Thermal Power

In conventional thermal power plants, traditional and common fuel sources are used to generate steam by heating water in order to drive a turbine, which drives a generator to produce electricity. There are usually transformers and associated electrical systems at thermal power plants, which step up the generated voltage to grid voltage.

The types of conventional fuels are varied, including, coal, oil & gas, nuclear fuel, biomass, and waste (usually defined as Energy from Waste, or EfW).  Both gas and liquid fuels can also be burnt directly by gas turbines, again, driving electrical generators.

Each type of fuel comes with its unique challenges, which need to be addressed in order to ensure reliable and continuous electricity generation.  Different thermal plant technologies might operate at different temperatures, might need different chemicals and coolants, and might be subjects to different rules and regulation.

In depth understanding of the various aspects that make up a conventional thermal power plant are essential to be able to identify an issue, when one arises, and to provide appropriate guidance in order to reestablish generation as quickly as possible, minimising costs. 

Conventional thermal power still accounts for the lion’s share of electricity generation worldwide.  Their widespread presence globally results into a large number of component breakdowns which can lead to costly business interruption, unplanned outages and diversion of resources and manpower. 

At Hawkins, we have engineers and scientists who come from design, consultancy and operational backgrounds across the full range of conventional thermal power technologies, who can understand the full depth and breadth of the issues which may have led to a failure.

Our Thermal Power expertise

Generators

Generators are at the heart of wind, hydro, geothermal, thermal and nuclear power stations, turning the mechanical energy of the process into electricity to be supplied around into the electricity grids. The impact of a loss of a

Transformers & Electrical Systems

The impact of lost generation from the main transformer or switchgear on a site can lead to large repair costs, and lost generation or business interruption costs stretching into many millions.

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