ENERGY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT OF COAL FIRED THERMAL POWER PLANT – CASE STUDY APPROACH

Abstract

As on September 2014 the power generation installed capacity of India is 253390 MW. India is the fifth largest
consumer of electricity in the world. Coal fired power plants are account for about 65% of the installed capacity catering the
need of power demand in the country. Still we are facing shortage of power to the tune of 6% in the peak demand and
installed capacity. In order to enhance the availability and reliability of power now days it is essential to conserve the energy
by way of energy efficiency through energy management practices in thermal power plants. Various thermal power plants
have implemented the techniques/ approaches of energy management to improve energy efficiency of equipments in the
power plant are discussed in this paper. Based on these case studies which energy management factors are suitable to
improve the performance indicators can be considered in this research paper to improve the performance indicators of the
plant. The case study focuses on Energy Management practices followed in thermal power plants and to identify the areas for
improvement of energy efficiency of the plant. With implementation of Periodic Energy Audits, Energy Conservation
Measures, Process Optimization and Diagnostic Studies. The consumption of coal, oil and electricity can be reduced
substantially in the Plant for cost competitiveness and increase in Profitability through energy management approaches.