3 Power-Plant “Steam” Generators Working at Supercritical Pressures: Review and Status

Early studies in Russia related to the heat transfer at supercritical pressures started in the late 1940s. In the 1950s, Podol'sk Machine-Building plant “ЗиО” (“ZiO”) (Plant by the name of S. Ordzhonikidze) manufactured several small experimental supercritical “steam” generators for research institutions such as: (i) “BTИ” (“VTI”)—All-Union Heat Engineering Institute (Moscow) with “steam” parameters of 29.4 MPa and 600°C (Shvarts et al., 1963); (ii) “ЏКTИ” (“TsKTI”)—Central Boiler-Turbine Institute by Polzunov (St.-Petersburg); and (iii) Kiev Polytechnic Institute with “steam” parameters of 39 MPa and 700°C (Kirillov, 2001).

The implementation of supercritical power-plant “steam” generators in Russia (the former USSR) started with units having thermal powers of 300 MW (Ornatskiy et al. 1980). Two leading Russian manufacturing plants: “TКЗ” (“TKZ”)—Taganrog Power-Plant Steam Generator's Manufacturing plant (Taganrog, Ukraine) and “ЗиО” (Podol'sk, Russia) developed and manufactured the first units, with the assistance of research institutions such as “ЏКTИ” and “BTИ.” Supercritical “steam” generators are usually the once-through type boilers (Belyakov 1995).

Power-plant “steam” generator TΠΠ-110 (TPP-110) manufactured at “TКЗ” in 1961 was the first industrial unit operating at supercritical conditions in the former USSR, and was used at coal-fired power plant. Its design included a liquid slug drain. A total of six units were put into operation.