1.

Introduction

NTPC Ltd., formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an

Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and
allied activities. It is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and a
"Government Company" within the meaning of the act. The headquarters of the company is
situated at New Delhi. NTPC's core business is generation and sale of electricity to state-
owned power distribution companies and State Electricity Boards in India.

It was founded by Government of India in 1975 .In May 2010, NTPC was conferred
Maharatna status by the Union Government of India,one of the only four companies to be
awarded this status. It is ranked 400th in the Forbes Global 2000 for 2016.

[1.1] NTPC Overview

In thermal power stations, mechanical power is produced by a heat engine that transforms
thermal energy, often from combustion of a fuel, into rotational energy. Most thermal power
stations produce steam, and these are sometimes called steam power stations. Not all thermal
energy can be transformed into mechanical power, according to the second law of
thermodynamics. Therefore, heat loss to the environment is always there. If this loss is
employed as useful heat, for industrial processes or district heating, the power plant is known
as a cogeneration power plan or CHP (combined heat and power) plant. In countries where
district heating is common, there are dedicated heat plants called heat-only boiler stations. In
thermal power stations, mechanical power is produced by a heat engine that transforms
thermal energy, often from combustion of a fuel, into rotational energy.

NTPC is India’s largest energy conglomerate with roots planted way back in 1975 to
accelerate power development in India. From fossil fuels it has forayed into generating
electricity via hydro, nuclear and renewable energy sources. This foray will play a major role
in lowering its carbon footprint by reducing green house gas emissions. To strengthen its core
business, the corporation has diversified into the fields of consultancy, power trading,
training of power professionals, rural electrification, ash utilisation and coal mining as well.

1
[1.2] .NTPC’S CORE VALUES:

B Business Ethics
E Environmentally & Economically Sustainable
C Customer Focus
O Organizational & Professional Pride
M Mutual Respect & Trust
M Motivating Self & others
I Innovation & Speed
T Total Quality for Excellence
T Transparent & Respected Organization
E Enterprising
D Devoted

[1.3]. NTPC’S VISION AND MISSION

NTPC’S VISION and MISSION are driving force in all our endeavor to ultimately
produce and deliver quality power in optimum cost and ecofriendly manner through
concerted team efforts and effective systems. Being an PSU, NTPC has derived its mission
and vision aligning with that of the corporate mission and vision.

VISION: - “To be the world’s largest and best power producer, powering India’s growth.”

MISSION: - “Develop and provide reliable power, related products and services at competitive
prices, integrating multiple energy sources with innovative and eco-friendly technologies and
contribute to society.”

2
[1.4] .Growth of NTPC installed capacity and generation

Fig 1

Fig 2

The total installed capacity of the company is 53,651 MW (including JVs) with 21 coal
based, 7 gas based stations, 1 Hydro based station and 1 Wind based station. 9 Joint Venture
stations are coal based and 11 Solar PV projects. The capacity will have a diversified fuel
mix and by 2032, non fossil fuel based generation capacity shall make up nearly 30% of
NTPC’s portfolio.

3
[1.5].NTPC Kahalgaon ( Overview )

Fig 3

The area is in Kahalgaon on the bank of River Ganga. In the state of Bihar. Kahalgaon is
one of the major energy sources of India, the place, named after was once upon a time
covered with dense and unnavigable forests an inhabited by wild animals. The place was
considered very treacherous. Just two generations ago, small holders were tending their
parcels of land here, and the original inhabitants were gathering honey and herbs in the forest.
In the late fifties, a large scale dam banked up the water of the River Ganges. Later, rich coal
deposits spread over an area of 2200 km² in the state of Jharkhand were discovered that could
be used to generate electricity.
The population of Kahalgaon mainly consists of professionals and workers of these large
industrial units and businessmen and employees of other organizations dealing with the
power or coal industry, in addition to staff members of various government agencies.

4
Fig 4

[1.6].Location :
The proposed expansion stage 2 of the project is (kahalgaon) railway station of eastern
railways . The nearest commercial airport is Patna and located at a distance of 250 km
approximately.
[1.7]Land requirement:
A total area of 3360 acres of land has been acquired for the project in stage 1 and proposed
stage 2 of the project is to be located within the Existing area.
[1.8].Water requirement:
The project is located near river ganges. The make Up water requirement for the plant is
proposed to Be drawn from river ganges. The water Requirement for stage ii of the project
shall be of The order of 9000 cu.M/hr. The basic requirements For running a thermal power
plant make up water For cooling tower system and other plant Requirement and a continuous
supply of high Quality coal. Make up water for cooling water system and other Plant
requirements is being drawn from ntpc’s raw Water pump house located over an intake well
in River ganges. The intake is located on right bank Of the river which is about 3km from the
project Plant site.

[1.9]Coal requirement: Coal required for running the power plant is Procured from
lalmatiya coalfield of jharkhand. The requirement is also met from chuperbita.

5
 [2]. OBJECTIVES

The following objective I have in this industrial training:

1] To Know how electricity is produced from coal

2] To visit all the major areas of power plant which includes turbine area, boiler area, cooling
tower, chimneys and boilers etc.
3] To know how NTPC fulfills the requirements of raw materials.
4] To know the steps taken by NTPC and government to minimize the pollution and various
installations to handle waste and waste disposal systems
5] To know the steps that government and NTPC is taking to use solar energy in future for
generation of electricity

6
 [3].COAL FIRED THERMAL POWER PLANTS

Fig 5

More than half of the electricity generated in the world and three-fourth generated in India is
by using coal as primary fuel.
The function of the coal fired thermal power plant is to convert the chemical energy available
in the coal to Electricity. Several steps are involved in transforming the energy stored in coal
to usable electricity that powers almost all the amenities of our modern lifestyle. The
conversion from coal to electricity takes place in three stages:
 
Stage I

The first conversion of energy takes place in the boiler. Coal is burnt in the boiler furnace to
produce heat. Carbon in the coal and Oxygen in the air combine to produce Carbon Dioxide
and heat.
 
STAGE II

7
The second stage is the thermodynamic process:
1. The heat from combustion of the coal boils water in the boiler to produce steam. In modern
power plant, boilers produce steam at a high pressure and temperature.

2. The steam is then piped to a turbine.

3. The high pressure steam impinges and expands across a number of sets of blades in the
turbine.

4. The impulse and the thrust created rotate the turbine.

5. The steam is then condensed and pumped back into the boiler to repeat the cycle.

 
STAGE III
In the third stage, rotation of the turbine rotates the generator rotor to produce electricity.

The electric power produced by the generator is boosted to a higher voltage by a generator
transformer to reduce the transmission losses. This power at EHV i.e. 400 kV is transmitted
and distributed by EHV transmission lines.

8
GENERAL LAYOUT OF POWER PLANT

Copy the entire page 13/42

Good pdf

Fig 6

9
[3.1]. DESCRIPTION:

Coal is conveyed (14) from an external stack and ground to a very fine powder by large
metal spheres in the pulverised fuel mill (16). There it is mixed with preheated air (24)
driven by the forced draught fan (20). The hot air-fuel mixture is forced at high pressure into
the boiler where it rapidly ignites. Water of a high purity flows vertically up the tube-lined
walls of the boiler, where it turns into steam, and is passed to the boiler drum, where steam
is separated from any remaining water.

The steam passes through a manifold in the roof of the drum into the pendant superheater
(19) where its temperature and pressure increase rapidly to around, sufficient to make the
tube walls glow a dull red. The steam is piped to the high pressure turbine (11), the first of a
three-stage turbine process. A steam governor valve (10) allows for both manual control of
the turbine and automatic set-point following. The steam is exhausted from the high pressure
turbine, and reduced in both pressure and temperature, is returned to the boiler reheater (21).
The reheated steam is then passed to the intermediate pressure turbine (9), and from there
passed directly to the low pressure turbine set (6).

The exiting steam, now a little above its boiling point, is brought into thermal contact with
cold water (pumped in from the cooling tower) in the condensor (8), where it condenses
rapidly back into water, creating near vacuum-like conditions inside the condensor chest.
The condensed water is then passed by a feed pump (7) through a deaerator (12), and pre-
warmed, first in a feed heater (13) powered by steam drawn from the high pressure set, and
then in the economiser (23), before being returned to the boiler drum. The cooling water
from the condensor is sprayed inside a cooling tower (1), creating a highly visible plume of
water vapor, before being pumped back to the condensor (8) in cooling water cycle.

The three turbine sets are sometimes coupled on the same shaft as the three- phase electrical
generator (5) which generates an intermediate level voltage (typically 21 kV). This is
stepped up by the unit transformer (4) to a voltage more suitable for transmission (typically
410 kV) and is sent out onto the three- phase transmission system (3).

Exhaust gas from the boiler is drawn by the induced draft fan (26) through an electrostatic
precipitator (25) and is then vented through the chimney stack (7)

10
[3.2] RAW MATERIALS USED FOR POWER GENERATION:

Basic Raw Materials Used Are:

1. FUEL
2. WATER
3. AIR

FUEL:
a. LDO (Light Diesel Oil): It is used for ignition purpose only.

b. HFO (Heavy Furnace Oil): It is used to raise the temperature inside the furnace up to the
ignition temperature of coal. When ignition temperature is reached, combustion of coal starts.
HFO is highly viscous in nature.

c. Pulverised Coal: The most important fuel for thermal power generation is coal. Coal is
converted into pulverised coal by mills. It is a mixture of carbon, sulphur, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, etc.

d. Water: Besides producing steam from water in the boiler it is also used for condensing
vapour in the condenser. The water used for condensing purpose is the demineralized water

AIR:
a. Primary Air: This is used to remove moisture from coal and to transport coal from mill to
coal nozzles. This is done with the help of P.A Fans.

b. Secondary Air: This is also known as combustion air as it helps in combustion. It

provides oxygen and extra air (over fire air) from reduction processes during combustion. It
is preheated to help in combustion.

11
 [4]. POWER PLANT CYCLE

[4.1] RANKINE CYCLE

The Rankine cycle is the fundamental operating cycle of all power plants where an operating
fluid is continuously evaporated and condensed. The selection of operating fluid depends
mainly on the available temperature range .
There are four processes in the Rankine cycle.
 Process 1–2: The working fluid is pumped from low to high pressure. As the fluid is a
liquid at this stage, the pump requires little input energy

Process 2–3: The high-pressure liquid enters a boiler, where it is heated at constant
pressure by an external heat source to become a dry saturated vapour. The input
energy required can be easily calculated graphically, using an enthalpy–entropy chart
(h–s chart, or Mollier diagram), or numerically, using steam tables.
Process 3–4: The dry saturated vapour expands through a turbine, generating power.
This decreases the temperature and pressure of the vapour, and some condensation
may occur. The output in this process can be easily calculated using the chart or tables
noted above.
Process 4–1: The wet vapour then enters a condenser, where it is condensed at a
constant pressure to become a saturated liquid.























Fig 7

12
Fig 8

The Rankine cycle closely describes the process by which steam-operated heat engines
commonly found in thermal power generation plants generate power.

Power depends on the temperature difference between a heat source and a cold source. The
higher the difference, the more mechanical power can be efficiently extracted out of heat
energy, as per Carnot's theorem.

The heat sources used in these power plants are usually nuclear fission or the combustion of
fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, or concentrated solar power. The higher the
temperature, the better.

[4.2] THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF A POWER PLANT

The efficiency of the power plant can be calculated by using the formula:

EFFICIENCY = (WT - WP ) / QH
Where,
WP = work done by pump.
WT = work done by turbine.

13
QH = heat energy given to the boiler.
Any thermal power plant should be able to maintain a high efficiency of the cycle, as it will
indicate the fraction of heat being utilized usefully. There are several ways of increasing the
thermal efficiency of the power plant. Some of the ways are mentioned below:
a) An increase in the initial pressure of the steam can raise the efficiency of the power plant.

b) The efficiency of the plant can be increased by raising the initial temperature of the steam
without raising the steam pressure.

c) Intermediate re-heating of the steam improves the thermal efficiency of the plant. An
increase in the initial pressure of the steam increases the efficiency, but the wetness fraction
of such a steam also grows at the end of expansion. Such a high wetness can cause wear of
the blades of the last stages of a steam turbine. Therefore, the steam from boiler after partial
expansion in the first stage of turbine is fed to the re-heater.

d) Thermal efficiency of the plant can be increased by carrying out regenerative heating of
the feed water. Such heating of the water is carried out by using the heat of steam partly
tapped from the turbine.

14
 [5]Introduction to Coal handling plant

Coal handling plant in a thermal power generating station

Fig 9

In a coal based thermal power plant, the initial process in the power generation is “Coal
Handling”. So in this article i will discuss the overall processes carried out at a Coal Handling
plant in a coal based thermal power generating station.

The huge amount of coal is usually supplied through railways. A railway siding line is taken
into the power station and the coal is delivered in the storage yard. The coal is unloaded from
the point of delivery by means of wagon tippler. It is rack and pinion type. The coal is taken
from the unloading site to dead storage by belt conveyors. The belt deliver the coal to 0m
level to the pent house and further moves to transfer point 8.

The transfer points are used to transfer coal to the next belt. The belt elevates the coal to
breaker house. It consists of a rotary machine, which rotates the coal and separates the light
dust from it through the action of gravity and transfer this dust to reject bin house through
belt.

15
The belt further elevates the coal to the transfer point 7 and it reaches the crusher through
belt. In the crusher a high-speed 3-phase induction motor is used to crush the coal to a size of
50mm so as to be suitable for milling system. Coal rises from crusher house and reaches the
dead storage by passing through transfer point 8 .

Fig10

16
[5.1] Equipment used in a coal handling plant

1. Pull chord switch

A series of such switches are arranged in series at a 1m distance on the side of conveyor belt.
The power supply to rotor of the conveyor belt is established only if all switches in series are
connected.

2. Vibrating feeder

The coal stored in a huge hub is collected on the belt through vibrations created by the
vibrating feeder.

3. Flap gates

These are used to channelize the route of coal through another belt in case the former is
broken or unhealthy. The flap gates open let the coal pass and if closed stop its movement.

4. Magnetic separator

these are used to separate the ferrous impurities from the coal.

5. Metal detector

The transmitter consists of a high frequency oscillator, which produces a oscillations of 1500
Hz at 15V. The receiver receives this frequency signal. If there is any presence of metal in the
coal. Then this frequency is disturbed and a tripping signal is send to relay to stop the
conveyor belt.

6. Belt weightier

It is used to keep an account of the tension on the belt carrying coal and is moves accordingly
to release tension on the belt.

17
There are four main circuits in any thermal power plant and these are:

1. Coal & Ash Circuit: This circuit deals mainly with feeding the boiler with coal for
combustion purposes and taking care of the ash that is generated during the combustion
process and includes equipment that is used to handle the transfer of coal and ash.

2. Air & Gas Circuit: We know that air is one of the main components of the fire triangle
and hence necessary for combustion. Since lots of coal is burnt inside the boiler it needs a
sufficient quantity of air which is supplied using either forced draught or induced draught
fans. The exhaust gases from the combustion are in turn used to heat the ingoing air through a
heat exchanger before being let off in the atmosphere. The equipment which handles all these
processes fall under this circuit.

3. Feed Water & Steam Circuit: This section deals with supplying of steam generated from
the boiler to the turbines and to handle the outgoing steam from the turbine by cooling it to
form water in a condenser so it can be reused in the boiler plus making good any losses due
to evaporation, etc.

4. Cooling Water Circuit: This part of the thermal power plant deals with handling of the
cooling water required in the system. Since the amount of water required to cool the outgoing
steam from the boiler is substantial, it is either taken from a nearby water source such as a
river, or it is done through evaporation if the quantity of cooling water available is limited.

Fig 11

18
 [6]. MAJOR SUB-SYSTEMS

6.1) COAL HANDLING PLANT (C.H.P):

It is the place where everything associated with coal is taken care of, right from its arrival
from the coal mines, to its treatment and finally it being fed to the boiler. For the plant at
Sipat, the coal is provided by the Gevra mines under the S.E.C.L, with the help of a merry-
go-round (MGR).When the coal is supplied at the CHP, the coal is moved along the track
hopper towards the crusher, where the lumps of coal are crushed into 20 mm sized particles,
from where they may be stored in the stack-yard, or sent to the bunkers before being fed into
the boilers.

An important thing to be noted is that, before feeding the coal to be fired, we employ light
diesel oil (LDO) and heavy furnace oil (HFO) to fire the boiler and create a stable flame. For
this we employ oil guns, which are placed near the boilers, which release oil for being fired.
Thus, the function of the CHP is to improve the heating value of coal, and to make its
handling easier. Coal is supplied through conveyor belt systems.

6.2) MILL:

The coal particles are ground into finer sized granules. The coal which is stored in the
bunker is sent into the mill, which is primarily a ball type, in which a drum contains a ball,
and when the drum rotates the ball also does, and this causes the coal particles caught in
between to be ground.
After grinding, the coal is then passed through a desired size of mesh, so that any coal
particle not properly ground is not allowed through. Then the coal is forced by a blast of air
coming from the primary air fans to enter the boiler. Coal is fed to the mills from the bunkers
via the raw coal feeders.

19
 INTERIOR OF BOWL MILL
Bowl Mill

Fig 12

6.3) BOILER:

A boiler is the central component of a power plant, and it is the unit where the steam
required for driving the turbine is generated.
Volume of one unit mass of steam is thousand times that of water. When water is converted
to steam in a closed vessel the pressure will increase. Boiler uses this principle to produce
High Pressure steam.
Conversion of Water to Steam Evolves in three stages:
 Heating the water from cold condition to boiling point or saturation temperature –
Sensible Heat Addition.

 Water boils at saturation temperature to produce steam – Latent Heat Addition.

 Heating steam from saturation temperature to higher temperature called
Superheating to increase the power plant output and efficiency
Boilers are categorized according to several parameters. They may be classified on the basis
of the presence of a drum, on the no. of passes, on the type of firing used to burn the fuel, on
the type of tubing used, and so on.
The components of a boiler and their functions are given below:
a) DRUM: It is a type of storage tank much higher than the level at which the boiler is placed,
and it is also a place where water and steam are separated. First the drum is filled with

20
water coming from the economizer, from where it is brought down with the help of down-
comers, entering the bottom ring headers. From there they enter the riser, which carries the
water (which now is a liquid-vapor mixture), back to the drum. Now, the steam is sent to be
superheated.

b) SUPER HEATERS: The steam is then sent for superheating. This takes place in three
stages. In the first stage, the steam is sent to a simple super heater, known as the low
temperature super heater, after which the second stage consists of several divisional panels.
The final stage involves further heating in a Platen super heater, after which the steam is
released for driving the turbine. After the HP stage of the turbine the steam is re-heated and
then again released.

Super heated steam also has several merits such as increased working capacity, ability to
increase the plant efficiency, lesser erosion and so on. It is also of interest to know that while
the super heater increases the temperature of the steam, it does not change the pressure. There
are different stages of superheaters besides the sidewalls and extended sidewalls. The first
stage consists of LTSH(low temperature superheater), which is conventional mixed type with
upper & lower banks above the economiser assembly in rear pass. The other is Divisional
Panel Superheater which is hanging above in the first pass of the boiler above the furnace.
The third stage is the Platen Superheater from where the steam goes into the HP turbine
through the main steam line. The outlet temperature & pressure of the steam coming out from
the super-heater is 540 degrees Celsius & 147 kg/cm2.

c) WATER WALLS: The water from the bottom ring header is then transferred to the water
walls, where the first step in the formation of steam occurs. This steam then enters the drum.

d) ECONOMIZER: The economizer is a tube-shaped structure which contains water from

the boiler feed pump. This water is heated up by the hot flue gases which pass through the
economizer layout, which then enters the drum. The economizer is usually placed below the
second pass of the boiler, below the Low Temperature Superheater. As the flue gases are
being constantly produced due to the combustion of coal, the water in the economizer is
being continuously being heated up, resulting in the formation of steam to a partial extent.
Economiser tubes are supported in such a way that sagging, deflection & expansion will not
occur at any condition of operation.

21
[6.4] Boiler Fittings And Accessories:

 Safety Valve:
It is used to relieve pressure and prevent possible explosion of a boiler.

 Water Level Indicators:


They show the operator the level of fluid in the boiler, also known as a sight glass,
water gauge or water column is provided.


 Bottom Blowdown Valves:
They provide a means for removing solid particulates that condense and lie on the
bottom of a boiler. As the name implies, this valve is usually located directly on the
bottom of the boiler, and is occasionally opened to use the pressure in the boiler to
push these particulates out.

 Continuous Blowdown Valve:


This allows a small quantity of water to escape continuously. Its purpose is to prevent
the water in the boiler becoming saturated with dissolved salts. Saturation would lead
to foaming and cause water droplets to be carried over with the steam - a condition
known as priming. Blowdown is also often used to monitor the chemistry of the boiler
water.


 Flash Tank:

High pressure blowdown enters this vessel where the steam can 'flash' safely and be
used in a low-pressure system or be vented to atmosphere while the ambient pressure
blowdown flows to drain.


 Automatic Blowdown/Continuous Heat Recovery System: This system allows the
boiler to blowdown only when makeup water is flowing to the boiler, thereby
transferring the maximum amount of heat possible from the blowdown to the makeup
water. No flash tank is generally needed as the blowdown discharged is close to the
temperature of the makeup water.

22
  Hand holes:

They are steel plates installed in openings in "header" to allow for inspections &
Installation of tubes and inspection of internal surfaces.




 Steam Drum Internals: A series of screen, scrubber & cans (cyclone separators).


 Low- Water Cutoff:

It is a mechanical means (usually a float switch) that is used to turn off the burner or
shut off fuel to the boiler to prevent it from running once the water goes below a
certain point. If a boiler is "dry-fired" (burned without water in it) it can cause rupture
or catastrophic failure.


 Surface Blowdown Line:

It provides a means for removing foam or other lightweight non-condensible
substances that tend to float on top of the water inside the boiler.


 Circulating Pump:

It is designed to circulate water back to the boiler after it has expelled some of its
heat.




 Feedwater Vheck Valve or Clack Valve:

A non-return stop valve in the feedwater line. This may be fitted to the side of the
boiler, just below the water level, or to the top of the boiler.


 Top Feed:
A check valve (clack valve) in the feedwater line, mounted on top of the boiler. It is
intended to reduce the nuisance of limescale. It does not prevent limescale formation
but causes the limescale to be precipitated in a powdery form which is easily washed
out of the boiler.

23
  Desuperheater Tubes or Bundles:

A series of tubes or bundles of tubes in the water drum or the steam drum designed to
cool superheated steam. Thus is to supply auxiliary equipment that doesn't need, or
may be damaged by, dry steam.




 Chemical Injection Line: A connection to add chemicals for controlling feedwater
pH.

[6.5 ] DEAERATOR:
A de-aerator is a device that is widely used for the removal of air and other dissolved gases
from the feed water to steam-generating boilers. Most de-aerators are designed to remove
oxygen down to levels of 7 ppb by weight (0.005 cm³/L) or less.

Fig13

24
 [7].Turbine:
After the boiler the most vital unit is the turbine, which works on the steam generated from
the boiler. Thus a turbine employed in a thermal power plant is a steam turbine. The initial
steam is admitted ahead of the blading via two main stop and control valve combinations. A
steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts steam energy from pressurized steam, &
converts it into useful mechanical work. The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor
assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or
the blades react to the flow, so that they move and impart rotational energy to the rotor. The
turbine unit of any thermal power plant is not a single stage operation, rather it consists of
three stages.

[7.1] Stages of turbine

a) High Pressure Turbine Stage (HPT Stage): This stage takes place immediately after the
Platen super heater stage. This is the first stage of the turbine operation.

b) Intermediate Pressure Turbine Stage (IPT Stage): After the HPT stage, the steam gets
saturated and, consequently, gets cooled. It is, therefore, first sent back to the boiler unit to be
reheated, after which it is sent to the IPT stage. Its section is of double flow construction with
horizontally split casings.

c) Low Pressure Turbine Stage (LPT Stage): After the IPT, the steam gets cooled to an
intermediate extent, thus directly entering the LPT, where it gets saturated. Its casing is of the
three-shell design. After this stage the water enters the condenser, which is connected to a
condensate extraction pump. The shaft of the turbine is connected to the generator. The
purpose of the generator is to convert the mechanical shaft energy it receives from the turbine
into electrical energy. Steam turbine driven AC synchronous generators (alternators) are of
two or four pole designs. Large generators have cylindrical rotors with minimum heat
dissipation surface and so they have forced ventilation to remove the heat. Such generators
generally use an enclosed system with air or hydrogen coolant. The gas picks up the heat
from the generator and gives it up to the circulating water in the heat exchanger.

25
Every turbine, except the LPT, has a stop valve and a regulating valve attached to it. The stop
valve is used to stop the flow of steam, whenever required, whereas the regulating valve is
also a kind of a flow controlling device. Each turbine also has an inlet and an outlet pipe for
the steam to enter and exit, respectively. Between the HPT-IPT combine and the IPT-LPT
combine is attached a bearing assembly. It is constructed using a cross around pipe.
After the steam leaves the turbine, it enters the condenser . The condenser is meant to
receive the steam from the turbine, condense it and to maintain a pressure at the exhaust
lower than the atmospheric pressure.

Fig13

[7.2]TYPES OF TURBINE:

[7.2.1]IMPULSE TURBINE:

These turbines change the direction of flow of a high velocity fluid or gas jet. The
resulting impulse spins the turbine and leaves the fluid flow with diminished kinetic
energy. There is no pressure change of the fluid or gas in the turbine rotor blades (the
moving blades), as in the case of a steam or gas turbine, all the pressure drop takes
place in the stationary blades (the nozzles). Before reaching the turbine, the fluid's
pressure head is changed to velocity head by accelerating the fluid with a nozzle.
Pelton wheels and de Laval turbines use this process exclusively. Impulse turbines do
not require a pressure casement around the rotor since the fluid jet is created by the
nozzle prior to reaching the blading on the rotor. Newton's second law describes the
transfer of energy for impulse turbines.

26
 [7.2.2]REACTION TURBINE:

These turbines develop torque by reacting to the gas or fluid's pressure or mass. The
pressure of the gas or fluid changes as it passes through the turbine rotor blades. A
pressure casement is needed to contain the working fluid as it acts on the turbine
stage(s) or the turbine must be fully immersed in the fluid flow (such as with wind
turbines). The casing contains and directs the working fluid and, for water turbines,
maintains the suction imparted by the draft tube. Francis turbines and most steam
turbines use this concept. For compressible working fluids, multiple turbine stages are
usually used to harness the expanding gas efficiently. Newton's third law describes
the transfer of energy for reaction turbines.

Fig14

[7.2].TURBINES USED IN NTPC

There are 3 types of Turbines used in Thermal Power Plants

1)HP Turbine – High-pressure Steam Turbine

Most of nuclear power plants operates a single-shaft turbine-generator that consists of one
multi-stage HP turbine and three parallel multi-stage LP turbines, a main generator and an
exciter.

27
HP Turbine (high-pressure turbine) is usually double-flow turbine element with an impulse
control stage followed by reaction blading in each end of the element. There are about 10
stages with shrouded blades in the HP turbine. It the produces about 30-40% of the gross
power output of the power plant unit.

HP turbine is equipped usually with 3 or 4 self-regulating extraction lines, which are used to
provide steam for:

 the deaerator

 the high pressure feedwater heaters

 the feedwater pumps (when driven by steam turbines)

Fig15

2) IP TURBINE:

 Double Flow

 Double Casing

 Axially Split Design In Both Casings

 Rigid Coupling

 Blade Shrouded & Inverted T-Root Design

28
Fig16

3) LP TURBINE:
 Largest Turbine

 Pressure is Very Less

 Three Shell Design

 Double Flow

 All Casings Axially Split

 Exhaust Hood Spray Arrangement

 2 Free Standing Blades in the end

Fig17

29
 [8].ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS IN A POWER PLANT

There are several systems in a power plant which assist the main units to carry out their
functions properly:
[8.1]TYPES OF FANS

8.1.1) PA FANS:
The primary air fans are used to carry the pulverized coal particles from the mills to the
boiler. They are also used to maintain the coal-air temperature. The specifications of the PA
fan used at the plant under investigation are: axial flow, double stage, reaction fan. A PA fan
uses 0.72% of plant load for a 500 MW plant.

Fig 18 Primary air fan

8.1.2) FD FANS:
The forced draft fans, also known as the secondary air fans are used to provide the secondary
air required for combustion, and to maintain the wind box differential pressure.
Specifications of the FD fans are: axial flow, single stage, impulse fan.

30
Fig19
FD fans use 0.36% of plant load for a 500 MW plant.

8.1.3)ID FANS:

Fig20
The main purpose of an ID fan is to suck the flue gas through all the above mentioned
equipments and to maintain the furnace pressure. ID fans use 1.41% of plant load for a 500
MW plant.

31
8.1.4) SCANNER AIR FAN:
Scanner air fan is used to provide air to the scanner. For a tangentially fired boiler, the vital
thing is to maintain a stable ball of flame at the centre. A scanner is used to detect the flame,
to see whether it is proper and stable. The fan is used to provide air to the scanner, and it is a
crucial component which prevents the boiler from tripping.

[8.2]. ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS:

They are used to separate the ash particles from the flue gases. In this the flue gas is

allowed into the ESP, where there are several metallic plates placed at a certain distance from
each other. When these gases enter, a very high potential difference is applied, which causes
the gas particles to

ionize and stick to the plates, whereas the ash particles fall down and are collected in a
hopper attached to the bottom of the ESP. The flue gas is allowed to cool down and is then
released to the ID fan to be sent to the chimney.

FIG21 ESP

[8.3]. COOLING TOWERS

Cooling towers are used to remove the heat from the condensers. In this cooling water is
discharged to the condenser with the help of a cooling water pump. This water enters the
condenser through several tubes. Steam entering the condenser from the turbine after
expansion further loses heat and condenses, while the water circulating inside the tube gains
heat and goes back to the cooling tower. Inside the tower is a cooling fan which takes the heat

32
from this batch of water, which is then sent back again for the cycle to be repeated. It is hence
known as a regenerating cycle .

Fig 22

[8.4]CHIMNEY
These are tall RCC structures with single & multiple flues. Here, for I & II we have 1
chimney, for unit III there is 1 chimney & for units & V there is 1 chimney. So number of
chimneys is 5 and the height of each is 275 metres.

33
Fig 23 chimney

[8.5] COAL BUNKER

These are in process storage used for storing crushed coal from the coal handling system.
Generally, these are made up of welded steel plates. Normally, these are located on top of
mills to aid in gravity feeding of coal.

Fig 24

34
[8.6] REHEATER: The function of reheater is to reheat the steam coming out from the high
pressure turbine to a temperature of 540 degrees Celsius. It is composed of two sections: the
rear pendant section is located above the furnace arc & the front pendant section is located
between the rear water hanger tubes & the Platen super-heater section

[8.7]. Generator

The rotation of gas turbine leads to the rotation of the rotor part of the generator which is
connected to the same shaft as that of the turbine. A view of the Turbine and the generator
mounted on a single shaft is given below in fig. below

Fig 25

[9]Advantages and disadvantages of coal based thermal Power Plant

[9.1]Advantages of coal based thermal Power Plant

 They can respond to rapidly changing loads without difficulty


 A portion of the steam generated can be used as a process steam in different industries

 Steam engines and turbines can work under 25 % of overload continuously

 Fuel used is cheaper

 Cheaper in production cost in comparison with that of diesel power stations

[9.2] Disadvantages of coal based thermal Power Plant

35
  Maintenance and operating costs are high

 Long time required for erection and putting into action

 A large quantity of water is required

 Great difficulty experienced in coal handling

 Presence of troubles due to smoke and heat in the plant

 Unavailability of good quality coal

 Maximum of heat energy lost

 Problem of ash removing

[10]ASH HANDLING AND DISPOSAL:

Any power plant which does not have a proper planning for handling of ash and its
subsequent disposal may not be able to get the necessary clearance from the authorities, as it
may be detrimental to the safety of the environment.
There are two types of ash handling methods: dry ash handling and wet ash handling. Dry ash
handling is carried out by storing the ash deposited in large pits, where in the wet ash
handling method, the ash is deposited into large reservoirs or ponds.
Fly ash is captured from the flue gas by using electrostatic precipitators, which are located at
the outlet of the furnace and before the ID fans. Also at the bottom of every boiler, a hopper
is provided forcollection of the bottom ash from the bottom of the furnace. This hopper is
always filled with water to quench the ash and clinkers falling from the furnace. There is an
arrangement for the crushing of the clinkers and for conveying the crushed clinkers and
bottom ash to the storage site.

[11].LOSSES DURING OPERATION & MAINTAINANCE OF PLANT

[11.1] SURFACE ROUGHNESS:

It increases friction & resistance. It can be due to Chemical deposits, Solid particle damage,
Corrosion Pitting & Water erosion. As a thumb rule, surface roughness of about 0.05 mm can
lead to a decrease in efficiency of 4%.

36
[11.2] LEAKAGE LOSS:
 Inter-stage Leakage

 Turbine end Gland Leakages

 About 2 - 7.5 kW is lost per stage if clearances are increased by 0.025 mm depending
upon LP or HP stage.

[11.3] WETNESS LOSS:

 Drag Loss: Due to difference in the velocities of the steam & water particles, water
particles lag behind & can even take different trajectory leading to losses.

 Sudden condensation can create shock disturbances & hence losses.

 About 1% wetness leads to 1% loss in stage efficiency.

[11.4] OFF DESIGN LOSSES:

 Losses resulting due to turbine not operating with design terminal conditions.

 Change in Main Steam pressure & temperature.

 Change in HRH pressure & temperature.

 Condenser Back Pressure

 Convergent-Divergent nozzles are more prone to Off Design losses then Convergent
nozzles as shock formation is not there in convergent nozzles.

[11.5] PARTIAL ADMISSION LOSSES:

 In Impulse turbines, the controlling stage is fed with means of nozzle boxes, the
control valves of which open or close sequentially.

 At some partial load some nozzle boxes can be partially open / Completely closed.

 Shock formation takes place as rotor blades at some time are full of steam & at some
other moment, devoid of steam leading to considerable losses.

[11.6] LOSS DUE TO EROSION OF LP LAST STAGE BLADES:

 Erosion of the last stage blades leads to considerable loss of energy. Also, It is the
least efficient stage.

 Erosion in the 10% length of the blade leads to decrease in 0.1% of efficiency.

37
 [12].Environment Policy & Management

[12.1] NTPC Environment Policy

“Going Higher on Generation, lowering Green House Gas Intensity” is our vision statement
on managing our environment. Since the genesis of the company, NTPC has led from the
front on this issue. In November 1995, NTPC brought out a comprehensive document entitled
‘NTPC Environment Policy and Environment Management System’. Amongst the guiding
principles adopted in the document are the company's pro-active approach to environment,
optimum utilisation of equipment, adoption of latest technologies and continual environment
improvement. The policy envisages new technology initiatives and efficient utilisation of
resources, thereby minimising waste, maximising ash utilisation and ensuring a green belt all
around the plant for maintaining ecological balance..

[12.2] .Environment Management, Occupational Health and Safety Systems

NTPC has actively gone for adoption of the best international practices on environment,
occupational health and safety areas. Providing its employees with a safe working area is the
primary concern of the management. NTPC recognises and accepts responsibility for
establishing and maintaining safe & healthy working areas for all concerned.

The organisation has pursued the Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO 14001 and
the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment System OHSAS 18001 at its different
establishments. As a result of pursuing these practices, all NTPC power stations have been
certified for ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 by reputed national and international certifying
agencies.

[12.3]Pollution Control Systems

Right from the planning stage, all plants have provisions for pollution control incorporated
into their blueprints. In order to ensure that NTPC complies with all the stipulated
environment norms, following state-of-the-art pollution control systems / devices have been
installed to control air and water pollution:

38
[12.3.1]Ash Dykes & Ash Disposal systems:

Ash ponds have been provided at all coal based stations except Dadri where Dry Ash
Disposal System has been provided. Ash Ponds have been divided into lagoons and provided
with garlanding arrangement for changeover of the ash slurry feed points for even filling of
the pond and for effective settlement of the ash particles.

[12.3.2]. Electrostatic Precipitators:

The ash left behind after combustion of coal is arrested in high efficiency Electrostatic
Precipitators (ESPs) and particulate emission is controlled well within the stipulated norms.
A schematic diagram of Electrostatic Precipitators is given below

[12.3.3] Neutralization Pits:

Neutralization pits have been provided in the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for pH correction
of the Effluents before discharge into Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for further treatment
and use. View of neutralization pits is shown in fig.

Fig 15

[12.3.4] Dry Ash Extraction System (DAES):

Dry ash has much higher utilization potential in ash-based products (such as bricks, aerated
autoclaved concrete blocks, concrete, Portland pozzolana cement, etc.). DAES has been
installed at Unchahar, Dadri, Simhadri, Ramagundam, Singrauli, Kahalgaon, Farakka,
Talcher Thermal, Korba, Vindhyachal, TalcherKaniha and BTPS. A view of Dry Ash
Extraction System (DAES) is given I fig. 1.4.

39
Fig 16

[12.3.5] Ash Water Recycling System:

Further, in a number of NTPC stations, as a proactive measure, Ash Water Recycling System
(AWRS) has been provided. In the AWRS, the effluent from ash pond is circulated back to
the station for further ash sluicing to the ash pond. This helps in savings of fresh water
requirements for transportation of ash from the plant. The ash water recycling system has
already been installed and is in operation at Ramagundam, Simhadri, Rihand, TalcherKaniha,
Talcher Thermal, Kahalgaon, Korba and Vindhyachal. The scheme has helped stations to
save huge quantity of fresh water required as make-up water for disposal of ash.

Following are the additional measures taken by NTPC in the area of Environment
Management:

 Environment Management During Operation Phase


 Monitoring of Environmental Parameters

 On-Line Data Base Management

 Environment Review

 Up-gradation & Retrofitting of Pollution Control Systems

 Resources Conservation

 Waste Management

 Municipal Waste Management

40
  Hazardous Waste Management

 Bio-Medical Waste Management

 Land Use / Bio-diversity

 Reclamation of Abandoned Ash ponds

 Green Belts, Afforestation & Energy Plantations

[12.4] Ash Utilisation

Fly ash is a byproduct of power generation with coal. Sustainable ash utilisation is one of the
key concerns at NTPC. The Ash Utilisation Division (AUD), set up in 1991, strives to derive
maximum usage from the vast quantities of ash produced at its power stations. The ash is
now being looked at as a commodity that could generate wealth for the company in the long
run. The AUD proactively formulates policies, plans and programmes for ash utilisation. It
further monitors the progress in these activities and works for developing new segments of
ash usage. Ash Utilisation Cell at each station handles ash utilisation activities.

[13]. Health & Safety

The health and safety of its employees is NTPC’s top priority. The ultimate aim is to have no
incidents that harm its people, neighbours or put its plants at risk. To this end, NTPC
management gives utmost importance to providing a safe working environment and creating
safety awareness among its employees. The company takes all steps which are reasonably
practicable to ensure best possible conditions of work.

The steps taken by NTPC towards the goal of “Zero Accidents” include:

 Generation of ‘clean power’ and ‘accident free power’ by using state of the art
technology, cleaner fuel, world class operation & maintenance practices and excellent
housekeeping.

 Creation of the concept of safety consciousness among its employees (own workforce
and contractual), their family members and local villagers by means of various
training programmes, awareness programmes and road shows.

 formal joint management – worker health and safety committees to help monitor and
advise on occupational health and safety programmes are in place in all the plants.

41
  Regular plant inspections and review with Head of projects are undertaken. Internal
safety audits by safety officers of NTPC as well as external audits by reputed
organizations are carried out annually at each plant. Their recommendations are
regularly reviewed and duly complied with.

 adequate numbers of qualified safety officers are posted at all units as per statutory
rules and provisions. For strict compliance and enforcement of safety norms and
practices by contractors, safety clauses are included in the General Conditions of
Contract.

42
 [14]Inference

I have put my best effort in this training to understand various processes and thermodynamic
cycles & also understood to the best of my knowledge.i would say NTPC is growing at much
faster. There are number of devices like ESPs has been brought into use to reduce the
pollution and also ash handling process is implemented in an effective way.

The installed capacity of plant is 2340 MW.

NTPC’s Khahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station (KhSTPS) has generated record
15,794.91 million units of electricity in the financial year 2016-2017.

The company also aims to produce 10 MW electricity through solar energy and to achieve
this goal it has installed necessary equipments.

Pollution control measures include, besides sustained zero- effluent discharge, production of
compost and production of biogas.

I believe that this training has made me well versed with the various processes in the power
plant.

43
 [15]REFEREENCES

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/boiler.

2. http://en.google.com/images/Turbine.

3. www.ntpc.co.in

4. http://baran.nic.in/industries.htm

5. http://forhealthy.com//7364-ntpc-anta-plant-information.html

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Thermal_Power_Corporat.

7. http://www.educypedia.be/education/physicsjavalaboenergy.htm

8. http://www.instrumentationengineers.org/2013/06/working-principle-of-impulse-
turbines.html

9. Bolaji and Emeka, R. 2014. Operation and Maintenance Schedule of a Steam Turbine
Plant in Lappeenranta, Masters Thesis, Saimaa University of Applied Sciences.

44