Diesel-Electric Power

Station
Diesel engine used as prime mover to generate electricity

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  Diesel burnt in engine to produce mechanical force
 Engine drives alternator which produces electricity
 Diesel fuel cost makes the generated electricity expensive
 Only used for low power generation
 Advantages
 Simple design and layout (May not be so simple but parts are commercially
Introduction available as modules)
 Less space requirements (small number and size of auxiliaries)
 Quick startup and can pick up load in short time
 Less cooling water requirements (compared to other plants)
 Less operating personnel required
 Disadvantages – high cost fuel, small power generation, high lubrication
costs and maintenance requirements

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  1st stroke: Air is allowed inside the cylinder via inlet valve/port as piston moves
down
 2nd stroke: Piston moves up and air is compressed to ratios as high as 17:1
(even 24:1) [1] thereby raising its temperature to above the flash point of diesel
[2]
 3rd stroke: Diesel vapors are injected into the cylinder via a nozzle which
spontaneously ignite thereby pushing the piston down
 Also called power stroke as all power is generated in this stroke
Diesel Engine  4th stroke: Piston moves up due to inertia and byproducts of combustion in 3 rd
Working Explained stroke are ejected as exhaust gases via exhaust valve/port
 No spark plugs are present in a diesel engine which is the major difference
between diesel and petrol/gasoline engines
 Combustion is timed in gasoline engines via timing belts to optimize power
output (controlled/timed ignition results in lower engine vibrations)
 Spontaneous combustion in diesel engines cause vibrations and added
mechanical/thermal stresses necessitating the construction of heavier frames
compared to gasoline engines

[1] air pressure 17 or 24 times higher than atmospheric pressure.

[2] above 52 oC.

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  Fuel supply system – Storage tank, strainers, fuel transfer pump, all day
fuel tank
 Fuel supplied to plant site stored in storage tank
 Oil pumped to all day tank daily or at short intervals by fuel transfer pumps
 Fuel passed through strainers to remove suspended impurities before being
sent to engine via fuel injection pump
 Air intake system – Filters removes dust particles from fresh air before
injecting it into engine manifold [1]
Components  Exhaust system – Exhaust gas is discharged into atmosphere while a
silencer/muffler reduces noise level and structural vibrations
 Cooling system – Water source, pump and cooling towers
 Significant portion of heat passed to cylinder walls, pistons, rings, etc. may
cause damage if not dissipated
 Water circulated through cylinder and head jacket removes heat from engine
and becomes hot (major loss of efficiency as much of heat energy produced is
removed via cooling water)
 Sent to cooling towers to be cooled & recirculated

[1] Engine manifold is a pipe which splits into multiple openings (branches) each of
which takes air into each engine cylinder.

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  Lubricating system – lubricating oil tank, pump, filter and oil cooler
 Lubricating oil drawn from lubricating oil tank via pump is passed through
filters to remove impurities
 Oil coolers keep the temperature of lubricating oil low
 Engine starting system – Arrangement to rotate engine shaft initially
before firing takes place and engine runs on its own power
 Small units started by hand cranks
Components  Large units require compressed air for starting

(Cont’d)  Compressed air admitted into few of the cylinders to make them run like
reciprocating air motors while fuel is admitted to remaining cylinders for
ignition
 Compressed air going into some cylinders push the piston down which
comes back up due to its inertia
 When maximum compression is achieved in the remaining cylinders
diesel vapors are injected into them in power stroke after which the
engine remains in operation

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Schematic Layout of Diesel-Electric Power Station

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 Statement: A diesel power station has fuel consumption of 0·28 kg per kWh,
the calorific value of fuel being 10,000 kcal/kg. Compute (i) the overall
efficiency, and (ii) efficiency of the engine if alternator efficiency is 95%.
Solution:
Calorific value indicates that fuel can produce 10,000 kcal heat energy for
every 1 kg of fuel. Therefore, heat energy produced by 0.28 kg of fuel is 0.28 x
10000 kcal = 2800 kcal
Example 2.14 Fuel consumption of 0.28 kg/kWh means that the engine consumes 0.28 kg of
fuel to generate 1 kWh of electrical energy.
We know that 1kWh = 860 kcal
860
Therefore, overall efficiency = × 100% = 𝟑𝟎. 𝟕%
2800
𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 0.307
Therefore, Engine efficiency = × 100% = × 100% =
𝐴𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 0.95
𝟑𝟐. 𝟑%

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 Statement: A diesel engine power plant has one 700 kW and two 500 kW
generating units. The fuel consumption is 0·28 kg per kWh and the calorific value
of fuel oil is 10200 kcal/kg. Compute (i) the fuel oil required for a month of 30 days
and (ii) overall efficiency. Plant capacity factor = 40%.
Solution:
Max. energy that could be produced = (700 + (2 x 500)) x 30 x 24 kWh = 1.224 x 106
kWh
Actual energy production = plant capacity factor x Max. energy that could be
Example 2.16 produced = 0.4 x 1.224 x 106 kWh = 489,600 kWh
Monthly fuel consumption = specific fuel consumption x actual energy produced =
0.28 x 489,600 kg = 137.088 tonnes
Monthly plant output = 489,600 kWh = 860 x 489,600 kcal = 421,056,000 kcal
Heat energy input = fuel consumption x calorific value x actual energy produced =
0.28 x 10,200 x 489,600 kcal = 1,398,297,600 kcal
𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 421,056,000
Overall efficiency = × 100% = × 100% =
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 1,398,297,600
𝟑𝟎. 𝟏𝟏%

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Nuclear Power Stations
Heat energy released from nuclear fission converted into
Electricity

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  Nuclear fission: Heavy radioactive elements like uranium (U235) or thorium
(Th232) broken up into smaller elements releasing enormous amount of heat in
the process
 Coal combustion in coal power plant occurs in boiler while fission process in
nuclear power plant occurs in reactor
 Heat energy converts water into steam and runs steam turbines
 Heat produced by complete fission of 1 kg U235 same as that produced by burning
4500 tonnes of high-grade coal
Introduction  Advantages: Low fuel requirements, less space requirements, low running
charges, very economical for producing bulk electricity, inexhaustible fuel supply
for thousands of years
 Disadvantages: expensive fuel and difficult to recover, high capital costs,
technically experienced staff required to commission and operate the plant,
radioactive pollution, not suitable for variable load requirements, problem of
radioactive waste disposal
 Statistics on evolution of nuclear power in Pakistan can be found at this link:
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-
o-s/pakistan.aspx

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Schematic Layout of Nuclear Power Plant

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137 MW Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) with CANDU Reactor Undergoing
Capacity Extension of 2.2 GW Expected to be Completed by 2022.

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  Slowly moving neutron directed at nucleus of Uranium atom gets
absorbed in it and makes it unstable
 Uranium atom splits into smaller stable elements and releases a lot of
heat energy and more neutrons
 Each uranium atom capable of generating two neutrons per fission
combined with incident neutron for a total of three neutrons after fission
Chain Reaction  Goal: To allow only one of these neutrons to further strike another
Uranium atom
 Results in a sustained reaction also termed as chain reaction
 If more than one neutron strikes more than one uranium atoms, the
reaction rate keeps on compounding
 May cause explosion due to enormous, uncontrolled heat energy being
released

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  Controls the chain reaction
 Cylindrical, stout pressure vessel housing fuel rods, control rods,
and moderator
 Fuel rods made of uranium while control rods made of cadmium or
boron keep rate of chain reaction in check

Nuclear  Moderator slows down the neutrons so they may get absorbed in
the nucleus rather than pass through it
Reactor  When control rods are lowered into reactor more neutrons get
absorbed in them and fission slows down (ultimately stops)
 Taken out of reactor to increase the rate of fission reaction
 Coolant (sodium metal) circulated through reactor to remove the
generated heat from reactor and carry it into a heat exchanger
 Heat transferred to water thereby converting it into steam

Stout: Strong and thick

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 1. Requires ample water for cooling → located near river stream or seaside
2. Radioactive waste must either be buried deep underground or disposed
of far off from shore inside the sea
3. Must be located away from populated areas owing to health and
security concerns
 Radioactive pollution causes cancer (dome created over reactor as a
Site Selection precaution to prevent radioactive pollution via air or water in case of accident)
 Plant needs security because plant fuel can be used in nuclear bombs as well
4. Must have adequate infrastructure to transport heavy equipment and
technical staff
Conclusion: Located away from population centers near a river with
adequate arrangements in place for proper waste disposal (vicinity of sea or
in isolated area) and infrastructure for logistics.

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 Statement: An atomic power reactor can deliver 300 MW. If due to fission of
each atom of 92U235, the energy released is 200 MeV, compute the mass of
uranium undergoing fission per hour. [Where, 1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J]
Solution:
Energy in Joules generated in one hour = 300 x 106 x 60 x 60 J = 108 x 1010 J
Energy released per fission = 200 x 106 eV = 200 x 106 x 1.6 x 10-19 J = 3.2 x 10-11 J
Example 2.17 No of Uranium atoms undergoing fission per hour =
108×1010
= 3.375 x 1022
3.2×10−11
Mass of 1 gram-atom of uranium (containing 6.023 x 1023 atoms) = 235 g
235
Mass of uranium undergoing fission per hour = × 3.375 × 1022 𝑔 =
6.023×1023
13.17 g
Therefore, 13.17 grams of 92U235 are consumed per hour to generate 300 MW
electrical power.

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 Statement: What is the power output of a 92U235 reactor if it takes 30 days to
use up 2 kg of fuel? Given that energy released per fission is 200 MeV and
Avogadro’s number = 6·023 × 1026 per kilomole. [1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J]
Solution:
2
No of atoms in 2 kg fuel = × 6.023 × 1026 = 5.126 x 1024
235

Example 2.18 No of fissions per second =

5.126×1024
30×24×60×60
= 1.98 x 1018
Energy released per fission = 200 x 106 eV = 200 x 106 x 1.6 x 10-19 J = 3.2 x 10-11 J
Energy released per second i.e. power output = 1.98 x 1018 x 3.2 x 10-11 W = 63.4
x 106 W = 63.4 MW
Therefore, 2 kg of 92U235 being consumed in 30 days will generate a power of
63.4 MW.

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Gas Turbine Power
Plant
Employs gas turbine as prime-mover for generation of
electricity

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  Air taken in from environment compressed in a compressor
 Combustion chamber or air heaters add heat to compressed air
 Heated, compressed air fed into gas turbine to rotate the shaft
thereby driving an alternator and generating electricity
 Shaft of compressor coupled to turbine shaft and draws significant
portion of mechanical power from it to run itself

Introduction  Advantages: simple design, small space requirements, less water

requirements (no condenser employed), quick startup (ideal for
meeting peak load requirements), low maintenance requirements,
no standby losses (present in steam power plant [1])
 Disadvantages: power required for starting compressor must
come from grid, low net output (compressor takes up a lot of
generated power), low overall efficiency (about 20% if not used in
combined-cycle arrangement [2]), high temperatures (3000oF) of
combustion chamber shorten its life

[1] boiler must be kept in operation even when turbine is not supplying any power.
[2] heat of exhaust gasses utilized to generate steam for steam power plant thereby
reducing coal consumption and increasing overall efficiency to around 60%. Gas
turbine power plants are nearly always employed in combined-cycle arrangement for
obvious reasons.

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 Regenerator uses heat
Exhaust gases from exhaust gases
escape the (around 900oF) to preheat
plant compressed air

Compressor
must be
started by
motors

Oil entering combustion

chamber via atomizer Gas leaving combustion
thoroughly mixed with air chamber suitably cooled Driven from
and burnt to generate 3000oF to 1300 – 1500 oF before it batteries at
enters the turbine plant startup

Schematic Layout of Gas Turbine Power Plant

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Comparison of Various Power Plants

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Comparison of Various Power Plants (Continued)

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