When crusading American lawyer Scott Klein persuades forensic engineer Dan Foster to track down the cause of a massive explosion at an Indian power plant, they find themselves entangled in a web of deceit and corruption as they confront a major energy multi-national.

This book provides a practical and comprehensive analysis of control systems for boilers and HRSGs (heat-recovery steam generators) in a variety of applications from waste-to-energy plants through to combined-cycle gas-turbine power stations (CCGTs). It describes process transmitters, advanced DCS configurations and final elements such as control valves and dampers. Basics such as methods of connecting instruments to the process are explained while more advanced discussions of the design features of distributed control systems are also included. At every stage, emphasis is given to the complex, multivariable, interactive nature of steam-raising plant and to the importance of dealing with the problems that result. Chapters are devoted to the application of modern nomenclature systems and to the documentation required to ensure that the equipment and systems meet all the requirements of performance, accuracy, safety and maintainability. This book will provide invaluable practical guidance for systems engineers, operators, maintenance staff and specifiers of power plant control and instrumentation (C&I) systems.

Thermal Power Plant Control and Instrumentation describes the systems and equipment used for measuring and controlling boilers and heat-recovery steam-generators used in land and marine power plant and in process industries. It provides a practical guide to the design, installation, operation and maintenance of these systems. Starting with descriptions of how each area of the plant operates, it shows how the relevant control systems have evolved, how they are implemented in modern systems and how to evaluate the merits of alternative approaches. The rise of renewable power in the generation mix, and of biomass in the fuel, has demanded greater flexibility from combustion plants, requiring more sophisticated and robust control. In parallel, thermal power plants have been developed with overfire air systems to reduce NOx, once-through supercritical boilers to increase efficiency and model-based control schemes to optimise response. These developments have brought opportunities in terms of flexibility, energy efficiency and safety, but also the risk of a comprehension gap between control specialists and power plant engineers, a gap this new edition aims to bridge.