Power Plants Module IV

Sources of Energy

Conventional Energy Source

1. Hydro electric power plant 2. Thermal power plant 3. (a) Coal thermal power plant (b) Diesel power plant 4. Nuclear power plant

Hydro Electric Power Plant

 Machines which convert hydraulic energy(energy possessed by water) into mechanical energy(which is further converted into electrical energy)Turbines.

Machines which convert mechanical energy into hydraulic energy-Pumps.

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 Hydraulic Turbines convert hydraulic energy of water into mechanical energy which is further converted into electrical energy. This energy obtained is know as hydro-electric power which is one of the cheapest forms of energy generation. Hydraulic turbines consist of Pelton Wheel, Francis and Kaplan Turbine.
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Hydraulic Turbine

Basis
Action of water Name of the originator

Types
Impulse turbines, reaction turbine Pelton wheel, Francis turbine, Kaplan turbine etc

Direction of flow of water in the runner

Head and Quantity of water

Tangential flow turbine, Radial flow turbine (a) Inward flow (b) Outward flow (c) Axial flow
High head- 250 m and above Medium head 60 250 m Low head less than 60 m Vertical shaft and Horizontal shaft < 50 (Pelton wheel) 51 < Ns < 255 (Francis turbine) 255 < Ns < 860 (Kaplan turbine)

Disposition of runner shaft Specific speed (Ns)

The hydraulic turbines are mainly classified into two types, Impulse and Reaction
In impulse turbines, the potential energy of water is converted into kinetic energy at atmospheric pressure (there is no pressure drop across the moving blades) In reaction turbines the pressure drop is divided in the guide vanes and moving blades.

 In a Pelton Wheel or Pelton Turbine water strikes the vanes along the tangent of the runner and the energy available at the inlet of the turbine is only kinetic energy, therefore it is a tangential flow impulse turbine. This turbine is used for high heads and named after L.A Pelton, an American engineer.

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Pelton Wheel

 Nozzle: It controls the amount of water striking the vanes of the runner. Casing: It is used to prevent splashing of water and plays no part in power generation. Runner with buckets: Runner is a circular disc on the periphery of which a number of evenly spaced buckets are fixed. Breaking Jet: To stop the runner in short time breaking jet is used.
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BUCKETS OR VAN

SPLITTER

RUNNER

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The flow is axial, i.e., there is no change in peripheral velocity and water enters and leaves the buckets

Water supplied is from a high head through a long conduit called penstock
The water is accelerated in the nozzle and the head is converted into velocity and discharges at high speed in the form of a jet at atmospheric pressure The jet strikes deflecting buckets attached to the rim of a rotating wheel (runner) The kinetic energy of the jet is lost to the buckets and water discharged at relatively low speed falls into lower reservoir or tail race

The buckets are double hemispherical in shape

The water strikes the bucket in the centre and flows, out at both sides making a U turn

When large amount of water is available the power can be obtained by connecting two wheels to a single shaft or by arranging two or more jets to a single wheel The nozzle spear moving inside the nozzle controls water to the turbine

A vertical turbine (Pelton) with 6 jets

Francis Turbine

 Francis Turbine is the first hydraulic turbine with radial inflow. It was designed by an American scientist James Francis. If the water flows radially through the runner , from outwards to inwards then it is known as an inward radial flow turbine. Francis turbine is a reaction turbine as the energy available at the inlet of the turbine is a combination of kinetic and pressure energy.
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 CASING: The runner is completely enclosed in an airtight spiral casing (volute). The casing and runner are always full of water. GUIDE MECHANISM: It consists of a stationary circular wheel on which stationary guide vanes are fixed. The guide vanes allow the water to strike the vanes of the runner without shock at inlet RUNNER: It is a circular wheel on which a series of curved radial guide vanes are fixed. DRAFT TUBE: It is used for discharging water from the outlet of the runner to the tail race.
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RUNNER

MOVABLE VANES

GUIDE

STATIONARY GUIDE 25 VANES

The volute has decreasing area to maintain uniform velocity From the penstock water flows into the spiral casing surrounding the turbine

From the spiral water flows through the guiding mechanism and enters the runner wheel
After imparting energy to the wheel, the water discharges through the draft tube The change in pressure while water is gliding over the blades is called reaction pressure and is partly responsible for the rotation of the runner A Francis turbine is suitable for medium heads (45 to 400 m) and requires a relatively large quantity of water

Water from spiral casing

R a d i a l v i e w runner guide vanes and stay vanes

Draft Tube
A draft tube is connected between runner exit and tail race to obtain continuous stream of water between them.

It is diverging tube.
The pressure increases and velocity decreases in the tube.

The tail race pressure is atmospheric and runner exit pressure is negative (below atmospheric).
Then the net head acting on the turbine increases. The turbine works with a larger head and more power - main advantage of a draft tube. All Francis turbines will have a draft tube.

Draft Tube

Kaplan Turbine

Shaft Vanes

 Kaplan turbine is an axial flow reaction turbine. The water flows through the runner of the turbine in an axial direction and the energy at the inlet of the turbine is the sum of kinetic and pressure energy .

In an axial flow reaction turbine the shaft is vertical. The lower end of the shaft is larger and is known as hub or boss. It is on this hub that the vanes are attached. If the vanes are adjustable then it is known as kaplan Turbine and if the vanes are non adjustable then it is known as Propeller Turbine.
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Kaplan turbine is best suited where large quantity of low head water is available. The main parts of a kaplan Turbine are: 1.Scroll Casing 2.Guide vane Mechanism 3.Hub with Vanes 4.Draft Tube

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SHAFT

VANES

HUBB OR BOSS

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 The water enters the turbine through the guide vanes which are aligned such as to give the flow a suitable degree of swirl. The flow from guide vanes pass through the curved passage which forces the radial flow to axial direction. The axial flow of water with a component of swirl applies force on the blades of the rotor and looses its momentum, both linear and angular, producing torque and rotation (their product is power) in the shaft. The scheme for production of hydroelectricity by Kaplan Turbine is same as that for Francis Turbine.
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Aspects
Conversion of Energy Head and Discharge Change in pressure Casing

Impulse Turbine
PE KE

Reaction Turbine
Partly KE, rest remains as pressure energy Low head and high discharge Excess at entry, undergoes change in pressure and velocity Tight and strong casing

High head , low discharge

Atmospheric pressure through out Not required

Aspects
Draft tube

Impulse Turbine
Not required

Reaction Turbine
Required

Admittance of water over the wheel Installation

Water jet (s) strikes the bucket

Water guided by guide blades into the runner blades Above or below tail race

Installed above tail race

Thermal Power Plant

(a) Coal thermal power plant (b) Diesel thermal power plant

Coal Thermal Power plant

Major Parts
FURNACE BOILER SUPERHEATER TURBINE CONDENSER

FURNACE

BOILER

Boiler
watertube boiler firetube boiler

Firetube boiler
hot gases pass through the tubes, feed water surrounds them

Watertube boiler
steam and water circulate through small diameter tubes and drum, gases of combustion pass around them more commonly used, lighter, occupies less space and has increased efficiency (higher pressure and temperature)

TURBINE

Turbine
steam is admitted to the turbine heat energy is converted into mechanical energy useful work high pressure turbine low pressure turbine

CONDENSER

Condenser
heat exchanger tubes steam water (condensate) vacuum is created due to steam / condensate volume difference vacuum is maintained by constant cool water circulation through the tubes

Steam turbines
Pressure energy of steam is transformed into mechanical energy The energy conversion is brought about in the following ways:
The high-pressure, high-temperature steam first expands in the nozzles emanates as a high velocity fluid stream.

 The high velocity steam coming out of the nozzles impinges on the blades mounted on a wheel. The fluid stream suffers a loss of momentum while flowing past the blades that is absorbed by the rotating wheel entailing production of torque.
The moving blades move as a result of the impulse of steam (caused by the change of momentum) and also as a result of expansion and acceleration of the steam relative to them. In other words they also act as the nozzles.

Classification
Impulse and Reaction

Impulse steam turbine

turbine is basically an assembly of nozzles fixed to a stationary casing and rotating blades mounted on the wheels attached on a shaft High velocity jet of steam, its change in direction used to rotate the turbine shaft Pressure energy of steam is fully converted into kinetic energy in nozzles and this kinetic energy is converted into mechanical energy in the moving blades

Components
Nozzle Shaft Disc with curved blades fixed in its periphery - rotor Casing

Nozzle is a passage for the flow of steam where pressure energy of steam is converted into kinetic energy. Steam leaves the nozzle with very high velocity
Shaft along with circular disc mounted upon it with curved blades is known as rotor

Function of curved blade is to convert the kinetic energy into mechanical energy Casing is the outer cover of the steam turbine. Nozzles are fitted in the casing.

ImpulseTurbine

Working
High pressure steam from the boiler is supplied to the fixed nozzles. As steam flows through the nozzle, pressure falls from boiler pressure to condensor pressure This reduction in pressure increases the velocity of steam

This very high velocity steam is directed to the moving blades as a jet

As the high velocity steam jet impinges on the curved blades, it changes the momentum of jet causing impulsive force on the blades This impulsive force rotates the disc on which blades are fixedentire pressure drop takes place when the steam flows through the nozzles
Pressure remains constant when the expanded steam flows through blades Velocity increases in nozzle and decreases at moving blades Eg : De Lavel turbine

Disadvantage Very high rotor velocity Steam leaves at very high velocity, hence energy loss

HP Steam Turbine Rotor

(Impulse-) Reaction turbine

This utilizes the principle of impulse and reaction. Consists of a rotor, fixed and moving blades and a casing A number of rows of moving blades attached to the rotor and equal number of fixed blades attached to the casing alternatively. The fixed blades (aerofoil shape) are set in a reversed manner compared to the moving blades, and act as nozzles. When the steam passes through the fixed blades, its pressure decreases and velocity increases.

Fixed blade directs this expanded steam to the adjacent moving blades and, as in the pure impulse turbine, a force is exerted on the blades by the fluid. Diameter of the turbine is increased after each group of blades because of the continuous expansion of steam There is further drop in pressure as the fluid passes through the moving blades, since moving blade channels are also of nozzle shape.
The relative velocity increases in the moving blades. Pressure drop in each stage is very small so multistage

Working High pressure steam from the boiler is supplied directly to the reaction turbine Steam expands ie, pressure drop happens, when it flows through the fixed and moving blades When the steam passes through the fixed blades, its pressure decreases and velocity increases.

Reaction turbine

This higher velocity steam then flows to the moving blades, the steam jet impinges on the blades, it changes the momentum of jet causing impulsive force on the blades and a pressure drop happens due to expansion This produces a reaction force as well as an impulse force on the blades, which causes the rotor to rotate.

Compounding of impulse steam turbines

Disadvantages of single stage impulse turbine is its extremely high speed (30000 rpm), cannot be directly used for practical applications To reduce the speed, more than one set of moving blades are used, is called compounding of impulse turbines.

Velocity compounding Pressure compounding Pressure - Velocity compounding

Velocity Compounding
M Moving blades F Fixed blades

Pressure Compounding

M Moving blades

Pressure Velocity Compounding

Runaway speed

Is the maximum speed, governor being disengaged, at which a turbine would run when there is no external load but operating under design head and discharge
Practical values of runaway speed to rated speed for various turbines are

Pelton wheel turbine Francis turbine Kaplan turbine

: 1.8 to 1.9 N : 2 to 2.2 N : 2.5 to 3 N

Cavitation
Formation, growth and collapse of bubbles in a flowing liquid due to local fall of fluid pressure are called cavitation When pressure at any point in a fluid flow field becomes less than the vapour pressure of the liquid at that temperature, liquid vapourises and bubbles begin to appear When these bubbles carried along with the flow reaches to high pressure regions, these bubbles collapses and pressure waves are created. This phenomenon happens in hydraulic machines (centrifugal pump, reaction turbine) The bubble collapse on a metallic surface can cause metal erosion Noise is also created due to the travel of pressure waves

Methods of preventing cavitation Runner and turbine may be kept in water Pressure should not be allowed to fall below its vapour pressure Can be reduced by Polishing the surface Coatings or special materials like aluminium, bronze or stainless steel should be used

Specific speed of turbines

Speed of the turbine which is similar in shape and geometrical dimensions, blade angles, gate openings etc. with the actual turbine that will develop unit power when working under unit head. Specific speed , Ns Importance To compare the characteristics of different turbines of different types and size for selection To predict the performance of a turbine

Peristaltic pump

Centrifugal Pump
Casing Impeller

Suction pipe

Reciprocating Pump

Parameter

Positive Displacement Pump

More complex, consists of several moving parts High

Rotodynamic Pump
Simple in construction

Construction

Maintenance

Comparatively low
Large volume & Moderate pressure

Suitability

Suitable for low volumes of flow at higher pressure

Parameter

Positive Displacement Pump

Rotodynamic Pump

Fluid handling

Higher efficiency Lower efficiency & Higher Viscous & higher viscous fluid fluids More space and more initial cost Less space and initial cost

Cost & space

Steam Power Plant

1.A furnace to burn the fuel. 2. Steam generator or boiler containing water. Heat generated in the furnace is utilized to convert water in steam. 3. Main power unit such as an engine or turbine to use the heat energy of steam and perform work. 4. Piping system to convey steam and water.

The flow sheet of a thermal power plant consists of the following four main circuits : (i) Feed water and steam flow circuit (ii) Coal and ash circuit (iii) Air and gas circuit (iv) Cooling water circuit.

The different types of systems and components used in steam power plant are as follows : (i) High pressure boiler (ii) Prime mover (iii) Condensers and cooling towers (iv) Coal handling system (v) Ash and dust handling system (vi) Draught system (vii) Feed water purification plant (viii) Pumping system (ix) Air preheater, economizer, super heater, feed heaters.