Performance of 500 MW thermal power plants depending on driving methods of boiler feedwater pumps

Abstract

Two driving methods are primarily used for boiler feedwater pumps (BFPs): turbine and motor. Turbine-driven BFPs (BFPTs) are typically implemented in large-capacity coal-fired power plants in Korea owing to their greater efficiency than motor-driven BFPs (BFPMs). In this study, we analyzed the performance of BFP-driven power plants and proposed a more efficient driving method based on BFPs. For the reference power plant, the BFPM was implemented to improve its performance since the efficiency of BFPM was 14.83 % higher than that of BFPT. A 1 % increase in the efficiency of the BFPT and BFPM presents a net output increase of 251.3 and 235.0 kW respectively. This additional power output reduces the effect of greenhouse gas emissions. The condenser pressure is also a key parameter for determining the BFP driver.