In this article, I will share of the important factors that should be considered before selecting a site for a steam power plant.
This is a very crucial process when it comes to erecting a steam power plant since it contributes to the smooth functioning of the power plant.
One should not think of the design of the steam power plant if the site hasn’t been considered.
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When it comes to the site selection of the steam power plants, it should happen in such a way that it favors its operation.
Everything needed for the functionality of the steam power plant should be around.
Without wasting so much time on it, let me share what you should know when it comes to the site selection of a steam power plant.
These are the factors to be considered while selecting the site for a steam power plant;
1. The distance from coal mines.
This is the first factor that should be considered when it comes to site selection of a steam power plant.
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What you have to know is that coal is mostly the main type of fuel that is used in the boiler unit to generate the steam needed to drive the steam turbines.
Therefore, the steam power plant uses a large amount of coal for it to continue generating electricity.
With the large quantity of coal needed, it will be convenient if the site selected for the steam power plant is closer to the coal mines.
This is what will make the process of transporting the fuel to the power plant super easy, and quick and it will save on the cost of transportation.
The cost of transportation is going to decrease significantly because the coal won’t need to be transported through longer distances to get to the steam power plant.
If the steam power plant for several reasons won’t be located near the coal mines, the infrastructure should be well developed.
There should be rails or roads that are in great condition that connect directly to the steam power plant.
This will ensure that the coal from the mines can be easily transported without any problems thus keeping the operation of the steam power plant progressing easily.
With the ease of movement of coal from the mines to the steam power plant, it will save the plant a huge cost thus decreasing its operational cost.
2. The distance from the load center.
The distance from the load center of the steam power plant is another factor that should be considered.
The load center of the steam power plant also plays a big role when it comes to the reduction of installation and design costs of the steam power plant.
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The distance from the load center to the steam power plant should be close.
So, before thinking of erecting the steam power plant, one should survey the area where the power is going to be distributed.
The distance from the load center being close is going to reduce the cost of purchasing many and longer transmission lines and it will also reduce power losses.
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For the steam power plant to operate under a high efficiency, energy losses, be it heat or electricity should be completely reduced.
The steam power plant being closer to the load center is one of the factors that will ensure a high efficiency is achieved.
3. Availability of water.
Water is needed in large quantities in a steam power plant because it’s what keeps it functional.
The steam is needed in large quantities to drive the steam turbines for the energy generation to happen.
This won’t be possible without having a large quantity of water available.
When selecting the site of a steam power plant, this is one of the factors that should be put into consideration.
The site selected should be closer to an area that offers access to a large quantity of water.
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It will be advantageous if the water source provides pure water, but if the water available contains impurities, it will need treatment.
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Water treatment also comes with its own cost.
The water requirement in a steam power plant is huge, it can be about 560×103Kg for every tonne of coal burnt.
It will be best if the power plant can be located close to a large water body.
So, when selecting a site for a steam power plant this is one of the key factors that should be put into consideration.
4. Ash disposal management.
When a large amount of coal is burnt, a large amount of ash is produced.
The site selected for the steam power plant has to provide easy ash disposal management of the ash produced.
As long as the power plant is in operation, ash will always be produced.
After the ash has been handled, it will need to be disposed of immediately so that the ash removal can keep on going.
The site selected should have a large area where the ash can be disposed of. This will save time and money.
The ash handling situation is another hectic issue that the personnel in the steam power plant will have to handle.
If it is easier to manage the ash disposal then it’s going to improve the smooth operation of the steam power plant.
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5. Distance from the highly populated area.
The steam power plant should be located far away from a densely populated area.
When selecting the site of the steam power plant one should ensure that this is well taken care of.
The coal that is burnt so as to produce the heat energy that will be used to generate steam will always produce smoke and other harmful gasses that will pollute the environment.
The gasses from the steam power plant may be treated but that air may not be completely safe for the human respiratory system.
Its treatment will only help to ensure that the atmosphere is not completely polluted by these gasses, but that doesn’t mean that this air is as clean as the natural one.
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The only way to ensure that people are safe from the dangers of respiratory issues is by ensuring that the power plant is located far away from densely populated areas.
Also, the steam power plant being far away from the densely populated area will ensure that there is enough space available for any future expansion.
If the power demands are going to increase the steam power plant will need to increase its expansion to allow new machinery to be installed.
When the site is closer to a highly populated area, the expansion is going to be impossible to happen.
6. The capacity of the site to support the heavy machinery.
In the steam power plant, heavy machinery will be installed. The generators that are going to be used will need a strong foundation.
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One can construct the foundation of the power plant, but its strength will mainly depend on the properties of the soil present at the site.
So, before the site is selected the site should be evaluated keenly to ensure that its soil has the right properties to support the heavy machineries that are going to be used.
It should be a land that can handle the stresses of the machine vibrations without destroying the structure of the land.
If the site selected can’t handle the heavy machines that will be installed in the steam power plant, the risk of process disruption is going to be inevitable.
Lastly…
These are the factors that should be considered when selecting a site for a steam power plant erection.
All the points I have discussed in this article will help ensure that the processes in the steam power plant are going to be smooth and effective.
The site selection of the steam power plant is only the start, there are many things that will need to be done before the power plant is erected.
The design of the steam power plant is also another issue that the engineers will have to consider deeply before erecting the power plant.
Its design should align with what the land has provided or else there will be no steam power plant that will be erected.
Thanks for reading, if you have any points you would like me to add to this article, feel free to reach out to me.
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