A

SYNOPSIS
ON

POWER GENERATION IN THERMAL POWER PLANT

SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

SESSION:-2014-2015
IN THE GUIDENCE OF
SUBMITTED TO

SUBMITTED BY

ER. HARPREET SINGH

SANDEEP GUPTA

[HOD.OF ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT]

(11EIAEE089)

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

NORTH EXTENSION , M.I.A, ALWAR (301030)

POWER GENERATION IN THERMAL POWER STATION

INTRODUCTION
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from other sources
of primary energy. Electricity is a convenient form of energy. Thermal power plants
convert the energy in coal to Electricity A Thermal Power Plant converts the heat energy
of coal into electrical energy. Coal is burnt in a boiler which converts water into steam.
The expansion of steam in turbine produces mechanical power which drives the
alternator coupled to the turbine.Thermal Power Plants contribute maximum to the
generation of Power for any country . Thermal Power Plants constitute 75.43% of the
total installed captive and non-captive power generation in India . In thermal generating
stations coal, oil, natural gas etc. are employed as primary sources of energy.
Thermal power generation plant or thermal power station is the most conventional source
of electric power. Thermal power plant is also referred as coal thermal power plant and
steam turbine power plant. Before going into detail of this topic, we will try to understand
the line diagram of electric power generation plant.

NEED FOR THERMAL POWER GENERATION

Scarcity of water resources: Water resources are not abundantly available and are
geographically unevenly distributed.
Maintenance: Once installed, these require less maintenance costs and on repairs.
Coal is abundant: Coal is available in excess quantities in India and is rich form of
energy available at relatively lower cost.
Working fluid remains within the system, and need not be replaced every time thus
simplifies the process.

COMPONENTS USED OF POWER GENERATION IN THERMAL

POWER PLANT
1. Coal handling plant
2. Pulverizing plant
3. Draft fans
4. Boiler
5. Ash handling plant
6. Turbine
7. Condenser
8. Cooling towers and ponds
9. Feed water heater
10. Economiser
11. Superheater and Reheater
12. Air preheater

WORKING PRINCIPLE
Steam is vaporized water and can be produced at 100C at standard atmosphere.
Steam most often refers to the visible white mist that condenses above boiling water as
the hot vapor mixes with the cooler air.
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid or air flow and converts it
into useful work.
An electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A
generator forces electrons in the windings to flow through the external electrical circuit.
It is somewhat analogous to a water pump, which creates a flow of water but does not
create the water inside.
A boiler or steam generator is used wherever a source of steam is required.

Detailed process of power generation in a thermal power plant

1. Water intake:

Firstly, water is taken into the boiler through a water source. If water is available in a
plenty in the region, then the source is an open pond or river. If water is scarce, then it is
recycled and the same water is used over and over again.
2. Boiler heating:
The boiler is heated with the help of oil, coal or natural gas. A furnace is used to heat the
fuel and supply the heat produced to the boiler. The increase in temperature helps in the
transformation of water into steam.
3. Steam Turbine:
The steam generated in the boiler is sent through a steam turbine. The turbine has blades
that rotate when high velocity steam flows across them. This rotation of turbine blades is
used to generate electricity.
4. Generator:
A generator is connected to the steam turbine. When the turbine rotates, the generator
produces electricity which is then passed on to the power distribution systems.
5. Special mountings:
There is some other equipment like the economizer and air pre-heater. An economizer
uses the heat from the exhaust gases to heat the feed water. An air pre-heater heats the air
sent into the combustion chamber to improve the efficiency of the combustion process.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THERMAL POWER

GENERATION
Advantages

The fuel used is quite cheap.

Less initial cost as compared to other generating plants.

It requires less space as compared to Hydro power plants.

Cost of generation is less than that of diesel power plants.

Disadvantages

It pollutes the atmosphere due to production of large amount of smoke and fumes.

It is costlier in running cost as compared to hydroelectric plants.

A large number of circuits makes the design complex.

CONCLUSIONS
At present, thermal power generation accounts for approximately 70% of the total
amount of electricity produced around the world. To improve the efficiency of thermal
power generation, it is of vital importance that the temperature of the steam or gas used
to rotate the turbines is raised.

REFERENCES
1. First and second lectures by S. Banerjee on "Thermal Power Plants"
2. British

Electricity

International

(1991).Modern

Power

Station

Practice:

incorporating modern power system practice (3rd Edition (12 volume set) ed.).
Pergamon. ISBN 0-08-040510-X.
3. Babcock & Wilcox Co. (2005).Steam: Its Generation and Use (41st edition
ed.). ISBN 0-9634570-0-4.