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Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL), the leading global fluid management company has collaborated with Tata Power and installed the world’s largest water pumping system for Tata Power’s Mundra ultra modern power plant (UMPP). A mammoth 10.5 million litres of water is circulated with the help of KBL’s 10 sets of concrete volute pumps every minute. The Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd (CGPL), Tata Power’s whollyowned subsidiary, which has implemented the 4000 MW (800 MW x 5 units) UMPP requires an enormous amount of water to condense the heat generated in the production of power. On a turn-key basis, KBL created an open loop type of circulating water system for Tata Power’s subsidiary, wherein sea water from the Arabian Sea is used as heat sink to condense the steam in the condenser. Cold water from the sea is pumped by KBL’s unique circulating water pumps through the condenser going back to sea through an outfall structure.
All of 10.5 million litres in 60 seconds! Ravindra Ulangwar, associate vice president & head — power sector, KBL said, “The world’s largest water pumping system is a salute to Indian engineering. The Mundra UMPP is India’s first and most energy efficient 800 MW unit coal-based thermal power plant using supercritical technology to create lower greenhouse gas emissions. Its main power generation equipment is sourced from Japan and Korea. And thus came about the Indian technology to create a water pumping system that rubs shoulders with world leaders.” The Mundra UMPP will meet two per cent of India’s power needs.
