International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Energy and exergy analyses results of steam turbine and steam condenser, which operate in commercial combined cycle power plant are presented in this paper. Energy analysis shows that steam turbine has high energy (isentropic) loss equal to 71.71 MW, and very low energy (isentropic) efficiency of 58.79% only. Simultaneously, steam condenser is an almost perfect component from the energy viewpoint. At the base ambient state, steam turbine has high exergy destruction of 61.80 MW and low exergy efficiency of 62.34%, so both used analyses show that steam turbine operation can and should be notably improved. Steam condenser has an exergy destruction of 17.12 MW and exergy efficiency of 55.17% at the base ambient state, what are acceptable results. Observed steam condenser is much more sensitive to the ambient temperature change than steam turbine. Increase in the ambient temperature from 5 °C to 35 °C decreases steam condenser exergy efficiency for 35.90%, while the same increase in the ambient temperature decreases steam turbine exergy efficiency for 2.39% only.

This paper presents energy and exergy analysis results of whole gas turbine set and all its components. From the energy viewpoint, combustion chamber has the lowest energy loss (21.31 MW) and the highest energy efficiency (97.20%) of all gas turbine set components. Exergy analysis shows totally opposite trend in comparison to the energy analysis. From the exergy viewpoint, turbocompressor and turbine have low exergy destruction (both around 12 MW) and very high exergy efficiencies (92.43% for turbocompressor and 96.12% for turbine) at the base ambient state. Simultaneously, at the base ambient state combustion chamber has an exergy destruction of 159 MW and low exergy efficiency of 73.29% only. The combustion chamber is the most sensitive to the ambient temperature change of all components from the gas turbine set – the ambient temperature change of 10 °C will result with combustion chamber exergy efficiency change of approximately 0.67%. Whole gas turbine set (plant) has an energy efficiency of 34.40% and exergy efficiency of 33.08%.

In this paper are presented results of the energy and exergy analyses related to the steam generator from nuclear power plant at four observed operating regimes. It is shown how the optimization processes and algorithms influence observed steam generator operation. The highest steam generator energy outlet is equal to 3012.17 MW and the lowest energy loss is 0.07 MW – both of them are obtained by using Genetic Algorithm (GA). Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) gives fluid operating parameters which will result with the lowest steam generator exergy destruction (107.05 MW) and the highest exergy efficiency (92.709%) in comparison to all other operating regimes. During the increase in ambient temperature from 5 °C up to 45 °C the lowest decrease in steam generator exergy efficiency (equal to 2.0136%) is obtained in the second operating regime which operating parameters are defined by using WOA. Final conclusion which can be derived from the observed research is that WOA has the most beneficial influence on the steam generator operation.

This paper presents an energy analysis of main and auxiliary steam turbines from conventional coal fired power plant. Main turbine is composed of three cylinders connected to the same shaft which drives an electric generator, while auxiliary steam turbine is used for the boiler feedwater pump drive. The whole analyzed main steam turbine produces mechanical power equal to 312.34 MW, while in an ideal situation, it can produce mechanical power equal to 347.28 MW. The highest part of the mechanical power in the main turbine is produced in the low pressure cylinder. Auxiliary steam turbine in exploitation develops mechanical power equal to 6768.94 kW, while in an ideal situation it can develop 8029.03 kW. Whole main turbine energy efficiency is equal to almost 90% what is in the expected range for such high power turbines. The auxiliary steam turbine has an energy efficiency equal to 84.31%, which is almost 6% lower in comparison to the main turbine. Energy flows delivered to the last two feedwater heaters (HPH2 and HPH3) in the condensate/feedwater heating system are notably higher in comparison to energy flows delivered to any other condensate/feedwater heater.

This paper presents an energy analysis of middle-power steam turbine with two cylinders (High Pressure Cylinder – HPC and Low Pressure Cylinder – LPC) and steam re-heater after the HPC (and before the LPC). Based on a steam operating parameters from the literature, performed energy analysis show that LPC develops higher power and has higher energy efficiency (81.45%) in comparison to HPC (which energy efficiency equals 80.12%). Re-heater is a heat exchanger (flue gases are used for steam heating) which has low energy loss (824.19 kW) and high energy efficiency (97.76%), what is expected energy performance of such heat exchanger. The entire analyzed turbine develops a power of 127480.60 kW and has energy loss equal to 29848.21 kW with energy efficiency of 81.03%.

In this paper is performed energy analysis of the dual-flow dissymmetrical low pressure steam turbine, which operates in a coalfired power plant. Based on the measured operating parameters during exploitation it is calculated and presented an ideal and real power, energy losses and energy efficiencies of a whole turbine and both of its cylinders. Right cylinder of the analyzed turbine develops higher real (polytropic) and ideal (isentropic) power in comparison to left turbine cylinder. The first steam extraction of each cylinder dictates cylinder power (both ideal and real). Right cylinder has a higher energy loss and energy efficiency in comparison to left cylinder – the difference in energy loss is notable (5735.74 kW in comparison to 5447.23 kW), while the difference in energy efficiency is low, almost negligible (92.371% in comparison to 92.357%). Percentage differences between observed turbine cylinders show that left cylinder has approximately 5% lower real (polytropic) as well as ideal (isentropic) power and simultaneously approximately 5% lower energy loss.

This paper present energy and exergy evaluation of CO2 closed-cycle gas turbine process. The most important operating parameters of the whole observed cycle, as well as of each of its constituent components are presented and discussed. In the observed process, produced useful mechanical power for the power consumer drive is equal to 5189.78 kW, while the energy efficiency of the whole cycle is equal to 36.6%. Heat Regenerator is a crucial component of the observed process – without its operation energy efficiency of the whole cycle will be equal to only 16.91%. From the exergy aspect, Turbocompressor (TC) and Turbine (TU) shows good performances because its exergy efficiencies are higher than 90%. Regenerator exergy efficiency could be increased by lowering the temperature of the ambient in which analyzed CO2 closed-cycle gas turbine operates.

Energy and exergy analysis of deaerator from combined-cycle power plant is presented in this paper. The deaerator is analyzed in three operating regimes and in various ambient conditions. The lowest deaerator energy loss of 525.60 kW and the highest energy efficiency of 78.21 % are obtained for the lowest water temperature at the deaerator outlet – in the same operating regime is obtained the lowest deaerator exergy efficiency. Decrease in the ambient temperature resulted simultaneously with an increase in deaerator exergy destruction and with increase in exergy efficiency. Deaerator exergy efficiency in each operating regime and for each observed ambient temperature significantly varies (from 13.82 % to 45.94 %). From the efficiency aspect, deaerator energy and exergy analysis show diametrically opposed results in two observed operating regimes.