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Power Station overview

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Power station : The station where bulk electric power is produced

from other energy sources is called power station/power plant.

1. Main component :

a. Prime mover
b. Alternator
Schematic diagram of a simple electric power generation
system:
[Ref : Mehta -page 2]

Prime mover : Prime mover is a mechanical arrangement which

makes the rotor of alternator to move (to rotate) .

The prime mover is driven by the energy obtained from various

sources such as burning of fuel, pressure of water, force of wind etc.

Alternator : Alternator, the AC generator, is an electrical equipment

which produces alternating voltage and current when its rotor is
rotated at a sufficiently high speed.
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2. Auxiliary components :

a. Transformers
used for voltage step up or step down
b. Safety devices (Circuit breaker, lightning arresters etc. )
used to keep the electric equipment safe from damage
due to over voltage, over current, lightning etc.

Location of power station :

1. The power station should be situated a bit away from
electricity consumed area to avoid smoke, sound and
magnetic pollution.
2. It should not be situated too far from the consumed area to
avoid unnecessary transmission system cost.
3. It should be located in such a place where source of energy is
hugely available at cheap of cost.
4. Transportation system should be good enough to carry huge
machineries in ease.
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[Ref : Mehta -page 2]

Importance of Electric Energy :
Energy is needed in the form of light, heat, motive power etc.
Electric energy can produce all these forms of energy. In fact, the
advancement of a country is measured in terms of per capita
consumption of energy.

Electric energy is superior to all other forms of energy due to the

following reason.

i. Convenient form : Electrical energy is a very convenient

form of energy. It can easily be converted into other forms of
energy. For example, If we want to convert electric energy
into heat, the only thing to be done is to pass electric current
through a wire of high resistance e. g., a heater. Similarly,
electric energy can be converted into light(e. g. electric bulb)
, mechanical energy(e. g. electric motor) etc.
ii. Easy control : The electrically operated machines have
simple starting, control and operation. For instance, an
electric motor can be started or stopped by turning on or off
a switch. Similarly, with simple arrangement the speed of
electric motors can be easily varied over the desired range.
iii. efficient transportability : Electric energy can easily be
transferred to load through conductors. The electric energy
can be transmitted conveniently and efficiently from the
centre of generation to the consumers locality with the help
of overhead conductors known as transmission lines.
iv. Cleanliness : Electric energy is not associated with smoke,
fumes or poisonous gases. Therefore, its use ensures
cleanliness and healthy condition.
v. Cheapness : Electric energy is cheap and hence economical
for use in domestic, commercial and industrial purpose.
vi. Life style: Modern human life is widely governed by
scientific equipments which are in the most case run by
electricy.
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[Ref : Mehta -page 4]

Units of Energy :
The capacity of an agent to work is known as its energy. The most
important forms of energy are
i. Mechanical energy
ii. Electrical energy
iii. Thermal energy

i. Mechanical energy : The unit of mechanical energy is

newton-metre or Joule on M.K.S. or SI system.
The work done on a body is one newton-metre (or Joule ) if a
force of one newton moves it through a distance of one metre
i.e. ,
Joule = Newton x metre

ii. Electrical energy : The unit of electrical energy is watt-sec or

joule and is defined as follows :
One watt-sec (or joule) energy is transferred between two
points if a p.d. of 1 volt exists between them and 1 ampere
current passes between them for 1 second.

Electric energy in watt-sec (or joule)

= voltages in volt x current in amperes x time in seconds
watt-sec is very small unit of electrical energy for practical
purposes. In practice, for the measurement of electrical energy,
bigger units viz, watt-hour and kilowatt-hour are used.
1 watt-hour = 1 watt x 1 hour
= 1 watt x 3600 sec.
= 3600 watt-sec

Again, 1 Kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1 kW x 1 hr

= 1000 watt x 3600 sec
= 36 x 105 watt-sec
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iii. Heat energy : Heat is a form of energy which produces the

sensation of warmth. The unit of heat is calorie, British
thermal unit (B.Th. U.) and centigrade heat units (C. H. U.)
on the various systems.

Calorie: It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature

of 1 gm of water through 1o C. i.e.,
1 Calorie = 1 gm of water x 1o C
Bigger unit is Kilocalorie
1 KiloCalorie = 1 kg x 1o C = 1000 gm x 1o C
= 1000 calories
B.Th.U. : It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature
of 1 lb of water through 1o F. i.e.,
1 B.Th.U. = 1 lb of water x 1o F

C.H.U. : It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature

of 1 lb of water through 1o C. i.e.,
1 C.H.U. = 1 lb of water x 1o C

[Ref : Mehta -page 5]

Relationship Among Energy Units :
The energy whether possessed by an electrical system or mechanical
system or thermal system has the same thing in common i.e. it can
do some work. Therefore , mechanical, electrical and thermal energies
must have some definite relationship among them. It will be seen that
that these units are related to each other by some constant.

i. Electrical and Mechanical :

1 kWh = 1 kW x 1 hr
= 1000 watts x 3600 seconds
= 36 x 105 watt-sec (or joule)
So, it is clear that electric energy can be expressed in joules instead of
kWh
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ii. Heat and Mechanical :

a) 1 calorie = 4.18 joules (By experiment)
b) 1 C.H.U. = 1 lb x 1o C
= 453.6 gm x 1o C = 453.6 calories
= 453.6 x 4.18 Joules = 1896 Joules
So, 1 C.H.U. = 1896 Joules

c) 1 B.Th.U. = 1 lb x 1o F
= 453.6 gm x 5/9o C = 252 calories
= 252 x 4.18 Joules = 1053 Joules
So, 1 B.Th.U. = 1053 Joules
So, it is clear that HEAT energy can be expressed in joules instead of
thermal units viz. calorie, C.H.U. and B.Th.U.

iii. Electric and Heat

a) 1 kWh = 1000 watts x 3600 seconds
= 36 x 105 Joules = (36 x 105 )/4.18 calories
= 860 x 103 calories
So, 1 kWh = 860 x 103 calories = 860 kCal.

b) 1 kWh = 36 x 105 Joules

= (36 x 105 )/1896 C.H.U. [as, 1 C.H.U. = 1896 Joules ]
= 1896 C.H.U.
So, 1 kWh = 1896 C.H.U.

c) 1 kWh = 36 x 105 Joules

= (36 x 105 )/1053 B.Th.U. [as, 1 B.Th.U. = 1053 Joules ]
= 3418 B.Th.U.
So, 1 kWh = 3418 B.Th.U.
So, it is clear that electric energy can be expressed in the units of
heat energy unit.
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[Ref : Mehta -page 6]

Efficiency :
Energy is available in various forms in nature such as pressure head
of water, chemical energy of fuels, nuclear energy of radioactive
substances etc. All these energy can be converted into electric energy
by suitable arrangements. In this process of conversion some energy is
lost in the form of other energy other than electric energy. Therefore,
the desired output electric energy is less than input energy. The output
energy divided by the input energy is called efficiency.

Efficiency,

As power is the rate of energy flow.

Example 1.1. Mechanical energy is supplied to a d.c. generator at

the rate of 4200 j/s. The generator delivers 32.2 a or 120 v.
i. What is the percentage efficiency of the generator?
ii. How much energy is lost per minute of operation.
Solution :
i. Input power, Pi = 4200 J/s = 4200 watt
Output power, Po = EI =120 x 32.2 = 3864 watt
Efficiency η = (Po/ Pi)x 100
= (3864/4200) x 100 = 92%
ii. Power lost, PL = Pi - Po = 4200 – 3864 = 336
watt
So, Energy lost per minute (=60 s) of operation
= PL x t = 336 x 60 = 20160 J

Note : Efficiency is always less than 1 or 100%

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[Ref : Mehta -page 18]

[Ref : Mehta -page 23]

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[Ref : Mehta -page 17]

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[Ref : Mehta -page 23]