Balance of Plant

Balance of plant (BOP) term usually used in the field of Power Engineer which is refer all the supporting components, machinery and auxiliary power system of the Power plant which is essential for power generation.

Balance of plant the following important components:

Raw water intake

Fuel supply

Air intake

Cerray Boiler

Raw water intake

Raw water is done both from canal and well. Priority is given to canal water in this plant because it contains less TDS (Total dissolved salts). Though canal water contains more TSS (Total suspended solids) and turbidity, but since removing TDS is more expensive, we prefer canal water here. But for back up, well water can be taken as well. Following steps are taken to purify water:

1. Trash Rack

It is used to remove solids, debris, wood pieces, biological growth, and dead animals etcetera.

Trash Rack

2. Travelling Band Screen

Here, suspended particles are removed from water through the rotating screens which are also back washed though raw water.

                                    

Travelling Band Screen

3. Clarifier Raw

water pumps pump the water into clarifier where different dosing is done. Here coagulant and hypo dosing are done. Sodium Hypochlorite is used for hypo dosing and Al2(SO4)3 is used as

a    coagulant which converts smaller particles into bigger particles which can be used thorough Eliminators. To speed up the process, coagulant aid (Polyacrylamide) is used.

Clarifier Raw 

4. UGNO1

The filtered enters UGNO1 which is a storage pit.

5: Pressure filter Pressure

Filters are also used for filtration and here sand, gravel and anthracite do the filtration.

Filter Pressure 

6. UGNO2

Water then enters UGNO2 which is a filtered water basin. At this point, water’s TSS and and turbidity has been removed.

7. Two bed

To remove salts and dissolved salts, there are many methods, like using softeners, remove osmosis and distillation but we use ion exchange method here. Here we use a cation exchanger which is a resin on which are Hydrogen ions followed by a Degasifier and then an anion exchanger which is a resin which has hydroxide ions. Degasifier has a blower which removes gases. After this method, conductivity becomes around 2us/cm.

8. Mixed Bed

Here there are cation and ion exchange resins and remaining conductivity is removed which comes around 0.1us/cm. From here, water goes to demineralization tank.

9. Regeneration

Cation and anion exchangers (resins) are regenerated though sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide respectively.

Regeneration