Revamping of 4 x 58 MWth Pulverized Coal-Fired Boilers With Circulating Fluidized Bed Firing

A techno-economic feasibility study has been conducted to investigate revamping four 58 MW_th (15 MWe) pulverized-coal (PC) boilers with circulating fluidized bed (CFB) firing. The steam generators at Amarkantak Thermal Power Station in Chachai, Madhya Pradesh, are owned by Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB), supplied by Simmering-Graz-Pauker AG of Vienna, Austria, and commissioned in mid-1965. The study reveals that: (i) CFB revamping of the boilers is technically feasible and economically sound; (ii) Performance improvement of the plant is significant in terms of such indices as plant load factor, forced outage and auxiliary oil consumption, among others. The expected performance improvement is due in large part to the elimination of key outage-prone components such as pulverizers (mills) and burners. (iii) There is significant improvement in emissions performance due to the reduction in emissions of NO_x and fly ash; (iv) The financial analysis indicates that the CFB revamping option gives the highest return on investment compared to alternatives.