NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ROURKELA

Mid-Semester Examination, 2018-19 (Spring)

B.Tech. [Mechanical Engineering] 6th Semester

Subject Name: Power Plant Engineering Full Marks: 30

Subject Code: ME-350 Time: 2 Hours
(ANSWER ANY THREE QUESTIONS)
(Assume suitably if required and state them clearly)
(Steam table is permitted)

1. (a) Why mercury is not used as working fluid throughout the Rankine cycle? Explain
the working principle of binary vapor cycle with the help of plant layout and also draw
the T-s diagram.
[2+2+1]
(b) Consider an ideal steam regenerative Rankine cycle with two feedwater heaters, one
closed and one open. Steam enters the turbine at 100 bar and 500 oC and exhausts to
the condenser at 10 kPa. Steam is extracted from the turbine at 10 bar for the closed
feedwater heater and at 0.6 MPa for the open one. The feedwater is heated to the
condensation temperature of the extracted steam in the closed feedwater heater. The
extracted steam leaves the closed feedwater heater as a saturated liquid, which is
subsequently throttled to the open feedwater heater.
(a) Show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines.
(b) Determine the mass flow rate of steam through the boiler for a net power output of
200 MW.
(c) Calculate the work ratio.
(d) Find the thermal efficiency of the cycle and
(e) Determine the specific steam consumption.
Solve the problem using steam table only.
[1×5]
2. Consider a combined gas–steam power plant that has a net power output of 300 MW.
The pressure ratio of the gas turbine cycle is 10. Air enters the compressor at 300 K and
the turbine at 1000 K. The combustion gases leaving the gas turbine are used to heat
the steam at 5 MPa to 300 oC in a heat exchanger. The combustion gases leave the heat
exchanger at 400 K. An open feedwater heater incorporated with the steam cycle
operates at a pressure of 1 MPa. The condenser pressure is 10 kPa. Assuming isentropic
efficiencies of 100 % for the pump, 80% for the compressor, and 85% for the gas and
steam turbines, determine (a) the mass flow rate ratio of air to steam, (b) the required
rate of heat input in the combustion chamber, and (c) the thermal efficiency of the
combined cycle. Take for air cp =1.063 kJ/kg-K and specific heat ratio (k) =1.37.
[6+2+2]
P.T.O
3. (a) Prove that the maximum rate of flow of steam in convergent-divergent nozzle when
𝑛
2 ( )
𝑛−1
the critical pressure ratio is (𝑛+1) . Find the critical velocity for dry, saturated
steam. Here n is isentropic index.
[4+1]
o
(b) Steam at 4 MPa, 400 C expands through a convergent-divergent nozzle. The exit
plane pressure is 4 bar. The flow rate is 1 kg/s and the nozzle efficiency is 0.8. Assume
that the velocity at inlet is negligible. Find critical pressure ratio, the throat and exit
areas, stream velocity at the exit, and the quality of steam at the exit plane. Solve the
problem using steam table only.
[1×5]
4. (a) Discuss the effect of back pressure which is varying from inlet pressure to pressure
below the designed back pressure value on pressure and Mach number along the length
of the (i) convergent nozzle and (ii) convergent-divergent nozzle.
[2+3]

(b) Ethane enters a nozzle at 0.5 MPa, 500 K, and a velocity of 100 m/s. Approximating
the flow as isentropic.
(i) Determine the pressure and temperature of ethane at a location where velocity equals
the speed of sound.
(ii) What is the ratio of area at this location to the entrance area?
(iii) If the velocity is negligible at the inlet of the nozzle, then determine the pressure
and temperature at the same location as mentioned in part (i).
Take cp =1.88 kJ/kg-K and molar mass is 30 kg/kmol.
[2+1+2]