Thermal Power Plant: 17 Mechanical by Engr. Anas Ahmed Department of Mechanical Engineering

THERMAL POWER PLANT
17 MECHANICAL
By
Engr. Anas Ahmed
Department of Mechanical Engineering
FEED WATER HEATERS
FEED WATER HEATER
 A feedwater heater is a power plant component used
to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating
boiler.
 In a steam power plant, feed water heaters allow the
feedwater to be brought up to the saturation
temperature that improves the thermodynamic
efficiency, reducing plant operating costs.
 It also helps to avoid thermal shock to the boiler
material.
PURPOSE OF FEEDWATER
HEATERS
 Feedwater generally serves three purposes in powerplant.
 They provide efficiency gain by reducing heat rejected in
condenser and minimize thermal effect in the boiler.
 They provide efficiency gain in steam cycle by
increasing initial water temperature to the boiler, so there
will be less sensible heat addition inside the boiler.
 Steam is extracted from selected stage in turbine to shell
and tube heat exchanger or OFWH where steam and
feedwater are in direct contact.
Types of Feedwater Heater
 Generally, there are two types of Feedwater heaters
1. Open or Direct Contact Feed Water Heaters:
In open or direct contact feed water heater, the extraction
steam is mixed directly with incoming sub-cooled feed
water; to produce saturated water at extraction steam
pressure
Types of Feedwater Heater
2. Closed Type Feed Water Heaters:
This is the simplest and most commonly used in power
plants. It is basically shell and tube type heat exchanger.

The feed water passes through the tubes and bled steam, on
the shell side so, they are like surface condensers.
Since feed water does not mix with the steam and passes
through the tubes of successive close feed water heaters,

only one condensate pump is sufficient to pressurize the
water from condenser to the boiler.
TYPES OF FEED WATER HEATERS
Open Feedwater Heater Closed FeedWater

Heater

 An open heat
exchanger is one in which  Closed feedwater heaters are
extracted steam is allowed typically shell and tube heat
to mix with the feed water. exchangers where the
feedwater passes

 This kind of heater will throughout the tubes and is
normally require a feed heated by turbine extraction
pump at both the feed inlet steam.
and outlet since the
pressure in the heater is  These do not require
between the boiler pressure separate pumps before and
and the condenser after the heater to boost the
pressure. feedwater to the pressure of

 A deaerator is a the extracted steam as with
special case of the open an open heater.
feedwater heater which is  Many power plants
specifically designed to incorporate a number of
remove non-condensable feedwater heaters and may
gases from the feedwater. use both open and closed
components. Feedwater
heaters are used in both
Difference B/w Regeneration & Reheating
 Reheating of Steam:
In reheat cycle, the expansion of steam is carried out in more
than one turbine, in stages in reheat process in between them.
 Due to reheating, net work done increases
 Thermal efficiency increases
 Due to reheating, turbine exit dryness friction increases
which decreases moisture content, due to this blade erosion

becomes minimum.
 The purpose of reheating cycle is to remove the moisture
carried by the steam at the final stages of the expansion.

Difference B/w Regeneration & Reheating
Regeneration of Steam:
In regenerative Rankine cycle, small fraction of steam is
extracted from turbine and heat of this steam is utilize to
increase the temperature of feed water.
The purpose of regeneration is to improve the cycle
efficiency by increasing the mean temperature of heat

addition.
The specific steam consumption increases in boiler to
compensate that bleeding from turbine.

Steam flow to condenser decreases due to bleeding.
Superheating of Steam
 Heating of saturated steam above the boiling point in
order to improve the dryness of steam and remove all the
traces of moisture.
 Superheated steam has a lower density and more energy
and can work harder than saturated steam.
 Saturated steam is preferred for heating applications,
while superheated steam is used mostly in power
generation and turbines.

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Thermal Power Plant: 17 Mechanical by Engr. Anas Ahmed Department of Mechanical Engineering

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THERMAL POWER PLANT

plants. It is basically shell and tube type heat exchanger.

through the tubes of successive close feed water heaters,

Open Feedwater Heater Closed FeedWater

 Thermal efficiency increases

 Due to reheating, turbine exit dryness friction increases

which decreases moisture content, due to this blade erosion

carried by the steam at the final stages of the expansion.

efficiency by increasing the mean temperature of heat

compensate that bleeding from turbine.

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