POWER PLANTS

Course Name: (ME 413 & ME 413L) Credit Hours: (3, 1)

University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore (Narowal Campus)
STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS
POWER PLANTS
STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS
 STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS
Steam Turbine power plant converts continuously the energy of fuel into the rotational
energy (Mechanical energy) and ultimately to the electrical energy. The fuel normally
fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) or fossil fuels (uranium or thorium).

Working of Steam Turbine Power Plants:

Fuel and air are supplied to the furnace and due to the combustion of fuel in the air, the
chemical energy of fuel is converted to the heat energy (ṁf * C.V = Q1 providing ṁf is the
mass flowrate of fuel & C.V is the calorific value of fuel) and product gases transfer heat
energy to the water in the boiler. The steam is produced in the boiler and then the steam
at higher temperature and pressure is supplied to the steam turbine.
GENERAL LAYPOUT OF STEAM TURBINE
POWER PLANTS
 STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS
The steam coming from the boiler will expand in the turbine to give work output in the
form of rotational energy. The steam after expansion in the turbine goes to condenser
where its condensation will take place and liquid water is obtained at the exit of the
condenser.
The heat energy will be taken out from steam by cooling water from river/ocean or
canals etc. Liquid water from condenser will be pressurized to the boiler pressure. By
operating the steam power plant in the cycle is continuously generating electricity from
fuel.

The cycle follows the path B-T-C-P. The steam turbine is a rotary type heat engine which
operates in a cyclic manner and produces net work output from supply of heat.
 STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS - CYCLES
CARNOT CYCLE:

 1-2 Isentropic/reversible adiabatic expansion (Quick Process, with Irreversibilities)

 2-3 Constant temperature heat rejection (Very Slow Process)
 3-4 Isentropic/reversible adiabatic increase in pressure (Quick Process)
 4-1 Constant temperature heat Supply (Very Slow Process)
THE CARNOT CYCLE
 STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANTS - CYCLES
A Carnot cycle is considered to be an ideal cycle for the vapors. Most of the
difficulties/impracticalities occurring in the Carnot cycle removed and the resulted
thermodynamic cycle is called a Rankine Cycle. So the Rankine cycle is a modified
Carnot cycle.

Rankine Cycle
 1-2 Reversible adiabatic (Isentropic) expansion of steam in the turbine
 2-3 Constant temperature and pressure heat rejection in condenser
 3-4 Isentropic increase in pressure in the pump
 4-5 Constant pressure heating using economizer or feed heaters
 5-6 Constant temperature and pressure heat supply in boiler
 6-1 Constant pressure heating in the boiler to the superheated steam
THE RANKINE CYCLE
THE RANKINE CYCLE
 THE RANKINE CYCLE - EXPLANATIONS
 1-2 Reversible adiabatic (Isentropic) expansion of steam in the turbine

There is isentropic expansion of superheated steam in the steam turbine. The energy
of steam has been transferred to the rotational energy by the turbine. To get
isentropic expansion the process should be fast and turbine should be insulated
from the surroundings by using insulating material (asbestos). The dryness fraction of
steam after expansion should not be less than 0.85. If the steam consists of water
droplets than the co-efficient of friction between the fluid and the surface of blades
of the turbine will increase causing reduction in power output. The droplets (liquid
form) will cause the rusting and wear and tear of material of blades.
 THE RANKINE CYCLE - EXPLANATIONS

 2-3 Constant temperature and pressure heat rejection in condenser

Constant temperature and pressure heat rejection from steam to the cooling water
in the condenser. The condensation process reduces the volume and normally
V2/V3 is about 1000 or sometimes higher than this value. Boiler pressure is high as
compared to the condenser pressure.

 3-4 Isentropic increase in pressure in the pump

Reversible adiabatic pressure rise in the pump. The electrical energy is used in the
pump is raised from condenser pressure to boiler pressure. The water at state ‘3’ is
saturated liquid at pressure P3. The liquid water state ‘4’ is subcooled liquid at
pressure P4 (Boiler Pressure).
 THE RANKINE CYCLE - EXPLANATIONS

 4-5 Constant pressure heating using economizer or feed heaters

Constant pressure heating in the boiler of subcooled liquid to the state ‘5’ where it is
a saturated liquid. Therefore the subcooled liquid is heated by an economizer which
taking heat from the flue gases of furnace of boiler or the liquid is heated by feed
heaters getting heat from the bled off steam from the steam turbine. The number of
feed heaters used in the steam turbine power plants is normally two.
FEED HEATING
 THE RANKINE CYCLE - EXPLANATIONS

 5-6 Constant temperature and pressure heat supply in boiler

The heat is supplied to saturated liquid at constant pressure and temperature in the
boiler. We get saturated vapor at state ‘6’. During process there is supplied which is
used for phase transformation from saturated liquid to saturated vapor.

 6-1 Constant pressure heating in the boiler to the superheated steam

Constant pressure heating of saturated steam to the superheated steam
 DEVIATION OF ACTUAL RANKINE CYCLE
FROM IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE
In ideal Rankine Cycle described by (1-2-3-4-5-6-1) consist of reversible processes in the
turbine, condenser, boiler and pump. In these processes, we are neglecting the losses
due to irreversibilities. Since all the actual processes are irreversible, the net work
output of the power plant of actual Rankine cycle will be less than the ideal Rankine
cycle causing decrease in thermal efficiency.
The actual processes are as follows

 1’-2’
The process in steam turbine is adiabatic and due to viscous friction of fluid and friction
of bearing the process is irreversible. The enthalpy of steam at exit of turbine h’2 is
higher than the enthalpy of steam after expansion i.e h2, In ideal isentropic process.
DEVIATION OF ACTUAL RANKINE CYCLE
FROM IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE
 DEVIATION OF ACTUAL RANKINE CYCLE
FROM IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE
 2’-3’
This is actual process of heat rejection from steam to cooling water in the condenser.
Due to heat transfer to the surroundings and viscous losses the process of condensation
is not at constant pressure and at constant temperature as shown in the figure. This
process is also irreversible.

 3’-4’’
In the pump, due to irreversibilities the actual work input to the pump will be higher as
compared to the ideal work input. The ideal process (3-4) is isentropic pressurization of
liquid water from condenser pressure to boiler pressure. The actual process 3’’-4’’ is not
isentropic which is due to irreversible process.
 DEVIATION OF ACTUAL RANKINE CYCLE
FROM IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE
 (4-5-6-1)
The process of heating the subcooled liquid water at constant pressure, in the actual
process of heating the subcooled liquid the path of process is 4’’-5’-6’-1’. In these
processes there are irreversibilities due to heat transfer effect and pressure drop in the
tubes of the boiler. The overall effect of actual Rankine Cycle (by including the losses
due to irreversibilities) on ideal Rankine Cycle is, the decrease in Rankine cycle
thermal efficiency.
ENERGY BALANCE OF IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE
In ideal Rankine cycle, all the processes are reversible. We consider the processes in
the turbine pump, condenser and boiler as steady flow processes.

By applying the First Law of thermodynamics to isentropic expansion in turbine

u1 + p1v1 + c12/ 2 + z1g + Q = u2 + p2v2 + c22/ 2 + z2g + W

Where,
u – Internal energy; pv – Displacement energy;
c2/ 2 – Kinetic energy; zg – Potential energy;
Q – Heat Transfer; W – The work output
 ENERGY BALANCE OF IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE

The change in K.E and P.E are negligible, then the equation becomes;
h1 + Q = h2 + W
W = h1 – h2 where (Q = 0)

So, WT = h1 – h2 - work of turbine per kg of steam

Heat rejection in condenser – Q2 = h2 – h3 ; Work input to pump - WP = h4 – h3
Heat supplied in boiler – Q1 = h1 – h4

The thermal ideal efficiency of Rankine Cycle is

(𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡) (𝑊𝑇 − 𝑊𝑃 )
𝜂𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑒 = ൘(𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑) = ൗ𝑄
1

(ℎ1 −ℎ2 ) − (ℎ4 −ℎ3 )

𝜂𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑒 = ൘(ℎ −ℎ )
1 4