OPERATIONAL DEVIATIONS AND PERFORMANCE LOSSES IN A 110 MW STEAM PLANT CONDENSER: DIAGNOSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The condenser is a critical component in steam power plants, directly influencing turbine efficiency, heat transfer, and overall plant performance.In many Sub-Saharan African facilities, aging infrastructure and limited retrofits have led to significant operational deviations, yet few studies have quantified these effects under real operating conditions.This paper investigates the condenser of the 110 MW steam plant at the Takoradi Thermal Plant (TTP), Ghana, through a hybrid diagnostic approach combining field measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.Field data revealed that cooling water flow rates were consistently below design values (2199-2410 kg/s vs. 3800 kg/s), corresponding to a turbine output loss exceeding 5 MW.Heat transfer rates ranged between 122-160 MW/h, compared to the design value of 170.3 MW/h, with fouling identified as the primary cause.Condenser pressures (4.1-8.27kPa) were above the design vacuum of 7.5 kPa, with regression analysis showing that a 1 kPa rise reduced turbine output by ~12-14 MW.