The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System - Case Study Example

SYSTEM CASE STUDY (NATURAL GAS POWER PLANT) Name Professor Institution Course Date Executive summary Power plants are very crucial systems in the field of engineering as they seen be the basis on which other engineering systems function. The analysis and evaluation of natural oil power plant is crucial step towards the establishments of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the system in order to effect the necessary changes. This is because for the successful development and maintenance of any power plant, it is important to take into consideration factors such as making the generated power to be affordable, lowering the environmental pollution which may result from the power generation and usage processes as well as increasing the flexibility and reliability the power plant as an engineering system. Introduction Natural gas power plant system is considered as an engineering system due to the fact that its components and the operations involves in its power production operations are technically complex to a higher degree. The activities these natural oil power plants are involved in are also socially intricate. The entire operations and activities that take in a natural oil power plant right from the time that the inputs are factored into the system to the time that the electric power is generated as output have got the objectives that are meant to ultimately be beneficial to the society at large. The adoption of a systematic approach in dealing with the idea of electric power generation through the use of natural gas is beneficial in that it serves to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the power generation process. The analysis and evaluation of natural gas power plants as engineering systems is aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the flow and sequence of the operation and activities. This will assist in future developments and improvements as well as efficiency enhancement of the power plants. The analysis of the natural gas power plant engineering systems is a critical activity when it comes to detecting and identifying failure points and those components that need to be adjusted of modified in order to realize maximum electric power generation as the output prom these systems (Chandra, 2006). System overview The natural gas power plant is an engineering system that functions to generate electric power through the use of natural gas. Natural gas refers to a hydrocarbon gas that naturally occurs. The natural hydrocarbon is basically made up of methane. However, is also contains some certain amounts of higher alkane as well as low percentages of hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. As an energy source, natural gas often finds its usage in electricity generation, cooking and heating. Other than these common usages the natural gas also finds application as a fuel for certain vehicles and also in the manufacture of organic chemicals (Chandra, 2006). The description of structure and key elements of the natural gas power plant system involves turbines that run on natural gas otherwise known as gas turbines, three steam generators that are meant for steam recovery as well as a steam turbine that is meant for condensation of reheat steam. In the process of electric power generation, the system incorporates catalytic reduction that is selective in nature and is aimed at the minimization of pollutant gas emission. The natural gas power plant system operates under a structure that can be described in terms of system parameters which include the plant size, the net power production from the gas turbines, net power production from the seam cycle, the feed rate of the natural gas, the efficiency of the power plant, the net heat production rate, the ratio of the water injected into the system to that which is ejected from the system, the efficiency of pollutant gas removal process, the ration of ammonia injection into the system as well as the factor for average operating capacity. The structure of the gas power plant is such that they make use of a modern technology for lean burn which allows for the fulfillment of very high emission standards. The power plants are also run on the basis of units of modular engine which operate on a variety of gaseous fuels (Tabak, 2009). System interactions The focus on natural gas systems with regard to greater levels of interaction within its components is one clear way of establishing and understanding the behavior of the entire system. The components of this system interact on the basis and within the principles of steam power plant cycles in fundamental thermodynamics. This also takes place with consideration of the features of fuels in thermochemistry as well as the system design and the flow of processes that characterize the seam power plants. Another basic interaction of the components that are involved in the natural gas power plant flow of operations and activities which include the gas movement, the air for combustion intake, fuel introduction into the stream of air, the process of combustion, the cooling of the combustion gas in the furnace as well as he processing and release of the gas into the atmosphere (Tabak, 2009). The other level of interaction involves the preparation and transportation of fuel to a point where it forms part of the gas that is utilized in the combustion process. One key aspect of the power that is generated through natural gas power plant is the involvement of economic principles in its design and operation. This is taken into consideration together with some fundamental evaluation and analysis of the general performance and production of the plant and comparing with other power generation plants. There also exists a certain level of interaction between the components of the natural gas power plant system and the environmental systems. These interaction calls for the incorporation of the environmental concerns and considerations into the design and planning of operations in the plant (Kehlhofer and Kehlhofer, 2009). Generally, all these interaction that are involved in the system design and operation processes are very important as far as the overall performance of the overall power plant system in concerned. The success and effectiveness of the individual system components as well as the processes involved in the power generation plant is very critical in the determination of the overall success and effectiveness of the power generation through a more enhanced and effective manner which is the objective of the natural gas power plant system. System context The operation of natural gas power plant system takes place in a vast and wide environment with several issues and concerns surrounding it. This is because energy is a global fundamental concern in the sense that its generation and usage affects various other sectors in the society. The environment in which the natural gas power generation plant system operates is one that is greatly affected by economic forces, competition from other electric power generation plant systems. It is therefore important to factor in the environmental concern sin the analysis and evaluation of this particular system. Co-generation systems as well as boilers used in industries have got several design and technology aspects to share with natural gas power plant systems which form the origin of part of the environmental impacts that influence the power plant system under consideration (Tabak, 2009). Power generation that leads to harnessing of energy is a very fundamental in the world today. It is therefore a bit difficult to introduce development without thinking about the extent to which the energy generation sources are impacted or influenced by the environment in which they are situated. Political as well as legal issues are supposed to be taken into consideration while planning and designing for both the installation of this particular engineering system. This is because they play an important role in the formulation of policies, laws and regulations that form the basis of operating environment for such systems. The other set of factors and issues that form part of the environmental conditions that influence the of the natural gas power plant as an engineering system include social, cultural and ethical issues. These are especially important since they contribute a great deal to the establishment and definition of the interaction and association that exists between the surrounding individuals and the engineering system in question. The operating environment of the power plant system is also subject to influence by technical issues. The technical issues in most cases majorly impact on the management or the decision making arm if the engineering system that is in place. Decision making process in relation to the technical issues involve can influence the system in either positive or in a negative manner (Kehlhofer and Kehlhofer, 2009). Future challenges Despite the developments and improvements in natural gas power plant system, there are a number of challenges and problems that are facing the system at large and its operations. This include the projected overwhelming increase in demand for natural gas that is likely to put its natural resources at stake especially considering the fact that natural oil is a nonrenewable energy source. The use of natural gas in power plants for the generation of electric power also poses a current as well as a future problem in the sense that it is still way below the recommended standards in terms of meeting the global climate goals to reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere (Chandra, 2006). The future engineers and scientist are therefore called upon to modifications and adjustments that will lead to the realization of long lasting solutions for these challenges and problems. The future scientists and engineers could also be involved in policy making process for them to offer their expertise that would help in dealing with the problems and challenges in future. Conclusion In conclusion, the description, analysis, evaluation as well as the presentation of the engineering aspects in a systematic manner is very significant especially with regard to providing a clear understanding of the operation of functionality of the engineering aspects. Looking at engineering aspects in terms of systems also allows for the identification of weaknesses, challenges and problems so that they can be adequately addressed with a lot of ease. Natural gas power plant as an engineering system still require some improvements it its design and operation so as to enhance its efficiency as well as sustainability. This kind of evaluation and analysis also provides a better opportunity for analysts to understand clearly the components and structure of a system, its functionality as well as he interaction that exists amongst its individual components. This is actually demonstrated through the description and analysis of natural gas power plant as an engineering system. References Chandra, V. (2006). Fundamentals of natural gas. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell Corp. Kehlhofer, R., & Kehlhofer, R. (2009). Combined-cycle gas & steam turbine power plants. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell. Tabak, J. (2009). Natural gas and hydrogen. New York NY: Facts On File. Appendices Appendix I: Gas cleaning process flow diagram Appendix II: Flow diagram of a typical natural gas power plant Appendix III: Key elements and components of a natural gas power plant Read More