A link between plant transients and boiler feed pump failures
- Pacific Power, Sydney (Australia)
Boiler feed pump (BFP) failures have been a source of serious loss of plant availability in a number of power plants in Australia. Recent work has shown that chronic problems resulting in BFP failures have been due to dynamic system problems. However, world class BFP reliability is assured if these system problems can be successfully identified and engineered out. A study of a 500 MW drum boiler plant established and verified through plant modeling, that transient loss of Net-Positive Suction Head (NPSH) was the root cause of BFP failures. By modifying plant operating procedures and implementing modern instrumentation, protection and controls, BFP failures have been eliminated at this power plant. A similar study of a 375 MW semi once through boiler plant again identified that transient loss of NPSH was the root cause of chronic BFP failures. The semi once through boiler plant re-start requirements were found to cause transient loss of BFP NPSH during the feedwater purge of the economizer. This was verified through plant modeling. Advanced controls were proposed to manage deaerator conditions during the feedwater purge of the economizer along with a modernization of the condensate control system and BFP instrumentation and protection.
- OSTI ID:
- 103785
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950414--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Identification of root causes of plant outages attributed to boiler controls. Final report
Identification of root causes of plant outages attributed to boiler controls. Final report