Turbines, steam efficiency

Use high efficiency steam turbines, avoid using condensing turbines, and replace low efficiency steam turbines with electric motors... 

Power plants under about 350 MWe cannot use the latest high-efficiency combined cycle technologies. Those below about 250 MWe cannot use particularly high-efficiency steam turbines because of friction losses and leaks in small dimension gas paths. Those below about 100 MWe cannot economically use reheat steam cycles, giving a further efficiency drop. Moving further down in size gives a steady reduction in efficiency of the gas turbine, whichever manufacturer is selected. The scale effect of gas turbine efficiencies is due to flow paths and pressure drops and can only be partly compensated for with additional components such as intercoolers or reheaters. 

Simplified the net efficiency of coal-fired steam power plants can be written as product of the partial efficiencies of the ideal thermodynamic cycle J/th.id, steam generator rjsc (boiler efficiency), steam turbine j/x, generator j/g, and the equivalent... 

Tremmel, A. and Hartmann, D. (2004) Efficient steam turbine technology for fossil fuel power plants in economically and ecologically driven markets. VGB PowerTech, 84 (11), 38-43. 

The process requires (Qup + Qlp) to satisfy its enthalpy imbalance above the pinch. If there were no losses from the boiler, then fuel W would be converted to shaftwork W at 100 percent efficiency. However, the boiler losses Qloss reduce this to below 100 percent conversion. In practice, in addition to the boiler losses, there also can be significant losses from the steam distribution system. Figure 6.336 shows how the grand composite curve can be used to size steam turbine cycles. ... 

As with the steam turbine, if there was no stack loss to the atmosphere (i.e., if Qloss was zero), then W heat would he turned into W shaftwork. The stack losses in Fig. 6.34 reduce the efficiency of conversion of heat to work. The overall efficiency of conversion of heat to power depends on the turbine exhaust profile, the pinch temperature, and the shape of the process grand composite. 

Steam costs vary with the price of fuel. If steam is only generated at low pressure and not used for power generation in steam turbines, then the cost can be estimated from local fuel costs assuming a boiler efficiency of around 75 percent (but can be significantly higher) and distribution losses of perhaps another 10 percent, giving an overall efficiency of around 65 percent. 

Exampie A.3.1 The pressures for three steam mains have been set to the conditions given in Table A.l. Medium- and low-pressure steam are generated by expanding high-pressure steam through a steam turbine with an isentropic efficiency of 80 percent. The cost of fuel is 4.00 GJ and the cost of electricity is 0.07 h. Boiler feedwater is available at 100°C with a heat capacity... 

Space needs to be provided for the auxiliaries, including the lube oil and seal systems, lube oil cooler, intercoolers, and pulsation dampeners. A control panel or console is usually provided as part of the local console. This panel contains instmments that provide the necessary information for start-up and shutdown, and should also include warning and trouble lights. Access must be provided for motor repair and ultimate replacement needs to be considered. If a steam turbine is used, a surface condenser is probably required with a vacuum system to increase the efficiency. AH these additional systems need to be considered in the layout and spacing. In addition, room for pulsation dampeners required between stages has to be included. Aftercoolers may also be required with knockout dmms. Reference 8 describes the requirements of compressor layouts and provides many useful piping hints. 

Fossil Fuel-Fired Plants. In modem, fossil fuel-fired power plants, the Rankine cycle typically operates as a closed loop. In describing the steam—water cycle of a modem Rankine cycle plant, it is easiest to start with the condensate system (see Fig. 1). Condensate is the water that remains after the steam employed by the plant s steam turbines exhausts into the plant s condenser, where it is collected for reuse in the cycle. Many modem power plants employ a series of heat exchangers to boost efficiency. As a first step, the condensate is heated in a series of heat exchangers, usually sheU-and-tube heat exchangers, by steam extracted from strategic locations on the plant s steam turbines (see HeaT-EXCHANGETECHNOLOGy). 

Silica. Sihca is not actually a corrodent of turbines. However, it can deposit on and cause blocking of turbine passages, thus reducing turbine capacity and efficiency. As Httie as 76 pm (3 mils) of deposit can cause measurable loss in turbine efficiency. Severe deposition can also cause imbalance of the turbine and vibration. The solubihty in steam and water is shown in Figure 15, as is a typical steam turbine expansion. Sihca is not a problem except in low pressure turbines unless the concentrations are extraordinarily high. 

As of the mid-1990s, many older conventional steam plants have been converted to combined cycle. The old boiler is removed and replaced by a combustion turbine and heat recovery steam generator. Although the cycle efficiency is not as high as completely new plants, substantial capital cost is avoided by the modification and reuse of existing steam turbine and auxiHary equipment. In many combined cycle power plants, steam is injected into the combustors of the combustion turbine to lower peak flame temperatures and consequendy lower NO. ... 

The gas turbine power plant which has revolutioni2ed aviation derives basically from the steam turbine adapted to a different working fluid. The difference is cmcial with respect to fuel because steam can be generated by any heat source, whereas the gas turbine requires a fuel that efficiently produces a very hot gas stream and is also compatible with the turbine itself. The hot gas stream results from converting chemical energy in fuel directly and continuously by combustion in compressed air. It is expanded in a turbine to produce useful work in the form of jet thmst or shaft power. 

Ejftciency Factors Representative efficiency data for boilers, pyrolytic reacdors, gas turbines, steam-turbine-generator combinations, electric generators, and related plant use and loss factors are... 

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