UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

CHEMICAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING 2012

MENG 1001- ENGINEERING THERMODUNAMICS I
STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANT LAB
DATE CONDUCTED: 6/02/012
DATE SUBMITTED: 22/02/2012
DARYL RAJPAUL 811000585

X
Daryl
Rajpaul
TITLE: STEAM TURBINE POWER PLANT

OBJECTIVES:

 To know how a steam turbine power plant operates, the various components of it and
their functions.
 To determine the efficiency of the palnt

SUMMARY OF LAB:

In this lab the experimenter was required to operate a steam turbine power plant using a
miniature model (method: the Rankine cycle), as well as, to determine its efficiency in a process
of electric generation. The components of the steam production to electric generation were
carefully studied for the working in the steam engine to produce power and then the experiment
was performed collecting relevant values for pressure, temperature, flow rates and electricity
values. Using the Mollier diagram and data sheets calculations were done to determine
efficiency.The calculated value was found to be 0.0176%efficient and the Rankine efficiency
was found to be 1.96%, a low value due to a lot of heat loss preventing all the energy from being
effectively used.
DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS

The apparatus used collect experimental details was a Rankine Cycler Steam Turbine Power
System. The following is a diagram of the equipment, with its main functioning components:

Diagram of apparatus.

BOILER

The water from the inlet goes into the boiler first and here it is heated and vaporised into steam,
via heat from the boiler. This source of the heat used to vaporise the water is from a fuel like
natural gas or coals. The water after being converted to steam in the boiler is further pressurized
and superheated. The high pressure fluid leaves through a nozzle to the turbine for electric
generation.

TURBINE

The turbine is used to generate electricity in the plant. It has blades which are turned when a
fluid acts on it. When the blades are turned the generation of electricity occurs. The pressure of
the gas causes mechanical work to take place in the shaft of the turbine, which is further
converted to electrical energy via the generator. The turning of these blades causes the generator
to produce electric current for the plant.

CONDENSER

The condenser is a vital part of the apparatus. When the steam leaves the turbine it is in a liquid-
gaseous state. The condenser cools the fluid and makes it purely liquid for recycling usage.

PUMP

The pump is used to send to condensed liquid back to the boiler where the process restarts again.

THEORY
The generation of electricity in a steam turbine power plant is based on the Rankine Cycle. This
is explained by the following schematic:
Schematic representation of the process in the experiment.

Water enters the boiler where It is pressurized and heated into steam. The superheated fluis them
makes its way through a nozzle where it pressure increases. Upon arriving at the turbine the
steam is used to turn the blades. The pressure decreases at this point due to emergence of the
steam, and atmospheric pressure (some condensation also occurs). The steam causes the blades
to turn in the turbine which leads to generation of electric currents. The fluid is then sent to the
condenser where it is cooled to a liquid. The pump then sends it back to the boiler and
pressurises it for use again.

The energy conversions and differences at each state is shown in the following graph:
Energy Graph of process.

From the graph stages 1-2 shows the change of state from water to steam in the boiler. There is
no heat being added or removed and hence the temperature is constant. From stage 2-3 the steam
truns the turbines where energy is converted to do work in the turbine and hence there is an
overall decrease in temperature, and the entropy remains constant during the shift from 2-3.
Stages 3-4 shows the liquid-gaseous water condensed to a cooler liquid. The final process is from
stage 4 to stage 1 where the pump sends the cooled liquid back to the boiler.

The efficiency of the plant is calculated as follows:

Overall plant efficiency= electrical power output/ fuel power.

Where: electrical output=generator voltage x current (I)

Fuel power=mass flow rate x caloric value or volume flow rate x caloric value x density

Rankine cycle efficiency= (h1-h2)/ (h1-h3)

OBSERVATIONS

TABLE OF THE VALIES RECORDED DURING THE EXPERIMENT AND THEIR

RELATIVE SI UNITS CONVERSION.

DATA RECORDED VALUE RECORDED VALUE IN SI UNITS

Pressure at turbine inlet 6.614 psig 0.150 MPa
Temperature at turbine inlet 1250C 398K
Pressure at turbine outlet 3.096 psig 0.125MPa
Temperature at turbine outlet 115.280C 388.28K
Volume flow rate of fuel 5.038L/min 8.5 x 10-5 m3/s
Generator Voltage 9.119V
Generator amperage 0.181A
CALCULATIONS

Sample calculations for conversion to SI units

Pressure: 6.614 psig + 14.7= 21.314psia

21.314 psia x 0.069= 1.471 bar

1.471 x 101.7 = 149.567 kPa

149.567/1000= 0.150 MPa

Temperature: 125 + 273 = 398K

Volumetric flow rate= 5.1L/min x (1.67 x 10 -5) m3/s=8.5 x 10-5 m3/s

Overall plant efficiency= Electrical power output/ fuel power

= (9.119V x 0.181A) / (8.5x 10-5 m3/s x 2..2kg/m3 x 50 x 106 J/kg)

= 1.65W/ 9350J/s

= 0.000176 = 0.0176 %

Calculating rankine cycle efficiency:

Rankine cycle efficiency = (h1-h2)/ (h1-h3)

h1 and h2 werwe found using the mollier diagram. This is a series of pressure curves, an enthalpy
vs. entropy graph and temperature lines of increasing temperature running horizontally across the
graph, into 1 diagram. The Mollier diagram for water-steam was used.

h1 was found where the pressure curve of 0.150 MPa, the temperature line of 1250C
intersected. The enthalpy was the value of this point- 2725 kJ/kg. Since h1and h2 have the same
enthalpy ( according to stages 2-3 on the temperature enthalpy graph) a vertical line was drawn
from the value of h1 until it intersected the pressure curve for 115.280C (value of outlet
temperature) The enthalpy for h2 was recorded at this intersection. h2 – 2680 kJ/kg.

h3 was found using the stem table. This contains a value for enthalpy based on the value of
pressure (for this experiment). The value was found using averages.
Pressure hf

0.12 MP 439.4 kJ/kg

0.125 MPa x

0.13 MPa 449.2 kJ/kg

The average of the values of hf gave h3 as 444.32 k/kg

 Rankine efficiency= (2725 – 2680) / (2725- 444.32)= 0.0197 = 1.97%

DISCUSSION:

In this lab the generation of steam to produce electricity was investigated. The theory behind it
was using the Rankine cycle to deduce the quantity of current produced. Primarily there are a lot
of heat conversions and processes taking place in the plant. These include isotropic (from liquid
to gaseous steam) and isentropic ( when the steam turns the blades of the turbine). A pump was
not used due to the short distance from the boiler to the condenser and The pressure of the fluid
was enough to be sent back to the boiler without a pump. The overall process to produce
electricity from steam is one which is beneficial however the amount of fuel needed is a major
con.

The efficiency of the plant was found to be 0.0176%. The overall efficiency was therefore low.
This is because of major heat loss occurring during the generation of the electricity. There is heat
loss to the surroundings. The components of the plant are made of metals and heat absorption
occurs at these when the steam goes along, therefore another part where heat if not fully sent. As
with any process friction takes place when the steam cycles in the equipment and therefore this is
also a source of heat loss. The plant has no proper insulation which heightens the heat loss to the
environment thus contributing to a low efficiency. The fact that energy conversions to
mechanical and kinetic energy cannot be ignored and thus these also contribute to such a low
efficiency.

It could also be looked at that since there was no pump then this could have also been a factor
why the efficiency of the plant was low.

CONCLUSION

The working of a steam powered turbine plant was investigated and the relative components
analysed for their contributions to the process. The overall efficiency was found to be 0.0176%
while the rankine efficiency was found to be 1.97%. The values were low because of heat loss in
the process and the absence of the pump. It is strongly recommended that the equipment be
insulated to prevent as much heat loss as possible and the experiment be done in an enclosed
area. It should also be done more than once to obtain an average value for accuracy.
REFERENCES:

Engineering thermodynamics laboratory- year 1 lab manual

DOE handbook, Thermodunamics, heat transfer and fluid flow, 1992.

http://njchp.rutgers.edu/files/Steam_Turbines.pdf

www. massengineers.com