Power Plant Retrofitting
Power plant retrofitting replaces or add equipments to existing power plants to improve their energy efficiency, increase their output and reliability, extend their lifespan, decreasing their specific energy consumption and decreasing emissions.
Principally retrofitting describes the measures taken in the power plants to allow new or updated parts to be fitted to old or outdated assemblies. It involves with addition of new technology or features to the older systems.
Retrofitting offers a great scope in power plants. Retrofitting is applied in boilers, steam turbines, fuel supply system, flue gas system, pollution control equipments and auxiliary electrical equipments of the power plant. Retrofitting is suitable option when very old equipments and technologies are used in the power plants.
It optimises power plant performance and improves the efficiency by 10% to 15% with small investments towards low-cost retrofitting, use of energy-efficient devices and controls etc. The quantum of saving is much higher if high cost measures like major retrofitting, process modifications etc., are considered.
Retrofitting results in reduced CO2 emission, which will make additional revenue from CDM. Generally, power plant optimisation reduces CO2 emission around 5 % and boiler and stream turbine retrofitting lowers the CO2 emission around 8%.