VISIT FOR DRAX COAL-FIRED POWER STATION

Visit for Drax coal-fired power station



Visit for Drax coal-fired power station

Introduction

Claiming to be the largest, cleanest and most effective coal-fired power station in the UK, the 4,000MW Drax plant supplies around 7% of the UK's electricity needs. Drax is located in Selby, Yorkshire (UK), and is belongs to by Drax Power Limited (the operating subsidiary of Drax Group).

In 2008 Drax Power began an £80m co-firing upgrade task that will decrease the company's CO2 usage by 12.5%, or 2.5 million tons, per year.(Harris,2010, 12) The existing co-firing facility of the plant will supply 500MW of renewable electrical power by operating alongside the new 400MW facility.

In 2007 Drax determined to invest about £100m in the turbine upgrade task that decreased carbon usage by 5%. Drax is also planning to evolve the 300MW Ouse Renewable Energy Plant with the capacity of 300MW. It will be located immediately to the north of the main plant.(Hemmings,2005,45)

 

History

Opened in 1974 and expanded in the mid-1980s, the station was initially operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board, but since privatisation in 1990 the station has changed proprietor several times, and is actually operated by Drax Group plc. Completed in 1986, Drax is the most lately constructed coal-fired power station in England, and by applying technologies such as flue gas desulphurisation, is one of the cleanest and most effective coal-fired power stations in the UK. However, because of its large size, it is also the UK's single largest emitter of carbon dioxide.(Stead,2009, 112) In an attempt to decrease these emissions, the station is actually co-firing biomass and undergoing the turbine refurbishment, and there are plans to construct the biomass only discharged plant alongside the station, renowned as Drax Ouse Renewable Energy Plant.

 

Techniques

Reduced emissions

Emissions from the plant are controlled. The generators are fitted with flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) gear that removes 90% of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from emissions. Drax also uses retrofitting boosted over blaze air (BOFA) expertise for its boilers to decrease emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX). Drax Power employs 560 persons and supports many other local jobs indirectly. It is also the major customer for the UK's remaining coalmines.(Harris,2010, 12)

 

Six generators

Coal is conveyed to the station by 1,000t coal trains, with shuttle conveyors distributing the coal between the bunkers. These store the coal before it moves to the pulverising mills. These crush the coal into the fine dust using 10 large metal balls.(Stead,2009, 112)

Each boiler has two compelled draught fans that draw warm air from the peak of the boiler house through large air heaters. The 'primary' air used to assault the coal from the mill to the boiler is supplied by fan. Each boiler has 48 or 60 propane and fuel oil burners that start the boiler up. Once the stable flame is established the coal / air blend is blown through the burner where it lights spontaneously. The propane and oil are then shut off.(Hemmings,2005,45)

To make steam Drax has six boilers, each weighing ...