Thermal Analysis of Steam Turbine Power Plants

Abstract

Steam are a major energy consumer. Optimising process operating conditions can considerably improve turbine water rate, which in turn will significantly reduce energy requirement. Various operating parameters affect condensing and back pressure turbine steam consumption and efficiency. The industrial sector is the largest energy consumer, accounting for about 30 % of total energy used. Fuel and energy prices are continuously rising. With the present trend of energy prices and scarcity of hydrocarbon resources lowering energy requirement is a top priority. Energy conservation benefits depend on the adopting minor or major modifications and using the latest technology. Turbines are designed for a particular operating conditions like steam inlet pressure, steam inlet temperature and turbine exhaust pressure/ exhaust vacuum, which affects the performance of the turbines in a significant way. Variations in these parameters affects the steam consumption in the turbines and also the turbine efficiency. The present study was done to improve the power output of the turbine, thermal efficiency and specific steam consumption in conventional steam power plants. Three cycles i.e regenerative cycle, superheater cycle and cogeneration cycle are considered to formulate the data and obtain a better result in steam turbine power plants.