Efficiency of the Operation of the Cogeneration Steam Turbine Plants at the Variable Heat and Electric Load Schedules

The urgency of the work is conditioned by the need to improve the management methods of the operation modes of the power plant by creating software tools for predicting the performance of equipment when the conditions of its operation change. In this regard, the aim of the study is to carry out a detailed calculation research of such modes using unique computational mathematical models based on the actual turbine power characteristics. Following tasks were set to achieve it: first, to calculate the limits of change for the main energy and economic indicators in real operating conditions on the example of the turbines T-50-130 of the Kirov CHP-4; secondly, to identify and describe the possible resources to increase the efficiency of the operation of the cogeneration turbine plants under conditions of variable heat and electric load schedules. The received results testify that at today's prices for energy carriers, additional power generation by the thermal cycle of CHP plants is economically feasible during all day. The low economic efficiency of some common methods of generating peak power is shown, in particular, by changing the degree of opening the sliding grids in the low-pressure section. The proposed approach can be implemented and used to optimize the operation of CHP plants in the Russian wholesale electricity and capacity market. The results of the study make it possible to conclude that most steam turbine CHP plants have significant reserves for saving fuel and energy resources, which can be realized by optimizing turbine operation modes