Title: Assessing and improving the efficiencies of a steam power plant using exergy analysis. Part 1: assessment

Authors: Marc A. Rosen, Raymond Tang

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7L7, Canada. ' Kishimoto Sangyo (HK) Co., Ltd, Unit 2608, The Metropolis Tower, 10 Metropolis Drive, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: Energy and exergy analyses are used to examine the performance of a coal-fired steam power plant and to identify and evaluate possible modifications to improve the efficiency of the plant. The exergy analysis provides a detailed breakdown of the exergy losses (including waste exergy emissions and internal irreversibilities) for the overall plant and its components. The results show that irreversibilities are the largest source of exergy loss for the plant and that the irreversibility rate in the steam generator is much larger than that in the other plant components.

Keywords: exergy; energy; efficiency; electricity; power plants; analysis; steam power.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2006.010230

International Journal of Exergy, 2006 Vol.3 No.4, pp.362 - 376

Published online: 11 Jul 2006 *

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