Feasibility Analysis of Steam Plant With and Without Superheater
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This project presents a comparative analysis of a steam power plant operating with and without a superheater, focusing on thermal efficiency enhancement and economic feasibility. The superheater, which raises the temperature of saturated steam to a superheated state before entering the turbine, plays a critical role in improving the Rankine cycle's efficiency. The study involves a detailed thermodynamic evaluation using steam table data, supported by Temperature-Entropy (T- S) diagrams for both configurations. Numerical calculations indicate that the inclusion of a superheater increases the cycle's thermal efficiency from 23.95% to 36.66%, representing a significant improvement of 12.71%. This efficiency gain reduces fuel consumption per unit of electricity produced, leading to lower operating costs and improved sustainability. Furthermore, an economic analysis based on a 100 MW plant operating 8000 hours annually shows that the superheater can generate additional revenue of over $6.1 million per year, with an estimated installation cost of $600,000. The payback period is calculated to be just over one month, making the upgrade highly attractive from both technical and financial perspectives. The report concludes that the integration of a superheater in steam power plants is a practical and profitable enhancement for increasing energy efficiency and long-term performance.
Author: Saleem, Abdul Qudoos
Institution: Institute of Space Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6930917670
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