Energy and exergy analysis of the steam power plants: A comprehensive review on the Classification, Development, Improvements, and configurations

Abstract Achieving optimum energy conversion in thermodynamic systems, such as in the thermal power plants (TPPs), is a complex task due to the involvement of several factors. One of the effective ways of determining the quantity & quality of energy systems is via energy and exergy analysis. This study is a comparative evaluation of the energy & exergy analyses of coal and gas-fired TPPs. Details of different studies on TPPs over the years were critically reviewed, followed by independent thermodynamics analysis of each component of the TPPs system. Improvements in the performance of power plants were also highlighted. From the outcome of the comparative analysis, combustion chambers were identified as the main contributors to exergy destruction owing to their associated high irreversibility. The results show that the exergy efficiency of the entire system is about 20%. The main exergy loss were occurred in the boiler and the steam turbine in the system. For further improvements, this review highlighted some of the areas for further research and made recommendations for improvement in some aspects of the existing TPPs.