STATE OF SUPER-CRITICAL BOILER DESIGNS IN INDIA

by V.Kannan Director / Marketing CETHAR LIMITED Tiruchirapalli

VENKATRAMAN KANNAN
Working in the Power Industry for 44 Years ( India & Canada) BHEL, Trichy- 1967 to 1978

Immigrated to Canada in 1978

Living in Canada since 1978 ABB Combustion Engineering- 1978 to1980 Babcock & Wilcox- 1980 to 2005 President, Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Vice-President & General Manager- Babcock & Wilcox Chief Executive Officer( presently Doosan ) Mitsui Babcock Energy India

President- Innovative Steam Technologies After retirement, joined Cethar Limited as Director and is a member of the Board of Directors

TOPICS .
What are super-critical units

Why super-critical units

Main differences between sub-critical and

super- critical
Key issues for super-critical

Present designs available

Capability in India

Present country issues

Evaporator systems

Critical Pressure
Critical pressure for water is 220.6 bar. Super critical unit:
Operating pressure is more than 220.6 bar.

Supercritical Boilers - Salient features

No thick walled drum. Instead , smaller separator vessels are provided

Types of evaporator system: High mass flux spiral wall Medium mass flux vertical wall with orifice Low mass flux vertical wall
Normal operation is on once-through mode. Operates under circulation mode during start up and low loads ( below 35-40% TMCR) Higher grade materials required to meet higher steam parameters Control philosophy is different from drum type boiler

Benefits
Improved cycle efficiency results in lower fuel cost, reduced emission of gases like CO2, NOx and SOx, reduced emission of particulates etc.

Better start up and load change rates due to absence of thick walled drum Better suited for sliding pressure operation
Wide steam temperature control range for SH and RH

Efficiency Improvement
SHO Pressure, kg/cm2 SHO / RHO Temperature, Deg C Plant Efficiency Efficiency, Improvement, % % points
Gain %

169 246 246

538 / 538 538 / 538 538 / 566

38.6 39.3 39.6

Base 0.7 1.0

Base 1.8 2.6

246
246

566 / 566
566 / 593

39.9
40.2

1.3
1.6

3.4
4.1

Reduction in Coal Consumption and Emission Levels

Parameter Steam pressure Unit kg/cm2 500 MW 169 538 / 538 1940 44.32 38.6 352 Base 435.0 Base 500 MW 246 538 / 538 1904 45.17 39.3 346 44,676 427.3 57334 500 MW 246 566 / 593 1861 46.21 40.2 338 104,244 417.7 134028

Steam temperature
Turbine heat rate Turbine cycle efficiency Overall plant efficiency Coal consumption Reduction in coal consumption CO2 generation Reduction in CO2 generation

Deg C
kcal/kW hr % % t/hr t/year t/hr t/year

Above data is based on 87 % boiler efficiency, 85%PLF, coal with HHV of 3300 kcal/kg

Differences between sub-critical and Super-critical

Description OT SCU Sub-Critical

Furnace sizing
Evaporator

Decided by Fuel and Gas side

Supercritical fluid Variable evaporation point Superheated steam at evaporator outlet

Same
Water and Steam mixture Fixed evaporation point Saturated steam at evaporator outlet Natural / controlled circulation

BENSON Technology
Drum Replaced by smaller Separators and collecting vessel. Required only during low loads (about 35-40%) Required
Same Same

Required for water and steam separation at all loads

Low load and start up system

Economiser SH and RH sizing

Not applicable
Same Same Contd

Differences between sub-critical and Super-critical

Description Pulveriser sizing OT SCU Same Sub-Critical Same Same

Fans. RAPH & Same ESP and ducts

Controls

Feed water and steam temperature controls are different AVT and Oxygenated water treatment. To be followed strictly

Base

Water treatment and water chemistry

Generally AVT

Furnace Design
FEGT = IDT - 50 K

FEGT = Furnace exit gas temperature, Deg K IDT = Initial deformation temperature of ash, Deg K

Furnace design and size are decided by coal and ash quality

Evaporator wall design

Key Issues

1. Heat absorption variation and

resulting temperature difference at furnace wall outlet 2. Boiling crisis like DNB and dry out and associated wall temperatures

Evaporator systems

Steam temperature at furnace wall outlet

Operating regimes

Evaporator Designs
High mass flux design (2000 to 2400 kg/ m2 s) Spiral wall arrangement with smooth tubes Medium mass flux design (1500 to 2000 kg/m2 s) Vertical wall arrangement with rifle tubes and orifices Low mass flux design (900 to 1000 kg/m2 s) Vertical wall arrangement with optimised multilead rifled tubes

Types of boilers

Spiral wall arrangement

The inclination of tube can reduce the number of evaporator wall tubes and ensures a minimum waterwall flow to protect the waterwall tubes from overheating regardless of the unit size

Changes in mass flux

mm ean
16
.

%
12 8 4 0 -4 -8 -12 -16 Oncethrough Nat ural circulation Change of m ass flow in a tube with 25% increased heat input

600

800

1 000

1200

1 400 kg/m2 s 1800 Mass flux (at full load)

Evaporator wall design

Key Issues

1. Heat absorption variation and

resulting temperature difference at furnace wall outlet 2. Boiling crisis like DNB and dry out and associated wall temperatures

Boiling Crisis

Rifle tube

Smooth Vs Rifle tubes

Comparison of various designs

Parameter High mass flux / Spiral wall
High (around 2000 kg / m2-s at full load or above)
Once through Smooth tubes

Medium mass flux / Vertical wall

Medium to high (around 1500 2000 kg / m2-s at full load)
Once through Rifled tubes with orifices Higher

Low mass flux / Vertical wall

Low ( around 1000 kg / m2-s at full load)
Natural Circulation Optimised Multi-Lead Rifled Tubes (OMLR) Lower Good savings in BFP power consumption

Mass Flux

Flow Furnace wall tube

Pressure drop in furnace wall

Higher

Furnace wall attachments & buck stays

Manufacturing & construction Maintenance

Complex Typical increase in weight for a 660 MW boiler is approx.400 MT

Difficult compared to vertical design Difficult due to presence of vertical supporting straps

Simple, self supporting

Simple, self supporting

Easier

Easier

Easier

Easier

Waterwall flow
WATER WALL FLOW
100 90 80 70

FLOW %

60 50
WW FLOW

40 30 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

LOAD %

PRESENT COUNTRY ISSUES

Viability of Power Projects
Blended Coal CEA Stipulation Importance of Coal Analysis Joint Venture Vs Licence Qualification Criteria

Super-critical CFB Technology

Viability of Power Projects

Viability of Power Projects

Increased borrowing costs Difficulties in financial closure Shortage of Indian coal availability Increasing cost of imported coal Difficulties in obtaining coal allocation Issues with environmental clearances

Problems in acquiring land

Overall returns- less attractive

Blended CoalCEA Stipulation

CEA Stipulation
A stipulation shall be made that the boilers (including auxiliaries) shall be designed for blend ratio by weight of 30:70 (or higher) imported / high GCV coal: indigenous coal. The station facilities shall also be designed for unloading, handling and blending of imported / high GCV coal.

Coal Analysis - its importance

Impact of Coal and Ash

Boiler Design

Coal and ash properties govern critical aspects of boiler design and equipment selections
Indian Total Moisture, % Ash, % 8 15 35 45 20 30 Indonesian 25 35 36 25 40 U.S. PRB 20 30 36 25 40

HHV
Mills, burners, fans, and airheater

Moisture
Boiler efficiency, mills,
burners, fans, airheater

FC/VM Ratio
Combustion efficiency, fineness, burners,

turndown, emissions

Ash: Quantity and Constituents

Furnace size, gas velocity, mills, burners, sootblowers

Fixed Carbon, %
Volatile Matter, % Sulfur, % HGI HHV, kcal/kg

20 30
0.5 1.5 45 60 3,000 4,000

25 40
0.1 2.0 50 65 3,500 4,500

25 40
0.4 0.8 50 60 4,500 5,000

Slagging and Fouling Potential

Furnace release rates, pendent surface arrangement and spacing, sootblower coverage

Joint Venture Vs Licence

Capability in India
Indian Company Bhel L& T Cethar Gammon Technical Partner Alstom Mitsubishi Riley/ Seimens Ansaldo Type of agree ment Licence Joint Venture Licence Gammon owns Ansaldo Joint Venture Joint Venture Waterwall arrange ment Spiral Vertical Vertical Vertical Type of tubes Smooth Tubes Rifled tubes OMLR Rifled

BGR Thermax

Hitachi Babcock & Wilcox

Vertical Vertical

Rifled Rifled

Capability in India
Indian Company Present annual manufacturing capacity (MW)
Around 15000 4000

Readiness for Critical super-critical Piping manufacture Capability

Ready Ready Ready Need to outsource

Remarks

Bhel L& T

Capacity includes turbines

Cethar

8000

Ready

Ready

Capacity will be enhanced to 12000 MW by 2012

Plans to be ready by end 2012 for 4000 MW Plans are underway to get ready by 2013 for 3000 MW

Gammon Ansaldo BGR

Nil

Not ready

Nil

Nil

Not ready

Nil

Thermax

Very small

Not ready

Nil

Plans to be ready by 2012 for 3000 MW

Source: Various publications

Qualification Criteria

Qualification criteria recommended for Vendors of super-critical boilers

Established manufacturing facilities for

an annual capacity of around 5000 MW

Licensor / Joint Venture partner must have already designed and commissioned at least one coal fired steam-generator of 500 MW rating which is in successful operation Must have acquired technology for evaporator design either through a license or a joint venture

Super-critical CFB Technology

Super-Critical CFB Technology

A supercritical CFB technology is better suited for

multi-fuel firing blending of imported coals enabling customers have a larger choice of fuel sources. lower gaseous emissions (Sox, Nox) without FGD and SCR it warrants a lesser space requirement lower total plant investment cost

Cethar is ready to offer 350 MW CFB supercritical plants to Indian customers.