DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

Wachemo University
College Of Engineering and Technology
School of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
Post Graduate
(Thermal Engineering Stream)
Design of thermal system
By
Adisu A. (MSc.)
JUNE, 2023

SUBMISSION DATE: 21/06/2023 G.C

SUBMISSION TO: DESALEGN (Ph.D.)
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

POWER GENERATION HEAT EXCHANGER

 Heat exchangers are used as condensers, condensate sub-cooling, feed water pre-
heating and heat extraction. Some distinctions lie in the operating temperatures or the
flow rates. In nuclear power plants heat exchangers are also used for cooling of wet
storage.

What is the function of heat exchanger in power plant?

 Power plants use heat exchangers to collect heat from hot waste gases to get power.
Refrigerators use heat exchangers to dump the heat from inside the fridge to the room
that it's sitting in. Vehicles use heat exchangers to dump waste heat to the atmosphere
so they don't overheat.

What type of heat exchanger is used in power plants?

 It is known as a fired heat exchanger. The term is usually applied to shell and tube
heat exchangers or plate heat exchangers for heating a process with a primary fluid
like steam. Shell and tube heat exchanger is used for heating water for space heating
by using water or steam.

The working principle of heat exchanger?

 Heat exchanger functions by transferring heat from higher to lower temperatures.
Heat can thus be transferred from the hot fluid to the cold fluid if a hot fluid and a
cold fluid are separated by a heat-conducting surface. The operation of a heat
exchanger is governed by thermodynamics.
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

What are the different types of power plants used to generate energy?
Nuclear power plants
Using a nuclear fission reaction and uranium as fuel, nuclear power plants generate a high
amount of electricity.
As nuclear power plants are considered to be a low-carbon energy source, the technology is
widely thought of as a more environmentally-friendly option.
When compared to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind, the power generation
from nuclear power plants is also considered to be more reliable.

The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, the largest nuclear power facility in the world by
reactor count. Credit: Chuck Szmurlo/Wikipedia
Hydroelectric power plants
 Hydroelectricity is produced by harnessing the gravitational force of flowing water.
 Compared to fossil fuel-powered energy plants, hydroelectric power plants emit fewer
greenhouse gases. But the construction of hydroelectric power plants and dams
requires huge investment.
 According to the International Hydropower Association’s 2017 Hydropower Status
Report, an estimated 31.5 gigawatts (GW) of hydropower capacity was put into
operation in 2016, bringing the world’s cumulative installed capacity to 1,246 GW.
 China alone accounted for almost one third of global hydropower capacity and added
about 11.74 GW of new capacity in 2016.
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

Coal-fired power plants

 According to the World Coal Association, coal-fired power plants accounted for about
37% of global electricity in 2018, with China possessing the world’s largest fleet.
 Coal-fired power plants use steam coal as a source to generate electricity and
consequently emit a significant amount of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
 In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many developed nations have already
announced plans to phase out coal-fired power plants.
 Canada plans to phase out its coal plants by 2030, while the UK has set a deadline of
2025 and Germany is aiming to remove the technology from its electrcity grid by
2038. A number of other European countries are expected to following suit soon.
Diesel-fired power plants
 Using diesel as the fuel, this type of power plant is used for small-scale production of
electric power.
 They are installed in places where there is no easy availability of alternative power
sources and are mainly used as a backup for uninterrupted power supply whenever
there are outages.
 Diesel plants require only a small area to be installed and offer higher thermal
efficiency compared to coal-fired power plants.
 Due to high maintenance costs and diesel prices, the power plants have not gained
popularity at the same rate as other types of power generation plants such as steam
and hydro.
Geothermal power plants
 The three main types of geothermal plants include dry steam power stations, flash
steam power stations and binary cycle power stations, all of which use steam turbines
to produce electricity.
 The installed capacity of geothermal energy has gradually increased worldwide over
the past decade, up from just short of 10 GW in 2010 to almost 14 GW in 2019.
 Geothermal power plants are considered to be environmentally friendly and emit
lower levels of harmful gases compared with coal-fired power plants.
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

The Domo de San Pedro geothermal power plant in Mexico (Credit: Grupo
Dragon/Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems)
Gas-fired power plants
 A gas-fired power plants burns natural gas – a rapidly growing energy source across
the world – to generate electricity.
 Although natural gas is a fossil fuel, the emissions produced from its combustion are
much lower than those from coal or oil, according to a study by the Union of
Concerned Scientists.
 Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that gas-fired power
generation expanded by 3% in 2019, taking its power generation in the global mix to
23%.
 Another type of plant that uses gas is a combined-cycle power plant. Using both gas
and steam turbines, they produce higher amounts of electricity from a single fuel
source compared to a traditional power plant.
 They capture heat from the gas turbine to increase power production and are also
found to release low amounts of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

Solar power plants

 Solar energy plants convert energy from the sun into thermal or electrical energy
using one of the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy sources.
 They generally do not require high maintenance and last for about 20 to 25 years.
 According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global solar
power capacity will increase by 9% each year between 2018 and 2050, in which time
it will grow from 480 GW to more than 8,000 GW.
 But the initial costs involved in financing solar power plants are high and the
installation requires a lot of space.
 Another similar technology is solar thermal. It is a system of giant mirrors placed
accordingly to concentrate the sun’s rays on a very small area to create a significant
amount of heat, which then produces steam to power a turbine that creates electricity.
Wind power plants
 In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the number of wind farms across the
world, underpinned by technological advancements.
 Global installed wind-generation capacity onshore and offshore has increased by a
factor of almost 75 in the past two decades, jumping from 7.5 GW in 1997 to 564 GW
by 2018, according to the IRENA.
 After the wind turbines are built, operational costs involved in maintaining wind
power plants are low and they are generally considered to be relatively cost-effective.
 Wind farms can also be constructed on agricultural lands, without causing any
interruption to cultivation activities.
 But the maintenance of wind turbines may vary, as some need to be frequently
checked and wind power projects typically require huge capital expenditure.
Tidal power plants
 Tidal energy is generated from converting energy from the force tides into power and
its production is considered more predictable compared to wind energy and solar
power.
 An increased focus on generating power from renewable sources is expected to
accelerate the development of new methods to exploit tidal energy.
 Although the development of tidal power is at the nascent stage, it has the potential to
grow significantly in the coming years.
 DESIGN OF THERMAL SYSTEM

The applications of power generation?

Power Generation Applications

 Backup and UPS for data centres. From planning and development to installation and
maintenance – our backup and ups systems for data centres provide comprehensive
power solutions.
 Healthcare & Hospitals. ...
 Airports. ...
 Commercial & Public Buildings.

Examples of power generation?

Power Generation Plants
 Heat (thermal) energy generated from: fossil fuels; coal. Petroleum. Natural gas. Solar
thermal energy. Geothermal energy. ...
 Potential energy from falling water in a hydroelectric facility.
 Wind energy.
 Solar electric from solar (photovoltaic) cells.
 Chemical energy from: fuel cells. Batteries.

The function of heat exchanger?

 Heat exchangers are used to transfer heat from one medium to another. These media
may be a gas, liquid, or a combination of both. The media may be separated by a solid
wall to prevent mixing or may be in direct contact. Heat exchangers are required to
provide heating and/or cooling to meet a process requirement.