Thermal Power Plant

      Thermal power generation plant or thermal power station is the most conventional source of electric power. Thermal power plant is also referred as coal thermal power plant and steam turbine power plant. It is the major source of power production in world. Before going into detail of this topic, we will try to understand the line diagram of electric power generation plant shown above.

Understanding of operation of Thermal Power Plant is very simple. A power generation plant mainly consists of alternator runs with help of steam turbine. The steam is obtained from high pressure boilers, fuel burnt in boiler. To increase the thermal efficiency, the coal is used in the boiler in powder form.

For better understanding we furnish every step of function of a thermal power station as follows,

1. First the pulverized coal is burnt into the furnace of steam boiler.
2. High pressure steam is produced in the boiler.
3. This steam is then passed through the super heater, where it further heated up.
4. This supper heated steam is then entered into a turbine at high speed.
5. In turbine this steam force rotates the turbine blades that means here in the turbine the stored potential energy of the high pressured steam is converted into mechanical energy.
6. After rotating the turbine blades, the steam has lost its high pressure, passes out of turbine blades and enters into a condenser.
7. In the condenser the cold water is circulated with help of pump which condenses the low pressure wet steam.
8. This condensed water is then further supplied to low pressure water heater where the low pressure steam increases the temperature of this feed water, it is then again heated in a high pressure heater where the high pressure of steam is used for heating.
9. The turbine in thermal power station acts as a prime mover of the alternator.