In this article, I will share with you the characteristics of a steam power plant.
For a steam power plant to be effective and reliable, it has to possess the characteristics I will discuss in this article.
A steam power plant lacking these characteristics will not be fit for use in any area.
You can also look at these characteristics as the requirements of a steam power plant.
Without wasting time, let me share with you these characteristics so that these characteristics with you they are.
These are the characteristics of a steam power plant;
1. The steam power plant should have a higher efficiency.
This is one of the characteristics of a steam power plant.
The steam power plant designed should operate under higher efficiencies.
There is no debate about that. The higher the efficiency of the steam power plant, the more effective it will be.
So, if a steam power plant is designed with lower efficiency, it won’t be fit for use.
What you should know is that there is a moment when the electrical demand is going to rise.
When that happens, the steam power plant won’t be able to meet the peak load.
The efficiency of the steam power plant depends on so many things, but in general, I can tell you that for it to have higher efficiency, the input should be utilized to the fullest giving a higher output.
The heat losses in the steam power plant should be minimized by all means, generating units of higher efficiencies should be installed, and distribution and transmission losses should be reduced.
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These are some of the practices that can ensure that the steam power plant operates with high efficiency.
So, if a steam power plant doesn’t have this characteristic (higher efficiency), it will be rendered unfit for use.
The higher efficiency of the steam power plant is to be nailed to the point by ensuring the design and equipment installation are done flawlessly.
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2. The cost of the entire steam power plant should be lower.
If you have been reading my articles on the topic of the power plant, you now know that I always say that the initial cost of the power plant should be lower.
It doesn’t matter the kind of power plant you are thinking of erecting, it should have a lower cost.
The cost of the steam power plant plays a big role when it comes to the cost of electrical energy generation.
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If the initial investment of the power plant is higher, so will the generation of electrical energy.
There is no way you can escape that.
So, the steam power plant should have a lower capital to make it easier to manage it.
The running and management cost of the steam power plant should be lower if the power plant is to survive and bring profit.
We are all in for a business with profits but not losses.
This is one of the characteristics that a steam power plant should fulfil for it to be effective and efficient.
3. The steam power plant should have an effective burning system.
This is another essential characteristic of a steam power plant that it should possess.
The steam power plant should have effective burning equipment that operates with high efficiency.
The entire steam power plant depends on the heat energy produced by the furnace to make it functional.
If there is a mess in the furnace, this would render the entire steam power plant useless.
Quality steam needs to be generated to drive the steam turbines to be able to produce the energy.
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The burning equipment should effectively burn coal of high and low energy value (calorific value) to produce the needed heat energy to generate the steam.
It shouldn’t only work effectively with coal of higher grades but also with inferior coal.
This is what will ensure that the steam power plant is always operational and provides the required load to the consumers without disruptions.
The installation of the furnace of the steam power plant should be well thought of.
Thorough research should be done to ensure that its installation will facilitate the proper burning of the fuel.
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The burning equipment is an essential part of the steam power plant that should be well-checked before any installation is done.
It should also ensure that it manages the ash effectively without any problems to make the feeding of the fuel easier.
This is another characteristic of a steam power plant that will make it effective.
4. The steam power plant should minimize air pollution.
With coal as the primary fuel being used by the steam power plant, air pollution is going to be a chronic problem.
For the safety of the environment, personnel and the people living near the steam power plant, it should minimize air pollution.
This is another essential characteristic that will boost the safety of the steam power plant operation.
You don’t want problems with the environmental officers when operating a power plant.
The flue gasses coming out of the stack should be treated to minimize air pollution.
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Also, the waste heat from the flue gasses should be minimized by passing it through the economizer, air preheater and superheater.
Apart from minimizing air pollution, the heat losses in the steam power plant will also be minimized.
5. The steam power plant should minimize water consumption.
The steam power plant uses water to run most of its processes. The steam is generated from heating water in the boiler or the steam generator.
A large amount of water is needed, and that is why when it comes to its installation, the engineers have to ensure that it’s close to an area where there is a large quantity of water.
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I know the steam power plant uses water, but it should do that sparingly.
For the steam power plant to possess this characteristic, it must ensure that water losses are minimized.
The bled steam should be reused in the boiler. The hot water from the condenser should be cooled and reused in cooling.
Effective cooling towers are needed to ensure that there is effective cooling of the condensate.
Leakages of boiler feed water should be stopped by all means if the consumption of water is to be minimized.
The steam distribution lines should be fixed if they are leaking to minimize the consumption of water and maintain the higher efficiency of the power plant.
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If a steam power plant won’t be able to minimize the consumption of water, it will end up increasing the running cost, thus making it unfit for use where the budget is limited.
Lower consumption of water is another characteristic that a steam power plant should adopt if it’s to run effectively.
6. The steam power plant should be reliable and available.
The steam power plant is built to provide electrical energy to the consumers.
This power plant should be reliable and available. It has to run continuously throughout the year.
For the steam power plant to be reliable it has to be able to supply the needed,d load, meet up the peak demands without any issues and be able to stay functional during harsh conditions like water shortages.
The design of the steam power plant should ensure that the power plant doesn’t lag when it comes to the provision of electrical energy to the consumers.
If it’s about distribution, the transmission lines should be well-designed to handle the load being supplied.
Several generating units of different capacities should be installed to ensure the load curve is handled without issues.
The steam power plant should be available whenever it’s needed; this is what will make it effective and reliable.
There are a lot of ways to make the steam power plant reliable and available, and this all goes to the design, installation and running it.
Lastly…
I believe I have shared much about the characteristics of a steam power plant and why a power plant must possess them.
These characteristics will allow the steam power plant to run effectively without problems.
If a steam power plant is installed and it doesn’t have any of these characteristics, running it will be hard.
All the points I have shared about the characteristics are necessary for the smooth operation of the power plant.
Some of these characteristics will be boosted by the maintenance of the power plant.
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions about what; have shared in this article just leave a comment. See you in my n, next article.
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