Steam Power Plant Instrumentation: A Case Study of Sapele Power Station
- January 12, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRSI, Mechanical Engineering
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue XII, December 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705
Steam Power Plant Instrumentation: A Case Study of Sapele Power Station
P. A. Ondachi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria
Abstract:-This paper presents the installation and functional status of the instrumentation and controls for boiler and turbine plants of Sapele Steam Power Station in Nigeria which has been in operation since 1978.The level of sophistication, adequacy of measurement points, and functional condition of instrumentation systems for Sapele steam power station have been studied in this work. Also investigated was the availability of facilities for instrument maintenance and calibration. The level of sophistication of the instrumentation system for the simple and medium capacity Sapele station was found to be appropriately modest. In terms of sufficiency, measurement points installed on the plant were considered inadequate for the purpose of plant performance analysis. Most of the instruments on the plant were found to be in poor working condition, especially on the boiler plants. The implication of the findings is that accurate plant performance indicators cannot be readily calculated for the Sapele station because provision had not been made to measure all relevant thermodynamic process parameters. Results from the survey also indicate that general overhaul of the plant appears to be overdue.
Key Words: Sapele Power Plant, Instrumentation, Basic loop, Performance evaluation, Efficiency, Case study, Measurements, Boiler, Turbo-generator, Obsolescence.
I. INTRODUCTION
Various activities, be they industrial or general utility, require some form of measurements of the key process parameters. These measurements may be quantitative or qualitative; of the highest accuracy and precision, or rudimentary. The measurements, therefore require appropriate instrumentation schemes and the data derived being used for any or a combination of such purposes as operation, control, safety, performance evaluation, quality assurance and plant history.
