Power Plant Engineering

Basics
 • Power and Energy are two important words in power
plant engineering.
• Electricity is now considered as basic necessity with
Food, Shelter and Clothing for human being.

Electric locomotives, Heating,

Cooling, Fans, Blowers, Motors,
Illumination are few applications
that converts electrical energy
into useful work.
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/487444359638560545/
Progress of any nation is measured in terms of per
capita consumption of electrical energy. The kWh
consumed per person per year as of 2018.
• Philippines - 739 kWh /person per year
• India – 877 kWh /person per year
• China – 4,018 kWh /person per year

https://www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=81000
 Power Generation Scenario in
the Philippines (2016)

https://www.doe.gov.ph/electric-power/2016-philippine-power-situation-report
 The current energy mix is composed of coal (47%), natural gas
(22%), renewable energy (hydro, geothermal, wind, solar) (24%),
and oil-based (6.2%) with current energy capacity at 23GW
https://www.doe.gov.ph/sites/default/files/pdf/electric_power/2018_power_situation_report.pdf
Sources Of Electrical Power Generation
• Conventional Sources
• Thermal (Coal)
• Nuclear
• Combined Cycle
• Diesel

• Renewable Sources
• Hydro
• Geothermal
• Wind
• Solar- PV
 Disadvantages Of Conventional Sources
• Fossil fuels shall be depleted, forcing us to conserve
them and find alternative resources.
• Toxic, Hazardous gases and Residues pollute the
environment.
• Overall conversion efficiency is low.
• Sources are located at remote places with reference to
load, increasing the transportation cost.
• Maintenance cost is high.
 Coal Fired Thermal Plant
Schematic Diagram

http://132.donkey.dft-2013.de/coal-fired-power-plant-diagram.html
Energy Process
• Coal is a natural resource and is imported from India
or China.
• Chemical energy stored in coal is transformed to heat
energy by firing the Coal Powder in boiler that
converts water into steam at high temperature and
pressure.
• This steam is injected over the blades of the steam
turbine (prime mover) in a controlled way and then,
the rotor of a 3 Phase A.C. generator rotates
producing electricity.
• Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy
at rated voltage (10 – 30 KV).
• Used steam is cooled down to go back to water using
cooling water from the cooling tower in the
condenser.
• The water is preheated thru the heaters and
economizer and is again injected back into the boiler
to do the next cycle.
• Flue gases are passed thru pollution control devices
such as Electrostatic Precipitator to collect the fine
particles then the pure gases are released into
atmosphere.
• Ash (40% of coal weight) is collected and transported
to cement plants as additives.
Advantages
• Coal is cheap and available in abundance at present.
• It is a time-tested process, so no experimentation is
required.
• Less space required as compared to Hydro based
station and less hazardous than Nuclear power plant.
• Less initial cost as compared to other conventional
process of power generation.
Disadvantages
• Calorific value (Kcal/Kg) of coal is low and are largely
ash.
• Huge volume of ash is produced daily, and its’
disposal is a concern.
• Atmospheric pollution is very high.
• Transportation of coal to plant and transmission of
generated power to load center involves large
expenses.
 Nuclear Thermal Power Plant
Schematic Diagram

https://www.britannica.com/technology/nuclear-power
Energy Process
• Huge amount of thermal energy is produced through
Nuclear Fusion and/or Fission process of radioactive
elements.
• Fusion is the process in which two light weight nuclei
combine to produce heavier nucleus, a neutron and
lots of exothermic energy.
• In fusion, Deuterium and Tritium nuclei are fused to
produce heavy Helium, Neutron and 17.6 MeV of
energy.
• One gram of Deuterium contains 275 million Kcal of
energy which is around 34.4 million times that
released by combustion of one gram of bituminous
coal.
• Fission is another reaction process in which heavy
nucleus is split in to two or more lighter nuclei
releasing neutrons, fission fragment, gamma rays and
lot of thermal energy.
• Released neutrons has high KE and collides with
other nuclei resulting into secondary fission that
becomes a sustained chain reaction.
• The self sustained reaction needs a fissile substance
as fuel, that do not decay quickly and is available in
nature in moderate quantity.
• Radioactive elements satisfy the fissile requirement
of the fuel. Uranium-235 is commonly used for the
process which produce isotopes of Barium, Krypton,
neutrons, gamma rays and 200 MeV of energy.
• To avoid disaster, the release of this huge heat energy
is regulated by controlling the speed of neutrons
using moderators like Graphite and Heavy Water to
achieve the critical speed of reaction.
• Furthermore, control rods made from cadmium, are
placed between fuel rods to absorb neutrons for
regulation of the nuclear reaction.
• The control rods are either pushed in to decrease or
pulled out to increase the power output.
• The thermal energy from the nuclear reaction is used
to produce steam that can be utilized to rotate the
turbine coupled to 3 phase A.C. generator.
Advantages
• Less quantity of fuel to generate a given amount of
energy compared to other sources.
• High reliability, Efficiency and Less running cost.

Disadvantages
• Fuel is expensive and not available in abundance
everywhere.
• High capital cost.
• Maintenance cost is very high.
• Nuclear waste disposal is a great problem.
 Combine Cycle Power Plant
Schematic Diagram
Process
A combined-cycle plant captures the waste heat from
the gas turbine and use it in a steam cycle to increase
efficiency and electrical output. This is possible because
the temperature of the working fluid of the gas turbine
engine is still high enough that a second subsequent
heat engine extracts energy from the heat that the first
engine produced. By generating electricity from
multiple streams of work, the overall net efficiency of
the system may be increased by 50–60%.
Gas turbine burns fuel.

• The gas turbine compresses air and mixes it

with fuel that is heated to a very high
temperature. The hot air-fuel mixture moves
through the gas turbine blades, making them
spin.

• The fast-spinning turbine drives a generator

that converts a portion of the spinning energy
into electricity.
Heat recovery system captures exhaust.

• A Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)

captures exhaust heat from the gas turbine that
would otherwise escape through the exhaust
stack.
• The HRSG creates steam from the gas turbine
exhaust heat and delivers it to the steam turbine.

Steam turbine delivers additional electricity.

• The steam turbine sends its energy to the

generator drive shaft, where it is converted into
additional electricity.
 Diesel Power Plant
Schematic Diagram

https://www.electrical2z.com/2019/06/diesel-electric-power-plant.html
Basic Principle
In a diesel power station, diesel engine is used as the
prime mover. The diesel fuel burns inside the engine
and the products of this combustion act as the working
fluid to produce mechanical energy. The diesel engine
drives alternator which converts mechanical energy into
electrical energy.
Energy • Heat energy liberated during combustion
Chargeab
le
• Work done around the cycle state points per unit
Ideal time
Power

• Work in moving the piston to-and-pro per unit

Indicated time
Power

Brake • Torque on the out put shaft per unit time

Power

Electrical
Power • Power produced by the generator
Uses of Diesel Electric Station

• Central Station
• Standby Plant
• Peak Load Plant
• Emergency Plant
• Mobile Plant
• Nursery Plant
• Supply Units for Cinemas, Hospitals and others
Equipment of Diesel Power Plant
 Hydro-electric Power Plant
Schematic Diagram

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-diagram-of-small-hydro-power-
plant_fig2_321303952
Process
• Hydro-electric power is generated by the flow of
water through turbine, turning the blades of the
turbine.
• A generator shaft connected to this turbine also
rotates and hence generates electricity.
• The main components of a hydel power plant are:
• Dam/Reservoir/Large buffer tank
• Penstock
• Power House
• Turbines
• Generators
• Step-up Transformers
Depending on the capacity, hydroelectric power plants are
divided into the following categories:

• Less start up time is required by hydro power stations

which is normally in few minutes as compared to
thermal power plant which is more than 8 hours.
• Hydroelectric plants in some places are used only for
peak load, in other places they are used for continuous
operation.
• Hydroelectric plants have an efficiency around 75%.
Advantages
• Once a dam is constructed, electricity can be
produced at a constant rate
• If electricity is not needed, the sluice gates can be
shut, stopping electricity generation
• The build up of water in the lake means that energy
can be stored until needed.
• The lake's water can be used for irrigation purposes.
• Hydropower is fueled by water, so it's a clean fuel
source. Hydropower doesn't pollute the air like
power plants that burn fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or
natural gas.
Disadvantages

• Dams are extremely expensive to build and must be

built to a very high standard.
• People living in villages and towns that are in the
valley can suffer from floodsand must move out when
the plant is releasing excess water.
• Hydro power plants can be impacted by drought.
When water is not available, the hydro power plant
can’t produce electricity.
 Geothermal Power Plant
Schematic Diagram

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/180988478753409264/
Process
• The adjective geothermal originates from the Greek
roots γη (ge), meaning “earth”, and θερμος (thermos),
meaning “hot”.
• The geothermal gradient is the difference in
temperature between the core of the planet and its
surface. It drives a continuous conduction of thermal
energy in the form of heat from the core to the
surface.
• A well must be drilled into a hot aquifer away from
tectonic plate boundaries. The geothermal gradient is
25–30 °C per kilometer (km) of depth in most of the
world, so wells would have to be several kilometers
deep to permit electricity generation.
Energy and Mass Flow Process

Mass Flow Diagram Temperature – Entropy Diagram

 Wind Power Plant
Schematic Diagram
Process

wind DC/DC DC/AC

rectifier utility line
generator converter inverter

The grid-connected application

wind DC/ DC DC/ AC AC load

rect ifier
generat or converter invert er

DC-DC DC load
Convert er

batt ery

The stand-alone application

Wind Zones in the
Philippines
• A Wind Energy Conversion System is a structure that
transforms the kinetic energy of the incoming air
stream into electrical energy.
• A Rectifier is an electrical device that converts
alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC).
• An Inverter is a power electronic device or circuitry
that changes direct current (DC) to alternating
current (AC). - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectifier
• A Converter is an electrical circuit which accepts a DC
input and generates a DC output of a different
voltage. It is used to increase or decrease the
magnitude of the input voltage, invert polarity, or
produce several output voltages of either the same
polarity, different polarity, or mixed polarities. It acts
as the link between the power source and the load.
https://www.sunpower-uk.com/glossary/what-is-a-power-converter/
• There are two basic configurations namely vertical axis
wind turbines (VAWT) and horizontal axis wind turbines
(HAWT).
• Today the vast majority of manufactured wind turbines
are horizontal axis with either two or three blades.
• There are two types of Wind Energy Conversion System
(WECS).
1. Variable-speed WECS - are currently the most
used and generate a varying voltage and
frequency with respect to wind speed.
2. Fixed-speed WECS - operate at constant speed
generating constant voltage and frequency.
Advantages
• The wind is free, and with the modern technology
can achieve 30 – 45% efficiency.
• It does not produce green house gases or other
pollutants during operation.
• Wind turbines are available in a range of sizes from
single household use to small towns and villages use.
Disadvantages
• The strength of the wind is not constant, varying from
very low to very strong.
• Wind turbines do not produce the same amount of
electricity all the time.
• Wind turbines are noisy.
 Solar Power Plant
Schematic Diagram
Process
• Photovoltaic comes from the words photo meaning
light and voltage which is used to measure electricity.
• Solar cells are made up of silicon, the same substance
that makes up sand. Silicon is the second most
common substance on Earth.
• Electricity is produced when sunlight strikes the solar
cell, causing the electrons to move around.
• PV cell can be either circular in construction or square.
• Cells are arranged in a frame to form a module.
Modules put together form a panel. Many Panels
together form an array.
 • Each PV cell is rated in watt-peak (Wp).
• At Standard Test Conditions (STC) with a temperature
of 25°C and a clear sunny sky with the incident light
hitting a sun-facing 37°- tilted PV surface, the
irradiance is 1,000 W/m2 or otherwise called 1
kW/m2 of radiant energy.
• Solar panels are usually able to process 15% to 22%
of solar energy into usable energy, depending
on factors like placement, orientation, and weather
conditions.
• At 15% efficiency, a 1 m2 solar panel can produce 150
Watts of electricity.

https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/11/how-efficient-are-solar-
panels#:~:text=While%20solar%20panel%20efficiency%20is,is%20measured%20under%20laboratory%20conditions.
Advantages
• After the initial investment, all the electricity
produced is free.
• Incentives and rebates from government and utility
companies offset the initial investment.
• It is a clean and renewable energy source.
• No transmission costs for stand alone systems.
• Virtually no maintenance and no recurring costs
• Ideal for remote locations that cannot be tied to the
grid
Disadvantages

• High initial cost to purchase solar panel system

• A relatively large area is required to install a solar
system
• The highest efficiency is dependent on full sun
exposure
• No electricity can be produced at night, and reduced
production on cloudy/rainy days
Thank you