Performance analysis of 110 MW steam power plant with solar aided reheating system using GateCycle software

Along with the world's rapid population growth, the demand for electrical energy is also increasing. Hence, it is necessary to take innovative and environmentally friendly steps toward existing power plants to overcome the issue. One is using a solar-aided reheating system implemented in a steam power plant to increase its performance. In this study, an analysis of the reheating system with a solar collector was carried out on a particular steam power plant for the same loadings. The conditions of the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) at the location where the steam power plant was established were also considered in this study. A mathematical analysis was carried out to calculate the increase in thermal oil temperature heated by the solar collector with several different conditions throughout the year. The results were in the form of thermal oil outlet temperatures, which were then used as input for the simulation of a steam power plant that was assumed to be integrated with the solar-aided reheating system using GateCycle software. It was found that the performance of the steam power plant worked better when using a solar-aided reheating system compared to those without the solar system. At 100%, 75%, and 50% loading, power increased by 4.51% to 5.86%, 6.18% to 8.18%, and 8.91% to 11.42%, respectively. The highest performance increase occurred in March, and the lowest occurred in January due to the level of DNI in both months.