Coal-Fired Power Plant Designs, Systems, and Components

• Published in: Characterizing the U.S. Industrial Base for Coal-Powered Electricity p. 23
• Main Authors: Constantine Samaras, Jeffrey A. Drezner, Henry H. Willis, Evan Bloom
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: RAND Corporation 31.10.2011
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Ashes; Boilers; Business; Chemical compounds; Chemicals; Chemistry; Coal; Coal fired power plants; Combustion products; Earth sciences; Electric power facilities; Electric power industry; Electric power plants; Electricity; Electromagnetism; Energy engineering; Energy industry; Engineering; Fossil fuels; Fuels; Fundamental forces; Furnaces; Heating equipment; Hydrology; Industrial engineering; Industrial machinery; Industrial sectors; Industry; Manufacturing industries; Physical sciences; Physics; Power generation; Reaction products; Steam; Systems design; Systems engineering; Technology; Water
• ISBN: 0833059181; 9780833059185

Conventional coal EGUs have various designs and configurations but have similar processes. First, units receive, process, and combust coal to produce steam. This steam drives a turbine generator to produce electricity that is fed into the electricity transmission system. Cooling systems condense the steam back into water for reuse in creating steam. Finally, pollution-control systems reduce the levels of conventional air pollutants in the exhaust gases that are released from the facility’s smokestack, and handling systems dispose of ash and other wastes. Units can be designed as subcritical, supercritical, or ultrasupercritical units, with supercritical and ultrasupercritical units operating at higher