Compressors are widely used in Power plants.

Power plants of all types use compressors for various applications. They are used in diesel-engine generators, gas-turbine power plants, combined heat power plants, steam power plants, coal-fired power plants, waste incineration facilities, hydroelectric power plants and other hydroelectric facilities, nuclear power plants and atomic power plants.

 
Diesel-engine generators are independent sources of generating electricity. They are used in remote sites, as emergency power supplies for airports, hospitals, small towns and cities and wherever power failure could cause loss of production or safety and security of people. Beside diesel-engine generators, compressors are used for:

■ Starting air


■ NOx treatment


Compressors which are used with diesel-engine generators, usually have following technical specification:

■ Volumetric flow:10 – 485 m3/hr


■ Pressure range:15 – 50 bar


■ Medium:Air



Gas-turbine power plants use flammable gases to drive turbines. Turbines are connected to generators which produce electricity. In some power plants, there are two types of turbines, gas turbine and steam turbine. In these power plants which are called combined heat power plants, the heat generated by gas turbine is used to produce steam for steam turbine which is connected to generator in order to produce electricity. In these power plants, compressors are used for:


■  Starting air


■  Purging air


■  Sealing gas (nitrogen)


■  Feeding in gas

Compressors with following specification are used in these power plants:


■ Volumetric flow:100 – 1000 m3/hr

■ Pressure range:15 – 50 bar

■ Medium:Air, nitrogen

Steam power plants use thermal energy in steam to drive steam turbines which are connected to generators for producing electricity. In other power plants which work with the same principle, oil, natural gas, hard or brown coal, waste incineration, are used to fire steam boiler and generate steam. Compressors are used in these facilities for:


■ Desulphurisation

■ Removing fuel residues (soot blowing)

■ NOx treatment

■ Cooling turbines by using hydrogen


The types of compressors which are used in these types of power plants have following specification:


■ Volumetric flow:100 – 1000 m3/hr


■ Pressure range:15 – 250 bar


■ Medium:Air, hydrogen


Hydroelectric power plants and other hydroelectric facilities use mechanical energy of water to drive turbines which are connected to generators for producing electricity. They are categorized in three pressure classes. They are classified as low, medium and high-pressure power plants. There are also run-of-river and pumped-storage power plants which are named according to the way that available water is used. In these types of facilities, compressors are used for:


■ Braking air for pneumatic brakes


■ Adjusting turbine blades and large valves such as governor


■ Blowing air (blowing out the water to eliminate the load during starting)


■ Preventing pulsation and cavitation

Compressor ranges used in these fields have following specification:



■ Volumetric flow:50 – 500 m3/hr


■ Pressure range:30 – 100 bar


■ Medium:Air, nitrogen


Nuclear power plants and atomic power plants use compressors as well. In these power plants instead of using fossil fuels, the heat generated by splitting atoms is used to produce steam for turbines. Compressors are used for:


■ Starting air for emergency power for the diesel engines


■ Cooling the turbines by using hydrogen


■ Cooling the reactor core using hydrogen


Compressors with following specification are used in these types of power plants:

■ Volumetric flow:10 – 265 m3/hr


■ Pressure range:30 – 250 bar


■ Medium:Air, hydrogen Plasma Datis provides wide range of compressors and accessories for use in all types of power plants.