Control Room
Provides centralised control for four 500MW (original nameplate rated) units and their associated plant 24 hours/day.
Loy Yang Power is Victoria's single largest energy producing plant, supplying the equivalent of one third of the State's electricity needs.
Control RoomProvides centralised control for four 500MW (original nameplate rated) units and their associated plant 24 hours/day. |
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Each boiler has up to 174 sootblowers which were manufactured by Diamond Power. These sootblowers use high-pressure steam and water to remove slag and ash deposits from the boiler internals for more efficient heat transfer. This allows each boiler to operate up to 10,000 hours continuously before being taken out of service to be cleaned.
ChimneysLoy Yang Power has two chimneys, both of which are 260 metres high - approximately the same height as Melbourne's Rialto Towers. Each concrete chimney contains four stainless steel flues. A total of 15,000 cubic metres of concrete was used in the above ground construction of Loy Yang Power's two chimneys. This is enough to lay a footpath 70 kilometres long or the distance between Melbourne and Geelong. Dimensions:
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The draft plant of each boiler consists of two Forced Draft (FD) Fans, two Induced Draft (ID) Fans, two Rotary Air Heaters (RAH's) and associated ductwork.
The ID fans remove the gases/ash from the boiler via precipitators and then through the chimneys. Each fan is driven by a 7000 kW motor and delivers 787 m³/second of air.
The FD fans force air into the boiler to help the firing process. Each fan is driven by a 3200 kW motor and delivers 370 m³/second of air.
The RAH's improve efficiency of the boiler combustion process by preheating the combustion air supplied by the FD fans. The RAH's absorb heat from the flue gas and transfer this heat to the combustion air by means of a continuously rotating matrix of formed metal plates.
PrecipitatorsThe Electrostatic Dust Precipitators extract solid particles from the boiler flue gases prior to it being emitted to the atmosphere via the chimney stacks. The efficiency of extraction is around 99%. Each boiler has one set of 12 precipitators through which boiler flue gases are drawn by the ID fans. Each set of precipitators is divided into pairs with three pairs being served by each ID fan.
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The cooling water system carries heat away from the turbine from the conversion process that turns the steam back into water for recirculation back to the boiler. The cooling water system of each unit is made up of two Cooling Water (CW) Pumps, a cooling tower and associated pipework.
The CW pumps circulate the cooling water from the cooling tower basin through the turbine condenser and back to the cooling tower again. Each pump delivers 5100 litres/second of water.
The cooling towers consist of a hyperbolic concrete shell supported over a concrete basin. Atmospheric air enters through the bottom ring of the tower and rises through it by natural convection. This process acts to cool the cooling water prior to its recirculation through the cooling water system. About two percent of cooling water is lost through this process of evaporation cooling.
Cooling TowersLoy Yang Power has four cooling towers, each 114 metres high, 92.8 metres diameter at the base and 55 metre diameter at the top. The walls of the cooling towers vary between 18 and 60 centimetres thick. The cooling towers contain enough concrete to lay a footpath 350 kilomtres long or both sides of the highway from Loy Yang Power to Melbourne. This is also the same amount of concrete needed to put down 320 average sized house slabs.
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The duty of the main firing system is to convey coal from the boiler bunker to the pulverising fuel mills and from there supply the milled product to the boiler furnace. During this process the coal is dried by hot gases taken from the furnace at over 1000°C, pulverised in the main mills and mixed with heated combustion air as it is blown into the boiler. The pulverising, drying and mixing ensures that the coal reaches the furnaces in the correct conditions for optimum combustion performance.
Each boiler has eight main mills, each capable of delivering 107 tonnes/hour of crushed coal. The coal is pulverised into the consistency of talcum powder. Each main mill is driven by a 1380 kilowatt electric motor.
TurbineEach turbine is a tandem compound reheat unit of four cylinders. One high pressure single flow cylinder with 21 stages of pressure reducing blades. One intermediate pressure double flow cylinder with 15 stages of pressure reducing blades per cylinder. Two low pressure double flow cylinders with eight stages of pressure reducing blades per cylinder supply pressure to the first stage of the turbine is 16.8 MPa at 541°C which is progressively reduced through the four cylinders to
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GeneratorThe generator is mechanically coupled to the steam turbine, excited by a static excitation system and is cooled by hydrogen and stator cooling water. Under normal conditions the generator rotates at 3000 rpm corresponding to a generator frequency of 50 Hz. Each unit generates 530 MW at a nominal voltage of 24 KV (Unit Two) and 21 KV (Units One, Three and Four). The total length of the stator windings strands is approximately 100 kilometres. These are hollow to allow pure water to flow through them to assist in cooling. The circulation of hydrogen throughout the internal of the generator casing helps in cooling.
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There are four boilers installed at Loy Yang Power, one for each unit. Each boiler is a balanced draft, tower unit of the Sulzer 'once through' type with superimposed circulation. The superheaters, reheaters and economiser are stacked in the furnace enclosure, above the combustion chamber. The boiler supplies superheated steam at a maximum continuous rating (MCR) of 430 kg/second at 16.8 Mpa and 541degrees Celsius, to a high pressure turbine and 378 kg/second at 4.15 Mpa and 540 degrees Celsius to the intermediate pressure cylinder.
Each boiler is fired by brown coal mined from the Loy Yang open cut coal mine. The coal has an average moisture content of about 62% but with a low ash content. Using this coal the boiler has a rated thermal efficiency of 86% and is designed to operate continuously for not less than 9000 hours or 375 days without the need for off-load cleaning.
Each boiler is provided with 3 x 50% duty Boiler Feed Pumps manufactured by Ingersoll Rand. Normally any two are in service with the third on automatic standby. The feed pumps receive water from the condensate system and deliver it to the boiler at pressures up to 20 Mpa.
Each boiler feed pump has a motor size of 8 MW or uses the equivalent power to supply 8000 homes.
Up until the year 2000, Loy Yang Power had a base generating nameplate capacity of 2000 MW. This capability is being progressively increased to an ultimate target of 2210 MW through a variety of plant enhancements.
3 x 500kV lines to Hazelwood terminal station, 12 kilometres away.
Ash PondThe ash pond is used to collect the ash and dust removed from the boiler and draft plant of both Loy Yang Power and Loy Yang B. The ash and dust is mixed with water to form a slurry, which is pumped, to the ash pond. The ash and dust then settles from the slurry and the water is recycled back to the power station to be reused in the ash disposal process. Excess saline waste from all Latrobe Valley generators is pumped to the Loy Yang Ash Pond for disposal via an ocean outfall.
Area of ash pond - 56 hectares
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The simulator is a replica of the actual Loy Yang Power control room and is made up of three main computers simulating the actions and responses of Unit 1 (KWU), Unit 2 and station service plant with the instructor determining the behaviour of the simulator - whether the scenario be an emergency such as a chemical leak or power failure, or the every day task of running the power station.
The recently upgraded facility has proved to be an excellent education aid for trainee operators and also for operators who wish to undertake a refresher course.
It allows learner-operators to understand the complexities of the power station in a risk free environment, making it an extremely valuable tool both from within Loy Yang Power and external power generation companies.
Loy Yang Power welcomes enquiries into the use of its operator training simulator located in the power station.