Emergency management in Thermal Power Plants

Operational Emergencies Preventive & Corrective Actions

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless ..but planning is indispensable. Dwight T Eisenhower
The thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953-1961).

What is an emergency?
Happening other than normal Or which are not easily controlled automatically

Hence, calls for human interference

It can cause Loss of generation Property Life

Immediate corrective action reduces the extent of

damage

Types Of Emergency
Accidents

Fires
Equipment failures Operation related emergencies

Disasters

Impact
Any abnormal situation may lead to : Equipment damage or Failure Unit Outage Station Outage And affecting significantly Safety to Human beings and Equipment Forced Outage (Down time) / Partial loading Efficiency O & M cost

Need to face emergencies in Power Plant can not be over emphasized:

It has direct bearing on: 1) Safety of man & machine. 2) Bottom line of Company, specially in ABT regime.

Emergency situation can arise due to situations external or internal to the plant: Grid disturbances have often led to total station shut down an example of cause external to the Plant. Failure of equipments, system deficiencies or significant deviation in process parameters are at the root of emergencies.

Emergencies covered in disaster management plan is not covered in scope of deliberation. Areas where emergency situation does arise are, broadly speaking: 1) Steam Generator. 2) Turbo-generator. 3) Switchyard 4) Common systems:
a) b) c) d) e) CW RW CLW Compressed Air Ash Handling etc.

FACTS..
Most of the emergencies if handled ably and judiciously, can mitigate and in some cases can prevent the adverse impact.

With advancements in C & I, good protection systems are in place for the automatic handling of emergencies, never the less the role of operating personnel is the prime.

ACCIDENTS
Accidents during: Erection stage O & M stage Equipment failure Human Error

Accidents due to:

Emergency situations for Boiler:

1) Loss of Auxiliary : a) ID, FD, PA Fans b) CC Pump c) Multiple Mill Tripping d) Scanner Air Fan. e) Stalling of APH & Fire in it. f) Abnormal drum level

Emergency situations for Boiler (Contd):

2)Combustion Related: a) Furnace Pressurization b) Ash Build-up in furnace c) Structural deficiencies. d) Evacuation problems in ESP.

Furnace Pressurization
Causes: Presence of un-burnt fuel. Mismatch in ID Fan & FD/PA Fan loading. Tube leakage. Remedial measures: Ensuring ignition energy for fuel being put into the furnace. Ensuring oxidizing atmosphere in furnace allowing air/fuel lead-lag circuit to work as per logic. Healthiness of post purge trip circuit

Not altering turn-down ratio prescribed for oil & coal burners.
Healthiness of furnace pressure control links etc.

Slagging & Ash Build up

Causes: 1) Improper fuel or air distribution in furnace presence of high heat flux zone. 2) Fouled furnace. Remedial Measures: 1) Pockets of reducing atmosphere in furnace to be eliminated, which reduces ash fusion temperature considerably. 2) Clean air flow test, dirty pitot tube test. 3) Coal specific fuel air damper setting.

APH FIRE
Causes: Un-burnt fuel oil.

Oil used for preservation of baskets. Stalling of Air Pre-heater (stalling due to falling bracings or bearing failure is not uncommon).

Remedial Measures: Eliminating carry over of fuel oil during start-ups.

Continuous soot blowing during start-up. Through steam cleaning of new baskets prior to installation to remove paint used for preservation.

TRIPPING OF PA FAN
On tripping of PA Fan it is experienced that survival of Unit has 50-50% chance. Survival depends on: Quick closure of PA Fan discharge damper which minimizes back flow. Hot air dampers traveling to minimum position. Hot/Cold primary air leakages should not be there it will reduce possibility of survival of Boiler. Also PA Fan tripping could affect combustion and lead to furnace pressurization/implosion.

Emergencies in Turbine
1)Loss of Auxiliary BFP, CEP, ECW, Vacuum Pumps, Oil Pumps etc. 2) Loss of Circulating Water. 3) Abnormal Process parameters.
A) High vibration B) Abnormal Thermal expansions C) Over speeding

4) Other Emergencies:
A) Water carry over into turbine. B) Seizure stoppage of barring. C) Bursting of steam / water pipe lines D) Hydrogen Gas Leakage

Emergency in Generator
1)H2 leakage. 2)Fire in Generator transformer 3)Stator Water loss/partial blockage in windings. 4)Excitation systems malfunction.

Causes:

High Vibration in Turbo-generator

Imbalance, misalignment, oil-whip, thermal imbalance, steam flow induced vibration etc.
Remedial Measures:

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Correction in steam temp. Seal steam temp. Balancing steam flow. Lube oil flow / temp. Possible water induction from boiler or heater or Deaerator.

TURBINE ADVISORY TRIP

High shaft vibration/eccentricity High bearing vibration High bearing metal temp. High differential expansion High main steam temp.

Stoppage of Barring
Causes: 1) Inadequate rotor lift. 2) Seizure at glands, inter-stage seals or by broken components or foreign material. Ensuring requisite lift at bearings by setting correct jacking oil pressure, jacking oil line flexible hose punctures are common. Mechanical seizure at seals due to very low seal steam temp. takes place at gland portion. Often waiting for turbine to cool down for 70-80 hours brings back turbine on barring. Excessive force used for hand barring may lead to damage to inter-stage seals or gland seals.

Loss of Circulating Water

Causes: 1) Tripping of CW Pump. 2) Tripping of CW Pump due to black-out in station. Effects: Bursting of steam release diaphragm mounted on LPT. Diaphragm rupture takes place due to : 1) Steam entry through passing drain valves. 2) HPH alternate drip to condenser, which is air to close type gets opened due to loss of control air admitting hot drip into condenser. 3) If HPH-6 Ex block valve does not close and CRH steam finds way to condenser.

UNIT DC Failure
Unit DC Failure Loss of Emergency Drive Loss of Control and Protection Unit DC System Architecture Boiler Control Electrical Protection Switchgear Control Emergency Services Turbine Control

ISLANDING
Station Islanded. Disconnection from the Grid system (locally or at remote sub station) How to recognize the situation? Sharp and large rise / fall in frequency How to successfully operate the island? The island may have more than one station Generation control (preferably Governor Control) to stabilize frequency Synchronize with the Grid / adjacent island as quickly as possible

Black Out at Power Stations

AC supply failure UPS healthy? Adds to the distress. DC supply OK? Emergency services established? (Lubes, sealing oil pumps, scanner fans) How fast you need DG supply? Not very critical, it can wait. Urgency only if DC system has failed. Has DG started? Can you start it and connect? What is your alternative source? Turning gear working? Fire Fighting system alert? NEVER PANIC

What To Do
Black Start Power is not an emergency; Survival Power is Follow instructions of Grid operator; System restoration is his responsibility, not yours Inform your constraints if any to the System Operator Shift Charge Engineer is the commander, Follow his instructions. Do not crowd him, let him think. Only one person to co-ordinate operations with system controller Plan your activities in advance, it is time well spent
Allocate Responsibilities; do not do everything yourself

DISASTER
Natural Calamities: Earthquake

Flood / Water entry Areas affected: Switchyard, CW pump house, CEP sump, switchgears, cable galleries etc.
Cyclone

Areas affected: Transmission lines

Chlorine leak / Chemical spillage

 Maintain COOL Restraint in ACTION Do not easily reach at conclusion that the indication is spurious. Use input from all your senses. It helps in in prevention/Mitigation and finding Root Cause. Time taken to react is the key. AUTOMATIC VS MANUAL MODE SAFETY FIRST-DONT TAKE CHANCES FOLLOW WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS Keep record of modifications in protections/interlocks, and bypassing (if any) communicate well.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN DURING EMERGENCIES

PREVENTION OF EMERGENCIES
Accident prevention:

Awareness creation- Manpower involved to have the right skills and awareness of the risks involved Strictly follow standard operating instructions/ OEM recommendations. Ensure healthiness of equipments and tools-Use the correct tools. Ensure proper isolation from all possible energy sources before starting maintenance activities. Adopt safe and correct working practices. co ordinate properly when multiple tasks are being carried out. Adhere to all statutory / mandatory requirements.

Equipment Related emergencies

Ensure healthiness of timely maintenance. all equipments by doing Operate equipments/ systems within the prescribed parameter limits. When any safety related parameter exceeds the shut down the machine before it breaks down. limit,

While commissioning and operating, follow the recommended procedure; dont bypass any major step/ criteria/ protection.

To avoid errors display instructions, nameplates, boards etc.

sign

PREPARATION FOR EMERGENCIES

Irrespective of preventive measures some emergencies do happen. Proper preparation for such eventualities can reduce the extent of damage. For this ensure the following.

Prepare, circulate and keep instructions, wherever applicable.

handy

emergency

Have a well prepared and updated disaster management plan.

Healthiness of fire protection system. Proper approach and escape routes. Availability of lifts, communication system etc.

HANDLING EMERGENCIES
Timely and proper handling of emergencies help in reducing the damage. Some of the tips are:

Handle the emergency as per the prescribed procedure (wherever provided) with presence of mind. In case of failure / delay of auto systems, exercise manual intervention. In case of accident, fire etc isolate the affected equipment immediately. Depending on the seriousness of the emergency, inform all concerned and ask for help. Intimate fire tender without delay. Take care of personal safety, medical aid and IR issues

Significant Learning's
Issues such as grounding , which do not play a role in normal running and hence accorded lesser importance can be vital to plant safety. Critical supports such as batteries need to be given due importance. Environmental conditions can deteriorate the functioning of the otherwise proven design. Even the most experienced Engineers can commit mistakes. Documentation / Procedures help.

SIGNS OF IMMINENT DANGER (Electrical)

OPERATING REGIME-conditions EQUIPMENT REGIME-history PERSISTING ALARMS LOCKOUTS HOT SPOTS DC EARTH FAULT FLASHOVERS CABLE FIRE

SIGNS OF IMMINENT DANGER (C&I)

Failure of Power Supplies Failure of Man- Machine Interface Failure of the motive Power to the final Control Element