Performance of an ideal reheat–regenerative Rankine cycle power plant utilizing solid waste incineration

The performance of a100-MW reheat regenerative Rankine cycle steam power plant utilizing incinerator flue gas is reported in this paper.A computer model was created using mass and energy balances. The plant was simulated at three boiler pressures (15, 10 and 5 MPa). High- and low-pressure turbine stages were studied. Before reheating, steam was bled after high-pressure turbine and along the low-pressure stage for regeneration. Superheating the steam up to 1200oC increased thermal efficiency (based on heat input and turbine work, Eth and nth) from 35 to 67% and 55 to 77%, respectively, and the total workdone from 1000 to 3,500 kJ/kg. Superheating reduced steam and fuel requirements from. Reheating the steam increased the boiler heat load and the total work done by the turbine, while the contribution of low-pressure turbine was increased from 50 to 83%, and increased Eth and nth from 35 to 55%. Increasing the regeneration intensity (y and z from 8 to 28% and 12 to 15%, respectively) increased the boiler heat duty, lowered and increased the condenser duty, was but increased and lowered total work done, respectively. Similarly, regeneration increased Eth and nth from 25 to 57% and 35 to 52.5%, respectively. Lower boiler pressure led to lower steam mass flow rate for the same power generation capacity, high heat requirements from the boiler, high total work done on the turbine, but lower contribution of low-pressure turbine to the total work done (50 to 72% compared to 65 to 83% at 15 MPa).