Production and Operations Management

Module 1 – Interview Transcript and Process Flow Chart

Submitted to Sir Sajjad Mahesri

Date: Tuesday, 26th March, 2019

Submission by:
Niha Ishrat - 12922
Syed Shahzeb Zafar - 11318
Abdul Karim Ammar -
Noor Us Sabah Gilani - 12519
 Transcribed Interview

Interviewer: If I ask you how electricity is generated, how would you answer that in a sentence?

Operations Manager: The basic principle behind electricity generation is governed by Friday’s First law
of electromagnetic induction which states that “If there is relative motion between a conductor and a
magnetic field, emf (electromotive force) will be generated which in turn will cause flow of electricity
into the conductor”. This law is used for generation of electricity in Power stations that are based on Gas
Turbine, Steam turbine, hydel and even wind turbine.

Interviewer: What are the main components that are crucial to generate electricity?

Operations Manager: The basic construction is such that there is a generator which has a magnetic field
and a conductor (Rotor and Stator). The Rotor, which contains the magnetic field, is rotated at a
constant speed using a prime mover which in most of the cases, according to the type of power stations,
may be a Gas Turbine or a Steam Turbine or a Hydel Turbine and even a wind turbine.

Interviewer: So, what kind of power station does GE have here then?

Operations Manager: Over here at Balloki, we run one of the most efficient power stations which are
currently present in the world. It is a Combined Cycle Power station which employs both the steam
turbine and the Gas turbine.

Interviewer: How does the Steam turbine work and what activities take place which generate electricity?

Operations Manager: For a Steam turbine to work, we first need to produce high pressure and high
temperature steam which is produced in an equipment called the Boiler. The Boiler is where a mixture
of fuel and air is burned to produce heat which in turn is used to generate high temperature and high
pressure steam. This high temperature & high pressure steam is then directed with the help of specially
designed nozzles towards Blades which rotate the Steam turbine at a constant speed. As with the Gas
turbine, the steam turbine Rotor shaft is coupled with a Generator shaft. So when the steam turbine
rotates, the Generator rotor containing magnetic field also rotates. This process generates the relative
motion between the rotating magnetic field and the conductor in the stator thus generating electricity.

Interviewer: Also, tell us how the Gas turbine works and what activities take place which generate
electricity through it?

Operations Manager: In the case of Gas turbines, the process is similar. Gas fuel mixed with air is burned
which in turn produces high temperature and high pressure flue Gas which is directed towards the
assembly of specially designed Nozzles and rotating Blade (Gas Turbine part) to rotate the Gas turbine at
a constant speed. The Gas Turbine Rotor shaft is coupled with a Generator shaft so as the Gas turbine
rotates the Generator rotor containing magnetic field also rotates. This process generates the relative
motion between the rotating magnetic field and the conductor in the stator thus generating electricity.
Interviewer: So, given it is a combined cycle power station, what runs first? The Gas turbines or the
steam turbines? Or do they run simultaneously?

Operations Manager: The Gas turbine is started first, its exhaust high temperature flue gas is used to
produce heat which produces steam which is then used to run steam turbines. The steam exiting
through the steam turbine is condensed back and then recycled again for boiling and steam formation.
Steam cycle is continuous while the flue gas from gas turbine gets exhausted in the atmosphere.

Interviewer: Which activity do you think takes the longest time in the entire process of electricity
generation?

Operations Manager: Although we don’t have startups very often because the power plant works
continuously but when we do have them after the shutdown, in normal circumstance it takes up to two
to five hours which is by far the longest activity which takes place while generating electricity.

Interviewer: How many average units of megawatts are generated in your power plant in a day?

Operations Manager: 4800 Mega Watts (MW) per day.

Interviewer: What are the factors (if any) which decrease the productivity of your overall electricity
generation process?

Operations Manager: Mostly problems in the Gas turbine, steam turbine, boiler, or loss of transmission
lines or any kind of defect in any major equipment decreases or comply/partially stop the power
generation.

Interviewer: How will we list the overall process of power generation in a typical Combined cycle power
station?

Operations Manager:

1. As a step one, Fuel is burned in Gas turbine in a special CAN called combustor.
2. This activity produces extremely high temperature gas (up to 500 degrees Celsius) which is then
directed toward an assembly of Blades and Nozzles.
3. The design of these blades and nozzles are such that this high temperature hot gas rotates the
gas turbine blade mounted on a shaft.
4. This shaft is directly coupled with the generator shaft, so when gas Turbine rotates the
generator shaft rotates as well.
5. When Gas turbine/Generator shaft is accelerated and has reached a constant speed (3000 rpm
in our case) a process called excitation is applied on rotating electromagnet (called poles) which
makes the electromagnetic force (emf) very strong.
6. These electromagnets called POLES produce very strong magnetic field that cuts the conductor
called winding embedded in the nonrotating (casing) part of the generator which is called the
STATOR.
7. Simultaneously, the flue gas produced is used to make steam which then turns on the steam
turbines in the similar function as mentioned above.
8. Any steam which escapes is condensed back and reheated to turn into steam.
9. After electricity generation, Mega Watts produced is directed towards the terminal, usually
attached to the utility through a transformer, which is in our case is WAPDA as a commercial
commodity.

Process Flow Chart

As provided by the Operations Manager: