Intertek presents at India Power Stations O&M Conference

29 Jan 2025

India coal power plant owners and operators, please join Intertek Technical Director, Anjan Kumar Sinha as he presents "Process Optimization and Technological Upgrades for Flexibility to Ensure Safe, Reliable, and Sustainable Operations".

Mr. Sinha will focus on planning cost-effective solutions to increase the flexibility of coal-based plants — solutions successfully implemented around the world. He will also highlight innovative, cost-effective techniques tailored to Indian conditions, such as real-time coal quality monitoring, online coal flow balancing, and tracking of cycling-related costs.

Drawing on extensive literature, case studies, pilot studies, and data, Mr. Sinha's presentation serves as a reference for the technical capabilities of power plants and the costs associated with achieving true flexibility. It discusses various technical options, operational procedure modifications, and the retrofitting of boilers and control systems to enhance the flexibility of existing power plants.

Join us for this informative session at the Indian Power Stations O&M Conference! 

13 February, 2025 - Siddhi Hall
Session- 7: Flexibilization
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Indian Power Stations O&M Conference, IPS 2025

 

India’s coal-dominated power system is facing a growing demand for flexibility as intermittent and variable renewable energy (RE) sources are increasingly integrated, while electricity demand continues to rise rapidly. This shift is placing an unprecedented strain on thermal power plants, which must now balance the grid more dynamically. As market demands and system conditions evolve, plants are required to handle more frequent load-following cycles, starts and stops, and rapid ramping. These adjustments can lead to system inefficiencies, reduced productivity, and, in some cases, instability, resulting in disturbances such as parametric deviations, altered heat transfer patterns, chemical imbalances, vibrations, and safety concerns. Additionally, the cycles of starts, stops, load changes, and low-load operations introduce complex "cause and effect" relationships, which are closely tied to common damage mechanisms in the system. Understanding these precursors—how specific causes lead to particular effects—can help operators implement best practices to reduce damage, enhance safety, and improve overall system efficiency.

With recent regulatory changes, India’s energy market offers significant opportunities for flexible thermal units to optimize profitability. This paper focuses on planning cost-effective solutions to increase the flexibility of coal-based power plants—solutions already successfully implemented in other parts of the world. As India’s energy sector continues to navigate the complex trilemma of sustainability, affordability, and energy security, managing the life-cycle costs of flexibility becomes crucial. Achieving this requires a deep understanding of the mechanisms that drive these costs. Investment decisions regarding plant retrofits must therefore be based on thorough cost-benefit analyses, considering the long-term life-cycle costs. In addition to cost management and operational strategies, the paper also highlights innovative, cost-effective techniques tailored to Indian conditions, such as real-time coal quality monitoring, online coal flow balancing, and tracking of cycling-related costs.

The flexibilization of coal-based plants, especially when using low-grade Indian coal, will require investments in retrofits, procedural changes, and capacity-building efforts for plant staff. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the issues and solutions related to coal plant flexibility, with a particular focus on boiler process optimization. Drawing on extensive literature, case studies, pilot studies, and data, it serves as a reference for the technical capabilities of power plants and the costs associated with achieving true flexibility. It discusses various technical options, operational procedure modifications, and the retrofitting of boilers and control systems to enhance the flexibility of existing power plants.