The invention relates to a method for operating a once-through steam generator operating with sliding pressure and at a steam temperature above 650° C. and for lowering its once-through minimum load, the once-through steam generator being incorporated into the water/steam circuit of a power station, and the economizer of the once-through steam generator having upstream, as seen in the water/steam circulation direction, at least one HP preheater and/or one heat transfer system for the further preheating of the feed water, the HP preheater/preheaters being heated by means of turbine bleed steam, and auxiliary heat being supplied to the water/steam as a circulation medium via the heat transfer system.

Once-through steam generators are known from the publication “Kraftwerkstechnik” [“Power Station Technology”], Springer-Verlag, 2nd edition 1994, Chapter 4.4.2.4-Forced Flow (page 171 to 174), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl Strauss, and are used in power stations for generating electrical energy by the combustion of, for example, fossil fuels. In a once-through steam generator, the heating of the evaporator tubes forming the combustion chamber or the gas flue leads, in contrast to a natural-circulation or forced-circulation steam generator with only partial evaporation of the circulated water/steam mixture, to the evaporation of the flow medium or working medium in the evaporator tubes in a single pass.

The desire for steam generators with higher efficiencies and the development, resulting from this with regard to steam as the working medium, of the “700° C. power station” for the increase of efficiency, which, inter alia, help reduce the CO₂ emission into the atmosphere, lead, inter alia, to an enhancement of the steam parameters of the steam generator. Achieving or implementing higher steam parameters, that is to say higher pressures and temperatures of steam as the working medium, at the outlet for the steam generator places stringent requirements upon the steam generator itself or upon the method for operating such a steam generator. The once-through steam generators planned and constructed at the present time, with high steam parameters of up to 600° C./285 bar in relation to the fresh steam state can be implemented with the materials available or permitted at the present time and are an intermediate step to once-through steam generators with even higher steam parameters of above 650° C./approximately 320 bar in relation to the fresh steam state which are to be implemented in future.

In future power plants with a steam temperature above 650° C. (the fresh steam temperature is meant by the 650° C.), operations similar to that of 600° C. power plants is currently the principle adopted, that is to say a modified sliding pressure down to approximately 40% load and fixed pressure<approximately 40% load. On account of the higher steam parameters in the turbine or water/steam circuit, the feed water temperature rises by approximately 30 Kelvin across the preheating zone, as compared with a comparable 600° C. process or a 600° C. power plant. In spite of the economizer being designed with a low heating span, sufficient cooling at the economizer outlet under part load (<40%) can no longer be ensured in once-through operation for all possible operating states. If there were a further lowering of the load in once-through operation, the turbine controlling valve would have to be throttled, and the pressure loss under 30% load of the once-through steam generator would be approximately 40-50 bar (energy loss, wear on the turbine controlling valve during frequent operation in this load range). If throttling is not desired for the abovementioned reasons, the load range for the once-through operation of the once-through steam generator is restricted to 40-100% of full load. In power plants fired with hard coal, once-through operation of the once-through steam generator with pure coal firing is theoretically feasible up to a part load of approximately 25%. The above-described restriction to a steam generator load range of 40-100% is a disadvantage for the power station operator in terms of the flexibility of the plant, since in load situations <40% the steam generator changes to recirculation operation, which is equivalent to a temperature drop on the thick-walled components of the once-through steam generator and to an associated shortening of the service life of these components.

At the load transfer point from once-through to recirculation operation, the medium temperatures of the water/steam as working medium at the HP outlet (HP=high pressure), at the RH outlet (RH=reheater) and in the cyclone separators typically drop markedly. If the load transfer point is at about 150 bar (700° C. plant) instead of at about 100 bar (600° C. plant), the temperature drop of steam as the medium is substantially greater in the case of a comparable design of the heating surfaces. The reason for this is the different profile of the isotherms and of the saturated steam line in the wet steam region of the h-p graph.

The object of the invention, then, is to provide a method for operating a once-through steam generator operating with sliding pressure and at a steam temperature above 650° C. and for lowering its once-through minimum load, in which the abovementioned disadvantages are avoided or a lowering of the once-through minimum load to about 30% of full load is achieved. Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide a once-through steam generator for carrying out the method.

The abovementioned object is achieved, in terms of the method, by means of the characterizing features of patent claim 1 and, in terms of the once-through steam generator for carrying out the method, by means of the characterizing features of patent claim 10.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention may be gathered from the subclaims.

By virtue of the solution according to the invention, a method for operating a once-through steam generator operating with sliding pressure and at a steam temperature above 650° C. and for lowering its once-through minimum load and also a once-through steam generator for carrying out the method are provided, which have the following advantages,

• • greater flexibility for operating the once-through steam generator and therefore the power plant,
  • a longer service life of the thick-walled components of the once-through steam generator,
  • lower load upon the turbine controlling valve in terms of wear,
  • a possible energy benefit for the overall process (instead of a pressure loss of 50 bar across the turbine controlling valve with 30° colder feed water).

What is achieved by the measures according to the invention is that the temperature rise due to the absorption of heat by the feed water downstream of the feed water pump via the HP preheaters and/or the heat transfer system is reduced by up to approximately 50 Kelvin, so that the water outlet temperature downstream of the economizer falls by up to approximately 40 Kelvin on account of the slightly improved temperature gradient on the economizer heating surface, and therefore sufficient cooling at the evaporator inlet is ensured.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the reduction in heat absorption takes place by means of a controlling valve which regulates the quantity of the turbine bleed steam stream supplied to the HP preheater. The controlling valve is in this case advantageously arranged in the bleed steam line, by means of which the turbine bleed steam stream is routed from the turbine bleed point to the HP preheater. By virtue of this measure, the quantity to the HP preheater and consequently at the same time the absorption of heat by the working medium can be varied in a directed or regulated manner and the medium temperature at the economizer outlet can be influenced. The same measure can be applied to the heat transfer system in that the supply of the auxiliary heat stream is regulated by means of a controlling device and therefore at the same time the absorption of heat by the working medium is regulated. The controlling device is in this case advantageously arranged in the supply line or supply duct, by means of which the auxiliary heat stream is routed from an auxiliary source to the heat transfer system.

In an expedient manner it is possible for the reduction in heat absorption to take place by means of a controlling valve, the supply of the turbine bleed steam stream to the HP preheater or preheaters or the supply of the auxiliary heat stream to the heat transfer system being prevented completely by means of a controlling valve or controlling valves, and at least part of the working medium stream being routed past the HP preheater or past the heat transfer system by means of a bypass line. By bypassing part of the working medium stream, the pressure loss in the HP preheater or in the heat transfer system is reduced. In the event of a complete bypassing of the working medium stream, the preheater, preheaters or the heat transfer system can be shut down and put out of operation.

In an advantageous design, the reduction in heat absorption is carried out by dividing the working medium stream into two substreams (A_T1, A_T2), the first substream (A_T1) being routed through the HP preheater and the second substream (A_T2) being routed via a bypass line, and the two substreams (A_T1, A_T2) being regulated by means of at least one controlling valve. In a further advantageous design, the reduction in heat absorption is carried out by dividing the working medium stream into two substreams (A_T3, A_T4), the first substream (A_T3) being routed through the water/steam circuit-side component of the heat transfer system and the second substream (A_T4) being routed via a bypass line, and the two substreams (A_T3, A_T4) being regulated by means of at least one controlling valve. Consequently, the heat absorption of that substream quantity of the working medium which flows through the HP preheater or through the water/steam circuit-side component of the heat transfer system can be influenced by varying the substream quantity.

It is advantageous that the predetermined temperature difference T_D amounts to 20 Kelvin. This ensures that evaporation at the economizer and desegregation of the circulated working medium at the inlet of the evaporator are avoided.

In an advantageous design, 50% of full load is taken as the predetermined part load point L_T for reducing the heat absorption.

In an advantageous design, the heat transfer system is arranged upstream of the HP preheater, as seen in the direction of circulation of the working medium circuit. If a plurality of HP preheaters are present, in a further advantageous embodiment the heat transfer system is arranged between the HP preheaters, as seen in the direction of circulation of the working medium circuit. Finally, in a further advantageous design, the heat transfer system is arranged parallel to the HP preheater in a parallel circuit, as seen in the direction of circulation of the working medium circuit. By virtue of this measure, further heat can be supplied to the working medium for pre-heating or absorbed, from it in a simple way.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below by means of the drawing and the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the water/steam circuit of a power station designed with a once-through steam generator,

FIG. 2 is the same as FIG. 1, but shows an alternative version,

FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 1, but shows an alternative version.

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the water/steam-carrying working medium circuit 1 of a power station designed with a once-through steam generator (which in the context of the invention is to be understood as meaning the generation of steam inside the steam generator in one pass). The steam expanded in the MP/LP steam turbine (medium pressure/low pressure steam turbine) 17 is cooled in at least one condenser 2, and the condensate is subsequently heated in at least one LP preheater (low pressure preheater) 3.1, 3.2 and reintroduced into the circuit 1 by means of a feed water pump or brought to the desired operating pressure. The feed water is subsequently heated further in one or more HP preheaters (high pressure preheaters) 7.1, 7.2 and in the economizer 9, is evaporated in the evaporator 10 and is subsequently superheated in the superheater 13, for example, to 700° C. The fresh steam emerging with a temperature of 700° C. from the superheater 13 is supplied to the HP steam turbine (high pressure steam turbine) 14, is partially expanded therein and is subsequently superheated once more in a reheater 16 and is supplied to the MP/LP steam turbine 17 in which the steam is as far as possible expanded before it is supplied again to the circuit 1 initially mentioned. The water/steam working medium which is routed through pipes of heating surfaces appropriately arranged in the once-through steam generator is heated in the economizer heating surfaces 9, the evaporator heating surfaces 10, the superheater heating surfaces 13 and the reheater heating surfaces 16 by flue gases which occur during the combustion of the fossil fuel in the combustion chamber, not illustrated, of the once-through steam generator. The abovementioned heating surfaces 9, 10, 13 and 16 are all arranged in the once-through steam generator either as radiant heating surfaces or as contact heating surfaces. The HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2 are heated by bleed steam which is extracted at bleeding points 15 and/or on the HP steam turbine 14 and/or on the MP/LP steam turbine 17. The LP preheaters 3.1, 3.2 can likewise be heated (not illustrated) by bleed steam from the MP/LP steam turbine 17 which can be extracted at the bleeding point 18.

The cyclone separator or cyclone separators 11 arranged between the evaporator 10 and superheater 13 serve merely for separating water not evaporated in the start-up or run-down of the once-through steam generator and in the load range below the once-through minimum load and for supplying it again to the water/steam circuit 1, upstream of the economizer 9, by means of a circulating pump 12.

In the water/steam circuit 1 according to FIGS. 2 and 3, a heat transfer system 5 is additionally integrated in the circuit 1 parallel to (see FIG. 2) or upstream of (see FIG. 3) the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2, the heat transfer system 5 according to FIG. 2 being arranged in a parallel circuit 28 lying parallel to the circuit 1. In the arrangements according to FIGS. 2 and 3, heat for further heating the feed water is supplied to the heat transfer system 5 by means of an auxiliary heat stream 22, for example steam, flue gas or hot air, from an auxiliary source, not illustrated. The heat transfer system 5 uses a dedicated heat transfer medium which circulates inside the heat transfer system 5 by means of a circulation pump 5.3, the heat transfer medium circulation circuit also comprising a shut-off valve 5.4. An auxiliary heat stream 22 is supplied to the component 5.2 of the heat transfer system 5 by means of the supply line or supply duct (as an auxiliary heat stream in the case of flue gas or hot air) 31 and is transferred or displaced to the component 5.1, located in the circuit 1, of the heat transfer system 5 by means of the heat transfer medium, from which component the transferred heat is administered to the feed water or to the working medium of the circuit 1. The two components 5.1, 5.2 of the heat transfer system 5 therefore have in each case the function of a heat exchanger. If a plurality of HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2 are present, the heat transfer system 5 may be arranged (not illustrated) between the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2, as seen in the direction of circulation of the working medium circuit 1.

In full load operation and also in part load operation down to a predetermined part load point L_T, the water/steam working medium is usually conducted through all the heating surfaces or heat exchangers, listed in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, of the water/steam circuit 1 and is warmed or heated therein, with the exception of the condenser 2. According to the invention, if the predetermined part load point L_T is undershot, the heat absorption of individual or of a plurality of HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or of the heat transfer system 5 is reduced in such a way that the temperature of the water/steam as working medium at the outlet of the economizer lies at the distance of a predetermined temperature difference T_D below the boiling temperature related to the corresponding economizer outlet pressure. The feed water temperature upstream of the economizer 9 is thereby lowered by up to approximately 50 Kelvin, so that pressure throttling via the turbine controlling valve, not illustrated, to achieve sufficient cooling of the working medium carried in the circuit 1 at the economizer outlet is no longer necessary, and the fresh steam pressure can slide further downward, and therefore once-through operation of the once-through steam generator becomes possible down to a part load range of 25%, with sufficient cooling of the working medium carried in the circuit 1 at the economizer outlet for all possible operating conditions. The temperature difference T_D is defined as the temperature difference of the determined boiling temperature derived from the measured medium pressure at the economizer outlet, minus the measured medium temperature at the economizer outlet.

The method according to the invention ensures that sufficient certainty is afforded in terms of preventing evaporation at the economizer 9 and desegregation of the working medium carried in the circuit 1 at the inlet of the evaporator 10, since the medium temperature at the economizer outlet has a predetermined temperature difference T_D in relation to the boiling temperature at the corresponding economizer outlet pressure, and the predetermined temperature difference T_D is a positive amount, the working medium temperature at the economizer outlet lying below the boiling temperature. The predetermined temperature difference T_D preferably amounts to 20 Kelvin, that is to say the medium temperature at the economizer outlet preferably lies 20 Kelvin below the boiling temperature related to the corresponding economizer outlet pressure. The temperature difference T_D may also amount to a minimum of 15 Kelvin or to more than 20 Kelvin.

The reduction of the heat absorption of the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 or of the heat transfer system 5 may in this case take place preferably in a regulated way as a function of the currently determined above-mentioned temperature difference T_D, in order to achieve sufficient cooling at the outlet of the economizer 9, along with optimal efficiency of the water/steam process. For this purpose, a controlling valve 19, 20 is arranged in the bleed steam line 29, 30, by means of which bleed steam is routed from the turbine bleed 15, 18 to the HP preheater 7.1, 7.2. By means of this controlling valve 19, 20, the supply quantity of the turbine bleed steam stream to the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and therefore the heat absorption of the feed water or working medium downstream of the feed pump 4 can be regulated and set such that the desired feed water temperature with the predetermined temperature difference T_D is achieved or is set at the economizer outlet. If, in addition to or instead of the reduction in the heat absorption of the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2, the reduction in the heat absorption of the heat transfer system 5 is regulated, the quantity of the auxiliary heat stream 22 supplied to the heat transfer system 5 can be regulated by means of a controlling device 21 arranged in the supply line 31.

The currently determined temperature difference T_D at the economizer outlet is obtained in that the current medium temperature and the current medium pressure are measured at the measuring point 23 at the economizer outlet and these two values are supplied to a process computer. The process computer determines from the determined current medium pressure the associated boiling temperature and compares this with the currently measured medium temperature. By means of this comparison, the current temperature difference T_D is determined, which should have a predetermined value related to the medium pressure at the economizer outlet and which, as already stated above, should preferably amount to 20 Kelvin. If the currently determined temperature difference T_D deviates from the desired value, the process computer, not illustrated, can send a corresponding controlling signal to the controlling valve or controlling valves 19, 20, 24.1. 24.2, 25.1, 25.2, 26, 27 or to the controlling device 21 in order to regulate correspondingly the reduction in heat absorption in the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or in the heat transfer system 5.

If the currently determined temperature difference T_D requires, the reduction in heat absorption at the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or at the heat transfer system 5 can be carried out to an extent such that, by the controlling valve or controlling valves 19, 20 and/or the controlling device 21 being closed completely, heat is no longer supplied by the bleed steam stream to the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 or by the auxiliary heat stream to the heat transfer system 5, and therefore heat absorption also no longer takes place. In this case, by bypassing the working medium at the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or at the heat transfer system 5, the medium-side pressure loss can be reduced, in that a substream or the entire mass stream of working medium is conducted past the above-mentioned components by means of the bypass line or bypass lines 8.1, 8.2, 6. If the complete working medium mass stream is bypassed, the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or the heat transfer system 5 can be shut down. For this purpose, with regard to the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2, the controlling valve or controlling valves 25.1, 25.2 are opened and the controlling valve or controlling valves 24.1, 24.2 are closed and, with regard to the heat transfer system 5, the controlling valve 27 is opened and the controlling valve 26 is closed. The shutdown of the heat transfer system 5 may take place either in addition to or instead of the shutdown of the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2.

Furthermore, the reduction in heat absorption within the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or within the heat transfer system 5 may be carried out by dividing the working medium stream into two substreams A_T1, A_T2 and/or A_T3, A_T4, the first substream A_T1 being routed through the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or A_T3 being routed through the heat transfer system 5 (to be precise, through the component 5.1, located in the circuit 1, of the heat transfer system 5), and the second substream A_T2 being routed via a bypass line 8.1, 8.2 of the respective HP preheater and/or A_T4 being routed via a bypass line 6 of the heat transfer system 5. The two substreams A_T1, A_T2 may in this case be regulated by means of at least one controlling valve 24.1, 24.2, 25.1, 25.2 which lies either directly upstream or directly downstream (not illustrated) of the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 or is arranged in the respective bypass line 8.1, 8.2. That is to say, with regard to the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2, either the substream A_T1 is regulated by the controlling valve 24.1, 24.2 arranged directly upstream or directly downstream (not illustrated) of the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 or the substream A_T2 is regulated by the controlling valve 25.1, 25.2 arranged in the bypass line 8.1, 8.2 or both substreams A_T1, A_T2 are regulated by the controlling valves 24.1, 24.2, 25.1, 25.2. In the case of a plurality of HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2, the substreams A_T1 may be different in terms of the substream quantity in the respective HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2, which then logically also applies to the substreams A_T2 in the respective bypass lines 8.1, 8.2 of the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2.

As regards the heat transfer system 5, either the substream A_T3 is regulated by the controlling valve 26 arranged directly upstream or directly downstream (not illustrated) of the component 5.1 of the heat transfer system 5 or the substream A_T4 is regulated by the controlling valve 27 arranged in the bypass line 6 or both substreams A_T3, A_T4 are regulated by the controlling valves 26, 27. The controlling valves can obtain, for example from a processor, not illustrated, the corresponding control variables which the processor determines or prepares from the data which it acquires from the measuring point 23 at the economizer outlet. By the variation of the quantity of the working medium stream flowing through the HP preheater 7.1, 7.2 and/or through the component 5.1 of the heat transfer system 5, the heat absorption of this substream can be varied or regulated at the same time.

The reduction in heat absorption within the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2 by means of the controlling valves 24.1, 24.2, 25.1, 25.2 may take place with or without the inclusion of the controlling valves 19, 20 which regulates the supply quantity of the bleed steam stream to the HP preheater or preheaters 7.1, 7.2. Furthermore, the reduction in heat absorption within the component 5.1 of the heat transfer system 5 may take place by means of the controlling valves 26, 27 with or without the inclusion of the controlling device 21 which regulates the supply quantity of the auxiliary heat stream 22 to the component 5.2 of the heat transfer system 5. In addition to the controlling device 21, there is, within the heat transfer system 5, the possibility of closing the shut-off valve 5.4 of the heat transfer medium circulation circuit and of switching off the circulation pump 5.3 in order to prevent the supply of heat to the component 5.1 of the heat transfer system 5, this being equivalent to shutting down the heat transfer system 5 and the heat absorption by the working medium in the heat transfer system 5.

Preferably 50% of full load can be taken as the predetermined part load point L_T for reducing the heat absorption in at least one of the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or in the heat transfer system 5. If this part load point L_T is undershot, the heat absorption in one or more of the HP preheaters 7.1, 7.2 and/or in the heat transfer system 5 is then reduced according to the invention, as described above. However, the predetermined part load point L_T may also be in the range of between 40 and 60% of full load.

The once-through operation of the once-through steam generator down to a part load range of 25% avoids the situation where once-through operation has to be changed to recirculation operation within the part load range of the once-through steam generator, and therefore, at its load transfer point, the working medium temperatures at the HP outlet (fresh steam outlet at the superheater 13), at the RH outlet (reheater steam outlet at the reheater 16) and in the cyclone separators 11 no longer drop so sharply. Furthermore, the throttling of the turbine controlling valves and their wear are avoided. The displacement of the load transfer point to lower load leads to lower temperature drops at the thick-walled components on account of the profile of the isotherms and saturated steam line in the h-p graph.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

• 1 Water/steam or working medium circuit
• 2 Condenser
• 3.1 LP preheater
• 3.2 LP preheater
• 4 Feed water pump
• 5 Heat transfer system
• 5.1 Component
• 5.2 Component
• 5.3 Circulation pump
• 5.4 Shut-off valve
• 6 Bypass line
• 7.1 HP preheater
• 7.2 HP preheater
• 8.1 Bypass line
• 8.2 Bypass line
• 9 Economizer
• 10 Evaporator
• 11 Cyclone separator
• 12 Circulating pump
• 13 Superheater
• 14 HP steam turbine
• 15 Bleeds on HP turbine
• 16 Reheater
• 17 MP/LP steam turbine
• 18 Bleeds on MP/LP turbine
• 19 Controlling valve for bleed steam of HP turbine
• 20 Controlling valve for bleed steam of MP/LP turbine
• 21 Controlling device for auxiliary heat
• 22 Auxiliary heat stream
• 23 Measuring point at the economizer outlet
• 24.1 Controlling valve
• 24.2 Controlling valve
• 25.1 Controlling valve
• 25.2 Controlling valve
• 26 Controlling valve
• 27 Controlling valve
• 28 Parallel circuit to circuit 1 in the region of the HP preheaters
• 29 Bleed steam line
• 30 Bleed steam line
• 31 Supply line or supply duct