Report on the Industrial Visit to BPSCL Power

Plant

Objective:
1) To learn the functioning of a coal based Thermal Power Plant.
2) Understanding the best and sustainable practices in running a
Coal based Power Plant.
3) To expose us to real work of environment experience.
4) To gain the knowledge through hands on observation and job
execution.
 5) To develop skills in work ethics, communication, management
and others.

The Industrial visit to Bokaro Power Supply Corporation Limited

(BPSCL) was of 4 weeks from 23.12.2019 to 18.01.2020.

Visit started with a security rules briefing during which we were

given our helmets and explained about the important safety rules to
comply with at all times.

Thermal Power Plant Departments visited:

 Coal Handling Plant (CHP)
 Ash Handling Plant
 Boilers
 Water Treatment Plant
 Turbine & Generators
 Switchyard

The coal was brought from Dhanbad and some imported from
Australia, and finally they are mixed to increase the gross calorific
value.
The water used for cooling and all other purposes was bought from
the nearby Cooling Pond.

Visit Department: Coal Handling Plant (CHP)

In CHP coal was brought through the help of
wagon tippler and was unloaded from it by tilting it at an angle of
135° with the help of stepper motor. After unloading, the coal is
 carried on conveyor belts to the crusher. Crusher turns coal into
smaller particles and hence is pulverised. This pulverised coal is then
supplied to the furnace of the boiler.

Visit Department: Ash Handling Plant.

Ash is the residue remaining after the coal has
been incinerated to constant weight under standard conditions. Ash
is oxidized form of the mineral matters present in coal. 20 % Of the
ash falls at the bottom of the furnace known as Bottom Ash (BA).
80% of the ash carried away with flue gas known as Fly Ash.
BA can form slag and clinker depending on the temperature of the
combustion zone and environment inside. Reducing environment
(Less O2) reduces ash MP. BA is disposed off through BA disposal
system. FA is collected through ESP and disposed through FA disposal
system.

Overburden
Surge Pile

Pulverize (-150)
Coal Seam

Electrostatic Precipitator Boiler

Flue Gas Flue Gas

Fly Ash Bottom

Fly Ash Ash

Bottom Ash
Fly Ash

Smoke Stack
Visit Department: Boilers
Water tube boilers are a special type of steam
generator that tend to be used in large scale industrial and
commercial applications. They are different from shell boilers
because they circulate hot water around a series of tubes to allow
the heat transfer process to take place. The heat source used to heat
the water in a tube boiler encapsulates these tubes and can heat the
water to very high temperatures (and pressures).
Water tube boilers are often preferred to other types of steam
generator as they can run at much higher pressures than other types
of water boiler.
In BPSCL there are total of nine boilers. The Plant has 9 boilers (5
boilers each of 220 TPH, 3 boilers each of 260 TPH capacity and 1
boiler of 300 TPH) 5

Visit Department: Water Treatment Plant

At Water Treatment department DM water is
prepared to supply as feed water in boilers. Also the discharged
water of boilers are treated before discharging it into the river or
pond. The water treatment was done using ion exchange method.
Ion exchange is a water treatment process commonly used for water
softening or demineralization.
Ion exchange describes a specific chemical process in which
unwanted dissolved ions are exchanged for other ions with a similar
charge.
Ions are atoms or molecules containing a total number of electrons
that are not equal to the total number of protons.
There are two different groups of ions, cations, which are positively
charged, and anions, which are negatively charged. We have Michael
Faraday to thank for these names, which he devised based on the
cation’s attraction to the cathode and the anion’s attraction to the
anode in a galvanic device. This attraction is used to remove
dissolved ionic contaminants from water. The exchange process
occurs between a solid (resin or a zeolite) and a liquid (water). In the
process, the less desired compounds are swapped for those that are
considered more desirable. These desirable ions are loaded onto the
resin material.
In the exchange of cations during water treatment, positively
charged ions that come into contact with the ion exchange resin are
exchanged with positively charged ions available on the resin
surface, usually sodium.
In the anion exchange process, negatively charged ions are
exchanged with negatively charged ions on the resin surface, usually
chloride. Various contaminants — including nitrate, fluoride, and
sulphate, and arsenic— can all be removed by anion exchange.
These resins can be used alone or in concert to remove ionic
contaminants from the water.

Visit Department: Turbine & Generators

Visit Department: Switchyard