College of Engineering Education

2nd Floor, B&E Building

Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Week 6-7: Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO-3): At the end of the unit, you are expected to
understand the different Energy Sources and types of power plants

a. Discuss the Power Plant Building and Generating Equipment

Big Picture in Focus: ULO-3a. Discuss the Power Plant Generating

Equipment

Metalanguage

The demonstration of this ULO requires the understanding of the following:

1. Steam Turbine – is a device that extracts thermal energy from

pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft..
2. Gas Turbine – is a combustion engine that can convert natural gas or other liquid
fuels to mechanical energy. This energy then drives a generator that produces
electrical energy.
3. Diesel Engine – is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is
caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to the mechanical
compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-called compression-ignition engine.
4. Nuclear Reaction – is semantically considered to be the process in which two
nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or
more new nuclides.
5. Hydroelectric Turbine – is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and
potential energy of water into mechanical work.

Essential Knowledge
Power Plant Equipment
Gas turbines

Fig. 3.1

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

A gas turbine is a piece of equipment that rotates a turbine by using the hot gas produced by
burning compressed air and fuel, and is core item of equipment for combined cycle and
cogeneration power plants. With the growing interest in environmental preservation and power
generation load issues in recent years, it is expected that the demand for gas turbines with high
performance, reliability, fuel diversity and toxic emissions reduction will increase.
a simple gas turbine cycle consists of
(1) a compressor,
(2) a combustion chamber and
(3) a turbine.

Advantages
1. Warm-up time. Once the turbine is brought up to the rated speed by the starting motor and
the fuel is ignited, the gas turbine will be accelerated from cold start to full load without warm-
up time.
2. Low weight and size. The weight in kg per kW developed is less.
3. Fuels. Almost any hydrocarbon fuel from high-octane gasoline to heavy diesel oils can be
used in the combustion chamber.
4. Open cycle plants occupy comparatively little space.
5. The stipulation of a quick start and take-up of load frequently are the points in favour of
open cycle plant when the plant is used as peak load plant.
6. Component or auxiliary refinements can usually be varied to improve the thermal efficiency
and give the most economical overall cost for the plant load factors and other operating
conditions envisaged.
7. Open-cycle gas turbine power plant, except those having an intercooler, does not require
cooling water. Therefore, the plant is independent of cooling medium and becomes self-
contained.

Disadvantages
1. The part load efficiency of the open cycle plant decreases rapidly as the considerable
percentage of power developed by the turbine is used to drive the compressor.
2. The system is sensitive to the component efficiency; particularly that of compressor. The
open cycle plant is sensitive to changes in the atmospheric air temperature, pressure and
humidity.
3. The open-cycle gas turbine plant has high air rate compared to the other cycles; therefore, it
results in increased loss of heat in the exhaust gases and large diameter ductwork is necessary.
4. It is essential that the dust should be prevented from entering into the compressor in order to
minimize erosion and depositions on the blades and passages of the compressor and turbine
and so impairing their profile and efficiency. The deposition of the carbon and ash on the
turbine blades is not at all desirable as it also reduces the efficiency of the turbine.

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Steam Turbines

Fig. 3.2

A steam turbine is a piece of heavy equipment that rotates blades with the high-temperature,
high- pressure steam generated by diverse heat sources – such as boilers for power generation,
heat recovery steam generators, nuclear steam generators, and industrial steam boilers – in
order to convert into rotational energy. There are 3 types of steam turbines, namely, high-
pressure turbines, intermediate-pressure turbines, and low-pressure turbines, to maximize
efficiency.

The steam produced is used for:

( i )Producing mechanical work by expanding it in steam engine or steam turbine.

( ii )Heating the residential and industrial buildings
( iii )Performing certain processes in the sugar mills, chemical and textile industries.

Boiler is a closed vessel in which water is converted into steam by the application of heat.
Usually boilers are coal or oil fired. A boiler should fulfill the following requirements

( i ) Safety. The boiler should be safe under operating conditions.

( ii ) Accessibility. The various parts of the boiler should be accessible for repair and
maintenance.
( iii ) Capacity. The boiler should be capable of supplying steam according to the requirements.
( iv ) Efficiency. To permit efficient operation, the boiler should be able to absorb a maximum
amount of heat produced due to burning of fuel in the furnace. ( v )It should be simple in
construction and its maintenance cost should be low. ( vi )Its initial cost should be low. ( vii
)The boiler should have no joints exposed to flames. ( viii )The boiler should be capable of
quick starting and loading.

Diesel Engine

There are basically two main types of diesel power plants combustion engines categorized by
the type of fuel used: gasoline or diesel. The vast majority of those engines power automobiles,
but they have been also used for ships, boats, agricultural processing machinery, and many
other industrial applications. During the last quarter of the twentieth century abundant fossil

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

fuel production and distribution made possible commercial application of diesel-powered

electricity generation for several applications. In addition, hybrid schemes were deployed to
integrate and complement intermittent distributed generation systems.

Fixed Parts:

Bedplate/base: a foundation mounted on vibration absorbers providing support for the main
bearings and engine crankcase. It is called a bedplate if an oil pan is bolted on it and a base if
the oil pan is an integral part of the assembly.

Main bearing caps: cover the crankshaft from the top as an upper part of the engine. They
form the cylinder lid and must withstand the peak pressure of the piston in the combustion
chamber below the piston.

Cylinder: requires die casting because of its cylindrical format. It is manufactured from melted
iron, and the base is made of manganese or nickel– chrome–molybdenum to provide hardness
and corrosion resistance.

Crankcase: serves as a housing for the crankshaft and is located between the bedplate and the
cylinder block. It usually incorporates the main bearing saddles and a reservoir for the
lubricating oil. In some engines the crankcase consists of one piece of cast iron, in others it is
constructed of welded steel.

Moving Parts:

Piston: receives the direct impact of the combustion for transmission to the connecting rod. To
protect the piston against seizure, the diameter must be reduced with an optimal gap. There are
troughs in the head of the piston with camped segment rings. The top rings act as a pressure

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

seal, the middle rings remove oil film, and the bottom rings ensure even deposition of oil on
the cylinder walls.

Connecting rod: loaded alternately in compression and tension, owing to the cylinder firing
pressure transmitting power from the pistons to the crankshaft.

Crankshaft: changes the movement of the pistons and the connecting rod. There are eccentric
offset rod bearings that convert reciprocating motion into rotating motion. The crankshaft must
be very strong and machined from forged alloy, carbon steel, or cast iron alloy.

Flywheel: connected on one end of the crankshaft and through its inertia reduces vibration,
allows the engine to be bolted to an external load and sometimes has teeth that engage starting
motors for startup. Increasing the number of cylinders increases the frequency of the firing
strokes, making it possible to use smaller flywheels.

Valves: control the flow of the air–fuel mixture or the air inside and outside the cylinder.

Auxiliary Systems

Air intake system: responsible for providing cool filtered air at the right fuel mixture to be fed
to the cylinders. It consists of a fuel tank, channels, an injector pump, filters, and injecting
nozzles.

Cooling system: water cooling to transfer waste heat out of a diesel engine block. It is very
rare to have air-refrigerated diesel engines.

Lubrication system: contains oil that serves two purposes: to lubricate bearing surfaces and
to absorb friction-generated heat. A pressure relief valve maintains oil pressure in the galleries,
returning the oil through a filter to the oil pan.

Nuclear Reactor

A nuclear reactor produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of
certain elements. In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make
steam to generate electricity. (In a research reactor the main purpose is to utilise the actual
neutrons produced in the core. In most naval reactors, steam drives a turbine directly for
propulsion.)
The principles for using nuclear power to produce electricity are the same for most types of
reactor. The energy released from continuous fission of the atoms of the fuel is harnessed as
heat in either a gas or water, and is used to produce steam. The steam is used to drive the
turbines which produce electricity (as in most fossil fuel plants).

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Components of a nuclear reactor

Fuel
Uranium is the basic fuel. Usually pellets of uranium oxide (UO2) are arranged in tubes to form
fuel rods. The rods are arranged into fuel assemblies in the reactor core.* In a 1000 MWe class
PWR there might be 51,000 fuel rods with over 18 million pellets.
* In a new reactor with new fuel a neutron source is needed to get the reaction going. Usually
this is beryllium mixed with polonium, radium or other alpha-emitter. Alpha particles from the
decay cause a release of neutrons from the beryllium as it turns to carbon-12. Restarting a
reactor with some used fuel may not require this, as there may be enough neutrons to achieve
criticality when control rods are removed.

Moderator
Material in the core which slows down the neutrons released from fission so that they cause
more fission. It is usually water, but may be heavy water or graphite.

Control rods
These are made with neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium, hafnium or boron, and are
inserted or withdrawn from the core to control the rate of reaction, or to halt it.* In some
PWR reactors, special control rods are used to enable the core to sustain a low level of power
efficiently. (Secondary control systems involve other neutron absorbers, usually boron in the
coolant – its concentration can be adjusted over time as the fuel burns up.) PWR control rods
are inserted from the top, BWR cruciform blades from the bottom of the core.
* In fission, most of the neutrons are released promptly, but some are delayed. These are crucial
in enabling a chain reacting system (or reactor) to be controllable and to be able to be held
precisely critical
Coolant
A fluid circulating through the core so as to transfer the heat from it. In light water reactors the
water moderator functions also as primary coolant. Except in BWRs, there is secondary coolant
circuit where the water becomes steam. (See also later section on primary coolant
characteristics.) A PWR has two to four primary coolant loops with pumps, driven either by
steam or electricity – China’s Hualong One design has three, each driven by a 6.6 MW electric
motor, with each pump set weighing 110 tonnes.

Pressure vessel or pressure tubes

Usually a robust steel vessel containing the reactor core and moderator/coolant, but it may be
a series of tubes holding the fuel and conveying the coolant through the surrounding
moderator.

Containment
The structure around the reactor and associated steam generators which is designed to protect
it from outside intrusion and to protect those outside from the effects of radiation in case of any
serious malfunction inside. It is typically a meter-thick concrete and steel structure.

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Hydro-electric Turbines

IMPULSE TURBINE - The impulse turbine generally uses the velocity of the water to move
the runner and discharges to atmospheric pressure. The water stream hits each bucket on the
runner. There is no suction on the down side of the turbine, and the water flows out the bottom
of the turbine housing after hitting the runner. An impulse turbine is generally suitable for high
head, low flow applications.

Fig. 3.4

Pelton - A pelton wheel has one or more free jets discharging water into an aerated space and
impinging on the buckets of a runner. Draft tubes are not required for impulse turbine since the
runner must be located above the maximum tailwater to permit operation at atmospheric
pressure.

Fig. 4.5

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2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Cross-Flow – A cross-flow turbine is drum-shaped and uses an elongated, rectangular-section

nozzle directed against curved vanes on a cylindrically shaped runner. It resembles a "squirrel
cage" blower. The cross-flow turbine allows the water to flow through the blades twice. The
first pass is when the water flows from the outside of the blades to the inside; the second pass
is from the inside back out. A guide vane at the entrance to the turbine directs the flow to a
limited portion of the runner. The cross-flow was developed to accommodate larger water
flows and lower heads than the Pelton.

Fig. 4.6

Reaction Turbine – A reaction turbine develops power from the combined action of pressure
and moving water. The runner is placed directly in the water stream flowing over the blades
rather than striking each individually. Reaction turbines are generally used for sites with lower
head and higher flows than compared with the impulse turbines.

Kaplan – Both the blades and the wicket gates are adjustable, allowing for a wider range of
operation.

Francis - A Francis turbine has a runner with fixed buckets (vanes), usually nine or more.
Water is introduced just above the runner and all around it and then falls through, causing it to
spin. Besides the runner, the other major components are the scroll case, wicket gates, and draft
tube.

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you
further understand the lesson:
To further visualize and understand more about the significant concepts in the strength
of materials you can view the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUn5-0VG3Hw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPg7hOxFItI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZt5xU44IfQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U6Nzcv9Vws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT7B7IWmOtU

Or you can read the following reference:

Robba, Minciardi (2012). Handbook of Power Plant Engineering, London, UK: Auris
Reference Ltd.

38
 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Let’s Check
Choose the correct answer.

Problem 1
Which of the following power plants is free from environmental problems?
(a) Diesel Engine (b) Hydroelectric (c) Nuclear (d) Steam

Problem 2
In geothermal plant, the source of energy is _____.
(a) Hot water or steam (c) Hot gases
(b) Molten lava (d) all of these

Problem 3
A gas turbine works on ______.
(a) Carnot Cycle (c) Brayton Cycle
(b) Dual Cycle (d) Rankine Cycle

Problem 4
The Gas Turbine Power Plant mainly use ________.
(a) coal and peat
(b) Kerosene oil, diesel oil and residual oil.
(c) Gas oil
(d) natural gas and liquid petroleum fuels

Problem 5
Ships are usually supplied by _______.
(a) Steam accumulators
(b) Diesel Engine
(c) Hydraulic Turbines
(d) None of these

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Let’s Analyze
Solve the following and simplify your answer.

Problem 1
A waterfall discharges water at 1800 cm3/min with an available head of 20m. What is the
available power if it is proposed to install a hydraulic turbine at the bottom with 85%
efficiency?

Problem 2
A yearly duration curve of a certain plant can be considered as a straight line from 300 MW to
80 MW. Determine load factor.

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, B&E Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

In a Nutshell

Activity 1
The steam turbine handles the maximum power demand among all stationary prime
movers that are used for electric power generation.

Activity 2
Combustion is another word for burning, and internal means inside, so an internal combustion
engine is simply one where the fuel is burned inside the main part of the engine (the cylinders)
where power is produced.

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