According to the report from the EVNGENCO3 Technical - Production Department on the implementation of the heat rate reduction program for coal-fired power plants, in the current conditions of the power system, the increasing share of renewable energy sources has influenced the operational modes of coal-fired power units. The lower utilization factors and more frequent load changes have resulted in decreased efficiency and increased heat rates in coal power plants. Therefore, reducing the heat rate to the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) value has become a key task for EVNGENCO3 this year.

Conference on reducing heat rate of EVNGENCO3 held in mid-April in Binh Thuan.

According to Mr. Vang Thanh Hung, Deputy Director of Vinh Tan Thermal Power Company, to reduce heat rate, the company will focus on two main solution groups: reducing auxiliary power consumption and minimizing heat losses such as optimizing smoke fan operations using converters and replacing heat exchanger modules of the air preheater, among others.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Dang Toan, Deputy Director of Mong Duong Thermal Power Company, mentioned that Mong Duong 1 Power Plant places particular emphasis on optimizing the operation of the air and smoke fans and adjusting the coal supply process to the furnace under dry weather conditions with low coal moisture. Additionally, the company has been intensifying the periodic cleaning of the condenser heat exchange pipes. These actions have significantly helped reduce heat rate.

Practical testing of converter solutions at Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Plant

To support a stable and reliable operation while optimizing the combustion mode of the boiler, the Electricity Plant Services Company (EPS) has collaborated to implement Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling for the boilers at Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Plant. Mr. Duong Van Le, Deputy Director of EPS, reported: "EPS has applied CFD to fine-tune the boiler, conducting CFD simulations to evaluate and determine the most suitable coal range for the boiler to improve the stability of boiler operation and boiler efficiency."

Mr. Tran Dinh An, Deputy General Director of EVNGENCO3, also directed the units to continue focusing on technical management, plant operation, and researching breakthrough solutions to reduce heat rate; Further research and application of scientific and technological advances to achieve the goal of reducing heat rate and improving plant efficiency.

Reducing heat rate to PPA value is one of the important economic-technical indicators that the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) and EVNGENCO3 pay particular attention to, helping to minimize fuel costs, production costs, and optimize production and business efficiency.

Translator: Thu Hường