TOPIC 2: DIESEL POWER PLANT
Suitable valves (ports) for control of flow of fuel,
air, exhaust gases, fuel injection, and ignition systems.
The oil engines and gas engines are called
Internal Combustion Engines. In IC engines fuels burn
inside the engine and the products of combustion form
The main differences between the gasoline engine
the working fluid that generates mechanical power.
and the diesel engine are:
Diesel fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbons—with
boiling points in the range of 150 to 380°C— which are
obtained from petroleum. Petroleum crude oils are
composed of hydrocarbons of three major classes: (1)
paraffinic, (2) naphthenic (or cycloparaffinic), and (3)
aromatic hydrocarbons.
OIL REFINERY IN THE PHILIPPINES
 Bataan Refinery (Petron), 180,000 bbl/d (29,000
m3 /d)
 Tabangao Refinery (Royal Dutch Shell),
110,000 bbl/d (17,000 m3 /d)
 Batangas Refinery (Caltex (Chevron)), 86,000
bbl/d (13,700 m3 /d) – ceased operation in 2003
to give way to a Php750-million finished
product import terminal
Whereas, in Gas Turbines the combustion occurs in
another chamber and hot working fluid containing
thermal energy is admitted in turbine.
Reciprocating oil engines and gas engines are of the
same family and have a strong resemblance in principle
of operation and construction.
The engines convert chemical energy in fuel in to
mechanical energy.
A typical oil engine has:
1. Cylinder in which fuel and air are admitted and
combustion occurs.
2. Piston, which receives high pressure of expanding
hot products of combustion and the piston, is forced to
linear motion.
3. Connecting rod, crankshaft linkage to convert
reciprocating motion into rotary motion of shaft.
4. Connected Load, mechanical drive or electrical
generator.
5.
6. Lubricating system, cooling system
 A gasoline engine intakes a mixture of gas and
air, compresses it and ignites the mixture with a
spark. A diesel engine takes in just air,
compresses it and then injects fuel into the
compressed air. The heat of the compressed air
lights the fuel spontaneously.
 A gasoline engine compresses at a ratio of 8:1 to
12:1, while a diesel engine compresses at a ratio
of 14:1 to as high as 25:1. The higher
compression ratio of the diesel engine leads to
better efficiency.
 Gasoline engines generally use either
carburetion, in which the air and fuel is mixed
long before the air enters the cylinder, or port
fuel injection, in which the fuel is injected just
prior to the intake stroke (outside the cylinder).
Diesel engines use direct fuel injection to the
diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder.
 Diesel engine power plants are installed where
o 1. Supply of coal and water is not
available in desired quantity.
o 2. Where power is to be generated in
small quantity for emergency services.
o 3. Standby sets are required for
continuity of supply such as in hospital,
telephone exchange.
 It is an excellent prime mover for electric
generator capacities of from 100 hp to 5000 hp.
The Diesel units used for electric generation are
more reliable and long - lived piece of
equipment compared with other types of plants.
BASIC TYPES OF IC ENGINES
 TWO-STROKE, SPARK IGNITION GAS
ENGINES/PETROL ENGINES
› The well-known automobile engine
fueled with petrol (also called Gas) and
Natural Gas Engine, Bio-gas Engine is
of this category. The low compression
gas engine (petrol engine/natural gas
engine) mixes fuel and air, outside the
cylinder, before compression. With the
automobile engine, a carburator is used
for mixing the fuel and air and the
mixture is injected in the cylinder. In a
Natural Gas Engine, a mixing valve is
 used for the same purpose instead of the They can be easily started or
carburator. stopped at a short notice to meet
the peak demand.
 DIESEL ENGINES/HEAVY OIL ENGINES
 Mobile Plant
› In contrast to the engines in which the
fuel and air mixes before compression,  Diesel plants mounted on
in diesel engines: air is compressed as trailers can be used for
the compression stroke begins and the temporary or emergency
fuel enters the cylinder at the end of purposes such as for supplying
compression stroke. Heat of power to large civil engineering
compression is used for ignition of fuel. works.

› In a typical diesel engine, air is  Standby Unit

compressed to about 30 bars, which
 If the main unit fails or cannot
increases the temperature when finely
cope up with the demand, a
atomised diesel fuel oil is sprayed into
diesel plant can supply the
the heated air, it ignites and burns. High
necessary power. For example,
compression ratio is therefore essential
if water available in a hydro-
for reliable combustion and high
plant is not adequately available
efficiency. Compression ratios above
due to less rainfall, the diesel
those needed to achieve ignition do not
station can operate in parallel to
improve the efficiency.
generate the short fall in power.
 DUEL FUEL ENGINES
 Emergency Plant
› In a duel fuel engine, a small quantity of  During power interruption in a
pilot oil is injected near the end of the
vital unit like a key industrial
compression stroke. It is ignited by the
plant or a hospital, a diesel
compression and the mixture burns like
electric plant can be used to
standard diesel fuel. The pilot oil
generate the needed power.
burning provides enough heat to the
mixture of gas/air. Precise control of  Nursery Station
pilot oil injection and a separate set of
fuel pumps and nozzles are added.  In the absence of main grid, a
Means are provided to reduce air diesel plant can be installed to
quantity at partial loads. supply power in a small town.
In course of time, when
 HIGH COMPRESSION GAS ENGINES electricity from the main grid
becomes available in the town,
› With operation solely on gas, without
the diesel unit can be shifted to
duel mixtures and pilot oil, the high
some other area which needs
Compression Gas Engines of today use
power on a small scale. Such a
slightly richer mixtures of fuel and air,
diesel plant is called a “nursery
with lower compression ratios than duel
station”.
fuel engines. The compression ratios are
higher than conventional gas engines  Starting Stations
and lower than duel fuel engines. There
 Diesel units can be used to run
is no need of pilot oil.
the auxiliaries (like FD and ID
APPLICATIONS OF DIESEL ENGINES IN fans, BFP, etc.) for starting a
POWER FIELD large steam power plant.
 The diesel electric power plants are chiefly used  Central Stations
in the following field.
 Diesel electric plants can be
 Peak Load Plant used as central station where the
capacity required is small.
 Diesel plants can be used in
combination with thermal or ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
hydro-plants as peak load units. DIESEL ENGINE POWER PLANT
  Following are the advantages of diesel electric
stations.
› 1. It is easy to design and install these
electric stations.
› 2. They are easily available in standard
capacities.
› 3. They can respond to load changes
without much difficulty.
› 4. There are less standby losses.
› 5. They occupy less space.
› 6. They can be started and stopped
quickly.
› 7. They require less cooling water.
› 8. Capital cost is less.
› 9. Less operating and supervising staff
required.
› 10. High efficiency of energy
conversion from fuel to electricity.
› 11. Efficiency at part loads is also
higher.
› 12. Less of civil engineering work is
required.
› 13. They can be located near the load
centre.
› 14. There is no ash handling problem.
› 15. Easier lubrication system.
 Following are some of the disadvantages in
installing diesel units for power generation.
› 1. High operating cost.
› 2. High maintenance and lubrication
cost.
› 3. Capacity is restricted. Cannot be of
very big size.
› 4. Noise problem.
› 5. Cannot supply overload.
› 6. Unhygienic emissions.
ENGINE. It is the main component of the plant
and is directly coupled to the generator.
AIR INTAKE SYSTEM. It conveys fresh air
through louvres and air filter that removes dirt, etc.,
causing wear of the engine. Supercharger, if fitted, is
generally driven by the engine itself and it augments the
power output of the engine.
EXHAUST SYSTEM OF DIESEL POWER
PLANT. It discharges the engine exhaust to the
atmosphere. The exhaust manifold connects the engine
cylinder exhaust outlets to the exhaust pipe which is
provided with a muffler or silencer to reduce pressure on
the exhaust line and eliminate most of the noise which
may result if gases are discharged directly to the
atmosphere. The exhaust pipe should have flexible
tubing system to take up the effects of expansion due to
high temperature and also isolate the exhaust system
from the engine vibration.
There is scope of waste heat utilization from the
diesel engine exhaust by installing a waste heat boiler to
raise low pressure steam which can be used for any
process, purpose or for generating electricity. The hot
exhaust may also be utilized to heat water in a gas-to-
water heat exchanger which can be in the form of a
water coil installed in the exhaust muffler. It can also be
used for air heating where the exhaust pipe is
surrounded by the cold air jacket.
FUEL SYSTEM OF DIESEL POWER
PLANT. Fuel oil may be delivered at the plant site by
trucks, railway wagons or barges and oil tankers. An
unloading facility delivers oil to the main storage tanks
from where oil is pumped to small service storage tanks
known as engine day tanks, which store oil for
approximately eight hours of operation. Coils heated by
hot water or steam reduce oil viscosity to reduce
pumping power.
The fuel injection system is the heart of a diesel
engine. Engines driving electric generators have lower
speeds and simple combustion chambers that promote
good mixing of fuel and air. The fuel injection system
performs the following functions.
› Filter the fuel
› Meter the correct quantity of the fuel to be
injected
› Time the injection process
› Regulate the fuel supply
› Secure fi ne atomization of fuel oil
› Distribute the atomized fuel properly in the
combustion chamber.
Oil is atomized either by air blast or pressure jet.
Early diesel engines used air blast fuel atomization
where compressed air at about 70 bar was used to
atomize as well as to inject the fuel oil. For this an air
compressor and a storage tank are needed, which
becomes expensive. In pressure jet atomization the fuel
oil is forced to flow through spray nozzles at a pressure
above 100 bar. It is known as solid injection, which is
more common. Solid injection systems may be classified
as follows.
› Common rail injection system
› Individual pump injection system
› Distributor system
Common Rail Injection System
 A single pump supplies fuel under high pressure
to a fuel header or common rail. The high
pressure in the header forces the fuel to each of
the nozzles located in the cylinders. At the
proper time a mechanically operated valve (by
means of a push rod and a rocker arm) allows
the fuel to enter the cylinder through the nozzle.
The amount of fuel entering the cylinder is
regulated by varying the length of the push rod
stroke.
Individual Pump Injection System
 Each cylinder is provided with one pump and
one injector. The pump directly feeds oil to the
cylinder, meters the oil and controls the
injection timing. The nozzle contains a delivery
valve actuated by fuel oil pressure.
Distributor System
 In this system the fuel is metered at a central
point. A pump pressurises, meters the fuel and
times the injection. The fuel is then distributed
to cylinders in correct fi ring order by cam-
operated poppet valves which open to admit oil
to the fuel nozzle.
COOLING SYSTEM OF DIESEL POWER PLANT
 The temperature of the gases inside the cylinder
may be as high as 2750°C. If there is no external
cooling, the cylinder walls and piston will tend
to assume the average temperature of the gases
which may be of the order of 1000° to 1500°C.
The cooling of the engine is necessary for the
following reasons.
 (a) The lubricating oil used
determines the maximum
engine temperature that can be
used. This temperature varies
from 160°C to 200°C. Above
these temperatures the
lubricating oil deteriorates very
rapidly and may evaporate and
burn damaging the piston and
cylinder surfaces. Piston seizure
due to overheating may also
occur.
 (b) The strength of the materials
used for various engine parts
decreases with increase in
temperature. Local thermal
stresses can develop due to
uneven expansion of various
parts, often resulting in
cracking.
 (c) High engine temperatures
may result in very hot exhaust
valve, giving rise to pre-ignition
and detonation or knocking.
 (d) Due to high cylinder head
temperature, the volumetric
efficiency and hence power
output of the engine are
reduced.
Following are the two methods of cooling the engine.
I. Air cooling
II. Water cooling
 Air cooling is used in small engines, where fins
are provided to increase heat transfer surface
area.
 Big diesel engines are always water cooled. The
cylinder and its head are enclosed in a water
jacket which is connected to a radiator. Water
flowing in the jacket carries away the heat from
the engine and becomes heated. The hot water
then flows into the radiator and gets cooled by
rejecting heat to air from the radiator walls.
Cooled water is again circulated in the water
jacket.
 Various methods used for circulating the water
around the cylinder are the following.
 Thermosiphon Cooling.
In this method water flow is caused by
density difference. The rate of circulation is
however slow and insufficient.
 Forced Cooling by Pump
In this method a pump, taking power
from the engine, forces water to circulate,
ensuring engine cooling under all operating
conditions. There may be overcooling which
may cause low temperature corrosion of metal
parts due to the presence of acids.
 Thermostat Cooling
This is a method in which a thermostat
maintains the desired temperature and protects
the engine from getting overcooled.
 Pressurized Water Cooling
In this method a higher water pressure,
1.5 to 2 bar, is maintained to increase heat
transfer in the radiator. A pressure relief valve is
provided against any pressure drop or vacuum.
 Evaporative Cooling
 In this method water is allowed to
evaporate absorbing the latent heat of
evaporation from the cylinder walls. The
cooling circuit is such that the coolant is always
liquid and the steam flashes in a separate vessel.
LUBRICATING SYSTEM OF DIESEL POWER
PLANT
Lubrication is the flow of oil between two
surfaces having relative motion. The following are the
important functions of a lubricating system.
 Lubrication
To keep moving parts sliding freely past each
other, thus reducing engine friction and wear.
 Cooling
To keep the surface cool by taking away a part of
the heat caused by friction.
 Cleaning
To keep the bearings and piston rings clean of the
products of wear as well as of combustion by washing
them away.
Sealing. To form a good seal between the piston
rings and cylinder walls.
Reducing Noise. To reduce the noise of the engine
by absorbing vibration.
Various lubrication systems used for IC engines may
be classified in the following manner.
 Mist lubrication system. This system is used
for two-stroke cycle engines which employ
crankcase compression. Crankcase lubrication is
thus not suitable in these engines.
 Wet sump lubricating system. The bottom part
of the crankcase, called sump, contains the
lubricating oil which is pumped to various parts
of the engine. There can be three types of wet
sump lubrication system.
o Splash System It is used for small four-
stroke stationary engines. The oil level
in the sump is maintained in a way that
when the connecting rod’s big end is at
its lowest position the drippers at that
end strike the oil in the troughs which
are supplied with oil from the sump by
an oil pump. Due to striking of the
drippers, oil splashes over various
engine parts like crankpin bearings,
piston rings, piston pins, etc. Excess oil
drips back to the sump.
o Modified Splash System. The splash
system is not sufficient if the bearing
loads are high. For such cases, the
modified splash system is used, where
the main and camshaft bearings are
lubricated by oil under pressure pumped
by an oil pump. The other engine parts
are lubricated by splash as shown in the
figure.
o Full Pressure System. An oil pump is
used to lubricate all parts of the engine.
Oil is pumped to the main bearings of
crankshaft and camshaft at pressures
varying between 1.5 and 4 bar. Drilled
passages are used to lubricate
connecting rod end bearings
A gear pump submerged in the oil and driven by
the camshaft draws oil from the sump through a
strainer. A pressure relief valve is provided on the
delivery side to prevent excessive pressure.
 Dry sump lubricating system. Oil from the
sump is carried to a separate storage tank
outside the engine cylinder. The oil from the
sump is pumped through filters to the storage
tank. Oil from the storage tank is pumped to the
engine cylinder through oil cooler. Oil pressure
varies from 3 to 8 bar. Dry sump system is
generally used for high capacity engines.
From the pump all the oil used for lubrication usually
passes through an oil filter before it reaches the engine
bearings. The bearings are machined to a very close
tolerance and are likely to be damaged if any foreign
material is allowed to enter the lubrication line. Filter
arrangement may be of the following two types.
(i) Full flow type, where all the oil is filtered before it is
fed to the bearings, as in dry sump lubrication
(ii) By-pass type, where only a small part of the oil is
passed through the filter and the rest is directly supplied
to the bearings, as in wet sump lubrication system.
 SUPERCHARGING SYSTEM OF DIESEL
POWER PLANT
› The purpose of supercharging is to raise
the volumetric efficiency above that
value which can be obtained by normal
aspiration.
Since the main object of supercharging is to increase
the power output of these engine without increasing
its rotational speed or the dimensions of the cylinder.
This is achieved by increasing the charge of air, which
results more burning of the fuel and a higher mean
effective pressure. So there are three possible methods
that increase the air consumption of an engine,
1. To increasing the piston displacement, but this
increases the size and weight of the engine, and
introduces additional cooling problems.
 2. Running the engine at higher speeds, which The performance of the diesel engine means the
results in increased fluid and mechanical friction power and efficiency. The engine develops as the
losses, and imposes greater inertia stresses on various parameters of the engine, e.g. piston speed, air-
engine parts. fuel ratio, compression ratio, inlet air-pressure and
3. Increasing the density of the charge, such that a temperature are varied.
greater mass of charge is introduced into the
 The two usual conditions under which I.C.
same volume or same total piston displacement.
engines are operated are:
TYPES OF SUPERCHARGERS
› (1) constant speed with variable load,
Supercharging is done by means of compressor; there and
are two types of compressors that may be used as super
chargers. They are as follows: › (2) variable speed with variable load.

1. Positive displacement type super chargers. › The first situation is found in a.c.
generator drives and the second one in
(a) Piston Cylinder type automobiles, railway engines and
(b) Roots blowers tractors etc. A series of tests are carried
out on the engine to determine its
(c) Vane blower performance characteristics, such as:
indicated power (I.P.), Brake power
2. Centrifugal type super chargers or turbo type.
(B.P.), Frictional Power (F.P.),
3. Turbo type super chargers.
Mechanical efficiency (ηm), thermal
Advantage of Supercharging efficiency, fuel consumption and also
specific fuel consumption etc.
Due to a number of advantages of supercharging
the modern diesel engines used in diesel plants are  INDICATED MEAN EFFECTIVE
generally supercharged. The various advantages of PRESSURE (IMEP)
supercharging are as follows:
› In order to determine the power
1. Power Increase. Mean effective pressure of the developed by the engine, the indicator
engine can be easily increased by 30 to 50% by diagram of engine should be available.
supercharging which will result in the increase the From the area of indicator diagram it is
power output. possible to find an average gas pressure
that while acting on piston throughout
2. Fuel Economy. Due to better combustion because of
one stroke would account for the
increased turbulence, better mixing of the fuel and air,
network done. This pressure is called
and of an increased mechanical efficiency, the specific
indicated mean effective pressure
fuel consumption in most cases, though supercharging
(I.M.E.P.).
reduces not all.
 INDICATED HORSE POWER (IHP)
3. Mechanical Efficiency. The mechanical efficiency
referred to maximum load is increased since the increase › The indicated horse power (I.H.P.) of
of frictional losses with a supercharger driven directly the engine can be calculated as follows:
from the engine is quite smaller as compared to the
power gained by supercharging.
4. Fuel Knock. It is decreased due to increased
compression pressure because increasing the inlet
pressure decreases the ignition lag and this reduces the
rate of pressure rise in the cylinder resulting in
increasing smoothness of operation.
5. Volumetric Efficiency. Volumetric efficiency is
increased since the clearance gases are compressed by
the induced charge that is at a higher pressure than the
exhaust pressure.  BRAKE HORSE POWER (B.H.P.)

› Brake horse power is defined as the net

power available at the crankshaft. It is
PERFORMANCE OF DIESEL ENGINE found by measuring the output torque
with a dynamometer.

 FRICTIONAL HORSE POWER (F.H.P.)
› The difference of I.H.P. and B.H.P. is
called F.H.P. It is utilized in
overcoming frictional resistance of
rotating and sliding parts of the engine.
 INDICATED THERMAL EFFICIENCY (ηi)
› It is defined as the ratio of indicated
work to thermal input.
› 4. Air litter, oil filters and fuel filters should be
 BRAKE THERMAL EFFICIENCY
(OVERALL EFFICIENCY)
› It is defined as the ratio of brake output
to thermal input.
› EFFICIENCY OF DIESEL POWER PLANT
 MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY (ηm)
› It is defined as the ratio of B.H.P. to
I.H.P. Therefore,
› installed in Macau has two slow speed diesel
DIESEL PLANT OPERATION
To ensure most economical operation of diesel
engines of different sizes when working together and
sharing load it is necessary that they should carry the
same percentage of their full load capacity at all times as
the fuel consumption would be lowest in this condition.
For best, operation performance the `manufacturer’s
recommendations should be strictly followed.
In order to get good performance of a diesel
power plant the following points should be taken care
of:
l. It is necessary to maintain the cooling
temperature within the prescribed range and use of very
cold water should be avoided. The cooling water should
be free from suspended impurities and suitably treated to
be scale and corrosion free. If the ambient temperature
approaches freezing point, the cooling water should be
drained out of the engine when it is kept idle.
2. During operation the lubrication system should work
effectively and requisite pressure and temperature
maintained. The engine oil should be of the correct
specifications and should be in a fit. Condition to
lubricate the different parts. A watch may be kept on the
consumption of lubricating oil as this gives an indication
of the true internal condition of the engine.
3. The engine should he periodically run even when not
required to be used and should not be allowed to stand
idle for more than 7 days.
periodically serviced or replaced as recommended by the
manufacturers or if found in an unsatisfactory condition
upon inspection.
5. Periodical checking of engine compression and firing
pressures and also exhaust temperatures should be made.
The engine exhaust usually provides a good
indication of satisfactory performance of the engine.
A black smoke in the exhaust is a. sign of
inadequate combustion or engine over loading. The loss
of compression resulting from wearing old of moving
parts lowers the compression ratio causing inadequate
combustion. Taking indicator diagrams of the engine
after reasonable intervals can check these defects.
 The efficiency of a diesel engine plant is
enhanced by use of Turbo-compounded diesel
engine and Heat Recovery Steam Generator
(HRSG) and steam turbine generator.
 A 24.8 mW Diesel Engine Generator Plant
engine generator units (1985). The overall
efficiency of nearly 50% has been demonstrated.
The high efficiency has been achieved by use of
Turbine Generator, and Steam Turbine operated
by exhaust gases of diesel engine.
 This is claimed to be the first Diesel Power
Plant in the world in which exhaust heat is
recovered and used for steam power generation.
Thermal efficiency has been enhanced.