Chapter 10.9, Problem 26P

Consider a coal-fired steam power plant that produces 175 MW of electric power. The power plant operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle with turbine inlet conditions of 7 MPa and 550°C and a condenser pressure of 15 kPa. The coal has a heating value (energy released when the fuel is burned) of 29,300 kJ/kg. Assuming that 85 percent of this energy is transferred to the steam in the boiler and that the electric generator has an efficiency of 96 percent, determine (a) the overall plant efficiency (the ratio of net electric power output to the energy input as fuel) and (b) the required rate of coal supply.