Modifications are examined to increase coal-fired steam power plant efficiency by reducing irreversibilities in the steam generator, including decreasing the fraction of excess combustion air, and/or the stack-gas temperature. Overall-plant energy and exergy efficiencies both increase by 1.4% when the fraction of excess combustion air decreases from 0.4 to 0.15, and by 3.5% when the stack-gas temperature decreases from 149?C to 87?C. When both decreases occur, plant energy and exergy efficiencies both increase by 4.1%. If theoretical combustion air is used, the plant energy and exergy efficiencies both increase by 4.7% when the stack-gas temperature is 87?C.
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Rosen et al. (2007) studied this question.