Assignment no.

1
Title:
Energy sources (Minimum one assignment on conventional and one on
Nonconventional sources.

Problem Definition and Aim of Experiment:

To describe conventional and non-conventional energy sources available.

Objective of Experiment:
1. To identify the sources of energy and their conversions.
2. Describe and compare the conversion of energy from renewable and non-
renewable energy sources.

Theory:

1.Introduction:

Conventional energy sources - Conventional sources of energy can be

described as non-renewable sources of energy which have been used
since a long time. Conventional sources of energy are used extensively by
mankind and the magnitude of usage is so high that the reserves have got
depleted to a great extent.

Non- Conventional energy sources -Nonconventional energy sources (also

called alternative energy sources) are any sources or substances that
can be used to produce fuels, other than conventional fuels. These are
sources that are continuously replenished by natural processes, including
biomass, hydropower, nuclear power, solar energy, and tidal energy.

2.Energy sources:

Thermal energy, Hydropower energy, Nuclear energy, Solar energy, Geothermal

energy, Wind energy, Hydrogen energy, Biomass energy and Tidal energy.
 Conventional source of energy – coal energy

Coal:

A black, hard rock, sometimes so shiny it could pass as silver or a light grey,
and other times sooty as night. Coal. Coal is made up of 65-95% carbon,
and further includes hydrogen, sulphur, oxygen, and nitrogen. 

How is coal formed?

Coal is a fossil fuel, formed from vegetation, which has been

consolidated between other rock strata and altered by the combined
effects of pressure and heat over millions of years to form coal seams. The
energy we get from coal today comes from the energy that plants absorbed
from the sun millions of years ago.

Where is coal found?

1.In other countries:
Coal is abundant – there’s over 1.06 trillion tonnes of proven coal reserves
worldwide.
This means that at current rates of production, there is enough coal to last us
around 132 years. The biggest reserves are in the USA, Russia, China, Australia
and India.
After centuries of exploration, the location, size and characteristics of most
countries’ coal resources are quite well known. What tends to vary much more
than the assessed level of the resource – i.e. the potentially accessible coal in the
ground – is the level classified as proved recoverable reserves.
Reserves can be extended further through improved exploration activities and
advances in mining techniques – allowing previously inaccessible reserves to be
reached.
2.In India:
 India has abundant domestic reserves of coal. Most of these are in the states
of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar,Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Madhya
Pradesh.
India has the fourth largest coal reserves in the world. As of March 2020, India
had 344 billion metric tons (379 billion short tons) of the resource. The known
reserves of coal rose 5.37% over the previous year, with the discovery of an
estimated 17.5 billion metric tons (19.3 billion short tons). The estimated total
reserves of lignite coal as of March 2020 were 46 billion metric tons (51 billion
short tons), an increase of 0.57% from the previous year. Coal deposits are
primarily found in eastern and south-central India. Jharkhand, Odisha,
and Chhattisgarh accounted for almost 70% of the total known coal reserves in
India.

How can we get energy from Coal?

• For this purpose we use Coal Plants .

• What happens in a coal plant?

Coal-fired plants produce electricity by burning coal in a boiler to
produce steam. The steam produced, under tremendous pressure, flows into a
turbine, which spins a generator to create electricity. The steam is then cooled,
condensed back into water and returned to the boiler to start the process
over.
The role of Pulverizing plant is to pulverize pieces of coal into fine particles
(100μm) before placing into a boiler. This is done to ensure efficient combustion.
• How much energy do we get from coal?
There is 2,460 kWh of electricity generated per ton of coal. A standard
500 megawatt coal power plant produces 3.5 billion kWh per year,
which is enough energy to power 4 million light bulbs all year.
Figures from the World Coal Association, a keen advocate of HELE, show
that the average efficiency of coal-fired power plants around the
world today is 33 percent. Modern state-of-the-art plants can achieve
rates of 45 percent, while "off-the-shelf" rates are around 40 percent.
(All the above information is according to census of 2018)

Reactions involved during conversion of Coal to energy

• Combustion reaction: Burning of coal undergoes
combustion reaction. Combustion reaction is a type of reaction
in which chemical species experiences oxidation by undergoing
a reaction with the oxidizing agent which results in the
emission of energy in the form of heat. It is an exothermic
process.
The reaction for burning of coal is as follows:
C + O2 → CO2
In this reaction, carbon is heated in the presence of oxygen
which leads to the formation of carbon dioxide gas with the
emission of heat energy.

• Sulphur Oxidation:
 Burning coal produces 59 % of the sulphur oxides (and sulfuric
acid) released in the US. The initial product is SO2. This is
further oxidized and hydrolysed in the atmosphere.

Sulphuric acid from coal power plants is the primary source of acid rain.

Advantages of Coal:
• Huge Global Reserves.
• Not an Intermittent Energy Source.
• Reliable Fuel.
• Inexpensive Energy Source.
• Independent of the Weather.
• Provides job to many.

• Compatible With Other Energy Sources.

Disadvantages of Coal:
The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,
increasing levels of CO2 and other gasses, trapping heat, and contributing to
global climate change. ... Coal-fired power plants release more greenhouse
gases per unit of energy produced than any other electricity source.

NON-CONVENTIOANAL SOURCE OF ENERGY – WIND

ENERGY
 Wind Energy site selection:
The main considerations in selection of site for WECS
are based on its technical feasibility, economics, social
environment & other considerations some of the important
criteria for selection of site are:
a) Located where the high average wind velocities available are in the range of
6 m/s to 30 m/s throughout the year since power developed is proportional to
cube of wind velocity.
b) The WECS must be located for away from cities and forests since the
buildings and forests offer resistance to the air movement. There should
be notal structures in 3 km radius from the installation.
c) The wind farms are located in flat open areas, deserts, seas, shores and off
shores site since wind velocities are of high in these locations.
d) Historical data of wind mean wind speed must be collected for average
velocities during the year to select the site for availability of wind velocities
needed for installation of wind farms.

e) Ground surface should have high soil strength to reduce the cost of
foundation.
f) If small trees or vegetation exists at a particular location then it would need
to increase the height of tower since any obstruction reduce the wind velocity.
It causes the increase in cost of installation.
g) It should be installed away from localities so that the sound pollution caused
by windmills does not affect the habitants in near areas.
h) The minimum wind speeds at the selected site must be higher than 3.5 to
4.5 m/s which is the lower limit at which the present wind energy conversion
system starts turning. It is called as cut-in-speed. Up to this speed no power
will be generated by the system.

How do Wind Power Plants work?

A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power
plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce
electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several
hundred wind turbines covering an extensive area. Wind farms can be either
onshore or offshore.
HOW DOES A WIND TURBINE WORK?
Turbines catch the wind's energy with their propeller-like blades, which act much like an
airplane wing. When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on one side of the
blade. The low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn.
This is called lift. The force of the lift is much stronger than the wind's force against the front
side of the blade, which is called drag. The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to
spin like a propeller.

A series of gears increase the rotation of the rotor from about 18 revolutions a minute to
roughly 1,800 revolutions per minute -- a speed that allows the turbine’s generator to
produce AC electricity.
A streamlined enclosure called a nacelle houses key turbine components -- usually including
the gears, rotor, and generator -- are found within a housing called the nacelle. Sitting atop
the turbine tower, some nacelles are large enough for a helicopter to land on.
Another key component is the turbine’s controller, that keeps the rotor speeds from
exceeding 55 mph to avoid damage by high winds. An anemometer continuously measures
wind speed and transmits the data to the controller. A brake, also housed in the nacelle,
stops the rotor mechanically, electrically or hydraulically in emergencies. Explore the
interactive graphic above to learn more about the mechanics of wind turbines.

TYPES OF WIND TURBINES

There are two basic types of wind turbines: those with a horizontal axis, and those with a
vertical axis.
The majority of wind turbines have a horizontal axis: a propeller-style design with blades
that rotate around a horizontal axis. Horizontal axis turbines are either upwind (the wind
hits the blades before the tower) or downwind (the wind hits the tower before the blades).
Upwind turbines also include a yaw drive and motor -- components that turns the nacelle to
keep the rotor facing the wind when its direction changes.
While there are several manufacturers of vertical axis wind turbines, they have not
penetrated the utility scale market (100 kW capacity and larger) to the same degree as
horizontal access turbines. Vertical axis turbines fall into two main designs:
• Drag-based, or Savonius, turbines generally have rotors with solid vanes that
rotate about a vertical axis.

• Lift-based, or Darrius, turbines have a tall, vertical air foil style (some appear
to have an eggbeater shape). The Wind spire is a type of lift-based turbine that is
undergoing independent testing at the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory's National Wind Technology Centre.

Efficiency of Wind Power Plant:

• The theoretical maximum efficiency of a turbine is ~59%, also
known as the Betz Limit. Most turbines extract ~50% of the energy
from the wind that passes through the rotor area.
 • The capacity factor of a wind turbine is its average power output
divided by its maximum power capability. On land, capacity factors
range from 0.26 to 0.52. The average 2019 capacity factor for
projects built between 2014 and 2018 was 41%. In the U.S., the
fleetwide average capacity factor was 35%.

• Offshore winds are generally stronger than on land, and capacity

factors are higher on average (expected to reach 51% by 2022 for
new projects), but offshore wind farms are more expensive to build
and maintain. Offshore turbines are currently placed in depths up to
40-50m (about 131-164ft), but floating offshore wind technologies
could greatly expand generation potential as 58% of the total
technical wind resource in the U.S. lies in depths greater than 60m.

Advantages of Wind Power

• Wind power is cost-effective. Land-based utility-scale wind is one
of the lowest-priced energy sources available today, costing 1–2
cents per kilowatt-hour after the production tax credit. Because the
electricity from wind farms is sold at a fixed price over a long period
of time (e.g. 20+ years) and its fuel is free, wind energy mitigates the
price uncertainty that fuel costs add to traditional sources of energy.

• Wind creates jobs. The U.S. wind sector employs more than

100,000 workers, and wind turbine technician is one of the fastest
growing American jobs. According to the Wind Vision Report, wind
has the potential to support more than 600,000 jobs in
manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by
2050.
• Wind enables U.S. industry growth and U.S.
competitiveness. New wind projects account for annual investments
of over $10 billion in the U.S. economy. The United States has a vast
domestic resources and a highly-skilled workforce, and can compete
globally in the clean energy economy.

• It's a clean fuel source. Wind energy doesn't pollute the air like
power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal or
natural gas, which emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides,
and sulfur dioxide—causing human health problems and economic
damages. Wind turbines don't produce atmospheric emissions that
cause acid rain, smog, or greenhouse gases.

• Wind is a domestic source of energy. The nation's wind supply is

abundant and inexhaustible. Over the past 10 years, U.S. wind power
capacity has grown 15% per year, and wind is now the largest source
of renewable power in the United States.

• It's sustainable. Wind is actually a form of solar energy. Winds are

caused by the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of
the Earth, and the Earth's surface irregularities. For as long as the sun
 shines and the wind blows, the energy produced can be harnessed to
send power across the grid.

• Wind turbines can be built on existing farms or ranches. This

greatly benefits the economy in rural areas, where most of the best
wind sites are found. Farmers and ranchers can continue to work the
land because the wind turbines use only a fraction of the land. Wind
power plant owners make rent payments to the farmer or rancher for
the use of the land, providing landowners with additional income.

CHALLENGES OF WIND POWER

• Wind power must still compete with conventional generation
sources on a cost basis.  Even though the cost of wind power has
decreased dramatically in the past several decades, wind projects
must be able to compete economically with the lowest-cost source of
electricity, and some locations may not be windy enough to be cost
competitive.

• Good land-based wind sites are often located in remote

locations, far from cities where the electricity is
needed. Transmission lines must be built to bring the electricity from
the wind farm to the city. However, building just a few already-
proposed transmission lines could significantly reduce the costs of
expanding wind energy.

• Wind resource development might not be the most profitable

use of the land. Land suitable for wind-turbine installation
must compete with alternative uses for the land, which might be
more highly valued than electricity generation.

• Turbines might cause noise and aesthetic pollution. Although

wind power plants have relatively little impact on the environment
compared to conventional power plants, concern exists over
the noise produced by the turbine blades and visual impacts to the
landscape.
 • Wind plants can impact local wildlife. Birds have been killed by
flying into spinning turbine blades. Most of these problems have
been resolved or greatly reduced through technology development
or by properly siting wind plants. Bats have also been killed by
turbine blades, and research is ongoing to develop and improve
solutions to reduce the impact of wind turbines on these species. Like
all energy sources, wind projects can alter the habitat on which they
are built, which may alter the suitability of that habitat for certain
species.

Availability, Reliability and Access

High availability is crucial for the economics of any wind farm.
This depends primarily on high system reliability and adequate
maintenance capability, with both being achieved within
economic constraints on capital and operational costs.

Key issues to be addressed for good economics of an offshore

wind farm are:

• Minimisation of maintenance requirements; and

• Maximisation of access feasibility.

The dilemma for the designer is how best to trade the cost of
minimising maintenance by increasing reliability - often at
added cost in redundant systems or greater design margins -
against the cost systems for facilitating and increasing
maintenance capability.  Previous studies within the EU
research programmes, such as OptiOWECS, have considered a
range of strategies from zero maintenance (abandonment of
faulty offshore turbines) to highly facilitated maintenance.

Access is critical as, in spite of the direct cost of

component or system replacement in the difficult offshore
conditions, lost production is often the greatest cost penalty of
a wind turbine fault. For that reason, much attention is given to
access. Related to the means of access is the feasibility of
various types of maintenance activities and the need or not for
support systems (cranes and so on) and other provisions in the
wind turbine nacelle systems.