Exergy Analysis of Boiler in Thermal Power Plant

Establishing the non-renewable electricity contribution from thermal power plant based on energy analysis alone cannot legitimately be complete unless the exergy concept becomes a part of that analysis. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the energy analysis and exergy analysis of the boiler of thermal power plant. Both the energy losses and exergy losses in each component and in the overall system are evaluated to identify the causes and locations of the thermodynamic imperfection and performance of the thermal power plant calculated. Several design parameters and the type of power cycle is also tested to evaluate their effects on the energy and exergy performance. The results show that the maximum exergy loss occurs when the water absorb heat by combustion of fuel, followed by the economiser and superheater. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the boiler parts to change the state which is examined by the exergy analysis method. It is also found that the overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the thermal power plant can be increased to some extent by integrating advanced power cycles including reheat Rankine cycles and regeneration Rankine cycles.