Memorandum

UHME Electric Company

To:

Dr. S. H. Super, Project Director

From:

Jeffrey Oshiro, Junior Engineer, J.C.O.

Date:

2/28/2014

Re:

PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A STEAM POWER GENERATOR

Please find attached the preliminary design for the new steam power generator. This design uses 4
turbines, 2 reheat processes, 2 closed feedwater heaters, and 1 open feedwater heater. The
maximum pressure, Pmax, is 28 MPa. The maximum temperature, Tmax, is 600C. The turbines and
pumps have and efficiency of 95% To produce 120 MW the mass flow rate at the inlet of the first
turbine stage should be 68.756 kg/s and the mass flow rate of the cooling water should be 1658.5
kg/s. The thermal efficiency, , is 51.95% and the back work ratio, bwr, is 0.0250.

Introduction
The Assignment: The goal of this project is to perform a preliminary design of a steam power generator which delivers 120 MW
of power for the Development Department of the UHME Electric Company. This assignment requires the application of
techniques learned in thermodynamics, including superheat, reheat, and regeneration. The heat source for the power plant is
primarily fossil fuels, but alternative heat sources are under consideration. The cooling water is taken from the sea next to the
power plant, which has an average temperature of 16 C.
The restrictions considered for this design are as follows.
1) The maximum temperature and pressure in the system should not exceed 600 C and 28 MPa.
2) Reheat must be included, but not more than three times. Reheat only once is the maximum pressure is 8 MPa, no
more than twice is the maximum pressure is between 8 and 16 MPa, and at most three times if the maximum
pressure exceeds 16 MPa. Extraction of steam at the inlet of any turbine is not allowed.
3) Temperature of the steam after each reheating should be lower than the previous stage heating by at least 20 C. The
enthalpy increase at each reheating must be at least 400 kJ/kg.
4) Steam quality lower than 95% is not allowed in the turbines. A liquid-vapor mixture with a quality of less than 99% is
required at the inlet of the condenser.
5) The design must include at least three feedwater heaters and all the feedwater heaters should be operated at
pressures higher than 1 bar (0.1 MPa). Both open and closed feedwater heaters must be used. Open feedwater
heaters and mixing chambers are not allowed for pressures higher than 1 MPa.
6) A maximum of two extractions is allowed between two heat addition or removal processes to avoid too much
decrease in the power production in a turbine.
7) The pressure difference between two closed feedwater heaters must be at least 2 MPa, and between a closed
feedwater heater and an open feedwater heater must be at least 1 MPa. Pumps are not allowed between two closed
feedwater heaters and between a closed feedwater heater and the boiler.
8) The mass flow rate of each extraction should be between 6 % and 14 % of the maximum flow rate, and the total
extraction must not exceed 35% of the maximum flow rate. The minimum extraction is reduced to 2 % if the
feedwater heater receives steam from another feedwater heater.
9) The isentropic efficiencies of the turbines and pumps shall be between 85 ~ 95 %.
10) The overall thermal efficiency is required to be higher than 45 %.
11) The temperature of the feedwater at the exit of any closed feedwater heater must be lower than the temperature of
the condensate that leaves the same closed feedwater heater by at least 5 C. The temperature of the feedwater at
the inlet of the boiler should not exceed 300 C.
12) The maximum temperature of the cooling water should not be higher than 35 C and the mass flow rate of the cooling
water should not exceed 1900 kg/s.
The motivation this work and these requirements and restrictions is to design a power plant that produces sufficient
electricity to meet consumer demands while having reasonable start-up and maintenance costs. Restrictions are also in place
to limit the impact the operation has on the environment.
This design uses 4 turbines, 2 reheat processes, 2 closed feedwater heaters, and 1 open feedwater heater. The
efficiency of all the turbines is 95%. The efficiency of all the pumps is 95%. Steam enters the first turbine stage at 28 MPa,
600C and expands to 10 MPa. A portion of the flow is diverted to a closed feedwater heater at 10 Mpa, and the remainder is
reheated to 580C before entering the second stage turbine. Expansion through the second turbine occurs to 3 MPa, where a
portion of the flow is diverted to a closed feedwater heater at 3 MPa. The remainder third stage turbine where it expands to
0.5 MPa. A portion of this flow is diverted to an open feedwater heater operating at 0.5 MPa. The remaining flow is reheated
again to 560C before entering the fourth turbine stage where it expands to the condenser pressure of 6 KPa. Condensate
leaves each closed feedwater heater as a saturated liquid at the respective extraction pressure and traps into the next lowerpressure feedwater heater. Saturated liquid exits the open feedwater heater and is pumped to the steam generator pressure.
Feedwater exits the first and second closed feedwater heater at 240C and 200C, respectively.
Schematic of Design, T-s Diagram, and Thermodynamic Analysis (see attached)
Discussion and Conclusion
The advantage to this design is that it meets or exceeds the requirements of the assignment. It provides 120 MW of
power, has a thermal efficiency of 51.95 %, and the mass flow rate of the cooling water is 1658.5 kg/s. However, there are
disadvantages to this design. First, it requires the highest efficiency turbines and pumps which may be more expensive than

lower efficiency devices. The three reheat processes require more plumbing materials for assembly. Third, the raise in
temperature for the cooling water is at the limit set by the environmental restrictions.
The initial start-up costs of this design, however high it may be, should be offset by the long-term savings accrued
during the operation lifespan of this power plant. Therefore, it is recommended that this design be adopted by the company.
The design provides the specified power of 120 MW at a greater thermal efficiency than the required 45 % while meeting the
financial and environmental restrictions.