GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF POWER PLANT OPERATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION:
Operating procedures vary with unit size, design, system requirement etc. However, certain steps or procedures are common with almost every type of boiler, turbine and generator.

1.2 SAFETY:
Operation Engineers should Ensure safe working condition. Use himself and provide other necessary protective equipment to operating staff. Assign employees the jobs which they are capable of doing safely. Study and understand the safety procedures mentioned in operation manual and other relevant documents. Take immediate steps to correct any violation of safety rules. Investigate every accident and report to the concerned authorities. Be familiar with relevant safety regulations like Factories Act, Boilers Act etc. Ensure the provision of first aid box in the work place and should themselves know how to give first aid. Permit to work system Operation of thermal power plants involve dealing with vessels and pipes carrying fluids of high temperature and pressure, hazardous chemicals electricity of different voltage levels, rotating equipments etc. Therefore, a well planned permit to work (PTW) system must be followed strictly to ensure safety during work on any equipment or system.

It must be noted that All equipments, in service are available, are under the custody of operation section. Maintenance section has to request in writing the operation section for clearance to work on any equipment or system. Operation section must isolate the equipment and place proper tags so that the workmen are not exposed to any hazard. It is the responsibility of the operation section to deliver the equipment to the maintenance section in such a condition that no hazard is faced by the work men during work. Before issuing any PTW the operation engineer should ensure that the persons collecting/requesting PTW are fully familiar with the job and understand the associated systems, if any. All PTWs must be issued in writing in prescribed forms and all copies of PTW must be signed both at receipt and at clearance. PTWs should be issued between specified hours only. Before receiving back any PTW, the operation engineer must ensure personally that the job has been carried out as schedule and there is no danger in charging the equipment/system. Fire protection The operation engineer must be familiar that the fire prevention and protection systems provided in the plant. Should know his responsibility clearly if a fire breaks out. Should be able to lead the other operating staff in fire fighting operation till the fire brigade or others concerned take over. House keeping Operating engineers should: Be aware of the importance of cleanliness and proper house keeping inside the plant.

Ensure all floors, steps, stairs, passages are kept free from any obstruction and foreign substances likely to cause a person to slip. Ensure that no combustible or hazardous material is lying unattended in the plant. Ensure that the fire fighting equipment and emergency exits are conspicuously marked and are not obstructed by anything. Ensure that adequate lighting has been provided in the work areas.

1.3 ROLE OF OPERATION ENGINEER IN THERMAL POWER STATION

The operation engineer is meant to ensure: Safety of equipment and personnel Reliability of supply, and Generation of energy at economic cost. His responsibility is to: Start up the equipment in a safe and systematic manner. Connect the unit to the transmission network in a proper manner so that the consumer can draw power. Watch the equipment to ensure its run under safe working conditions. Adjust the different control inputs, like fuel, air, water makeup to match the electrical output of the unit. Maintain proper cooling of the different bearing surfaces, by assuring lubrication and heat dissipation by cooling. Maintain salient levels in the different subsystems. Maintain the specified pressure and temperature and levels at various points. Normally, automatic devices are provided but the operation engineers should be able to intervene and modulate the control to maintain the parameters within the specified limits. Maintain proper chemical conditions and concentrations.

Watch the mechanical behaviors of all moving equipment-noise, vibration, bearing lubrication, cooling, control valves and dampers etc. 1.4 UNIT OPERATION Unit system is the trend of the day. An unit consists of a boiler, a turbine (single or multicylinder) and a generator coupled with turbine along with their auxiliaries and subsystems. The unit is, infact, a self contained power station in its own right, and on load produces the power to drive its own auxiliaries via its unit transformer. The main functions of unit operation are: i. ii. iii. Starting and loading On load activity Off loading and shut down.

1.4.1 Unit Start Up and Loading STAGE-1: Preparation (Pre-start checks, ensuring availability of fuel and Other essential services) STAGE-2 : pressure raising on boiler STAGE-3 : putting turbine on barring gear STAGE-4 : steam admission to turbine and running it to speed STAGE-5 : synchronizing and loading. 1.4.1.1 STAGE-1 Preparation for unit operation involve the following: Checking supplies Checking availability of services. Investigation of permit to work (PTW) system. The supplies include: Fuel (coal & oil) Cooling water

Service water DM water Chemicals for water treatment plant Lubricating oils and greases CO2, Hydrogen The services include: Electric supply availability Water treatment plant availability Compressed air (or Instrument air) availability Ash and dust disposal system availability Fire fighting system availability Coal handling plant availability Investigation of PTW involves: Investigation of permits issued and returned Identifying the plants and systems disturbed during maintenance, this will enable the operation staff to exercise special care when recommissioning such items. 1.4.1.2 STAGE-2 Pressure raising on boilers Pressure raising on boiler involves the following activities in boiler and turbine sides. Before engaging into the activities mentioned below, it is necessary that pre-start inspection and check has been carried out in each equipment and system. For example: Sensors, gauges, recorders correctly set up for monitoring All boiler access and inspection doors shut All soot blowers fully retracted Ash hoppers door shut, ash hopper seal full

No obstruction to free boiler expansion Precipitator inspected and ready Draft system (ID, FD fans, dampers) thoroughly checked Pre-start checks carried out for ID, FD fans, feed pumps, chemical dosing pumps, mills, air heater etc.

Boiler activities
Fill boiler and obtain level indication Charge boiler ring main. 2 corner burners cracked on recirculation Start both APH (air pre-heaters) Start ID fan Start FD fan with 30% air flow Complete PURGING of the boiler Light the boiler with oil burners and establish circulation (Recently, in some boilers arrangement has been made for direct firing of coal. In these boilers oil burners have been replaced by special coal-ignition burners) Regulate firing, drains and wents for metal tempeature control and raise pressure IF HP/LP Bypass is available take into system. This will ease reheater metal temperature control. At high pressure main p.f. burner may also taken into service. Monitor water/steam quality and act according to chemists instructions. Turbine activities Establish CW flow through condenser Fill hot well, start extraction pump Fill deaerator Prime and start stand by feed pump Prime HP feed system

It may be noted that the some activities mentioned above can be performed simultaneously (parallel), some one after another. 1.4.1.3 STAGE-3 Putting Turbine on Barring Gear i. ii. iii. Turbine oil system Aux CW system Generator system

Turbine oil system Turbine main oil tank has enough oil and high and low level alarms are working Commission oil purifier, check oil flow through sight glasses Check pump automatic start-up sequence Start jacking oil pump and AC flushing pump Start the exhauster fans Auxiliaries CW system Aux. CW pump run up Priming aux CW system (This system includes cooling water for pumps bearings oils and other coolers)

Generator systems
Commissioning seal oil system Run AC seal oil pump. Control seal pressure manually. Inspect seal oil return sight glasses. Excessive or very low oil flow shows seal malfunctioning. Wait till turbine is put on barring gear for some time allowing the seals to realign. Gassing up Replace air with CO2

Admit H2 till 25% purity is obtained Raise gas pressure to designed value Gassing up operation take long hours (5-6 hours). So may also be done after putting the turbine on barring gear Observe safety regulation strictly during Gassing/Degassing procedure. Commissioning stator water system Run stator water pump intermittently and vent after each run. The system thus is primed and presurised Check leakages in the system and monitor pressure differential across stator inlet and outlet Monitor water quality (mainly conductivity) Putting turbine on barring gear Lubrication oil pressure should be satisfactory Jacking oil pressure should be satisfactory Engage barring gear with the main turbine shaft Start barring motor/Admit pressurised oil to gear turning mechanism 1.4.1.4 STAGE-4

Steam admission to turbine and running it to rated speed

Ensure that pre-start check has been carried out on:Turbine valves and lines for steam admission. Gland packing and vaccum system Exhausthood spray and flange heating sperm L.P feed system Turbine protection devices ACTIVITIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Testing of steam valves

Emergency stop valves (ESV) of HP and IPT cylinders are to be open and their closure should be checked by hand trip. This is most important for protection of plant and personnel. Drainage regulation On many modern installations main and reheater drains are thermostatically controlled and close automatically when the desired temperaure is achieved. In manual operation usually the drains are not shut until a substantial flow is passing through the associated pipe work. Substantial quantities of valuable water and heat will be lost due to prolonged drainage. General procedure is to close the leg drins when temperature in legs is 50C above saturation temperature at that pressure. Note that reheat steam drain must be routed to condenser flash box if vacuum process has already been started. Vacuum raising and gland steam system Methods of applying gland steam and raising vacuum vary according to size, manfacturer, etc. Sequence could be: Seal glands and then raise vacuum, or Raise vacuum to a certain value and then apply gland steam, or Apply gland steam and commisioning vacuum raising equipment simultqneously. Warming The turbine is to be warmed before it can be run up to rated speed. Warming is done by admittinmg steam in the turbine. The quality and quantity of steam depends on the size of the machine and on temperature difference between the machine metals and steam. The mass of metal in turbine rotor is less that of stator. So, when steam is admitted in expansion between rotor and cylinder is termed as differential and should be near zero to maintain axial clearence of blades and glands. To active this the turbine is heated slowly and uniformly. Apart from limiting differential expantion it also reduces chance of high stress and distortion. In order to heat the machine uniformly the temperature and quantity of steam must be raised uniformly at a rate suggested by the manufacturer.

Also to reduce the amount of differential expantion and the stresses imposed on bolts and flanges, the flange heating system is provided. The methods of applying flange heating steam may vary to suit individual design. Rolling Of various methods of turbine rolling, the two common methods are as follows: Soakiong method: In this method, the machine is given a soaking time just before the critical speeds, in a typical example, the turbine is rolled to 500 rpm. And this speed for 15 minutes. Again at 2000 rpm. The machine is held for 45 minutes and then at 3000 rpm. A soaking time of 30 minutes is given. Constant acceleration method: The machine is rolled and speed is increased at a consant rate from 0 to 3000 rpm. The acceleration rate should be as per manufacturers guidance. With modern throttled governed turbines a combination of above two methods are also used. During the entire rolling period the turbovisory equipments should be carefully monitored. Turbovisory equipments are: Differential expantion detector Eccentrical recorder Total expantion recorder Tachometer Vibration recorder