Reference no: EM132420301
Cost
The steam power plants are overall considered as a huge investment that is worth a lot more than the value obtained from them. With the different alternative products being widely available and cheaper, power plants are no longer considered as a convenient project. There are many different aspects of the steam power plant system that are the main cause of the high cost. If such points were tackled and amended accordingly, the steam power plant can return to be the leading energy production source of our planet. The following are the major points causing the whole system to be overpriced:
Condenser Pressure: The high pressure at the condenser causes a lot of energy to be lost from the system. This pressure affects the temperature which pushes the system to need more energy in order to efficiently deliver the output needed. In order to solve such a problem, the condenser pressure should be reduced in order to keep a smaller difference between the two temperature ranges.
Boiler Temperature: With the boiler temperature uncontrolled, a lot of its heat is lost. The system needs a boiler with a sustainable temperature with the lowest losses. The boiler can be isolated to help reduce the energy lost. However, if the temperature of the steam is increased, the overall efficiency of the boiler and in turn the whole system will increase; giving much better results and pushing the whole system to be cheaper.
Boiler Pressure: equivalent to the previously stated point, the pressure in the boiler has a direct effect on the overall efficiency of the system by keeping it hot at all times.
Environmental Impact:
As stated earlier the main source of energy for the system is through burning many different fuels to reach the high boiling points. However, one main factor which picking the right fuel relies on is the damage that it may cause to the environment. The different fuels considered for the steam power plant is the oil, natural gas or coal. Natural gas, when burned, releases many different gasses into the air including nitrogen N2, water vapor H2O and carbon dioxide CO2 which are safe for use. Other waste gases in the cycle include CO, hydrocarbons of the unburned fuel, particularly, the nitrogen oxide NOx which is poisonous and should be controlled or handled. Even though natural gas causes damage to the environment, it is considered to be the safest and least harmful chemical to be used for such system. This is why the use of natural gas with steam power plants is increasing all over the world, and it increases the value of natural gas.
Setbacks
The steam power plant is a common system to be designed and implemented. However, no matter how common it gets, there are certain difficulties in the system that are hard to achieve. This is mainly seen through the fact that maximum efficiency is always the main target and is also hard to achieve. Reaching an efficient system relies on many different data that is hard to acquire. This data can be found by actually implementing the system and using the trial and error method. However, this is considered as an unaffordable direction to move through.
Another setback in the system is the need for high volumes of fuel which is hard to cope with. At the individual levels, it is almost impossible to put your hands on large volumes of oil or fuel. Whether it's natural gas or oil, these minerals are only released with certified bodies as they can be used for destruction.