3 Unique Ways To Improve Efficiency In Power Plant Operations


With the increase in the population rate, there has been an unsurprising increase in the demand for power plants that energize our homes and businesses. However, these power plants must work at high efficiency to ensure the following:

Make the most out of the limited resources available to generate power
Increase profitability in the power plant by ensuring the machinery is working at its best capacity

There are a host of ways and techniques that businesses can adopt to ensure that their power plant is working at the best level. In this article, we have covered three such pointers that can be used to boost your power plant operations.

Your Choice of Valves Matter

While it’s true that valves are small components of a power station, they play a vital role in ensuring that the power plant’s operations run smoothly. For example, a large power plant requires hundreds of valves to manage the flow of water and stream efficiently. They can be used to start or stop, reduce or increase and control and regulate the direction of the flow. Hence, if the valves installed do not function properly, the plant won’t be able to function at all.

Due to this, valves that are defected or not performing well can cost the company a high price, both financially and in terms of effort.

Make Use of Nanotechnology

The use of advanced technology has entered multiple industries to improve performance. One such technology that is making great strides in the power plant industry is nanotechnology. The reason why nanotechnology can improve the operations of a power plant is that it coats the surface of the condenser used in such plants with a one-atom-thick layer of graphene, a very thin yet extremely strong material. This main aim of doing this is to ensure that water droplets are prevented from forming on the condenser as this impedes heat transfer. Hence, the use of this technology is highly beneficial.

According to the researchers at MIT, they have developed a way to harness the power of nanotechnology, which results in a 2-3% improvement in the entire plant’s efficiency. In terms of money, this 2-3% could translate into millions of dollars saved per power plant every year.

Always Measure 5 Basic Parameters

When designing a power plant, engineers always consider ideal situations and scenarios. However, things work differently when the plant is up and running. Due to this, sometimes, the expected outcome of the design and machinery installed are not fulfilled. This reduces the overall performance of the power plant. Hence, to ensure that your power plant operations are effective, it’s important to analyze and measure the performance of these five factors regularly:

  • Flue gas exit temperature
  • Feedwater flow ratio
  • Condenser terminal temperature difference (TTD)
  • Condenser range (RNG)
  • Tower approach (APP)

Running and maintaining a power plant is no easy feat. Additionally, the cost to run the power smoothly is extremely steep as well. While these steps above can help reduce the cost by ensuring your power plant is delivering optimal results, it is also essential to regularly conduct maintenance of the plant and the machinery present. Thermax is one such company that can help!

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