Raichur Thermal Power Station
Encyclopedia
Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) is a coal
-fired electric power station located at 16°21′18"N 77°20′31"E in the Raichur district
of the state of Karnataka
, India
. It is operated by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited
(KPCL) and was the first thermal power plant to be set up in the state. The power station was commissioned during various periods from 1985 and it accounts for about 40% of the total electricity generated in Karnataka
.
was signed between KPCL and the Karnataka State Electricity Board. TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd., a Tata Group
company was appointed as the consultants for the project. The project involved two stages: Stage I, in which Units 1 and 2 were expected to be installed and Stage II, Units 3 and 4. Each unit was expected to have an installed capacity of 210 MW. An area of 300 hectares was allocated for the units. Unit I of the plant was completed in March 1985, with Unit II following in March 1986.
The construction of Unit III was started in 1986 and completed in March 1991 and the Unit IV was started in 1989 and completed in September 1994, thereby completing the Stage II. The total cost of Stage I of the project was Rs.
4,030,000,000 and of the Stage II was Rs.
9,830,000,000. The generators
were supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the turbine
s by Kraftwerk Union AG (KWU) and Mitsubishi
. In 1996, a further expansion of the plant was carried out, with an investment of Rs.
15,450,000,000.
Units 5 and 6 (each of 210 MW) were installed within three years. Unit 7 (210 MW) which was completed within a record time of 25 months, was installed at the end of the year 2002 The total installed capacity of the power plant is 1,470 MW (7 x 210 MW). , Unit 8, with an installed capacity of 250 MW, is being constructed and is expected to be operational by September 2009.
Stage I (units 1 and 2) costing Rs. 403,00,00,000 (Rs. 403 crores or Rs. 4.03 bn) in 1986.
Stage II (units 3 and 4) costing Rs. 983,00,00,000(Rs. 983 crores or Rs. 9.83 bn) in 1994.
Stage III (units 5 and 6) costing Rs. 1545,00,00,000 (Rs. 1545 crores or Rs. 15.45 bn) in 1999.
Stage IV (unit 7) costing Rs. 613,00,00,000 (Rs. 613 crores or Rs. 6.13 bn) in 2002.
Stage IV (unit 8) costing Rs. 945,00,00,000 (Rs. 945 crores or Rs. 9.45 bn) in 2010
. Its daily requirement of coal is about 24,000 metric tons, delivered from Western Coalfields Ltd. and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.
The coal supplied is sampled using a computerized system and sent to the laboratory for testing. This ensures that the proper grade of coal is used.
The plant has also started to use washed coal, due to its lower ash content.
The plant's cooling water is pumped from the Krishna river
nearby.
annually which causes environmental problems. 20% of the ash produced is wet bottom ash
which is let into the ash bund. Though considered safer than fly-ash, bottom ash has also been found to contain heavy metals
which can be dangerous to public health. The fly-ash which gets generated during the burning of coal disperses into the air and hence pollutes the atmosphere. This gets deposited on the surrounding land, thereby making the land infertile. The fly-ash may also cause breathing problems for humans. RTPS has taken steps to ensure that fly-ash gets precipitated out of the air by using electrostatic elements in the furnaces, but about 2% of fly-ash gets into the atmosphere. The fly-ash is disposed of by converting it into a wet slurry and dumping it into vacant tracts of land (which become what are known as ash-ponds). This is not environment friendly and hence RTPS has come up with ways to make better use of fly-ash. It has entered into a collaboration with the Indo-Norwegian Environment Programme (INEP) and has set up a technology demonstration centre called CASHUTEC (Centre for ASH UTilisation and Environment Conservation) near its plant. CASHUTEC demonstrates different uses for fly ash; mainly its use in the construction sector for making bricks, blocks and mosaic tiles.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-fired electric power station located at 16°21′18"N 77°20′31"E in the Raichur district
Raichur district
Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal district in the west, Bellary district in the south, Anantapur...
of the state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is operated by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited
Karnataka Power Corporation Limited
Karnataka Power Corporation Limited is a company owned by the government of Karnataka, and is engaged in the generation of electrical power. The modes for generation of electric power are hydroelectric, thermal and diesel...
(KPCL) and was the first thermal power plant to be set up in the state. The power station was commissioned during various periods from 1985 and it accounts for about 40% of the total electricity generated in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
Establishment
The project to construct the thermal power station was finalized in 1978 after an MOUMOU
MOU, MoU, Mou or mou may refer to:* Memorandum of understanding* Minutes of Use, in telecommunication operations* Ministry of Unification, a branch of the South Korean government.* The Museum of Osaka University...
was signed between KPCL and the Karnataka State Electricity Board. TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd., a Tata Group
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
company was appointed as the consultants for the project. The project involved two stages: Stage I, in which Units 1 and 2 were expected to be installed and Stage II, Units 3 and 4. Each unit was expected to have an installed capacity of 210 MW. An area of 300 hectares was allocated for the units. Unit I of the plant was completed in March 1985, with Unit II following in March 1986.
The construction of Unit III was started in 1986 and completed in March 1991 and the Unit IV was started in 1989 and completed in September 1994, thereby completing the Stage II. The total cost of Stage I of the project was Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
4,030,000,000 and of the Stage II was Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
9,830,000,000. The generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
were supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s by Kraftwerk Union AG (KWU) and Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
. In 1996, a further expansion of the plant was carried out, with an investment of Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
15,450,000,000.
Units 5 and 6 (each of 210 MW) were installed within three years. Unit 7 (210 MW) which was completed within a record time of 25 months, was installed at the end of the year 2002 The total installed capacity of the power plant is 1,470 MW (7 x 210 MW). , Unit 8, with an installed capacity of 250 MW, is being constructed and is expected to be operational by September 2009.
Stage I (units 1 and 2) costing Rs. 403,00,00,000 (Rs. 403 crores or Rs. 4.03 bn) in 1986.
Stage II (units 3 and 4) costing Rs. 983,00,00,000(Rs. 983 crores or Rs. 9.83 bn) in 1994.
Stage III (units 5 and 6) costing Rs. 1545,00,00,000 (Rs. 1545 crores or Rs. 15.45 bn) in 1999.
Stage IV (unit 7) costing Rs. 613,00,00,000 (Rs. 613 crores or Rs. 6.13 bn) in 2002.
Stage IV (unit 8) costing Rs. 945,00,00,000 (Rs. 945 crores or Rs. 9.45 bn) in 2010
Raw materials
RTPS uses coal for generation of electricityElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. Its daily requirement of coal is about 24,000 metric tons, delivered from Western Coalfields Ltd. and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.
The coal supplied is sampled using a computerized system and sent to the laboratory for testing. This ensures that the proper grade of coal is used.
The plant has also started to use washed coal, due to its lower ash content.
The plant's cooling water is pumped from the Krishna river
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
nearby.
Electricity production
The coal is pulverised and fed into furnaces that convert water into steam. This steam runs the turbines to generate electricity. Each unit produces about 5 MU per day and hence the plant can produce 35 MU per day when it is functioning at full capacity.Issues
RTPS generates about 1.5 million tonnes of fly ashFly ash
Fly ash is one of the residues generated in combustion, and comprises the fine particles that rise with the flue gases. Ash which does not rise is termed bottom ash. In an industrial context, fly ash usually refers to ash produced during combustion of coal...
annually which causes environmental problems. 20% of the ash produced is wet bottom ash
Bottom ash
Bottom ash refers to part of the non-combustible residues of combustion. In an industrial context, it usually refers to coal combustion and comprises traces of combustibles embedded in forming clinkers and sticking to hot side walls of a coal-burning furnace during its operation. The portion of...
which is let into the ash bund. Though considered safer than fly-ash, bottom ash has also been found to contain heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
which can be dangerous to public health. The fly-ash which gets generated during the burning of coal disperses into the air and hence pollutes the atmosphere. This gets deposited on the surrounding land, thereby making the land infertile. The fly-ash may also cause breathing problems for humans. RTPS has taken steps to ensure that fly-ash gets precipitated out of the air by using electrostatic elements in the furnaces, but about 2% of fly-ash gets into the atmosphere. The fly-ash is disposed of by converting it into a wet slurry and dumping it into vacant tracts of land (which become what are known as ash-ponds). This is not environment friendly and hence RTPS has come up with ways to make better use of fly-ash. It has entered into a collaboration with the Indo-Norwegian Environment Programme (INEP) and has set up a technology demonstration centre called CASHUTEC (Centre for ASH UTilisation and Environment Conservation) near its plant. CASHUTEC demonstrates different uses for fly ash; mainly its use in the construction sector for making bricks, blocks and mosaic tiles.