Enhancement of Performance, Monitoring

& Diagnostics

Technological Development
Health monitoring
Maximizing efficiency
Advance communication system
Regulatory and environmental issues

Technological Development
Technological Development considerations from an O&M standpoint that
may influence decisions on the environmental or energy management
program;
Will the new technology increase / decrease required O&M expenditure?
Has this been taken into consideration in the financial calculation?
Is there a baseline on the O&M expenditure to compare results on a pilot
program? Can results be continually monitored into the future as the
program is deployed?
Do the proposed improvements have any safety-related concerns to
consider?
Have all possible technologies been considered from an unbiased
perspective (i.e. is the new technology and financial calculation being
provided by someone related to that product?).

Technological Development
Will the new products being considered have a positive or
negative affect on current conditions for staff or for the
clients?
Is there an educational component / training required to be
considered along with the improvements being considered?
Has that cost been included in the financial calculation?
The effect of new technology deployment on other systems of
power plant.
Have environmental effect and other statutory requirement
have been considered
What will be effect on spare requirement/ inventory.

Technological Development
The underlying technology of generators has not changed
appreciably since the 1900s. The basic principal of a rotating
flux produced by a DC current circulating in the rotor and
generating an AC voltage is unchanged. Improved materials
as well as enhanced monitoring, assessment and design tools
have facilitated improved reliability and efficiency.
Generator shafts were typically manufactured from a forging
with a material similar to ASME 668 as a single piece shaft.
Early casting technology limited the economic diameter of
the shafts to around 36 inches. As technology developed,
larger diameter and better quality of shafts were possible
allowing integral thrust runners.

Technological Development
By the 1930s most designs utilized enclosed air housings
with air coolers that utilized RCW heat exchangers as the
heat sink. Electrical insulation technology has seen
improvements that allow for longer life and operation at
higher temperatures, with higher reliability, and equivalent
insulation levels with less material.
Now A.C. Generators particularly the synchronous type can
be designed for high generation voltage (upto 33 KV) and for
large rating as high as 1250 MW. The voltage can be stepped
up to about 1200 KV using transformer for transfer of power
from one place to another by high voltage transmission links.

Technological Development
The most significant improvement in efficiency and output of the
generator (PPL) may be realized by a stator and rotor rewind to an epoxy
based system rated class F. Lower loss windings with increased copper
cross-sectional area and improved insulating materials with better heat
transfer and higher temperature tolerance will increase the life of the unit
and provide higher output. Low loss steel core laminations will reduce
core losses. Any evaluation to uprate the unit by rewinding must also
consider the generator structural components, including the core, frame
and rotor to ensure that these components can withstand the additional
torques and stresses associated with the increase in power.
Increasing air flow with improved heat transfer characteristics can
improve life expectancy or MVA rating. An approximate rule is that
electrical insulation life is decreased by one-half for each 10 degree C
rise above the rated value for that insulation class.

Technological Development
With the advent of Super-critical cycles, there exists a possibility
of using more stages of feed water heating , thus improving cycle
efficiency & loading on individual heaters. We see that such
cycles typically have EIGHT Heaters, with Three HP Heaters &
Four LP Heaters. The feed water Temperature is raised to around
290 Deg.C & possibility exists to optimize it further, considering
the Steam pressures adopted in the Steam Cycle. The factors that
contribute to the higher cycle efficiencies are higher expansion
in turbines, more stages of feed heating & higher input levels to
Boilers to take full advantage of economies of scale, thus
reducing Footprint per megawatt generated.

Technological Development
Advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) is a term used to designate a
coal-fired power plant design with the inlet steam temperature to the
turbine at 700 to 760C (1292 to 1400F). Average metal temperatures
of the final superheater and final reheater could run higher, at up to
about 815C (1500F). Nickel-based alloy materials are thus required.
Increasing the efficiency of the Rankine regenerative-reheat steam
cycle to improve the economics of electric power generation and to
achieve lower cost of electricity has been a long sought after goal.
Efficiency improvement is also a means for reducing the emission of
carbon dioxide (CO2)and the cost of capture, as well as a means to
reduce fuel consumption costs. In the United States (U.S.), European
Union, India, China and Japan, industry support associations and
private companies working to advance steam generator design
technology have established programs for materials development of
nickel-based alloys needed for use above 700C (1292F).

Health monitoring

Economic constraints are driving the electric power industry to

seek improved methods for monitoring, control, and diagnostics.
To increase plant availability, various techniques have been
implemented in industry to assess equipment condition to prevent
system inoperability. The availability of a large number of
measured signals and additional component information and the
increasing number of signal processing options to analyze sampled
data motivate the assimilation of such diverse information into a
plant wide condition monitor. The use of fuzzy logic is also used
for the purpose of performing the decision making regarding the
system status and the possible need for component maintenance.
Fuzzy-logic-based diagnostic monitoring is applied to data
acquired from instrumentation within operating facilities.

Health monitoring

Establish a Condition Monitoring (CM) Cell under the MPD

Setting up of a condition monitoring cell at the plant with priority
basis will facilitate the induction of proactive maintenance at the
plant. The staffing requirements and role definitions for the CM
cell would need to be defined and adequate infrastructure in
respect of instrumentation shall need to be made available to make
it fully functional. CM cell should develop a Condition
Monitoring Plan which would include check-lists and frequency
for equipment monitoring. Equipment monitoring would require a
wide array of techniques including among others Vibration
analysis, Shock-pulse analysis, Lubricant oil analysis and Thermovision etc.

Health monitoring
The inner fault of oil-immersed power transformer can be
monitored by using the dissolved gas analysis technique. An
oil samples were taken from the transformer bank and the
routine techniques, such as EC Triple-Ratio Methods were
performed, which are based on calculating the ratios of the
characteristic gases (C2H2/C2H4, CH2/H2, C2H4/C2H6,
etc.). These methods are static technique essentially. The
results are come from the measured data in present and only
can reflect if here is overheating or discharge.
The second test on the transformer was the measurements of
the resistance between phases to have the basic information
about the internal transformer condition with ohmmeter

Health monitoring

Oil characteristics influenced by presence of oxygen, catalysts, and

temperature to which the oil is exposed, determines the rate of the aging
process. Aging processes are equilibrium reactions, and therefore the
decay rate of oil is a function of activity of water rather than absolute
water content. High temperatures and mechanical stresses accelerate the
process.
A reliable and effective method for diagnosing the insulation of the HV
equipments in the transformers for condition monitoring of the oil paper
insulation is the polarization and depolarization current (PDC)
measurement.
The FRA measurements can be considered as finger print of the
transformer dielectric conditions. If any changes in the internal
transformer dielectric caused for any reason the curves will be changed
correspondingly. For that comparison measurements between the faulty
transformer and the normal one were performed.

Health monitoring

Data Analysis: Generator IEEE 115 test data is typically evaluated against
the IPL test data and manufacturers calculated data. It is typically very
difficult to obtain test data at the rated MVA, KV and PF conditions.
Therefore, the test losses at lower ratings are extrapolated to the machine
rated values.
Trend analysis of bearing temperatures, generator vibrations and oil sample
data will be necessary to reasonably establish the bearing CPL. These
analyses should compare results to previous or test data from
commissioning of the unit (IPL). This data can be compared to OEM data if
available for bearing losses, operating temperatures and potential failures.
Integrated Improvements: The use of periodic IEEE 115 test may be used to
update the unit operating characteristics and limits. This also provides data
to evaluate the stator/rotor condition. Optimally the heat run data obtained
would be integrated into an automatic system (e.g., Automatic Generation
Control), but if not, hard copies of the curves and limits should be made
available to all involved personnel.

Maximizing efficiency

In many power station lack of focus on energy efficiency is reflected

by the absence of adequate mechanisms for monitoring energy
efficiency performance. The industry best practice in this regard is to
have Computer-based systems for On-line Monitoring of Energy
Efficiency Performance. Such systems are deployed to monitor, for
each unit in real time, the overall unit heat rate (overall unit
efficiency), boiler efficiency, turbine efficiency, controllable and
non-controllable losses, performance of condensers, regenerative
cycle etc. Such a system allows Heat rate to be monitored on a unitwise basis (rather than for the whole plant) in real-time through online measurement of coal consumption and electricity generation.
The calorific value of coal and such other data however has to be
measured off-line and fed manually to the system.

Maximizing efficiency
Coal Measurement Systems In order to bring greater
accountability and focus on energy efficiency, it is necessary
to have a reliable coal flow measurement device separate
for each generation unit. This needs to be coupled with
adequate systems for reliable measurement of coal quality in
order to determine the amount of heat being put into the
generation unit vis--vis the electricity generated. Auxiliary
Consumption Monitoring System is deployed to monitor the
energy consumption and operating parameters of key systems
/ auxiliaries such as Boiler Feed Pump (current drawn), Ash
Handling System (ash to water ratio), Coal Handling System
(idle running of conveyors) etc.

Maximizing efficiency
Steam and Water parameters (conductivity, pH
values, PO4) are measured online in real-time
through the Steam and Water Analysis System
(SWAS).
Similarly,
on-line
condensate
conductivity measurement system is deployed to
determine condenser tube leakages. Even simple
historical trends of such parameters can reveal
malfunctions and areas of potential improvement
in plant efficiency.

Maximizing efficiency
Lower Efficiency due to real constraints/ fuel
fuel moisture content (influences latent and sensible heat losses);
fuel ash content (impacts on heat transfer and auxiliary plant load);
fuel sulphur content (sets design limits on boiler flue gas discharge
temperature);
use of closed-circuit, once-through or coastal cooling-water
systems (determines cooling-water temperature);
normal ambient air temperature and humidity;
use of flue gas cleaning technologies, e.g. selective catalytic
reduction (SCR), flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) and CO2
capture (all increase on-site power demand); and
use of lowNOx combustion systems (requires excess combustion
air and increases unburned carbon).

Maximizing efficiency

A plant designed for high-moisture, high-ash coal, fitted with FGD and
bag filters, and operating with a closed-circuit cooling system, for
example, could not be expected to achieve the same efficiency as one
without FGD using high-rank, low-ash, low-moisture bituminous coal at
a coastal site with cold seawater cooling. In most cases, there is little
that can be done to mitigate these effects; it is sufficient to recognise that
their impact is not necessarily a result of ineffective design or operation,
but merely a function of real plant design constraints. It might be argued
that the major fuel factors the first three bullet points above are not
genuine constraints since, in many cases, fuels can be switched, blended
or dried. The commercial feasibility of doing this will depend partly on
the availability of fuels and partly on the cost and practicality of
purchasing and transporting these to the plant. Coastal power plants may
have more fuel supply alternatives than inland power plants close to
local coal resources. Another obvious consideration is the environmental
impact of transporting fuel over longer distances.

Maximizing efficiency
The efficiency depends upon Average operating load.
Plants which operate with a low average output will return
low efficiencies compared to their full-load design
efficiency. Steam turbine heat consumption is characterised
by a relationship known as the Willans line. This line
shows that total heat consumption comprises a fixed
element and an incremental element: at zero load, the heat
consumption is not zero. This relationship is normally
derived by undertaking a number of heat consumption tests
on a turbine at different loads and then plotting a best-fit
line through the observed values.

Maximizing efficiency

The overall energy consumption of a plant can be similarly

characterised by a fixed element and a variable element proportional
to output. Hence, overall efficiency will decline as load is reduced
and the noload portion becomes a greater fraction of the total heat.
Another related consideration is that works power will account for a
greater percentage of generated power at part load, because the
noload running losses of electrical equipment increase relative to
useful output and because certain activities must be carried out,
irrespective of unit load. For these reasons, power plants may
formally record part-load loss as a penalty incurred purely as a
result of being asked to operate the plant at a lower-than-optimum
output. Supercritical units are said to experience only about half the
part-load efficiency degradation of a conventional subcritical unit.

Maximizing efficiency
The efficiency also reduces during Transient operations.
Another factor which can significantly impact efficiency is the
number of perturbations (transients) from steady state perating
conditions. During each of these transients, the plant will not
be operating at peak performance. The more transients, the
greater the reduction in efficiency. Operation in frequency
response mode, where steam flow and boiler firing fluctuate to
regulate system frequency, can lead to more transients. Other
situations may require frequent load changes, notably in
response to power system constraints or power market pricing.

Maximizing efficiency

An extreme form of transient operation is where demand falls sufficiently to

require plant shutdown. This incurs significant off load energy losses,
particularly during subsequent plant start up, which must be done gradually
to avoid damage from thermal stresses. While the plant is not generating
output, all of the input energy is lost (i.e. efficiency is 0%). Supercritical
units, in particular, have high start up losses because large quantities of
steam, and therefore heat energy, must be dumped to the condenser during
startup. Power plants operating in volatile or competitive markets, or
operating as marginal providers of power, may be required to shut down
frequently. This can, in turn, lead to a deterioration in physical condition
which will affect plant efficiency. For base-load operation, unit start up
energy may be a negligible fraction of total energy (<0.5%). For other
flexibly operated plant it could represent 5% or more of total energy
consumed and result in reductions in efficiency in the order of 2 percentage.
For simplicity, corrections of 0.5%, 1.5% and 5% of total energy use could
be applied to plant running regimes categorised as base-load, transitional
and marginal/peaking.

Maximizing efficiency

The adoption of good practices and exercise of care will avoid

most operational problems within the control of a plant
operator. Although the majority of operational efficiency
variations are linked to unit load and the need to operate
through transient conditions, there is usually some scope for
final optimisation of performance by fine tuning of automatic
controller set points and control loops, amounting to about 1%
of a units heat rate. Optimisation may be performed manually
or through the use of advanced control systems or optimisers,
some of which are based on neural networks. Operator
experience can also be a source of operational gains or losses.
The commercial attractiveness of performance optimisation
increases with plant load and can be substantial at high loads.

Maximizing efficiency

Optimisation is a potentially attractive proposition at any load

where the plant will be operated for a significant period of time.
Boiler operation is an area where efficiency gains are often
possible. A fixed-pressure boiler requires the outlet steam to
be throttled at part load to match the lower pressure demand of
the turbine. Slidingpressure boiler designs avoid this loss,
with the added benefit that feed-water pumps require less
power. Sliding-pressure control is standard operating procedure
on most modern power plants. Control systems play a major
part in optimisation by enabling the automation of best
practices. The use of advanced control systems can bring about
significant efficiency improvements and reduce CO2 emissions.

Maximizing efficiency
Lower Efficiency due to design and maintenance
For the same operating regime and boundary conditions, any remaining
differences in efficiency are largely down to the basic design of the plant and
how well it is maintained. Overall performance is generally a function of
both individual component design efficiencies and process integration.
Lower levels of performance can be expected from plants of older design,
although upgrades can improve even the oldest plants.
The adoption of supercritical (SC) and ultra-supercritical (USC) steam
conditions for new generating plants, in conjunction with modern steam
turbine designs, has been key to improved design efficiency.
Newer plant designs may also incorporate steam temperature attemperation
control, which results in lower steam-cycle losses, and better control and
optimisation features. Comparisons of best practice are generally confined to
this area since factors such as plant operating regime, fuel quality and local
ambient conditions are largely beyond the control of the plant owner and
operator.

Maximizing efficiency
Plant maintenance plays vital role in maintaining peak efficiency. The
actual performance of a plant compared to its design and ascommissioned performance is crucial. As equipment wears, fouls,
corrodes, distorts and leaks, as sensors and instrumentation fail, and as
calibrations drift, the plant tends to become less efficient. Improved
maintenance and component replacement and upgrading can reduce
energy losses. Taking turbine efficiency as an example, deterioration
over the first year of operation could be relatively rapid, but will then
slow. Deterioration may be the equivalent of 0.25% of heat
consumption per year of operation between overhauls, but with up to
2% lost in the first two years alone. This reduction in turbine efficiency
will be reflected in overall plant performance. Some, but not all, of the
deterioration will be recovered by routine maintenance. Generally, plant
performance will be restored during major overhauls. However, the
extent of repair and refurbishment work, and the ensuing efficiency
benefits, is a commercial decision for the operator.

Maximizing efficiency
In addition to restoring performance lost through in-service
deterioration, represent an opportunity to retrofit more modern
components with improved performance. Where plant designs have
improved since original plant commissioning, the combination of
performance restoration and plant modernisation can lead to substantial
improvements in efficiency and often to greater generating capacity. In
practice, any poorly performing auxiliary equipment or individual
components (e.g. fans, pumps, heat exchangers, vent and isolation
valves, gearboxes, leaking flanges and even missing or inadequate
insulation) contribute to the overall deterioration of plant performance
over time, compounding the effects of deterioration in major
components, such as the steam turbine. Significant deterioration can also
occur in the steam turbine condenser or cooling-water system, where
progressive increases in air ingress and steam and water-side fouling or
corrosion can degrade heat transfer. Cooling tower performance is an
important consideration in this respect.

Maximizing efficiency
Maintaining cleanliness is important to avoid heat transfer
degradation in boilers, condensers and cooling tower systems.
Accumulated deposits in a steam condenser will result in higher
turbine backpressure; in tubular feed-water heaters, they will
increase terminal temperature difference; and in the boiler, they will
increase gas exit temperatures. For the boiler in particular, the lack of
availability of individual soot blowers can lead to severe deposit
formation which can affect the combustion process, and cause
erosion and thermal stress damage. In bad cases, such deposits can
force unit derating or even plant shutdowns. Even in cases with no
forced outage, an increase in planned outages and internal cleaning
costs may still be incurred. Abnormal operating conditions brought
about by faulty instrumentation or equipment can result in significant
efficiency losses which will accumulate if left uncorrected.

Maximizing efficiency
Efficiency can be reduced by the non-availability of certain
items of plant and equipment including:
main condenser cooling-water pumps and condenser tube
banks;
cooling towers;
onload condenser cleaning equipment;
condenser air extraction plant;
boiler feed-water pump turbine and feed-water heaters;
reserve coal milling plant capacity;
feed-water heater drains pumps); and
boiler soot blowers.

Maximizing efficiency
There are many other factors which account for Energy and
efficiency losses The presence of surface deposits and nonideal flow regimes all impede heat transfer. In the case of a
coal-fired boiler, the net result of these imperfect conditions is
a degree of heat loss from the hot source (burning coal) in the
form of hot flue gases. In cases where condensation has to be
avoided, and particularly where the acid dew point temperature
is raised because of the presence of sulphur, chlorine or
excessive moisture in the fuel, the hot flue gases loss can be
significant. Some heat is also lost to the surroundings through
conduction, convection and radiation of heat, even where
equipment is not properly insulated. The turbo-alternator plant
similarly has losses which reduce performance compared to the
ideal, and although efforts are made to minimise these.

Maximizing efficiency

In summary, the plant will have losses associated with:

combustor flue gas wet and dry gas losses and unburned gas heating value;
combustor solid residue sensible heat content and unburned fuel heating
value;
heated water or steam venting and leaks, and other drainage and blow-down;
frictional losses, radiated and convected heat;
cooling system losses where heat is rejected and not recovered;
heat lost to flue gas treatment reagents and energy consumed by fans in
overcoming gas pressure drops;
makeup and purge water;
offload losses associated with startup and shutdown;
offdesign losses associated with transient operation and part-load running;
and
transformer losses

Maximizing efficiency
Indias energy intensity should be reduced by up to
25% from current levels, and the average gross
efficiency of power generation should be raised from
30.5% to 34%. All new plants should adopt
technologies that improve their gross efficiency from
the prevailing 36% to at least 38% to 40%. Aggregate
technical and commercial losses should be reduced,
with the aid of automated meter reading, geographic
information systems (GIS), and separation of feeders
and agricultural pumps.

Advance communication system

Establishment of a Computerized Maintenance
Management System having modules like-Plant
Performance module, Human resource module, Works
Planning module, Materials Management module, Budget
and Cash flow module, Work Permit module, Costing
System module, Financial accounting system module,
Coal Management module, etc. This system will generate
various reports on daily, monthly and annual basis which
will be used to review and take corrective measures for
various facets of plant performance.

Advance communication system

The Role of Communication in a Maintenance Program:

Critical to all O&M programs is a system of communication.
Some important factors to consider when designing such a
system:
Document storage that allows all necessary parties to access the
identical relevant information.
Searchable / sort able history and the ability to access a history
of work done on specific equipment or at a specific location.
Tools to communicate common solutions to all necessary
parties efficiently.
Standards for updates, timing and labelling to communicate
effectively and eliminate all possible confusion.

Advance communication system

Scheduling tools to compound as much work (current with

future) as possible into each trip to site / floor / area (maximizing
efficiency while reducing onsite disruptions). While always
important, a well thought out scheduling system will especially
help minimize the initial start up costs of implementation.
Should enable multiple ongoing commissioning programs to
be synchronized, avoiding multiple trips and minimizing
interruptions to normal business.
An asset management system component will allow accurate
budgeting for replacement costs while saving time auditing sites
for existing equipment.

Advance communication system

A proper communication system also ensures that the

maintenance program can leverage a plants schedule
appropriately or alternately avoid disruptions during peak times.
For example, if an operation is being shut down for a short time
to perform standby changeover, this time may be communicated
to the maintenance team to ensure all possible work is scheduled
during this time. Alternately, if a plant is being used to generate
maximum capacity to meet the deficit power scenario,
maintenance team needs to be aware so they can both make sure
everything is running at peak levels during this period and ensure
that every thing remains under control specially ash disposal
system and fuel supply and control system

Regulatory and environmental issues

Increased coal use must be balanced by improved technology
to eliminate the adverse impacts that some emission can have
on human health, the environment and the global climate.
Mercury, Nitrogen and sulphur oxides, carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, fine particle, and other by products are the
pollutant which has attracted attention world over. The
statutory laws shall be strictly adhered and inculcated into
operation and maintenance best practices. The regulation
framed by the Central and state regulator does not only govern
the operation of plant but also effects the tariff and thereby
profit. The Best O&M practices and proper data collection
and to represent it to the regulator will fetch higher tariff.