highest service life Ensure highest efficiency of the boiler plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Operation procedures depend on Type of system Circulating, Once through Coal fired, Gas fired, Oil fired Stokers System, Pulverized Fuel System Applications Power, Process Utility Size Todays operation principle depends on; sensor technology, control software, improved design of generator or hardware A balance is sought between best equipment Prof.performance with safety requirements and P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Fundamental Principles: In spite of massive developments in boiler design and power production basic operating principles till apply Combustion safety and proper steam/water cooling of boiler parts are essential History of accidents: Accident due to high pressure, accident in furnace

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

ASME CODES 1884 Code for the Conduct of Trials of Steam Boilers first Performance Test Code 1911 Establishment of a committee to propose a Boiler code

1956 Committee established for ASME Pressure Vessel Code for Nuclear Age 1963 Proposed Section III (Nuclear Power) of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee 1983 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code published in both conventional and metric units 1989 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code published on CD-ROM

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Combustion Safety and Steam/water cooling Requirements Purging Before firing a furnace there must be no lingering combustible materials inside the unit Purging ensures furnace is ready for firing Standard Operating Rule for Multi-burners - No less than 25% of maximum continuous rating (MCR) mass air flow for at least 5 Minutes

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

Once combustion is established, Correct air/fuel ratio must be maintained Insufficient air flow forms pockets of combustible gas- Potential for explosion Sufficient air flow with a small amount of excess air- covers imperfect mixing, promotes good air and fuel distribution Over fire air (OFA) ports installed in the upper combustion zone of furnaces- emission reduction Controlled introduction of combustion air does not eliminate the need of excess air for safety It is important to verify the boiler water levels Combustion should never be established until adequate cooling water is in the tubes and the steam drum, particularly in NCB Or minimum flow rate is there in once 8

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

General Safety Consideration: Pressure for failure- A major concern and common feature in the boiler industry all over the world Codes by ASME, National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, Other Licensing and Inspecting Authorities have issued extensive codes to minimize such failures Codes are continuously updated Safety Attentions to be paid to combustion productsCO2, CO, SO2 Chlorine compounds CO2 reduces O2 availability in the flue gas SO2 forms acids when breadth into the lungs Chlorine compounds can form HCl acids or Carcinogens such as de-oxine
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur
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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Safety of fuel ash should be considered Ashes contain: Hazardous materials- Heavy metals, Arsenic Residual combustion may continue in ash collected in hoppers Carbon- In -ash characteristics may be altered under low Nox firing configurations Enough safe guards to be taken for maintenance and work on out-of-service boilers Confined space- Insufficient Oxygen Insufficient Lighting Ash accumulation high temperature and other health hazards
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur
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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Operator Requirements: Good operation begin before equipment installation is complete Training of operators Preparation of equipments Every operator should have a knowledge of all components Functions Design Limitations and relationship to other components through inspection of the equipments, studying, drawing and instructions Distributed control system (DCS) integrates the individual process controllers
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur
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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

Simulator Training Offer real time environment Working understanding of the various steam generation system Reaction time and the rate of the equipment Can be combined with simulated equipment failures and what-if-events simulators Preparation for Start Up: Systematic approach is required for the installation of the new boiler or when any boiler has undergone major repairs or alterations The steps are Inspection Cleaning Hydrostatic tests Pre calibration of instruments and controls Auxiliary equipment preparations Chemical cleaning Steam line cleaning (Blowing) 12

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Inspection: Familiarizes the operator with the equipments Verifies condition of the equipments Provision or lack of provision for expansion (Thermal and pressure) should be carefully checked Temporary braces, hangers, ties needed for constructions should be removed Cleaning: Collection of debris, foreign materials during transport, storage, erection and repair Accumulated debris chokes the water line Alters gas or air flows May ignite at elevated temperature Special attention should be given for the cleaning of oil and gas lines, burners Prof. P. K. Das;cleaning is recommended for all oil and gas 13 Steam Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Hydrostatic Test: To be conducted after the pressure parts are assembled but before the refractory and casing are installed 1.5 times the boiler design pressure is applied to all pressure parts Pressure is maintained for sufficient time to detect leaks Testing is equally important following pressure part replacement Hydrostatic test is conducted first time in new boilers filling it with water Water with high level of purity to prevent internal fouling and corrosions Demineralized water with 10 ppm of ammonia for pH control and 500ppm of hydrazine for the control of oxygen should be used for all non drainable reheaters and superheaters Clean filtered water is suitable for components that will be drained immediately after the test ASME code suggests water temperature of 210C but it should never be higher than 560C No air should be trapped during the 14 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur test

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Instrumentations and Controls: Natural Circulation Boilers water/steam pressure gauge Water level gauge glass Temperature gauge if superheated are used Once through type boilers steam pressure gauge flow meter temperature indicator operation should not been attended without calibration calibration should include corrections in the actual working range Most modern boilers are controlled automatically once they are fully commissioned Before start up controls must be operated manually until automatic controls have been adjusted for site specific conditions
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur
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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Auxiliary Equipments: Fan feed water pumps fuel equipments air heaters economizer ash removal equipment drain system to drain the boiler shoot blowing system for clearing heat transfer surfaces post combustion environmental control equipments Auxiliary equipments must also be prepared for operations
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Chemical Cleaning: Lack of water side cleanliness can lead to Boiler tube failure Carry over of solids in the steam- failure of superheaters and turbine blade damage Flashing of all lose debris from feed water system and boiler and use of high quality water for hydrostatic test must be supplemented by proper water side cleaning before start up. It removes grease paints Natural circulation boiler is given caustic and phosphate oil boil out after the feed water system is given a phosphate flush After flashing out products of corrosion is still remain in the form of iron oxide and mill scale Acid Das; Dept. of is recommended for scale removal Prof. P. K.cleaning Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Steam line blowing: Cleaning steam lines of loose solid particle and mill scale is essential for protecting the turbine blades Fine mesh strainers in turbine inlet prevents turbine blades and valves from scale and the other solid materials High velocity steam cleaning before coupling the steam line to the turbine Temporary piping for flow bypass to the atmosphere Several Methods for blowing steam lines High velocity air and steam mixture removes loose scale due to temperature shock and velocity effect Sufficient shock is obtained with a series of blows by varying steam temperature Source of steam for blowing: High pressure steam from boiler Steam from flush tank for forced circulation unit

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Safety Valves: The set point of each safety valve should be checked and adjusted after reaching the full operating pressure first time Safety valves seats are susceptible to damage from wet steam and grit. Cleaning of boiler and steam blowing should be done before testing safety valves Testing of safety valves always requires caution Valve exhaust piping and vent piping should not exert any excessive forces on the safety valve. Gags should always be used while making adjustment to the valves Alternately, they can be tested with boiler pressure below the design pressure with a hydraulic lift 19 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur will reduce the attached to the valve steam. This

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Start up: Objectives to be included in all operating procedure of every boiler, 1. Protection of pressure parts against corrosion, over healing and thermal stress. 2. Prevention of furnace explosions. 3. Production of stream at desired temperature, pressure and purity. 4. Compliance with environmental regulations. Filling High quality water to be used for filling Temperature of the water is controlled to reduce temperature differential (< 56C) Air venting assure complete filling, reduce oxygen corrosion Correct water level in drum type boilers. At cold Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Circulation Certain amount of circulation is needed to avoid overheating of the pressure parts. Gradual increase in firing rate can achieve this in NCB In case of once through boiler the turbines should be by passed still the steaming rate is reached. Purging Caution against furnace explosion. Burning fuel in suspension is more vulnerable. Most explosions during start up and low load. Accumulation of combustible gases or dirt is to be avoided Burners to be lighted only after a thorough purging. Purging rate should be at least 25% of the full air 21 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Protection of economizer During pressure rising period amount of water is very little No feed water flow through the economizer steam formed in them can remain trapped. Makes drum level control difficult, produces water hammer. To overcome this, difficulty feed water should be supplied continuously by venting the economizer or by re-circulating through the economizer. Protection of primary, secondary and reheat super-heaters During start up before stream flow through each tube combustion gas temperature is to be controlled. Maximum metal temperature: Carbon steel482C Alloy steel- 510C22 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur 538C

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

It should be ensured that water flow through each section and total stream flow > 10% of the rated flow. Water should be drained from drainable parts or should be boiled off. No steam flow through partially filled tubes. Super-heaters adjacent to side walls and division wall are subjected to late boil-of. Their temperature should be monitored.

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Protection of drums and headers: In most cases start up time time to raise pressure and to protect super headers from thermal stress. In some case start up and shut down time time required to limit stress in drum headers Drum & headers made of rolled tube joints thin section quick contraction expansion tube seat leak Temperature rise should be controlled. 56C/hr. Large temperature differential in the tube headers to be avoided. Tubes connected to drum have water below and steam at the top. Allowable temperature difference should be selected based on drum material. Additional inside and outside temperature of the drums should be monitored. There are two periods when steam at the top of drum is hotter than water in the lower half Soon after firing begins 24

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Steam drum temperature can be equalized by flooding the drum with water Operating Techniques for maximum Efficiency Fuel is the major cost Minimize fuel consumption and maximize steam generation Boiler efficiency depends on design It can be maintained by reducing loss in stack and ash pit Stack Loss: Heat loss depends on mass flow rate and temperature of flue gas Mass flow rate depends on mass of fuel+ excess air Excess air should be controlled efficiency Temperature of the flue gas affected by cleanliness of boiler and heat transfer surfaces 25 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; blower and air heater Proper operation of soot IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Pressure and Temperatures: Pressure and temperatures are unique parameters for the turbine output or process requirement Deviation from set point indicate loss of efficiency For Power generation, modern controllers adjust the supply temperature to turbine within 60C Each 280C reduction in temperature reduces plant efficiency by 1% in supercritical units Variable pressure operation is another option for increasing efficiency Can improve cycle efficiency at low loads Boiler pressure can be varied to meet the turbine requirements- slow dynamics For fast response throttle valve control is used. Boiler pressure is increased in the next instant. Emission Requirements:

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

To ensure minimum ammonia usage, the generation of NOx by combustion should be controlled. Trade off between NOx generation and increase in CO and un-burnt carbon in ash to be made Combustion operation Modern distributed control system requires more information and analysis. Closed loop neural network and other intelligent control techniques are used. Special attention to be paid to the following points

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Burner adjustments Burner adjustments not only affect the performance of the said unit but also the performance of the other burners. All the burners should be identical. All the burners should be equally adjusted. Burners should be adjusted to increase turbulence Increased air-fuel mixing Increased combustion intensity Faster heat release Lesser demand for excess air Lesser un-burned carbon But it also amounts to Increased NOx formation 28 Higher fan power Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur requirement

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Overfire air (OFA) port adjustment For NOx reduction burners are usually operated with less than theoretical air for complete combustion. The remaining air needed for completing combustion is introduced separately above highest burner zone. The OFA is typically varied as a function of load based on tests conducted during commissioning. Excess Air Adjustment is needed if type Total combustion air by adjusting FD and ID fan dampers of fuel is Excess air gives combustion intensity, reduced carbon loss and CO altered.
formation Reduced slag formation Increased fan power Increased stack loss Increased tube erosion and possibly increased NOx formation

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Abnormal Operations: Low Water In case water level falls below the prescribed minimum, fuel firing should be stopped Caution should be taken while adding water to avoid temperature shock Water should be added periodically with soak times provided to allow drum temperature to equalize Thermocouple readings from the top and bottom of the drum should be taken time to time to control the process of cleaning Tube Failure: Operating a boiler with a known tube leak is not recommended Steam or water escaping from a small leak can cut other tubes by impingement and set up a chain reaction of tube failures Loss of water and steam alters boiler circulations- over heating Prof.For Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur P. K. this furnace risers of once through type of boilers 30

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

Detection of Tube failures: Unusual rise in temperature of furnace risers Abnormal loss of water from the system Loss of chemical from a drum type boiler Sound made by the leak Boilers should be shut down as soon as normal operating procedures permit after a leak A thorough inspection is needed after a tube A leak is then detect by hydrostatic failure is located. It includes testing a visual inspection of the failed tube laboratory analysis Background information like locations of failure, length of time the unit is in operation, load conditions start up and shut down 31

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Shut Down Operations: Boiler shut down is less complicated than start up Emphasis is on safety and protection of equipment Two shut down situations: Control shut down shut down in an emergency Control shut down: Firing rate is gradually reduced. Fuel is shut off when combustion equipments at its minimum capacity Boiler is purged with afresh air If some pressure is to be maintained, the fans are shut down and the dampers are closed Drum pressures are gradually lower as heat is loss from the boiler setting 32 Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT drifts out of the stack Minimal amount of air Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Emergency Shut Down: Fuel is immediately shut off Boiler is purged of combustible gases Additional procedure may apply to the fuel feed equipment Boiler may be held at a reduced pressure or may be completely cooled as described above

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Different Control Strategies for Steam Generation Boiler follows the turbine response MW load control is the responsibility of the turbine-generator Boiler is assigned the secondary responsibility of throttle control Load change repositions turbine control valve Boiler control modifies firing rate and restores throttle pressure It has a rapid load response stored energy in the boiler provides the initial change in load Less stable throttle control Boiler following control system
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Turbine follows the boiler response MW load control is the responsibility of the boiler T-G is assigned the secondary responsibility of throttle control With load change boiler control increases the firing rate, this increases the throttle pressure. To maintain the throttle pressure, turbine control valve open increasing Megawatt output. It provides minimal steam pressure and temperature fluctuations during a load change

Turbine following control system

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Coordinated-boiler turbine generator control system

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Coordinated boiler turbine control Both of the above systems can provide satisfactorily control the boiler operations but have inherent disadvantages None of them can fully exploit the capabilities of both the boiler and turbine generators The two control options can be combined to do so boiler is not capable of producing rapid changes in steam generation at constant pressure Turbine is used to provide the initial load response For a change in load throttle pressure set point is modified using MW error (demand) Turbine control valve responds to this change in set point and give the new load quickly Boiler modifies the firing rate to reach new load and restore throttle pressure
Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

The throttle pressure set point returns to its normal value The result is fast and efficient production of electric power by a proper coordination between the boiler and turbine The response is much faster than turbine following system But not as fast as boiler following system because the effect of MW error is limited to maintain a balance between boiler response and stability Wider limits would provide a faster response but a narrower limit will give more stability

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant Turbine

3000 rpm

400/220 KV 15.75KV

210MW

Generator Condens er

Generator Transformer

540 C
0

147Kg/cm2

Chimne Induced Draft Fan y

ESP
Flue Gas Duct Pl S H
R R H H F S H

Coal Conveyer

Boiler Drum

Coal Bunkers

PSH
Eco

Raw Coal Fdr

AH

Coal Mills Primary Air Fans

CSEB Crusher House

SECL Coal Bunker

Boiler

Coal Handling Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

A Course on Thermal Power Plant

Prof. P. K. Das; Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; IIT Kharagpur

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