The paper presents a thermal-economic analysis of a 900 MW coal-fired power unit for ultra-supercritical parameters with internal steam reheat. The subject of the study was the cycle proposed as the "initial thermal cycle structure" during the completion of the project "Advanced Technologies for Energy Generation" with the steam parameters of 650/670 °C/30 MPa. Two configurations of internal reheat were analysed: with a four- and seven-section exchanger. The effect of reheat on the operation of the power unit under a partial load was also analysed, and preliminary calculations of the heat exchange area of the internal reheat were made.

This paper presents a method for assessing the degree of approaching the paper output of the Clausius-Rankine cycle to the Carnot cycle. The computations to illustrate its use were performed for parameters characteristic of the current state of development of condensing power plants as well as in accordance with predicted trends for their further enhancing. Moreover there are presented computations of energy dissipation in the machines and devices working in such a cycle.