Vocational Training Report

On

Synopsis on Thermal Power Station

At
NTPC Vindhyachal
In partial fulfilment of the requirements
For the award of the degree
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
Electrical Engineering
By
VIJAY CHOUDHARY
(Sch. No. 121113013)

Under the Guidance

Of
Mr. ATUL MARKHEDKAR
AGM EMD, NTPC VINDYANAGAR

Department of Electrical Engineering

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology,
Bhopal (M.P.), India
MAY-JUNE 2015

Vocational Training Report

ON

Synopsis on Thermal Power

Station
@

NTPC Vindhyachal
Under Guidance of:
Mr. A. MARKHEDKAR
Additional General Manager
Electrical Maintenance Department

PREPARED BY-

VIJAY CHOUDHARY
MANIT, BHOPAL
Training MAY-JUNE 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
With profound respect and gratitude, I
to convey my thanks to our alumani
(Deputy H.R.-EDC) Sir for permitting
my training in NTPC Ltd. and to be
esteemed organization.

take opportunity
Mr. Ankit Jain
me to complete
the part of this

I extend my heartfelt thanks to MR. A. MARKHEDKAR

Sir for providing me the proper guidance during my
training period in Vindhayachal Stage I.
I would also thank Mr. Vikas Gupta (Deputy Manager),
Mr. Charan Das Bankoliya, Mr. Rajesh kumar Verma,
for helping me with different aspects of the power plant.
Im extremely grateful to all- the operation and guidance
that has helped me a lot during the course of training. I
have learnt a lot under them and i will always be indebted
to them for this value addition in me.
At last I would like to convey my thanks to all the
members of the Electrical Maintenance Dept., and I am
are forever indebted to the omnipotent and to my
parents for their cheerful encouragement, unfailing
patience and consistent support.

VIJAY

CHOUDHARY
VOCATIONAL TRAINEE
May 14

th

15
June 2015

th

~i~

CONTENT
S.NO. TOPICS

PAGE NO

1.

Introduction: NTPC Ltd

NTPC Vindhyachal

3.

Power Plant Basics

4.

Coal Handling Plant

5.

Working Of Steam Power Plant

11

6.

Basic Cycles of Power Plant

14

7.

Generator & its Auxiliaries

26

8.

Excitation System

28

9.

Protection of Generator

32

10.

Switchgear

40

11.

Switchyard

47

12.

Switchyard Equipments

49

13.

Switchyard Protection

56

14.

Essential Quality of Electrical Protection

56

15.

HVDC Back To Back System

57

16.

Water Treatment Plant Storage

58

17.

Conclusion

59

18.

Bibliography

60

~ ii ~

INTRODUCTION: NTPC Ltd.

NTPC Limited (formerly National Thermal Power Corporation) is

the
largest Indian state-owned electric utilities company based in
New Delhi, India.
It is listed in Forbes Global 2000 for 2012 ranked at 337th in the
world.

SERVICE Electricity generation and distribution natural gas

exploration, production, transportation and distribution

PRODUCT - electrical power, natural gas

REVENUE- 690.36 billion (US$13 billion) (2013-14)
NET INCOME - 98.14 billion (US$1.8 billion)(2013
14)
EMPLOYEE-26,000 (2014)

It is an Indian public sector company listed on the Bombay Stock

Exchange in which at present the Government of India holds
84.5% (after divestment of
the stake by Indian government on 19 October 2009) of its
equity.
With an electric power generating capacity of 41,184 MW,
NTPC has embarked on plans to become a 128,000 MW
company by 2032.

On 21 May 2010, NTPC was conferred Maharatna status by the

Union Government of India.

NTPC's core business is engineering, construction and

operation of power generating plants and providing
consultancy to power utilities in India and
abroad.

The total installed capacity of the company is 36,514 MW

(including Joint Ventures) with 16 coal-based and 7 gasbased stations, located across the country. In addition under
JVs (joint ventures), six stations are coal-based, and
another station uses naphtha/ LNG as fuel.
By 2017, the power generation portfolio is expected to have a
diversified fuel mix
with coal-based capacity of around 27,535 MW, 3,955 MW
through gas, 1,328 MW through hydro generation, about 1,400
MW from nuclear sources and around 1,000 MW from
Renewable Energy Sources (RES).

NTPCs share at 31 Mar 2001 of the total installed capacity of

the country was
24.51% and it generated 29.68% of the power of the country
in 200809. Every fourth home in India is lit by NTPC.

By approval of the Central Government under section 21 of the

Companies Act, 1956, the name of the Company "National Thermal
Power Corporation Limited" has been changed to "NTPC Limited"
with effect from 28 October 2005.

~1~

NTPC-Vindhyachal
STATION PROFILE
LOCATION:
Vindhyachal station of NTPC
of MP state. The station is
Sagar popularly known as
Varanasi in UP and Sidhi
Respectively.

is located at Vindhyanagar in Singrauli District

situated on the bank of Govind Vallabh Pant
Rihand reservoir. Distance of station from
in MP is about 240 Kms. and 100 Kms.

CAPACITY (4260 MW):

STAGE NUMBER
STAGE I

CAPACITY(MW)
6 X 210 = 1260 MW

STAGE II

2 X 500 = 1000 MW

STAGE III

2 X 500 = 1000 MW

STAGE IV

2 X 500 = 1000 MW
500 MW (under
construction)

STAGE V

COMMISSIONED
10th June87
88,89,89,
(UNIT II,III,IV,V&VI)
1999 & 2000
(UNIT VII & VIII)
27th July06
(UNIT IX &X)
2013& 2014

Stage-I & Stage-II were totally declared commercial in Feb92 and

Oct2000 respectively.

th
Stage-III Unit-9 Synchronized on 27
Jul 2006 and became commercial
st
th
from 1 Dec 2006. Unit-10 was synchronized on 8
Mar 2007 and unit
th
became commercial from 15 Jul 2007.

Stage-IV-Unit- 11& 12 were totally declared commercial in

Mar13 and Mar14 respectively.

LAND:
Total land acquired 6178 acres.
WATER:
Water for NTPC Vindhyachal is drawn from NTPC Singrauli station discharge
channel which in turn takes it from Rihand reservoir. A total commitment of
190 cusecs of Make - up water is already available which covers
requirement for Stage-I, II & III. Closed loop cooling water system using
Cooling Towers has been adopted at Vindhyachal Station.
COAL:
The coal linkage for this station is from the Nigahi Coal Mines of NCL. From
there, the coal is transported by Merry Go Round (MGR) transportation
system (22 Kms length with double track) owned and operated by NTPC.
The requirement of coal per year for use in stage- I, II and stage-III is around

17.1 million MT.

~2~

STAGE WISE COMMISSIONING

STAGE I - Oct. 1987-Feb.1991 (7th Plan)

STAGE II - Mar. 1999-Feb. 2000 (9th Plan)
STAGE III Jul. 2006 -Mar.2007 (10th Plan)

STAGE IV-Mar. 2013-Mar.2014(11

th

Plan)

ASSOCIATED TRANSMISSION SYSTEM:

Power generated by NTPC-Vindhyachal flows to the Western Region Grid.
The power is shared between various states of Western Region.
Transmission lines connected to Vindhyachal Station are as follows

400 KV 4 lines to Jabalpur

400 KV 4 Lines to Satna Bina

HVDC Link between Western Northern Region

400 KV Link line to Korba
132 KV 2 Lines to Waidhan

ALLOCATION OF POWER:
The percentage sharing of power from 2260 MW (Stage-I & II) of
Vindhyachal between the beneficiary states is as below
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Chhattisgarh
Gujrat
Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra, Nagar
Haweli
The allocation of power from 1000 MW of stage-III
below
Madhya Pradesh
Maharastra
Gujrat
Chhattisgarh
Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra, Nagar
Haweli
Unallocated

29.5 %
36.1 %
3.4 %
23.6 %
7.4 %
is as
23.1
31.9
23.9
4.2

%
%
%
%

1.9 %
15.0 %

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS:
Some of the major performance highlights are as below

Station qualified for meritorious productivity award of Govt. of India

several times.

Vindhyachal stood 4

Vindhyachal stood 5

th

th

in the Country in 1998-99 with a PLF of 90 %

in the Country in 1999-2000 with a PLF of 88%

Vindhyachal stood 12
th

Vindhyachal stood 18

th

in the country in 2002-03 with a PLF of 85 %

in the country in 2003-04 with a PLF of 82 %

~ 3~

Vindhyach
al
Vindhyach
al

stoo
in the country in 2005-06 with a PLF
d
5th of 92 %
stoo
in the country in 2006-07 with a PLF
d
8th of 92 %

Uninterrupted running of Vindhyachal Unit #3 (210 MW) for 559

days is a new national record.

TREE PLANTATION:
Due emphasis has been given on Tree Plantation at NTPC-Vindhyachal. So
far more than 17.38 lakh trees have been planted in and around the station.
The work of tree plantation is being taken as one of the targets every year
and is being monitored regularly.
ASH UTILIZATION:
2006-2007

21, 04632 MT

56.00%

SAFETY & OTHER AWARDS TO STATION:

1987 National Safety Council Award

1998 British Safety Council Award
1999 British Safety Council Award

1999 National Safety Award

2005 CII EXIM Business Excellence Award

2000 National Safety Award

2003 Golden Globe Award for Environment (By NTPC)
2004 Green-tech Safety award
2006 Green-tech Silver Award for Environment

2007- National award for economics

of quality (dl shah commendation award) by
th
Honable President of India on 9 Feb07

th
2008- National award for economics of quality (dl shah award) on 16
Feb 08
2008- National award for economics of quality (dl shah commendation
th
award) on 16 Feb 08

POWER PLANT BASICS

1. LOCATING A THERMAL POWER PLANT
(1) SITE REQUIREMENT
Adequate LandLease from forest department.
For Each 1000MW = 90 to 200 Acres of land.
(2) GEOLOGY
Soil Requirement

~4~

Which can bear Heavy structures.

(3) WATER REQUIREMENT For
Boiler 3 to 4 Tons/hr./MW.

For cooling once through -20000m3/hr./100MW.

(4)COAL REQUIREMENT: NIGAHI MINE S- CLOSE TO 60000 TONS/DAY.
(5)TRANSPORT
(6)DISPOSAL OF ASH- 30% ASH
(7)TRANSMISION OF POWER
(8)PROXIMITY TO AIR FIELD
(9)FISHERIES AND MARINE LIFE. 10C
(10) PERSONNEL REQUIREMENT
2. PLANT LOADING FACTOR (PLF)
It is defined as the ratio of total generation of the power plant to its
installed capacity. Since its inception, NTPC has always maintained high
values of PLF close to 85% - 95% which has increased the overall power
production capability of the plant.
3. POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT (PPA)
Before setting up of a power plant, MoUs are interested in purchasing the
power from the plant. A fixed amount is allotted and the concerned state has
to pay the cost accordingly even if the demand is less.

~5~

BASIC LAYOUT OF A COAL FIRED PLANT

The basic building block of a coal fired plant is steam, which is generated
from properly treated and De-Mineralized water (DM water), supplied by CW
(Circulating Water) pump house. The coal is finely powered to increase its
surface area for efficient firing and this process is called pulverization and it
is carried out in Coal Handling Plant (CHP) located near MGR (Merry Go
Round) system of NTPC. The Pulverized coal is then sent to bunkers via
conveyor belts and is then sent to the furnace via a typical air draft system
discussed at later stage.
The firing of coal inside furnace maintains it to a very high temperature and
this heat energy is converted into pressure energy in the form of super
heated steam extracted from the DM water flowing inside the water walls
located in the boiler which is in turn embedded into the furnace.
This super heated steam does the actual work on turbine blades which
reduces its temperature and pressure and converts the pressure (&heat)
energy into kinetic energy of moving blades. The exhaust steam is re
circulated via condenser which would be discussed later. Now the rotational
kinetic energy of turbine is converted into electrical energy using Turbo
Generator (TG) and sent to the distribution sector (Switchyard) via
Generator Transformer (GT). The power flow and all the necessary
protection regarding load dispatch is commissioned in Switchyard.

~6~

COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF POWER

PLANT

COAL TRANSPORTATION & HANDLING

Coal is a heterogeneous solid fuel and Composed of
two types of material Coal = Combustible + Noncombustible
(Maceral) (Mineral)
1. Maceral is the coaly matter produces heat on coal
combustion C (coal) + O2 (Air) = CO2 +Heat
(exothermic reaction)
Heat Steam raising Mechanical energy Ele
2. Second part mineral is undesirable one and on
combustion forms ash. Ash = thermally transformed
minerals (Oxides)
WHY COAL QUALITY?
Coal Quality affects the performance of a power station starting from
Milling system to
ESP
Coal quality has a significant bearing on design of steam generator and
on types & size of auxiliaries.

Knowledge of coal quality is Essential for its Efficient utilization

~7~

Correct Assessment of Coal quality is Essential for Correct Performance

Assessment.
Grade

A
B

Useful Heat
Value

Corresponding
Ash% +
(UHV) (Kcal/Kg) Moisture
% at (60% RH &
40O C)
Not exceeding
Exceeding 6200 19.5
Exceeding 5600
but
19.6 to 23.8
not exceeding
6200
Exceeding 4940
but
23.9 to 28.6
not exceeding
5600
Exceeding 4200
but
not exceeding
4940
Exceeding 3360
but
not exceeding
4200
Exceeding 2400
but
not exceeding
3360
Exceeding 1300
but
not exceeding
2400

28.7 to 34.0

34.1 to 40.0

40.1 to 47.0

Gross Calorific
Value GCV
(Kcal/
Kg) (at 5%
moisture level)
Exceeding 6454
Exceeding 6049
but
not exceeding
6454
Exceeding 5597
but
not exceeding.
6049
Exceeding 5089
but
not Exceeding
5597
Exceeding 4324
but
not exceeding
5089
Exceeding 3865
but
not exceeding.
4324

47.1 to 55.0

Exceeding 3113

MGR
MGR is merry-go-round system of NTPC for captive transportation of coal
from the mine end to the power plant. MGR of NTPC-VINDHYACHAL has its
own locomotives and wagons. Various rakes are deployed for transportation
of around 30,000 MT/day of coal. One rake consists of one locomotive and
up to 33 wagons. Due to configuration of tracks at track hoppers end and
for safety reason more than 33 wagons are never deployed in a rake.
Signalling is also provided for safety of the rake movement. Operational
activities of MGR, which are required for bringing coal from mine end to
track hopper of NTPC-Vindhyachal are identified and planned in accordance.
For unloading of coal from the locomotive, two methods are deployed

Manual via track hopper

Wagon Tippler
Track hoppers are conical arrangements for inlet of coal inside the conveyor
belt arrangement system via paddle feeders which directs the flow of coal
to conveyors. Track Hopper, normally of 200-250m length. Manual labor
required for coal scavenging.

~8~

In wagon tippler arrangement the wagons are jacked at once and

turned down into the track hopper. No manual labor required.

COAL HANDLING PLANT

The coal is received at track hopper of CHP through the merry go round
system used for coal transportation. Coal flows through paddle feeders, belt
conveyors, vibro feeder / vibrating screen to the crusher where it undergoes
size reduction (-20 mm size). The crushed coal is transported through
different conveyors and trippers to the respective unit bunkers. The coal
crushed in excess of the requirement is stacked at stockyard of CHP through
stacker / reclaimers.
Whenever required by system, the coal is reclaimed and fed to unit bunkers
through stacker / reclaimers. Cage bar / cage screen are checked regularly
to ensure that crusher output is always maintained as per the requirement
stated above. In case bigger size coal is found, that crusher is offloaded and
inspected for rectification.
BUNKERING:
Uncrushed coal from track hopper is fed to crusher, where it under goes a
size reduction, and then it is fed to the bunkers through various conveyors
and trippers. The sizes of coal feeding to the bunkers are being checked
manually by physical inspection.
STACKING:
The coal which comes from mine through the MGR system is crushed and
the crushed coal from crusher is diverted to the stacker-cum-reclaimers
through concerned conveyors if

~9~

all unit bunkers level is normal. The coal is stacked in 05 nos. available
yards in a planned manner by proper dozing and water spraying process.
RECLAIMING:
Coal is reclaimed from stack yard with the help of stacker-cum-reclaimer
and fed to the bunkers as per requirement of the process or whenever

The conveyor belt motors are continuously monitored for over/under

loading conditions via SCADA interface panel from CHP control room.
Magnetic separators and various types of protection limit switches are
present inside the conveyor belt region for monitoring. Transfer points (TP)
are used for connecting various conveyor regions and Penthouse contains
magnetic separators and metal detectors in the raw coal. The
Coal is then crushed in CRUSHER HOUSE and sent to Bunkers via other set of
conveyor bel

WORKING OF STEAM POWER PLANT

Coal is burnt in a boiler, which converts water into steam.

The steam is expanded in a turbine used to drive alternator.

The steam expanded is condensed in a condenser to be feed into the

boiler again.
SCHEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF COAL STEAM POWER PLANT

Steam generating equipment includes:

1.

BOILER
A boiler is closed vessel in which water is converted into steam by
utilizing the heat of coal combustion. Steam boilers are broadly
classified into following two types:

Water tube boilers

In a water tube boiler, water flows through the tubes and the
hot gases of combustion flow over these tubes. Water-tube
boilers are used for high-pressure boilers

Fire tube boiler

In a fire tube boiler, the hot products of combustion pass through

the tubes surrounded by water. The heated water then rises into
the steam drum. Here, saturated steam is drawn off the top of the
drum. The steam will reenter the furnace in through a superheater
in order to become superheated. Superheated steam is used in
driving turbines. Since water droplets can severely damage
turbine blades, steam is superheated to 730F (390C) or
higher in order to ensure that there is no water entrained in the
steam.

~ 11 ~

2. SUPER HEATER

A device which removes last traces of moisture.

It helps in reduction in requirement of steam quantity.

Steam being dry reduces the mechanical resistance of turbine.
No corrosion at the turbine blades

They are such devices which recover the heat from the flue
gases on their way to chimney and raise the temperature of
feed water.

3. ECONOMISER AND AIR HEATER

Economizer raises boiler efficiency.

Air Pre-heaters recover the heat from the flue gases leaving the
economizer and heat the incoming air required for combustion

4. CONDENSER

Which condenses the steam at the exhaust of turbine

It creates a very low pressure at the exhaust of turbine, this

helps in converting heat energy of steam into mechanical
energy in the prime mover.

The condensed steam can be used as feed water to the boiler.

It creates a very low pressure at the exhaust of turbine, this

helps in converting heat energy of steam into mechanical
energy in the prime mover.
The condensed steam can be used as feed water to the boiler.

pressurized steam, and converts it into mechanical energy.

5. PRIME MOVER (TURBINE)

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal
energy from

About 86% of all electric generation in the world is by use of

steam turbines.
It has almost completely replaced the reciprocating piston
steam engine.

6. COOLING TOWER
Remove heat from the water discharged from the condenser so
that the

water can be discharged to the river or re circulated and reused.

Air can be circulated in the cooling towers through natural draft

and mechanical draft.

~ 12 ~

ARRANGEMENT OF STEA M POWER PLANT

Induced Draft

Forced Draft

~ 13 ~

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR
Indian coal contains about 30% of ash. The hourly consumption of coal of a
200 MW unit is about 110 tons. With this, the hourly production of ash will
be 33 tons. If such large amount of ash is discharge in atmosphere, it will
create heavy air pollution thereby

~ 14 ~

resulting health hazards. Hence it is necessary to precipitate dust and ash

of the flue gases.
Precipitation of ash has another advantage too. It protects the wear and
erosion of ID fan. To achieve the above objectives, Electrostatic Precipitator
(ESP) is used. As they are efficient in precipitating particle form submicron
to large size they are preferred to mechanical precipitation.
CONSTRUCTION:
An ESP has series of collecting and emitting electrons in a chamber
collecting electrodes are steel plates while emitting electrodes are thin wire
of 2.5mm diameter and helical form. Entire ESP is a hanging structure
hence the electrodes are hung on shock bars in an alternative manner.
It has a series of rapping hammer mounted on a single shaft device by a
motor with the help of a gear box at a speed of 1.2 rpm. At the inlet of the
chamber there are distributor screens that distribute the gas uniformly
throughout the chamber.
There are transformer and rectifiers located at the roof of chamber. Hopper
and flushing system form the base of chamber.
WORKING
Flue gases enter the chamber through distributor screen and get uniformly
distributed. High voltage of about 40 to 70 KV form the transformer is fed to
rectifier. Here ac is converted to dc. The negative polarity of this dc is
applied across the emitting electrode while the positive polarity is applied
across the collecting electrodes. This high voltage produces corona effect
negative (ve) ions from emitting electrode move to collecting electrode.
During their motion, they collide with ash particles and transfer their
charge. On gaining this charge, ash particles too move to collecting
electrode and stock to them. Similar is the case with positive (+ve) ions
that moves in opposite direction.
The rapping hammers hit the shock bars periodically and dislodge the
collected dust from it. This dust fall into hopper and passes to flushing
system. Here it is mixed with water to form slurry which is passed to
AHP.Efficiency of ESP is approximately 99.8%.

1.

Side view of electrostatic precipitator

~ 15 ~

BASIC CYCLES OF A POWER PLANT

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The power plant now can be subdivided into a number of closed process
cycles which are as followsCoal cycle
Primary and Secondary Air draft cycle
Super Heated Main Steam Cycle
Circulating Water and Condensate cycle
Flue Gas Cycle.

COAL CYCLE
Now the basic inputs and requirements for proper burning of coal are
Pulverization of coal for increased surface area and easy flow into
furnace.
2.
Proper Ignition temperature and moisture free.
1.

3. Air for complete combustion. Thus the required for burning of coal
and conversion of water into steam is covered under the above
mentioned cycles.

TO FA AND FD
DRAUGHT SYSTEM

Raw Coal

Feeders

Bunkers are cylindrical storage tanks of crushed coal from CHP. The coal
level is always maintained within limits and is handled by conveyors whose
rate can be controlled from the CHP control room. For a 210MW stage at
BTPS there are 10 bunkers and each bunker is connected to RC feeder
which is special type of motor arrangement for feeding properly crushed
coal into mill motors. The idea here is to reject any type of metallic or
impurity or unwanted substances from coal. A RC feeder consists of three
rollers with a conveyor belt in it, the amount once released from this feeder
definitely goes into the furnace and the amount is controlled via the speed
of conveyor belt and two opening gates, one motorized and one manual.
There are 10 set of Mill Motors. Each mill motor contains a bowl and roller
arrangement for crushing of coal and this crushed coal is carried away to
the furnace via mix PA discussed at later stage.
RC FEEDER SPECIFICATIONS
Type
Capacity
Supplier
Density of material to be handled
Drive Motor (KW)
Clean out motor (KW)
Power supply
Gear reduction
Special features

SECO - 36'' Gravimetric (with

Mechanic
Weighing)
Minimum - 11350 Kg/hr.
Maximum - 87820 Kg/hr.
SECO. U.S.A.
3
720 to 1280 Kg/m

5.6
0.22
415V, 3-phase, 50 Hz
130.5,1 at 1375 rpm
Free standing control cabinet Tropical
service, Eddy current clutch control,
water sprays Motion monitor, Purge
air
valve.

MOTOR USED IN BOWL MILL

M/s Siemens West Germany/BHEL
Manufacturer
Bhopal.
Motor Type
SQ Motor
0
Standard continuous rating at 40 C
560 KW
Derated rating for specified normal
525 KW
Rated voltage
6600 Volts
Minimum permissible starting voltage 90% rated
Rated speed
590 RPM

AIR DRAFT CYCLE

The Primary Air, Secondary Air & Flue gas System:
The PA needed to carry away the pulverized coal from the Pulverizes to
furnace is supplied by two numbers PA Fans. A portion of PA passes

through APH where it picks up the heat from flue gas and becomes hot
PA.

~ 17 ~

FD

PA
FAN
S

SAP

WIND B

Cold
PA

PAPH

MIL

The SA which ensures the complete

combustion of the fuel in the furnace is
supplied by two numbers Force Draught
(FD) fans. The whole SA passes through
APH & picks up heat from flue gases &
goes to wind box. From wind box it goes
to furnace via SADC comprising of FAD
located at coal mill elevation which
opens proportional to feeder speed.
Auxiliary air dampers which maintains
furnace to wind box DP. Oil air dampers,
which are open at the oil elevation, are
in-service proportional to the oil
pressure. In case there is no oil firing,
these dampers behaves like Auxiliary
air dampers.
In order to avoid the furnace getting
subjected to the positive pressures, the
flue gases which results from the
combustion of the coal are drawn out of
the furnace via APH (Air Pre Heaters)
using two numbers ID fans, which
discharges the flue gas to Chimney
which is further discussed in flue gas
cycle.

The temperature of the air provided by

PA Fan is controlled via cold PA
extracted from the PA line before APH,
the cold PA is then mixed with Hot PA

from PAPH and passed via bowl mill

motors creating primary air draft
system.

~ 18
~

Seal Air Fan:

These are used for supplying seal air to the mills to prevent ingress of coal
dust into gearbox lubrication oil. There are two fans per boiler.
Soot Blowers:
The soot blowers are used for efficient on -load cleaning of furnace, super
heaters, Reheaters and regenerative air heaters. There are three types of
soot blowers provided in the plant in requisite numbers. They are:
1. Long retractable soot blowers
2. Wall blower
3. Air heater blower
Superheated steam is tapped from the super heater for the purpose of soot
blowing.

STEAM CYCLE
BOILER
Boiler can simply defined as the device where any liquid is boiled or Boiler
may be defined as a device that is used to transfer heat energy being
produced by burning of fuel to liquid, generally water, contended in it to
cause its vaporization. Boiler, in simple
terms, can be calledSteam Generator. The following are fact efficient
combustion usually referred as The three Ts.
a) Time It will take a definite time to heat the fuel to its ignition
temperature and having ignited, it will also take time to burn.
b) Temperature A fuel will not burn until it reaches its ignition
temperature.
c) Turbulence Turbulence is introduced to achieve a rapid relative
motion between the air and fuel particles

Block Diagram of Steam Cycle

~ 19 ~

COMPONENTS OF A BOILER
1.

ECONOMISER

2.

BOILER DRUM

3.

DOWN COMERS

4.

WATER WALL

5.

PRIMERY SUPER HEATER

6.

PLATEN SUPER HEATER

7.

FINAL SUPER HEATER

8.

RE-HEATER

9.

BURNER

10.

OIL GUNS

11.

IGNITORS

12.

BUCK STAYS

ECONOMISER
FORMED IN TWO STAGES - ECO I & II AND ECO III

1.
2.

FORMS PART OF FEED WATER CIRCUIT

PRE HEAT BOILER FEED WATER
RECOVERY OF HEAT FROM FLUE GAS
LOCATED IN BOTTOM OF REAR PASS
NO STEAM FORMATION

3.
4.
5.
6.

BOILER DRUM
TO SEPARATE WATER FROM STEAM

1.
2.
3.
4.

LOADS

TO REMOVE DISSOLVED SOLIDS

TO PROTECT WATER WALLS FROM STARVATION
ACTS AS TEMPORARY PRESSURE RESERVOIR DURING TRANSIENT

WATER WALL
1. FORMS FURNACE ENCLOSURE

2. GENERATION OF STEAM

3. PROVIDES SEALING TO FURNACE

~ 20 ~

SUPER HEATER
RAISE STEAM TO HIGHER TEMPERATURE ARRANGED IN 3 STAGES

LTSH LOCATED ABOVE ECONOMISER

RADIANT PENDENT TYPE (DIV PANEL) ABOVE FURNACE

PATH

CONVECTIVE FINAL SUPER HEATER ABOVE FURNACE IN CONVECTIVE

RE HEATER

RE HEAT THE STEAM FROM HP TURBINE TO 540 DEG

COMPOSED OF THREE SECTIONS

RADIANT WALL REHEATER ARRANGED IN FRONT & SIDE WATER WALLS
REAR PENDANT SECTION ARRANGED ABOVE GOOSE NECK

FRONT SECTION ARRANGED BETWEEN UPPER HEATER PLATEN & REAR

WATER WALL HANGER TUBES

~ 21 ~

The Main steam & Re-Heated steam System :

The heat produced by the combustion of the coal is used to generate the
steam. The steam is further heated in the super heaters & forms Main
Steam. This main steam is delivered to the Turbine through main steam
(MS) lines in a controlled manner by means of Main Steam Stop Valves &
Control valves that are regulated by the TG Governing System. In turbine
the steam expands & converts Heat energy in to Mechanical energy.

In between the HP turbine & IP turbine the steam is again carried to the
Boiler, where it is reheated & delivered to the IP turbine in a controlled
manner by means of RH steam stop valves & control valves that are
regulated by the TG Governing system
After the turbine, the steam goes to the condenser where it is condensed
under deep vacuum using CW. The condensate is collected in the Hot well

CIRCULATING WATER CYCLE

Condensate, Feed Water & Boiler Water system
The condensate from the hot well is extracted by CEP & is pumped, via LP
Heaters where it gets heated up, to the Deaerator. The condensate now
becomes feed water & gets stored in the Feed Storage Tank just below
Deaerator. The BFP takes Suction from this Feed Storage tank & pumps this
feed water through HP heaters, feed control station & economizer to the
Boiler Drum, where it becomes Boiler Water. This boiler water goes to the
boiler water walls where it absorbs heat, transforms in to steam & return
back to the Boiler drum. In stage I boiler this circulation of boiler water is
natural, whereas in stage III boiler it is assisted by CW pumps.

~ 22 ~

CW System
CW system consists of CW pump house having CW pumps for supplying CW
to the condenser of stage III units through common CW duct & also for
supplying raw water to Auxiliary pond for miscellaneous use. Auxiliary
Water pump house, which draws water from Auxiliary pond & supplies for
various purposes such as fire water system, raw water supply for
clarification plant etc. Clarification plant, where the raw water is clarified &
is fed to the clarified water tank. Clarified water pump house, where the
clarified water is pumped to supply it to generator gas coolers & other BCW
system.

STEAM TURBINE
GENERAL:
At Vindhyachal Station 500 MW capacity turbines are of Kraft Werk Union
(KWU - Germany) design and supplied by BHEL. The turbine is condensing,
tandem compounded, horizontal, reheat type, single shaft machine. It has
got separate high pressure, intermediate and low pressure parts. The HP
part is a cylinder and IP & LP parts are double flow cylinders. The turbine
rotor is rigidly coupled with each other and with generator rotor.
HP turbine has throttle control. The stream is admitted through two
combined stop and control valves. The steam from reheaters is admitted to
IP turbine through two combined stop and control valves. Two crossover
pipes connect IP and LP cylinder.
The entire turbine is provided with reaction blading. The moving blades of
HPT, LPT and front rows of LPT have inverted T roots and shrouded. The last
stages of LPT are twisted; drop forged moving blades with fir tree roots.
They also have guide blades for proper functioning. The TG unit is mounted
on six bearings HPT rotor is mounted on two bearings, a double wedged
journal bearing at the front and combined thrust bearing adjacent to front IP
rotor coupling.
In the 500 MW KWU turbines, single oil is used for lubrication of bearings,
control oil for governing and hydraulic turbine turning gear. During startups, auxiliary oil pump (2

~ 23 ~

Nos.) supplies the control oil. Once the speed of the turbine crosses 90% of
the rated speed, the main oil pump takes over. Under emergency, a DC oil
pump can supply lubrication oil. Before the turbine is turned or barred, the
Jacking Oil Pump (2 Nos.) supplies high pressure oil to jack up the turbine
generator shaft to prevent boundary lubrication in bearing.
The turbine is equipped with a hydraulic turning gear assembly comprising
two rows of moving blades mounted on the coupling between IP and LP
rotors. The oil under pressure supplied by the AOP strikes against the
hydraulic turbine blades rotates the shaft at 110rpm (220 rpm under full
vacuum condition).
Turbine shaft glands are sealed with auxiliary steam supplied by an electrohydraulically controlled seal steam pressure control valve. A pressure of
0.01 Kg / square-cm (g) is maintained in the seals.
Above a load of 80 MW the turbine becomes self-sealing. The leak off steam
from HPT/IPT glands is used for sealing LPT glands.
TURBINE PROTECTION SYSTEM
Turbine protection system performs to cover the following functions:1.
Protection of turbine from inadmissible operating conditions.
2.
In case of plant failure, protection against subsequent damages.
3.
It restricts occurring failures to minimum.
Standard turbine protection system comprises
the following:-hydraulic turbine
protection.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

The main elements of the Turbine Protection system are as follows:

Emergency Governors.
Emergency Governor Pilot Valves.
Emergency stop valve (ESV) Servomotors.
Interceptor valve (I V) Servomotors.
Turbine shutdown switch.
Electro-hydraulic transducer.
Initial steam pressure unloading gear.
H.P. - L.P. BY- PASS SYSTEM
The HP By-pass system in coordination with LP By-pass enables boiler
operation and loading independent of the turbine. For matching the live
steam and metal temperature for a quick start-up, by-pass stations have
been provided, which dumps the steam to the condenser through pressure
reducing station and de superheaters, during the period the steam
parameters at the boiler are being raised. This allows quick rising of
parameters to a level acceptable to the turbine for rolling during start-up. It
helps in quick start of turbine and low noise level, also economizes the
consumption of DM water. The HP By-pass system consists of two parallel
branches that divert steam from the Main Steam line

~ 24 ~

to Cold Reheaters line. The steam pressure on the valve upstream side can
be maintained at the desired level. The steam is de-superheated in order to
keep the steam temperature in cold reheat line within limits, below 345
degree Celsius. The steam downstream of the HP by-pass station is
maintained by 2 nos. pf spray water temperature control valves BPE-1 and
BPE-2 with valve mounted electro-hydraulic actuators.
With the use of turbine by-pass station it is possible to build up the
matching steam parameters at the boiler outlet during any regime of
starting, independent of the steam flow through turbine. The steam
generated by boiler, and not utilized by the turbine during start-up or
shutdown, is conserved within the power cycle and thus losses of steam
into the atmosphere are cut down to the barest minimum. By-pass system
enables to shorten the start-up time.
CONDENSATE EXTRACTION PUMP (CEP)
The condensate extraction pump (CEP) is a centrifugal type vertical pump,
consisting of pump body, can, distributor housing and the driven lantern.
The pump body is arranged vertically in the can and is attached to the
distributor with the rising main. The rotor is guided in bearings lubricated by
the fluid pumped, is suspended from the support bearing, which is located
in the bearing pedestal in the driven lantern. The shaft exit in the driver
lantern is sealed off by one packed stuffing box. The steam after condensing
in the condensing in the condenser known as condensate is extracted out of
the condenser hot well by condensate pump and taken to the Deaerator
through ejectors, gland steam cooler and series of LP heaters. The function
of these pumps is to pump out the condensate to the Deaerator through
injector, gland steam cooler, and LP heaters. These pumps have four stages
and since the suction is at a negative pressure, special arrangements have
been made for providing sealing.
BOILER FEED PUMP (BFP)
These pumps almost consume 2% of total power generation of the power
plant. Basically these pumps are meant to supply continuous water to the
boiler drum.
There are two- types of
BFPs 1. Turbine Driven
(TDBFP)
2. Motor Driven (MDBFP)
Initially the plant is started with MD-BFP, and then after attaining proper steam
pressure TD-BFPs are used to decrease power consumpti
Each BFP is provided with a Booster pump in its suction line which is driven
by the main motor of the boiler feed pump. One of the major damages
which may occur to a BFP is from Cavitation or vapour bounding at the
pump suction due to suction failure. Cavitations will occur when the suction
pressure of the pump at the pump suction is equal or very near to the
vapour pressure of the liquid to be pumped at the particular feed water
temperature. By the use of the booster pump in the main pump suction line,
always there will be positive suction pressure which will remove the
possibility of Cavitations. Therefore all 3 feed pumps are provided with the
main shaft driven booster pump in its suction line for obtaining a definite
positive suction pressure.

~ 25 ~

GENERATOR AND ITS AUXILLARIES

GENERATOR:
The 500 MW generator is a 3 -phase, horizontally mounted 2-pole cylindrical
rotor type, synchronous machine driven by steam turbine. The stator
windings are cooled by de-mineralized water flowing through the hollow
conductor while the rotor winding is cooled by hydrogen gas. Fans mounted
on the generator rotor facilitate the circulation of the H2 inside the machine
requiring cooling. 4 coolers mounted inside the machine cool the H2 gas.
The generator winding is insulated by epoxy thermo- setting type insulation.
It is provided with static excitation system. Two H2 driers are provided to
facilitate moisture removal. H2 is circulated through them via the fans in dry
condition. Normally one drier is kept in service and other is in standby.
Liquid Level Detectors (LLDs) are provided to indicate liquid in the
generator casing, to indicate whether oil is leaking or water. It can be
drained through drain valves. H2 gas purity is to be maintained at more
than 99%.
The cooling water system consists of 2x100% duty AC motor driven pumps,
2x100% duty water coolers, 2x100% duty mechanical filters, 1x100% duty
magnetic filter, expansion tank, polishing unit and ejector system. The
stator water pump drive the water through coolers, filters and winding and
finally discharges into the expansion tank situated at a height of about 5m
above the TG floor. It is maintained at a vacuum of about 250mm Hg by
using water ejectors. A gas trap is provided in the system to detect any
traces of hydrogen gas leaking into the stator water system. To prevent
leakage of hydrogen from generator housing, ring type seals are provided
at the both ends of the generator. The seal ring is free to adjust its position
according to shaft position.

Generator Components:
1. Rotor:
The rotor is a cast steel ingot and it is further forged and machined. The
rotor is to be designed very accurately as it has to work on speeds such as
3000 rpm. Also a fairly high current is to be carried by the rotor windings to
generate the necessary magnetic field.
2. Rotor winding:
Silver bearing copper is used for the winding with mica as the insulation
between conductors. A mechanically strong insulator such as micanite is
used for lining the slots. When rotating at high speeds centrifugal force tries
to lift the windings out of the slots, so they are screwed to the rotor body.
The two ends of the windings are connected to slip rings, usually made of
forged steel.
3. Stator core:
The stator is the heaviest load to be transported. The major part of this load
is stator core. This comprises of an inner frame and outer frame. The outer
frame is a rigid fabricated structure of welded steel plates, within this shell

is a fixed cage of girder built circular and

~ 26 ~

axial ribs. The ribs divide the yoke into compartments. The inner cage is
usually fixed to the yoke by an arrangement of springs to dampen the
double frequency vibrations.
The stator core is built from a large number of punchings or sections on
thin steel plates. The use of CRGO can contribute to reduction in weight of
stator core.
4. Stator windings:
Each stator conductor must be capable of carrying the rated current
without overheating. The insulation must be sufficient to prevent leakage
currents flowing between the phases to earth.
Windings for the stator are made up from copper strips wound with
insulated tape which is impregnated with varnish, dried under vacuum and
hot pressed to form a solid insulation bar. These bars are then placed in
stator slots and held in with wedges to form the complete winding. The end
turns are rigidly braced and packed with blocks to withstand the heavy
forces.
Generator Cooling:Rotor Cooling System:
The rotor is cooled by means of gap pick up cooling, wherein the hydrogen
gas in the air gap is sucked through the scoops on the rotor wedges and is
directed to flow along the ventilating canals milled on the sides of the rotor
coil, to the bottom of the slot where it takes a turn and comes out on the
similar canal milled on the other side of the rotor coil to the hot zone of the
rotor. Due to rotation of the rotor, a positive suction as well as discharge is
created due to which a certain quantity of gas flows and cools the rotor.
The conductors used in the rotor windings are hollow which is done to have
internal cooling of the rotor.
Hydrogen Cooling System:
Hydrogen is used as a cooling medium due to its high heat carrying
capacity and low density. But it can also form an explosive, or escape out of
the generator casing which may result into many catastrophic results. So
the pressure of H2 should be maintained properly. The filling in and purging
of H2 is to be done safely without bringing in contact with air. To fill H 2
inside generator first CO 2 is filled through generator and then H2 is passed
since H2 has no reaction with CO2 and while taking H2 out of generator first
H2 is taken out then CO2 is passed through generator and then air is allowed
to enter.
Stator Cooling System:
The stator is cooled by distillate which is fed from one end of the machine
by Teflon tube and flows through the upper bar and returns back through
the lower bar of another slot. The stator winding is cooled in this system by
circulating DM water through hollow conductors. The DM water should be at

40C. As it is a closed loop the water that comes out of the generator is
again cooled and de mineralized. Water passes through lower bars

~ 27 ~

along the length to the other end returns through the upper bars of another
slot and drain into drain header.

RATINGS OF TURBO GENERATOR

Stage-I
Rated Voltage:
Rated Power:
Rated KVA:
Stator Current:
Rotor Current:
Frequency:
Connection:
Power Factor:
Rated HB2B Pressure:
Operational Duty:
Class of Insulation:
Stage-II
Rated Power:
Rated KVA:
Stator Voltage:
Stator Current:
Rotor current:
Rotor voltage:
Rated H2 pressure:
Power factor:
Stator winding
cooling:
Stator core and rotor
Cooling:
Rated Speed:
Frequency:
Connection:
Class of Insulation:

15.75 kV
210 MW
247 MVA
9067 A
2640 A
50 Hz
YY (DOUBLE -STAR)
0.85 LAG
2
4KgF/cmP

SB1
B

500 MVA
588MVA
21 Kv
16200A
4040A
340V
3.5 bar (g)
0.85 lag
Direct water cooling (DM
water)
Direct H2 cooling
3000 rpm
50 Hz
YY
F

EXCITATION SYSTEM
Static excitation system

Excitation power from generator via excitation transformer. Protective relays for
excitation transformer.

Field forcing provided through 415 v aux supply

Converter divided in to no of parallel (typically4) paths. Each one having
separate pulse output stage and air flow monitoring.

Two channels : Auto & manual, provision for change over from Auto to
Manual
Limiters: Stator current limiter, Rotor current limiter, Load angle
limiter etc.

~ 28 ~

 Alternate supply for testing.

Brushless Excitation System

GT

EXC TRFR
18KV/700V
1500KVA
THYRISOR
BRIDGE

FIELD

voltage regulator

GENERATOR

400V/40V, 10KVA

Components:

Three Phase Main

Exciter.
Three Phase Pilot
Exciter.

Regulation
cubicle

Rectifier
Wheels

Exciter
Coolers

Metering and supervisory equipment.

Features:

Eliminates Slip Rings,Brush gear and all problems associated with transfer
of current
via sliding contacts
and increasingly popular system the world over, Ideally
Simple, Reliable suited for
large sets

Minimum operating and

Self generating excitation unaffected by system fault/disturbances because of

shaft mounted pilot exciter

~ 29 ~

FIELD BREAKER

Y
B

ARMATURE

ROTATING
DIODES

FIELD
(PM)

PILOT
EXCITER

GENERATO
R

MAIN

EXCITER

3 PHASE EXCITER:
Rated power:
2135 kVA; 10.5 kW
Rated voltage:
520 V
Stator current:
2370 A
Rated Speed:
3000 RPM
Frequency:
50 Hz
Connection:
YY (DOUBLE-STAR)
Self- excitation required: 65 V, 154 A
YY connection is given to reduce effective impedance of windings and to
increase amount of current output since the voltage induced remains
constant.
Difference b/w Brushless Exciter and Static Exciter:
S.NO

Description

Brushless Excitation

Type of system.

Brushless system gets activated

with pilot exciter, main
exciter and rotating
diodes.

Static excitation system uses

thyristors & taking
supply from output of
the generator

Dependency on external
supply.

No external source requirement

since pilot exciter has
permanent magnet field.

Field flashing supply required

for excitation build up.

Response of the excitation

system.

Slower than static type since

control is indirect (on the
field of main exciter) and
magnetic components
involved.

Very fast response in the order

of 40 ms. due to the
direct control and solid
state devices employed.

Requirement
of additional
bearing and increase of
turbo
generator shaft
length.

One additional bearing and an

increase in the shaft
length are required.

No additional bearing and

increase in shaft length
are required.

Maintenance.

Less since slip rings and brushes

are avoided.

Static Excitation

More since slip rings and

brushes are required.
Also over hang
vibrations are very high
resulting in faster wear
and tear.

~ 30 ~

Ratings of brushless excitation system:

Permanent magnet generator: (pilot exciter):
Rated Power:
Rated KVA:
Stator Voltage:
Stator Current:
Power factor:
Rated Speed:
Frequency:
Connection:
Coolant:
Phase:
Class of Insulation:

39kw
65kVA
220V
195A
0.6
3000
rpm
400 Hz
YYYY
AIR
3
F

Excitation system Details:

Static

StageII
Brushle
ss

2000 kW
2600 A
310 V

3780 kW
6300 A
600 V

Stage-I
Type
Excitation power
Excitation Curent
Excitation voltage

EXCITATION SYSTEM OF THE TURBO GENRATOR

Excitation energy for the Turbo Generator (TG)is obtained from a separate
excitation source using a thyristor exciter, which provides the controlled
rectifier current to the field winding. The thyristor (service) exciter consists
of an auxiliary A.C. generator mounted on the TG shaft and two thyristor
converters cooled by distillate from the TG stator cooling circuit.
Either of the converters is arranged in a 3- bridge circuit. The con in parallel
and they function simultaneously. Each converter has its own individual
thyristor firing control system, which is interconnected through the circuits
for synchronizing of firing pulses applied to the two converter arms. Due to
this interconnection, uniform sharing of load current between the parallel
operating converters is provided and besides, each thyristor firing control
system duplicates the other if loss of supply voltage occurs.
If the service exciter fails, the TG field excitation can be provided from the
standby exciter. For this purpose, the use is made of a separately installed
set consisting of a D.C. generator and an A.C. driving motor.
The auxiliary generator is of the self excitation type. Power to the field
winding is obtained from the rectifier transformer connected to generator
stator winding and the

~ 31 ~

thyristor converter cooled by natural air circulation. Application of the

auxiliary generator field flashing is accomplished by means of short- time
connection of a 220 V separate power source. When applied, the separate
power source provides a buildup of the generator terminal voltage up to 1020 % of the rated value, there upon the connected thyristor bridge starts to
function and promotes a build up generator terminal voltage up to the rated
value.
Changing automatically or manually the firing angle of the thyristors in the
converters accomplishes control of the TG filed excitation. With a decrease
of the auxiliary voltage to 80 % of the rated value or in the case of its
complete loss, the regulator and thyristor firing control system are supplied
with back up power from a 220 V storage battery. With the restoration of
the auxiliary voltage to 84% of the rated value, the back-up power supplies
are blocked.

PROTECTIONS OF GENERATOR
The core of an electrical power system is generator. During operating
conditions certain components of the generator are subjected to increase
stress and therefore, could fail, referred to as faults. It can be internal fault
or external fault depending upon whether they are inside or outside of the
machine. The machine with fault must be tripped
immediately. The corrective measures agains care by stubborn system.
Task of the protective system:
o
o
o

Detect abnormal condition or defect.

Limit its scope by switching to isolate the
defect.
Alarm the operating staff.

Unload and/or trip the machine

o

immediately.

Requirement of protective devices:

Selectivity:
Only that part of the installation containing fault should is
disconnected. Safety against faulty tripping: There should be no
trip when there is no fault.
Reliability:
The device must act within the required time.
Sensitivity:
Lowest signal input value at which the device must act.
Tripping time:

There should be a clear a distinction between the tripping time of the

device, considering the circumstances such as current and total tripping
time for the fault.

~ 32 ~

Protective Devices :
The choice of protective equipment for the generator should precisely
understand the type of fault and do the necessary preventive measures
for avoiding it.
Electrical protection:
Differential
protection:

Generator
differential
UAT
differential

Overhead line

differential
G.T. restricted earth fault,
Main
Overall
differential

Earth fault
protection:

Stator earth

fault
Stator earth fault,
Stand by

Rotor earth
fault
Stator Inter turn

fault
Negative Phase Sequence
Current

Generator Backup
Impedance

Loss of
excitation

Pole
slipping

Over
voltage

Over

fluxing
Low forward
power

Reverse

power
Generator Local Breaker Backup
(LLB)

Generator Transformer
Protections

Buchholz
Protection

PRD

protection
Winding Temperature
High

Oil Temperature
High

Fire
Protection

UAT
Protection

Bus Bar
Protection

As with electrical motor protection, generator protection schemes have

some similarities and overlap. This is advantageous, since not all generators
have all of the protection schemes listed in this section. In fact, there are
many protection schemes available; only the more common ones are
discussed here.

Classes of Turbine Generator Trips

There are different classes of protective trips for generators, each with
different actions, depending on the cause and potential for damage. Each of
the four Classes of trip (A, B, C, &D) is discussed below.

~ 33 ~

Class A
trips will disconnect the generator from the grid and shut down the turbine
-generator (i.e., it will trip the turbine and the field breaker). Typical causes
could be generator electrical protection, main transformer electrical
protection, ground faults or any other cause that may directly affect the
units safe electrical output.
Class B
Trips will disconnect the generator from the grid, but will leave the turbine
generator supplying the unit load. Typical initiation of this event is a grid
problem, thus resulting in this loss of load.
Class C
Trips are generator over-excitation trips and are activated only if the
generator is not connected to the grid (it may still be supplying the unit
loads). Typical causes of this over-excitation are manually applying too
much Notes: excitation or applying excitation current below synchronous
speed.
Class D
Trips the turbine and then trips the generator after motoring. The causes of
this type of trip are associated with mechanical problems with the turbine
generator set. Each of these trips, along with their causes and exact effects,
will be discussed further in your station specific training.

Generator Over-Current
As discussed in the previous sections, over-currents in the windings due to
over-loads or faults will cause extensive damage. The generator must be
separated from the electrical system and field excitation removed as
quickly as possible to reduce this damage to a minimum. During run-up and
shutdown, the field may accidentally be applied while the frequency is
below 60Hz. Under these conditions normal protections may not work or
may not be sensitive enough. A sensitive over -current protection called
supplementary start over-current is usually provided when the frequency is
less than about 56Hz.
1.

Generator differential protection

Differential protection can be used to detect internal faults in the
windings of generators, including ground faults, short circuits and
open circuits. Possible causes of faults are damaged insulation due
to aging, overheating, over-voltage, wet insulation and mechanical
damage. Examples of the application of differential protection are
shown in Figure 23 that considers a generator winding arrangement
with multiple windings, two per phase (this type of differential
protection is also called split phase protection for this reason).

~ 34 ~

protection is also called split phase protection for this reason).

In Figure 23 a), the currents in the two windings will be balanced, causing
the currents in the protection circuit to be balanced. Hence in this case, the
differential relay will not operate.
In Figure 23 b), a ground fault is shown on one of the windings. In this case
the fault current direction is shown and it will be unbalanced. This will result
in unbalanced secondary currents in the protection circuit, causing the
differential relay to operate. Similarly, a short circuit within a winding will
cause the two winding currents to be unmatched, causing the differential
relay to operate.
In Figure 23 c), an open circuit is shown, resulting in no current in the one
winding. Again, the unbalanced currents will cause the differential relay to
operate. In generators with single windings per phase, the differential
protection (Figure 24) is similar to the transformer protection previously
discussed. This arrangement will provide high -speed Tripping of the
generator and field breaker plus shutdown of the turbine (class A trip). This
minimizes insulation damage due to overheating, as well as damage from
arcing if the insulation has already been damaged.

~ 35 ~

2. Generator Ground Fault Protection

Generators are usually connected to the delta winding of a delta-star
main transformer. This allows the generator to produce nearly balanced
three phase currents even with unbalanced loading on the primary of the
main transformer. This minimizes stress, vibration and heating of the
stator windings during unbalanced system conditions and electrical
system faults. However, with the generator connected to a delta
winding, a separate protection has to be used to protect against stator
faults. Any resistance to ground will pull the delta towards ground and
may initially go undetected by the differential relay. The stator ground
relay will trip the generator before severe damage results. Often the
ground relay has a low-set alarm included to allow possible correction
before a trip condition exists.
3. Generator Stator Ground Protection
Figure 25 illustrates ground protection system when the generator
neutral connection is done through a neutral grounding transformer.
Some locations utilize a grounding resistor and accompanying CT.
Possible causes of ground faults are insulation damage due to aging,
overheating, over-voltage, wet insulation and mechanical damage. If
the faults are not cleared, then the risk of insulation damage will
occur due to overheating (as a result of high currents) or damage
from arcing if the insulation has already been damaged.

4. Rotor Ground Fault Protection

The windings on the rotor of an AC generator produce the magnetic
field at the poles. In four pole generators (typical of 60 Hz, 1800 rpm
units), the occurrence of a single ground fault within the rotor
generally has no detrimental effects. A second ground fault, however,
can have disastrous results. It can cause part of the rotor winding to
be bypassed which alters the shape of the otherwise balanced flux
pattern. Excessive vibration and even rotor/stator contact may result.
A means of detecting the first ground fault provides protection against
the effects of a second fault to ground on the rotor. Figure 26 shows a
simplified excitation system with a Ground Fault Detection (GFD)
circuit. The GFD is connected to the positive side of the exciter
source.

~ 36 ~

5. Generator Phase Unbalance Protection

If a generator is subjected to an unbalanced load or fault, the
unbalance will show up as ac current in the rotor field. With the 4-pole
800 rpm generators used in nuclear stations, this current will be at
twice line frequency or 120Hz. Continued operation with a phase
imbalance will cause rapid over-heating of the rotor due to the
additional induced circulating currents (these currents will also cause
heating of other internal components of the generator). This will result
in rapid and uneven heating within the generator and subsequent
damage to insulation and windings (hence, reduced machine life) and
thermal distortion could occur. Also the unbalanced magnetic forces
within the generator due to these currents will cause excessive
vibration. This may result in bearing wear/damage and reduced
machine life and may result in a high vibration trip. A specialized relay
to detect these circulating currents, called a negative sequence
current relay, is used to detect the phase imbalance within the
generator. The term negative sequence is just a mathematical term to
describe the effects of unbalancing a symmetrical three phase
system. The most critical phase unbalance would come from an open
circuit in one of the windings and may not be detected by any other
protection. Other causes of phase imbalance include unequal load
distribution, grid faults and windings faults.
6. Generator Loss of Field Protection
When a generator develops insufficient excitation for a given load, the
terminal voltage will decrease and the generator will operate at a
more leading power factor with a larger load angle. If the load angle
becomes too large, loss of stability and pole slipping will occur and
the turbine generator will rapidly go into over-speed with heavy ac
currents flowing in the rotor. A loss of field could be caused by an
exciter or rectifier failure, automatic voltage regulator failure,
accidental tripping of the field breaker, short circuits in the field

currents, poor brush contact on the slip-rings or ac power loss to the

exciters (either from the station power

~ 37 ~

supply or from the shaft generated excitation current). A relay that

sense conditions resulting from a loss of field, such as reactive power
flow to the machine, internal impedance changes as a result of field
changes or field voltage decreases, may be used for the detection of
the loss of field. A field breaker limit switch indicating that the breaker
is open also gives an indication that there is no field to the generator.
7. Generator Over-Excitation Protection
If the generator is required to produce greater than rated voltage at
rated speed (or rated voltage below rated speed), the field current
must be increased above normal (generated voltage is proportional to
frequency and flux). The excess current in the rotor and generated
voltage will result in over-fluxing of the generator stator iron and the
iron cores of the main and unit service transformers. Damage due to
overheating may result in these components. Over-voltage may also
cause breakdown of insulation, resulting in faults/arcing. This problem
may occur on generators that are connected to the grid if they
experience generator voltage regulation problems. It may also occur
for units during start-up or re-synchronizing following a trip (the field
breaker should open when the turbine is tripped). When the field
breaker opens, a field discharge resistor is inserted into the rotor
circuit to help prevent terminal voltage from reaching dangerous
levels. Over-excitation on start-up may be a result of equipment
problems or Notes: operator error in applying excessive excitation
prematurely (excitation should not be applied to the generator until it
reaches near synchronous speed). A specialized volts/hertz relay is
used to detect this condition and will trip the generator if excessive
volts/hertz conditions are detected.
8. Generator Under-frequency Protection
While connected to a stable grid, the grid frequency and voltage are
usually constant. If the system frequency drops excessively, it
indicates that there has been a significant increase in load. This could
end to a serious problem in the grid and it is of little use to supply a
grid that may be about to collapse. In this case, the generator would
be separated from the grid. The grid (or at least portions of it) may
well collapse. The system can slowly rebuild (with system generators
ready to restore power) to proper, pre-collapse operating conditions.
As mentioned above, if a generator connected to the grid has
sufficient excitation applied below synchronous speed (since grid
frequency has dropped) for it to produce rated voltage, the excitation
level is actually higher than that required at synchronous speed. Over
excitation and the problems described above may result. A

specialized volts/hertz relay compares voltage level and frequency

and will trip the generator if present volts/hertz levels are exceeded.

~ 38 ~

9. Generator Out of Step Protection

This protects the generator from continuing operation when the generator
is pole slipping. Pole slipping will result in mechanical rotational impacts to
the turbine, as the generator slips in and out of synchronism. This can be
the result of running in an under excited condition (see the section on loss
of field) or a grid fault that has not cleared. Relays that detect changes in
impedance of the generator can be used to detect the impedance changes
that will occur when the unit slips poles. Another method to provide this
protection is to detect the loss of excitation, using the loss of field
protection and trip the unit if excitation is too low (i.e., trip the generator
when pole slipping is imminent). This has been discussed in the loss of
field section of this module.
10.

Generator Reverse Power Protection

Motoring refers to the process of an AC generator becoming a

synchronous motor, that is, the device changing from a producer of
electrical power to a consumer of it.

Following a reactor trip or setback/step back to a very low power level, it is

beneficial to enter the motoring mode of turbine-generator operation.
However, this is not a desirable mode of operation for standby or
emergency generators. They are not designed to operate in this manner
and can be seriously damaged if power is allowed to flow in
the wrong direction. A means of indicating when the transition from exporter to
importer of power occurs is provided by a device known as a reverse power
relay. As its name suggests, it is triggered by power flowing in a direction
opposite to that which is normally desired. This can be used for generator
protection, as is the case with standby generators or as a permissive
alarm/interlock for turbine-generator motoring. Figure 27 shows
a typical arrangement of a reverse power protection circuit employing both
a CT and a
Voltage Transformer (VT) to power the relay and hence, protect the
generator. The relay will operate when any negative power flow is
detected.

~ 39 ~

SWITCHGEAR

INTRODUCTION
Switchgear is one that makes or breaks the electrical circuit. It is a switching
device that opens& closes a circuit that defined as apparatus used for
switching, Lon rolling & protecting the electrical circuit & equipments. The
switchgear equipment is essentially concerned with switching & interrupting
currents either under normal or abnormal operating conditions. The tubular
switch with ordinary fuse is simplest form of switchgear & is used to control &
protect & other equipments in homes, offices etc. For circuits of higher ratings,
a High Rupturing Capacity (H.R.C) fuse in condition with a switch may serve the
purpose of controlling & protecting the circuit. However such switchgear cannot
be used profitably on high voltage system (3.3 KV) for 2 reasons. Firstly, when
a fuse blows, it takes some time to replace it &consequently there is
interruption of service to customer. Secondly, the fuse cannot successfully
interrupt large currents that result from the High Voltage System. In order to
interrupt heavy fault currents, automatic circuit breakers are used. There are
very few types of circuit breakers in B.P.T.S they are VCB, OCB, and SF6 gas
circuit breaker. The most expensive circuit breaker is the SF6 type due to gas.
There are various companies which manufacture these circuit breakers: ABB,
L&T, ALSTOM. Switchgear includes switches, fuses, circuit breakers, relays &
other equipments.
THE EQUIPMENTS THAT NORMALLY FALL IN THIS CATEGORY ARE:-

1. ISOLATOR
An isolator is one that can break the electrical circuit when the circuit is to
be switched on no load. These are used in various circuits for isolating the
certain portion when required for maintenance etc. An operating mechanism
box normally installed at ground level drives the isolator. The box has an
operating mechanism in addition to its contactor circuit and auxiliary
contacts may be solenoid operated pneumatic three phase motor or DC
motor transmitting through a spur gear to the torsion shaft of the isolator.
Certain interlocks are also provided with the isolator

1.
2.
3.
4.

These are
Isolator cannot operate unless breaker is open
Bus 1 and bus 2 isolators cannot be closed simultaneously
The interlock can be bypass in the event of closing of bus coupler
breaker.
No isolator can operate when the corresponding earth switch is on

~ 40 ~

2. SWITCHING ISOLATOR
Switching isolator is capable of:
1. Interrupting charging current
2. Interrupting transformer magnetizing current
3. Load transformer switching. Its main application is in
connection with the transformer feeder as the unit makes it
possible to switch gear one transformer while the other is
still on load.
3. CIRCUIT BREAKER
One which can make or break the circuit on load and even on faults is referred
to as circuit breakers. This equipment is the most important and is heavy duty
equipment mainly utilized for protection of various circuits and operations on
load. Normally circuit breakers installed are accompanied by isolators.
4. LOAD BREAK SWITCHES
These are those interrupting devices which can make or break circuits. These
are normally on same circuit, which are backed by circuit breakers

5. EARTH SWITCHES
Devices which are used normally to earth a particular system, to avoid any
accident happening due to induction on account of live adjoining circuits.
These equipments do not
handle any appreciable current at all. Apart from this equipment there
are a number of relays etc. which are used in switchgear.

LT SWITCHGEAR
In LT switchgear there is no interlocking. It is classified in following ways:-

1. MAIN SWITCH
Main switch is control equipment which controls or disconnects the main supply.
The main switch for 3 phase supply is available for the range 32A, 63A, 100A,
200Q, 300A at 500V grade.

~ 41 ~

2. FUSES
With Avery high generating capacity of the modern power stations extremely
heavy carnets would flow in the fault and the fuse clearing the fault would be
required to withstand extremely heavy stress in process. It is used for supplying
power to auxiliaries with backup fuse protection. With fuses, quick break, quick
make and double break switch fuses for 63A and 100A, switch fuses for
200A,400A, 600A, 800A and 1000A are used.

3. CONTACTORS
AC Contractors are 3 poles suitable for D.O.L Starting of motors and protecting
the connected motors.

~ 42 ~

4. OVERLOAD RELAY
For overload protection, thermal overload relay are best suited for this
purpose. They operate due to the action of heat generated by passage of
current through relay element.

5. AIR CIRCUIT BREAKERS

It is seen that use of oil in circuit breaker may cause a fire. So in all circuits
breakers at large capacity air at high pressure is used which is maximum at
the time of quick
tripping of contacts. This reduces the possibility of sparking. The pressure may
vary from 50-60kg/cm^2 for high and medium capacity circuit breakers.

HT SWITCHGEAR
1. MINIMUM OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER

These use oil as quenching medium. It comprises of simple dead tank row
pursuing projection from it. The moving contracts are carried on an iron arm
lifted by a long insulating tension rod and are closed simultaneously pneumatic
operating mechanism by means of tensions but throw off spring to be provided
at mouth of the control the main current within the controlled device.

~ 43 ~

Type-HKH 12/1000c

Rated Voltage-66 KV

Normal Current-1250A

Frequency-5Hz

Breaking Capacity-3.4+KA
Symmetrical
o

3.4+KA Asymmetrical

360 MVA Symmetrical

Motor Voltage-220 V/DC

Rated Voltage-12 KV

Supply Voltage Closing-220 V/DC

~ 44 ~

2. AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER

In this the compressed air pressure around 15
kg per cm^2 is used for extinction of arc
caused by flow of air around the moving
circuit . The breaker is closed by applying
pressure at lower opening and opened by
applying pressure at upper opening. When
contacts operate, the cold air rushes around
the movable contacts and blown the arc:

It has the following advantages over OCB:i. Fire hazard due to oil are eliminated.
ii. Operation takes place quickly.
iii. There is less burning of contacts since the duration is short and consistent.
iv. Facility for frequent operation since the cooling medium is replaced constantly.
Rated Voltage-6.6 KV Current-630 A
Auxiliary current-220 V/DC
3. SF6 CIRCUIT BREAKER

This type of circuit breaker is of construction to

dead tank bulk oil to circuit breaker but the principle
of current interruption is similar to that of air blast
circuit breaker. It simply employs the arc
extinguishing medium namely SF6. When it is
broken down under an electrical stress, it will
quickly reconstitute itself.

~ 45 ~

Circuit Breakers-HPA
Standard-1 EC 56
Rated Voltage-12 KV
Insulation Level-28/75 KV

Rated Frequency-50 Hz

Breaking Current-40 KA

Rated Current-1600 A
Making Capacity-110 KA
4. VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER

It works on the principle that vacuum is used to save the purpose of

insulation and. In regards of insulation and strength, vacuum is superior
dielectric medium and is better that all other medium except air and
sulphur which are generally used at high pressure.

Rated frequency-50 Hz
Rated making Current-10 Peak KA Rated Voltage-12 KV
Supply Voltage Closing-220 V/DC

~ 46 ~

SWITCHYARD
Switchyard is considered as the HEART of the Power Plant. Power
generated can be worthful only if it is successfully transmitted and received
by its consumers. Switchyard plays a very important role as a buffer
between the generation and transmission. It is a junction, which carries the
generated power to its destination (i.e. consumers). Switchyard is basically
a yard or an open area where many different kinds of equipments are
located
(isolator, circuit breaker etc), responsible for connect transmission line as per
requirement
(e.g. any fault condition).
Power transmission is done at a higher voltage.
(Higher transmission voltage reduces transmission losses). Therefore, the
power generated by the Turbo generator of 1 to 6 units is 15.75KV and of 6
to 12 units is 21KV which is further stepped-up to 400KV by the
Generating transformer & then transmitted to switchyard.
Switchyards can be of400KV &132KV.
In VSTPS there are two interconnected switchyards:(i) 400KV SWITCHYARD
(ii)

132KV SWITCHYARD

400KV SWITCHYARD:
There are on total 21 bays in this switchyard.
(A bay is basically a way for the incoming power from generator
as well as outgoing power for distribution).
7 for unit Generating Transformer.
7 for various distribution lines such as:
satna line;
jabalpur #1
line; korba
line;

~ 47 ~

jabalpur #2
line; Rihand
#1 line;
SSTPP line;
Rihand #2
line; 2 for Bus
coupler. 2 for
TBC.
2 for ICT.
1 for the Bus Section.
There are on total 6 buses in 400KV switchyard. There are
two transfer buses: Transfer bus-1
Transfer bus-2
Transfer buses are kept spare and remain idle and are used only for
emergency purposes. BUS COUPLER-1 & BUS COUPLER-2 interconnects
Bus-1 & Bus-2, Bus-3 & Bus-4 respectively. Bus couplers are very beneficial
as they help in load sharing between the different buses.
132KV SWITCHYARD:

There are 15 bays in 132KV switchyard.

4 for Station
Transformer.

4 for C.W.
Transformer.

for Colony
Transformer.

for
I.C.T.

1 for S-V-R
line.
1 for Bus Coupler.

There are only 2 buses in 132KV

switchyard. Bus-1 is arranged in Ushape configuration
Whereas Bus-2 is a single straight line inserted in between Ushaped Bus-1. BUS COUPLER is used to couple Bus-1 & Bus-2.
C.W.Transformer Bay:
There are 4 C.W.Transformer connected with 132 KV
switchyard. (C.W. #1, C.W. #2, C.W. #3, C.W. #4) rated
at 25 MVA.
The main purpose of C.W. Transformer is to step-down the system
voltage of 132 KV to 6.9 KV, which is required for C.W. Pump Motor used
for condensing the water.
Colony Transformer Bay:

There are 2 Colony Transformer connected with 132KV

switchyard. (Colony Transformer#1 & Colony
Transformer#2) rated at 12.5 MVA.
The purpose of Colony Transformer is to step- down the system voltage
of 132 KV to 11 KV for supplying the electricity to colonies for domestic
purposes.

~ 48 ~

SWITCHYARD EQUIPMENTS
1. Lightening arrestor
2. Current transformer
3. Voltage transformer (CVT)
4. Power transformers / I.C.T.
5. Bus bar and clamp fittings
6. Support structure
7. Isolators
8. Circuit Breaker
9. Wave traps
10.

Earthing switch

~ 49 ~

STAGE: 4, ONE AND HALF BREAKER

SCHEME

~ 50 ~

ISOLATORS

Operates under no load condition

Interlocked with breakers and earth switches

Should withstand extreme wind pressures

Motor driven and hand driven

Local as well as remote operation possible

Isolates sections for maintenance

Used to select bus bars

CT switching for bus bar protection

400KV HORIZONTAL CENTRAL BREAK TYPE

ISOLATOR

EARTH SWITCHES

USED TO GROUND
MAINTENANCE

SECTIONS

REQUIRED

FOR

GROUND INDUCTION VOLTAGES

INTERLOCKED WITH BREAKERS AND ISOLATORS

CAN OPERATE FROM LOCAL ONLY

MOTOR DRIVEN AS WELL AS HAND DRIVEN & SAFETY

DEVICE

~ 51 ~

CURRENT TRANSFORMER

Current Transformer is an instrument transformer which

transforms current from one level to another level, such as,
1000A/1A (CT ratio) i.e. transforms current from the level of
1000A into current of 1A level

Direct measurement of high current (in the tune of 100A or more) is

not possible as devices used for measurement of current are not
designed to handle such huge amount of current
Why Current Transformer is required

System has two basic requirements

metering of energy sourced or

consumed

Protection of the electrical system from faults and

disturbances

Types of Current Transformer (CT)

Measuring CTs
Protection CTs
Protection CTs for special applications

Where Current Transformer is connected:

For metering and protection of a feeder, CT is connected at the

beginning of the feeder

It has a primary winding and one or more secondary windings

wound on core of magnetic material
Metering and Protection devices are connected to the secondaries of
the CT

~ 52~

CAPACITIVE VOLTAGE TRANSFORMER

Primary voltage is applied to a series of capacitors group. The voltage
across one of the capacitor is taken to aux PT. The secondary of the aux PT
is taken for measurement and protection.
secondary voltages(110 volts ac) for meters and energy meters

voltages for protective relays

voltages for synchronizing

disturbance recorders and event logs

over flux relay

~ 53 ~

LIGHTENING ARRESTOR

To discharge the high voltage surges in the power system due to lightning
to the ground.
Apparatus to be
protected:

Overhead linesEarth/Ground wires

(PA=30DEG)

HV equipment
LAs
Substation...Lightning Masts, Earth wire

SURGE ARESSTOR

CIRCUIT BREAKER
A circuit breaker can either make or break a circuit either automatically or
manually, like no load, full load and short circuit conditions. The
characteristic feature of a circuit breaker has made it a very useful
electrical device in electrical power system.
Types of circuit breakers:1) Oil circuit breakers
2) Air blast circuit breakers
3) Sulphur hexafluoride circuit breakers
4) Vacuum circuit breakers

Oil circuit breakers:

As the name suggests, the principle arc quenching medium in this case is
oil. Whenever the fixed contacts are separated from the moving contacts,
an arc is struck in between the contacts, which cannot be allowed in a
circuit. The same needs to be extinguished. Therefore, as soon as the arc is
struck, the arcing medium is completely surrounded by oil, and the heat of
the arc, thus produced helps in producing hydrogen gas, which helps in
quenching the arc.

Advantages of oil circuit breaker:

~ 54 ~

1) The hydrogen gas thus produced has excellent cooling properties.

Hence it cools the arc.
2) The volume of hydrogen gas is about 1000 times, that of air. Thus
it causes turbulence in the arcing region, thus eliminating the
arcing products.
Disadvantages of oil circuit breakers:
The oil circuit breakers also have a few limitations. They are:
1) The use of oil as the arc quenching medium increases the risk of
fire.
2) Reuse of the oil leads to carbonisation and degradation of the oil.

Air blast circuit breakers:

The air blast circuit breakers are another category of circuit breakers which
use air as the arc quenching medium. They, in a similar manner, remove
the arcing products from the arcing region, thus extinguishing the arc.
Advantages of air blast circuit breakers:
1) The risk of fire, as in the oil circuit breakers is removed.
2) The problem of carbonisation is also r degrade its quality.
Disadvantages of air blast circuit breakers:
1) Air blast circuit breakers have inferior arc quenching properties.
2) Regular maintenance of the compressor plant is required, which
supplies the air blast.

Sulphur hexa-fluoride (SF6 ) circuit breakers:

The Sulphur hexafluoride circuit breakers are the most widely used circuit
breakers. They involve the use of sulphur hexafluoride gas, which acts as
an arc quenching medium.
Advantages of the sulphur hexafluoride circuit breakers:
1) Due to their superior arc quenching properties, they have very low
arcing time.
2) Since the dielectric strength of the gas is very high, they can
interrupt high values of current.
Disadvantages of sulphur hexafluoride circuit breakers:
1) Sulphur hexafluoride gas is expensive.
2) Regular conditioning of the gas is required, especially after use.

~ 55 ~

PROTECTION OF SWITCHYARD
Line Protection:
For EHV lines distance protection are used as Main protection. The
measurement principle of the protection is based on measuring the
impedance of the lines from the point of relay to the fault. This impedance
is proportional to the distance. The relay can be set by calculating the
impedance of the total length of the line based on the available data of line
i.e. resistance and reactance / Km and length of line.
The relay always measures the impedance of the line when the line voltage
& current are connected to the relay. The measured values are compared
with the setting. In case of fault on the line the impedance measured shall
be less than the set value & fall in the operating characteristic of the relay
& the relay will operate to trip the respective breaker. The resistance and
reactance of the line are independently set on the relay i.e. the
characteristic shall be trapezoidal.
Local Breaker Back up Protection:
All the protections of the Generator transformer and unit auxiliary
transformers finally operate the Generator master trip relay. This master
trip relay issues tripping command to Generator bay breaker. In the event,
the Generator breaker does not open within preset time say 200 ms, the
LBB scheme is energized.
Generator Feeder Protection
Bus-Bar Protection
Reactor Protection

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF ELECTRICAL PROTECTION

Having looked at the fundamental purpose of electrical protection, we
should cover the four main building blocks that are used to meet these
requirements:
Speed
When electrical faults or short circuits occur, the damage produced is
largely dependent upon the time the fault persists. Therefore, it is desirable
that electrical faults be interrupted as quickly as possible. Since 1965, great
strides have been made in this area. High-speed fault detecting relays can
now operate in as little time as 10 milliseconds and

~ 56 ~

output relaying in 2 milliseconds. The use of protection zones, that will be

discussed later, minimized the requirement for time-delayed relaying.
Reliability & Security
The protective system must function whenever it is called upon to operate,
since the consequences of non-operation can be very severe. This is
accomplished by duplicate A and B protections and duplicate power
supplies. Protections must isolate only the faulted equipment, with no overtripping of unaffected equipment. This is accomplished by the use of overlapping protection zones.
Sensitivity
The protection must be able to distinguish between healthy and fault
conditions, i.e., to detect, operate and initiate tripping before a fault
reaches a dangerous condition. On the other hand, the protection must not
be too sensitive and operate unnecessarily. Some loads take large inrush
starting currents, which must be accommodated to prevent unnecessary
tripping while still tripping for fault conditions. The ability of relaying to fulfil
the sensitivity requirement is improved through the use of protection zones.
The basic idea behind the use of protection zones is that every component
in an electrical system (i.e., bus, transformer, motor, and generator) has
distinct characteristics. Protections can be made to perform faster (speed),
with increased security and increased sensitivity if it deals with only that
one element. As we start to look at the electrical system in view of
protection zones, we have to get a clear picture of where the boundaries of
these zones will normally be in any electrical system. For simple systems
such as a motor in the diagram below, the fuse or thermal circuit breaker
would be the boundary of the zone. The ratings of the fuse would be
designed to protect that motor only.

HVDC Back to back System

A back-to-back station (or B2B for short) is a plant in which both
converters are in the same area, usually in the same building. The length
of the direct current line is kept as short as possible. HVDC back-to-back
stations are used for

coupling of electricity grids of different frequencies (as Northern and

western grid)

coupling two networks of the same nominal frequency but no fixed

phase relationship (as until 1995/96 in Etzenricht, Drnrohr,Vienna, and
the Vyborg HVDC scheme).

different frequency and phase number (for

replacement for traction current converter plants)

example,

as

The DC voltage in the intermediate circuit can be selected freely at HVDC

back-to-back stations because of the short conductor length. The DC

voltage is usually selected to be as low as possible, in order to build a small

valve hall and to reduce the number of thyristors connected in series in
each valve. For this reason, at HVDC back-to-back stations, valves with the
highest available current rating (in some cases, up to 4,500 A) used.

~ 57 ~

VINDHYACHAL HVDC:

Data sheet of Vindhyachal HVDC are:

1. Date of completion: April 1989
2. Specification:
a) Power rating: 2 x 250 MW
b) No. of blocks: 2
c) AC voltage: 400KV
d) DC voltage: 70KV
e) Converter transformer: 8 x 156 KVA

System Salient Features:

1. It connects Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Stations (Western
Region) to Singrauli Super Thermal Power Stations (Northern
Region) in Indian Grid.

2.

Each Block power carrying capacity is 250 MW.

3.

Bidirectional power flow capability is available.

4.

5.

The project achieve load diversity of Northern and Western region in

Indian Grid by meeting high demand from surplus power available in
either regions.
First commercial Back to Back HVDC Station in India

~ 58 ~

Water Treatment Plant and Storage

Since there is continuous withdrawal of steam and continuous return
of condensate to the boiler, losses due to blow down and leakages have to
be made up to maintain a desired water level in the boiler steam drum. For
this, continuous make-up water is added to the boiler water system.
Impurities in the raw water input to the plant generally consist of calcium
and magnesium salts which impart hardness to the water. Hardness in the
make-up water to the boiler will form deposits on the tube water surfaces
which will lead to overheating and failure of the tubes.
Thus, the salts have to be removed from the water, and that is done
by a water de-mineralizing treatment plant (DM). A DM plant generally
consists of cation, anion, and mixed bed exchangers. Any ions in the final
water from this process consist essentially of hydrogen ions and hydroxide
ions, which recombine to form pure water. Very pure DM water becomes
highly corrosive once it absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere because of its
very high affinity for oxygen.
The capacity of the DM plant is dictated by the type and quantity of salts in
the raw water input. However, some storage is essential as the DM plant
may be down for maintenance. For this purpose, a storage tank is installed
from which DM water is continuously withdrawn for boiler make-up. The
storage tank for DM water is made from materials not affected by corrosive
water. The piping and valves are generally of stainless.

CONCLUSION
Industrial training being an integral part of engineering curriculum
provides not only easier understanding but also helps acquaint an individual
with technologies. It exposes an individual to practical aspect of all things
which differ considerably from theoretical models. During my training, I
gained a lot of practical knowledge which otherwise could have been
exclusive to me. The practical exposure required here will pay rich
dividends to me when I will set my foot as an Engineer.
The training at NTPC Vindhyachal was altogether an exotic
experience, since work, culture and mutual cooperation was excellent here.
Moreover fruitful result of adherence to quality control awareness of safety
and employees were fare which is much evident here.

~ 59 ~

BIBLIOGRAPHY

WIKIPEDIA
PRESENTATIONS FROM EDC DEPARTMENT,VSTPP
PRESENTATION FROM SENIORS AND EMPLOYEES OF
VSTPP
NTPC VSTPP WEBSITE
SLIDESHARE

~ 60 ~