In this article, I will share the requirements of a base load power plant.
If you have no idea what a base load power plant is, then you should pay attention to this; power plants always work at different load factors.
The power plants used to supply the load of the base portion of the load curve are called base load power plants.
Good examples of base load power plants are hydroelectric power plant stations and the nuclear power plant station.
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The base load power plants run throughout the year without issues and they are very effective.
These power plant stations are usually of a large capacity, and they run at a high load factor which makes produce maximum energy by using the input efficiently.
Now that you have an idea of a base load power play,nt let me now share the requirements.
These are the requirements of a base load power plant;
1. Its initial capital should be low.
This is the first requirement that a base load power plant should fulfil.
Just like any other power plant station, the requirements are similar to each other.
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The base load power plant should use low capital for its erection though it’s likely going to be a big unit of the power station.
So, there is a need for the engineers to sit down and think of a design for the base load power plant that isn’t going to cost so much money.
Erecting a base load power plant station with less expenditure it’s going to make the rest of the cost of the power plant station to be lower.
Also, with a lower budget for its erection, the saved amount can be used further to develop another important aspect of the base load power plant station, like getting effective cables for power transmission.
2. It should be able to supply loads continuously.
I said earlier that base load power plant stations run throughout the year.
The power plant should be able to run throughout the year and continuously supply the load effectively.
So, when designing the base load power plant station, this is something that should be considered.
For the base load power plant to supply load continuously, it will need magnificent pieces of equipment that won’t wear easily with time.
The equipment will also need to be maintained for this to happen. When coming up with the base load power plant station, one has to know that it’s going to keep on working continuously throughout the year.
This is to ensure that the demands of the consumers are met without any problems.
Considering that it will always run at a high load factor.
3. The operation cost of the base load power plant should be low.
Though the base load power plant station is supposed to run throughout the year, the cost of operation has to be low.
That is another important requirement of a base load power plant.
Think about this; if the base load power plant is going to run throughout the ye, ar yet its cost of operation is higher, will anyone be able to keep this power station running?
The power plant station has to operate at a low cost if it has to run throughout and supply load constantly.
This will give room for the personnel to effectively keep the base load power plant station alive throughout the year without any financial constraints.
Also, with the operation cost being lower, the base load power plant is going to be profitable.
4. The maintenance cost of the base load power plant should be low.
The maintenance cost of the base load power plant should be low.
If the base load power plant station is going to run continuously throughout the year, the maintenance has to be lower for it to survive.
When the cost of maintenance of any power plant station is lower, there is a chance of improving their performance significantly.
The useful life of the power plant station fades with time, meaning the components installed will only be effective for a certain period and for them to keep on working at their highest peak, they need to be maintained.
The steam turbine has a useful life of 5 to 20 years, transformers 15 to 20 years, transmission lines 10 to 20 years, coal and ash machinery 10 to 20 years and stacks with a useful life of 10 to 30 years.
The above information is just to show you that maintenance is the only thing that is going to keep the power plant running for longer.
If the maintenance won’t be done simply because it’s expensive, the power plant station is doomed to fail.
If the maintenance is going to be cheaper, the base load power plant is always going to be effective.
That is the main reason behind the base load power plant maintenance requirement cost to be low.
Lastly…
The requirements of the base load power plant station are just similar to the requirements of any power plant station.
The emphasis only comes in because this type of power plant station runs at a high load factor.
The erection of a base load power plant is usually huge; to lower the expenditure, the capital is kept considerably lower.
If you have any questions about the base load power plant station and its requirements, just leave a comment. Thank you for reading, see you in my next article.
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