Generation of Electricity
During the early days, generation of electricity from residual fuel oil involves three distinct sub-processes:
- Steam generation where fuel oil is burned in the furnace of a boiler.
- Heat released is used to generate high-pressure superheated steam where this heat will be eventually converted into mechanical energy.
- Lastly, mechanical energy will be converted into electricity using steam turbine coupled to a generator to convert this energy of rotation into electricity.
This traditional method of generating electricity has becoming lesser and lesser efficient and the amount of pollution emitted has created adverse effects on the environment. With the widespread concern at the environmental effects of traditional technologies, technological improvements in the design and operation of the conventional power plants have been carried. Improvements in the form of "Repowering" has been commonly practiced in power stations.
Repowering provides the old plants that have reached their physical and economic life a new lease of life by transforming them from low-merit and low-efficiency facilities into modern and combined cycle plants that provide the highest thermal efficiencies. This process generally involves the replacement of the existing boiler with a new gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).
Therefore, modeling of these power plants in terms of their behaviours and overall performances following system disturbances become significantly important and viable. Furthermore, controllers can also be incorporated into these power plant models to further enhance or improve their system performances.
The main objectives of this research include:
