‘CFBC’- A PREFERRED GENERATION TECHNOLOGY FOR

INDIA
By –S. C.Pal & S. S. Chopade
•Introduction:

•Availability and access of electricity is a crucial element of modern

economies.
•So power industry is given prime importance in planning process of India
and given highest priority.

•The National Electricity Policy envisages power to all by 2012,to achieve this
target Govt of India has amended the electricity (supply) act, 1948 in 1991
and passed electricity act 2003 to promote private generating companies for
setting up of power plant and selling the power in bulk to grid or industries.

•In 1995 the policy of mega power project of capacity 1000MW or more and
supplying power to more than one state was introduced.

•As a result the installed capacity of Power plant has increased to 209276 MW
till 31.10.2012 from a meagre 1713 MW in 1950.
Overview of power sector
250000

200000
Generation capacity additions in different five year
Generation in MW

Plans
150000

100000

50000

0
1979, Vth 2002,IXth 2007, Xth 2012,XIth
1950,Ist plan
Plan plan plan plan
THERMAL 1153 15207 74429 86014 131603
TOTAL 1713 26680 105046 132329 199877
Overview of Indian power sector & dependence on Coal:
Generation of thermal power increased from meager 1153 MW in the beginning of
Ist Five year plan to 131603 MW at the end of 11th five year plan. Out of the total
installed capacity of 209276 MW the thermal power constitute 140206 MW, out of
which the coal based installed capacity is 120103MW. Thermal generation
constitute 67% of total generation and coal 57 % of the total generation.

Gneration in % in November,2012

12%
19%

57%
9%
2%
1%

COAL Gas Dsl Nuclear Hydro RES

OVERVIEW OF INDIAN POWER SECTOR

• From the last slide it is clear that Indian power sector is highly
dependent on coal base generation and also there is no any alternative
for this.

•India is bound to depend on coal based generations for at least next

20-30 years.

•These days there is increasing gap between demand and supply of coal
in India

•Predicting this well in advance government of India ,In 1993 the

captive coal mining was opened for power generating companies to
expedite coal production to meet the growing demand of coal by coal
fired power plants and to shortening the gap between demand and
supply of coal in the country.
 Coal Availability , quality and supply issues in India:

• India is the third largest coal producing country in the world with fifth
largest coal reserve, has a good resources of Coal & Lignite .

•As on 1.4,2012 the estimated geological reserve for coal seam of 0.90 m
thick and above up to a depth of 1200 m was 293.497 billion tons (table 1-
a & fig 1) Coal deposits of India are mainly confined to the Gondwana Coal
field (99.5) on the eastern and south central parts of the country.

•The states of Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhatisgarh ,West Bengal,

Andhrapradesh, maharastra and Madhya Pradesh account for more than
99% of the total reserves.

•The type wise break up of coal reveals that non coking coal consists of
88% of the total reserve.

•The estimated lignite reserve as on 1.4.2011 was 40.91 billion tones (table
1-b) as compared to 39.90billion ton of 2010-11. Tamil Nadu constitutes
80% of the reserves.
 Proved Indicated Inferred Total %
Type of Coal
(Mt) (Mt) (Mt) (Mt) Share

Coking 17933.35 13653.47 2101.91 33688.73 11.48%

Non-coking 99617.65 128416.04 30282.09 258315.78 88.01%
Tertiary coal 593.81 99.34 799.49 1492.64 0.51%

Total All Types: 118144.81 142168.85 33183.49 293497.15 100.00%

% Share 40.25% 48.44% 11.31% 100.00%

Proved Indicated Inferred Total

Type of Coal
(Mt) (Mt) (Mt) (Mt)
Lignite: 6.15 25.79 8.97 40.91
% Share 15.02 63.06 21.92 100
Table -3 :Trend of production of Coal, Lignite
& import of coal in India Table -4 : Projected Coal
demand
Non Coking Total
Coal Raw Coal Lignite Import Year Electricity Total
2002-03 311.077 341.272 26.018 23.26
2006-07 341 460
2003-04 331.845 361.246 27.958 21.683
2011-12 539 731
2004-05 352.391 382.615 30.411 28.95
2005-06 375.528 407.039 30.228 38.586 2016-17 836 1125

2006-07 398.735 430.832 31.285 43.081 2021-22 1040 1390

2007-08 422.627 457.082 33.98 49.794 2026-27 1340 1743
2008-09 457.948 492.757 32.421 59.003
2031-32 1659 2221
2009-10 487.629 532.042 34.071 73.255
2010-11 483.147 532.694 37.733 68.918
2011-12 488.286 539.94 43.105 98.929
 Non Coking Coal & Lignite Production in MT

500
400
300
200
100
0
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Lignite Non Coking coal

150

100 Import of coal in Million Ton

50

0
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Import
 Demand supply gap of coal
For the upcoming 12th Five Year Plan, the projected annual coal requirement
increases to 842 MT and the estimated domestic coal availability is 700 MT
by 2016-2017 thus India’s dependence on imported coals is expected to
increase to 142 MT annually. However, there are several barriers for
importing coal:
a) Coal imports have custom duty of 5%,
b) The economics of coal imports are viable primarily at coastal locations
that are far from domestic mines,
c) Limited port infrastructure for import of coal,
d) The poor financial condition of State utilities,
e) NTPC, which is the single largest consumer of thermal coal, has most of its
capacity at the pithead or inland locations, and
f) Typically higher sulfur content of imported coal.
Role of Coal in the Power plant performance:
The plant performance is dependent on various factors like,
1. Heat rate 2.Thermal efficiency 3. Capacity factor 4.Load factor 5. Economic
efficiency and 6.Operational efficiency.

Out of all these factors, in coal based thermal power plants coal as a fuel has
important role in supporting the overall power plant performances .Reliability in
coal supply will influence mostly by the capability of the captive mine/ supplier to
meet the demand and the reliability of the coal transportation.

The consistency in the quality of coal (Ash, Moisture & Heat Content) supplied to the
power plant plays a major role in deciding the efficiency of the boiler & power
generation.

The fluctuation in coal quality in the downstream integration in a power plant has
a direct impact on the cost & the plant performance.

The annual reports of CEA also confirm that during 2011-12 generation loss of
8.82BU was due to shortage of coal and 5,94BU due to poor quality of coal.
Similarly during 2010-11 shortfall in thermal generation was 26.942 billion units
out of which the shortfall in coal & lignite based thermal generation was 22.238
billion units. The main reason for the shortfall was shortage of coal (about 7 billion
unit) and poor quality of coal (about 7.7 billion unit). Years 2009-10 and 2008-09
also witness same situation.
Coal quality :

In India the power plant use mainly the non coking coal and lignite. The
energy content of the Indian coal was expressed in Useful Heat Value (UHV)
& the Non coking coal was classified as grades (A-G) on the basis of UHV
(Table-1). UHV is calculated from the Ash & Moisture content of non coking
coal as per Govt of India notification. UHV is defined by formula:
UHV K.Cal./Kg = [8900-138(Ash%+Moisture %)]

Grade A B C D E F G
(Ash +Moisture)% ≤ 19.5 ≤ 23.9 ≤ 28.6 ≤ 34 ≤ 40.1 ≤ 47.1 ≤ 55
UHV >6200 5600- 4940- 4200- 3360- 2400- 1300-
6200 5600 4940 4200 3360 2400
In India normally coal of grade A-C is considered to be of superior
quality and is used in industries like fertilizers, sponge iron and cement
industries. Grade D to G is easily available across all coalfields and is
considered to be of inferior quality and widely used in the power sector.
The Indian coal seam has many shale bands within it; this is due to its
origin. The Indian Coal is formed through drift theory; as a result the
coal matter is mixed intimately with mineral matter causing
deterioration in quality. Similarly 87% of coal is produced from
mechanized open cast mine where there is a chance of dilution.

It is not possible to monitor the coal quality critically by the coal

supplier as the coal is mined from multiple seam having same grade or
same seam having different grade & coal is supplied to different end
use purpose and marketed in the same grade.

Due to this wide variation in quality of the same grade of coal,

consistency in the quality of supplied coal to power plant is not
maintained resulting generation loss of power plant. Similarly there is
a gap between demand & supply of coal to the thermal power plant
causing generation loss.
While in India coal grading is based on UHV value , the imported
coal the classification and pricing is based on GCV value.As a
result there was a long outstanding demand by the coal users to
classify the coal based on the GCV value, which is internationally
accepted.

On the GCV system of grading of non coking coal , it is possible to

determine the exact value of non –coking coal grades supplied to
consumers where as in the existing UHV system, the heat value can not
be determined directly but computed by using an emperical formula
based on ash and moisture content.

Taking all this into account finally last year vide gazette notification
No 2440 dated 30.12 2011, Government of India switch over from
existing UHV based system of grading and pricing of non coking
coal produced in the country to fully variable Gross calorific value
(GCV) based system. A detail comparison of the UHV and GCV base
classification is given in Table-4.
Table-2: GCV base classification of Non Coking Coal
GCV at 5 % GCV bands for non-coking coals
Grade Moisture Grade of Coal (in K Cal/ Kg)
A G1 Above 7000
A G2 6701 to 7000
B/A > 6454 G3 6401 to 6700
B G4 6101 to 6400
C/B 6049 G5 5801 to 6100
D/C 5597 G6 5501 to 5800
D G7 5201 to 5500
E/D 5089 G8 4901 to 5200
E G9 4601 to 4900
F/E 4324 G 10 4301 to 4600
F G 11 4001 to 4300
G/F 3865 G 12 3701 to 4000
G G 13 3401 to 3700
G 3113 G 14 3101 to 3400
UG G 15 2801 to 3100
UG G 16 2501 to 2800
UG G 17 2201 to 2500
So to increase the energy security in India and provide adequate and
quality power for all at reasonable price the best option is to use available
coal (Lignite, high ash content Non Coking Coal and washery middling as
fuel with suitable technology for meeting the power requirements in
India.
Technology:
Current policies in the power sector are primarily driven by the need
to increase generating capacity, which has the result of deploying
the least risky and cheapest technology, Sub-critical pulverized coal
(PC) combustion power plants manufactured by Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL) – based on technologies licensed from
various international manufacturers & have been the backbone of
India’s coal-power sector. Although the unit size and efficiency of
these BHEL-manufactured power plants have steadily increased, the
basic technology has not changed much. However, internationally,
range of advanced, more efficient, and cleaner technologies for
producing electricity using coal are available.
CFBC (Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion) is one of such
technology which is now widely accepted by Indian power sector.
Circulatory Fluidized Bed combustion is competing with Pulverized
Coal firing to give boiler and power plant operators a greater
flexibility in burning a wide range of fuels.
The major advantages of CFBC boiler are summarized below:
Fuel Flexibility:
CFBC units are fuel flexible and can use different type of solid fuels that include
Low quality Non Coking coal, Lignites, Washery middling etc. The CFBC
operates with combustion temperature in the range of 850-900 0C. The
combustor temperature is much lower than ash fusion temperature of Lignite
and Non coking coal and washery middling.
Environment Friendly:
The thermal generation today, is causing atmospheric pollution through the
emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide (NOx) and sulphur
dioxide (SOx).CFBC boilers have very good control over these emissions. Firing
high sulphur coal requires the use of a Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) plant
to keep emissions within statutory limits. An FGD is a complicated plant that
requires high capital investment and operational cost. In a CFB limestone
addition in the furnace converts the SO2 to sulphates during the combustion
and circulation which goes out with the ash. A CFB boiler costs less than a PC
fired boiler with an FGD. The combustion temperature in the furnace in a CFB
boiler is considerably less than PC boilers resulting in lower NOx emissions.
There is no additional requirement of NOx capturing devices which reduces
capital investment.
Simplified Fuel Preparation and feeding:
Normally crushers are sufficient for fuel preparation. A top size in the
range of 6-12mm is required, This eliminates the need of pulverizers thus
related outages, maintenance, and equipment redundancy.
Compact Plant Design:
CFBC boilers require less floor space than conventional steam generators
with downstream flue gas cleaning equipment.
Auxiliary Power:
Eliminating the pulveriser reduces power but is offset by increased power
for higher quantity of primary air. Auxiliary power reduction by
eliminating the FGD is a definite gain.
Sustainability under cyclic loading:
Minimise stress on boiler tube material with low variation of combustion
temperatures under cyclic loading of boiler particularly under varying
grid frequencies.
High reliability:
Low flue gas velocities in combustor minimize erosion and hence the
boiler tube failures, leading to increase reliability of the boiler.
Sustainability:

Sustainable development is one that meets the needs of the present

without compromising on the ability of the future generations to meet
their own needs. With a view to reduce Green House Gas emission,
harnessing of renewable resources to the extent possible, promotion of
hydro and nuclear generation, enhancing efficiency of the existing power
plants and introduction of new technologies for power generation for
enhancing efficiency and demand side management and conservation
are being pursued
Such a growth depends upon the choice of an appropriate fuel /
technology mix for power generation. Accordingly, the 13th five year plan
will focus on the projects which confine to clean and green power.

Choice of fuel/technology for power generation is an important factor to

mitigate GHG emission. Renewable energy sources being benign sources
are being encouraged to the maximum extent possible. The thermal
generation today, is causing atmospheric pollution through the emission
of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide (NOx) and sulphur
dioxide (SOx).CFBC boilers have very good control over these emissions.
Advance and mature CFBC technology:

Indian power sector has selectively introduced CFBC technology for

lignite, washery middling & high ash coal.

Jindal steel & power Ltd. established 4x135MW power plant on its pit
head and uses CFBC boilers to utilize washery middling generated
from their washery.

Few of 125 MW CFBC units have been installed in India successfully

for firing high sulphur lignite. Neyveli Lignite Corporation is
installing 250 MW CFBC boilers for their NLC TPS II expansion project.
Complete technology know how and commercial arrangement
(licensee) of CFBC exist in the country and CFBC boilers of upto 250
MW are being manufactured indigenously.
Conclusion:
1. Current policies in the power sector are primarily driven by the need to
increase generating capacity, which has had the result of deploying the least
risky technology (subcritical PC). On the other hand, for a developing nation
like India and planning to meet the rising demand of power with a vision to
supply adequate and cheap power for its rural people and agriculture sector
with proper importance to industrial growth to take place at par with the
developing countries use of technologies which are environment friendly and
minimize the impact on environment is necessary.
2. Similarly it is equally important to use our own resources effectively and
avoid depending on imported raw material. However, such technology choices
cannot be made blithely; today’s decisions about power plant technologies
will have consequences over the plant’s entire lifetime – a period of about 30-
40 years, so authors intend to suggest modification in technology mix for the
Indian thermal power sector specifically with the policy in
3. CFBC is one of such technology that operates under low combustion
temperature and has good control on SOx & NOx emission. It can also use
poor quality coal, washery rejects and lignite available in abundance in the
country, thus by systematically increasing the proportion of pit head CFBC
with other conventional technologies shall prove to be more sustainable, eco-
friendly, economic and reliable option for long term energy security of
India.itiatives.
THANK YOU