Power Plant Performance Factors:- The following parameters can decide the performance of power plants.They are Heat rate, thermal efficiency, capacity factor, load factor, economic efficiency, operational efficiency, energy efficiency.
Heat Rate (Energy Efficiency):- Overall thermal performance or energy efficiency for a power plant for a period can be defined as φhr = H / E (1)
where φhr = heat rate (Btu/kW, kJ/kW),H = heat supplied to the power plant for a period (Btu, kJ),E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)
Thermal Efficiency:- Thermal efficiency of a power plant can be expressed as
μte = (100) (3412.75) / φ (2) where μte = thermal efficiency (%)
Capacity Factor:- The capacity factor for a power plant is the ratio between average load and rated load for a period of time and can be expressed as
μcf = (100) Pal / Prl (3) where μcf = capacity factor (%),Pal = average load for the power plant for a period (kW), Prl = rated capacity for the power plant (kW)
Load Factor:-Load factor for a power plant is the ratio between average load and peak load and can be expressed as
μlf = (100) Pal / Ppl (4) ,Where μlf = load factor (%), Ppl = Peak load of power plant in the period (kW)
Economic Efficiency:-Economic efficiency is the ratio between production costs, including fuel, labor, materials and services, and energy output from the power plant for a period of time. Economic efficiency can be expressed as
φee = C / E (5) Where φee = economic efficiency (cents/kW, euro/kW, ...)
C = production costs for a period (cents, euro,)
E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)
Operational Efficiency:-Operational efficiency is the ratio of the total electricity produced by the plant during a period of time compared to the total potential electricity that could have been produced if the plant operated at 100 percent in the period.Operational efficiency can be expressed as
μoe = (100) E / E100% (6)
where μeo = operational efficiency (%)
E = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)
E100% = potential energy output from the power plant operated at 100% in the period (kWh)
