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King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals

Mechanical Engineering Department
Final Examination
ME 423 – Energy Conversion
Fall Semester 2020-2021 (201)

Time Allowed: 2.5 hours Date: December 20, 2020

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INSTRUCTIONS:
1) This exam has four questions and three pages including the current page.
2) Write your solution neatly and underline the answer with units.
3) Show all steps of a calculation.
4) Exam is closed book/closed notes. Only thermodynamic tables/charts and a 2-page formula sheet is
allowed.
5) At the end of the exam, make sure that your submission has uploaded correctly on the
Blackboard.

Problem # Marks Grade

1 12
2 12
3 11
4 15
TOTAL 50

Please read the message below before starting the exam:

Any student who is found cheating, attempting to cheat or helps in cheating in any written
examination will not be allowed to continue the examination and will get an F grade in the course.
The student may be subject for additional penalty in accordance with KFUPM regulations.
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Problem 1:

Problem 1.1 [8 Marks]

A solar cell has an open circuit voltage of 0.65 V with a reverse saturation current density J o of 1.9 x 10-9
A/m2. For a cell temperature of 25 ℃, determine:
(a) the solar cell efficiency, in %, at a load voltage of 0.55 V if the solar irradiation is 650 W/m2 and short-
circuit current density is 95 A/m2. (eo = 1.6 x 10-19 J/V and k = 1.381 x 10-23 J/K)
(b) the cell area for a power output of 340 W at a load voltage of 0.55 V.

Problem 1.2 [4 Marks]

A wind turbine with a 111 m diameter rotor is rotating at 5 rpm under steady winds at an average velocity of
8 m/s. The electrical power output from the turbine is 600 kW. The combined efficiency of the
gearbox/generator is 90%. Considering the density of air to be 1.18 kg∕m 3, determine:
(a) the wind turbine efficiency, in %.
(b) the tip speed of the blade, in m/s.
(c) air velocity at the turbine exit at the Betz limit, in m/s.

Problem 2:

Problem 2.1 [9 Marks]

Geothermal liquid water at 200℃ is extracted from a geothermal well at a rate of 50 kg/s. This water is flashed
to a pressure of 500 kPa in the flash chamber of a single-flash geothermal power plant. The condenser is
maintained at a pressure of 10 kPa. The isentropic efficiency of the turbine is 87%. Determine:
(a) mass flow rate of water vapour at the turbine inlet, in kg/s.
(b) power output of the turbine, in MW.
(c) thermal efficiency of the plant, in %.

Problem 2.2 [3 Marks]

A hydraulic turbine-generator unit placed at the bottom of a 120m high dam accepts water at a rate of 1 m 3/s
and produces 950 kW of electricity. Determine:
(a) efficiency of the turbine-generator combination, in %. (take density of water = 997 kg/m3)
(b) efficiency of the turbine, in %, if the efficiency of the generator is 98%.
(c) power losses due to inefficiencies in the turbine and the generator.

Problem 3:

Problem 3.1 [8 Marks]

The specifications of single glazing flat-plate collector is: τ = 0.88, α = 0.93, U = 6.0 W∕(m2℃). Heat
removal factor for the collector is 0.93, solar insolation is 620 W∕m2, and ambient air temperature is 15℃.
Take the incident angle modifier to be 1. For the flat plate collector, determine:
(a) The collector efficiency, in %, if the water enters the collector at 25℃.
(b) For water inlet temperature of 25℃, calculate the mass flow rate of hot water, in kg/h, that can be heated
to 60℃ at the exit of the flat plate collector. Assume area of collector to be 2 m2 and specific heat of water is
4.2 kJ/kg-K.
(c) The temperature of water for which the collector efficiency is zero.
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(d) The maximum collector efficiency.

(e) Plot the collector efficiency as a function of 𝑇 , − 𝑇 ⁄𝐺 for the collector indicating the points of zero
and maximum collector efficiency.

Problem 3.2 [3 Marks]

A solar-power-tower plant is being considered for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Heliostats reflect solar radiation into
a cylindrically shaped receiver with a height of 15 m and 6 m diameter. For a solar irradiation of 600 W/m2
on the heliostats, the receiver has an average surface temperature of 700 K. The receiver has a surface
emissivity of 0.92, surface absorptivity of 0.97 and the ambient temperature is 37 ℃. The estimated power
output of the solar tower plant is 10 MW with a thermal efficiency of 18%. For the solar tower plant described
here, determine the following:
(a) Heat loss from the receiver due to radiation, in MW. (Stefan-Boltzmann constant = 5.67 x 10-8 W/m2-K4)
(b) Total area of the heliostats, in m2.

Problem 4:

Problem 4.1 [10 Marks]

A gas power plant working as a non-ideal Regenerative Brayton cycle has a pressure ratio of 10. The inlet
conditions for the compressor are 300 K and 100 kPa while the maximum cycle temperature is 1400 K. The
isentropic efficiency of the turbine is 90% while that of the compressor is 85%. The effectiveness of the
regenerator is 0.87 and the gas flow rate is 100 kg/s. Consider air to behave like an ideal gas with constant
specific heats and use the specific heats and specific heat ratio values determined at compressor inlet
conditions for the analysis.
(a) Draw a T-s diagram for the cycle showing all states, and determine:
(b) Gas temperature at the exits of the compressor and the turbine, in K.
(c) Temperature at the exit of the regenerator, in K.
(d) Net rate of heat addition in MW.
(e) Thermal efficiency of the cycle, in %

Problem 4.2 [5 Marks]

25000 kg of municipal solid waste (MSW) is burned directly in a boiler to generate saturated vapor at 250℃.
Water enters the boiler as saturated liquid at 20℃. The heating value of MSW is 15000 kJ/kg and the boiler
𝜂 is 60%. The generated steam is run through a turbine-generator unit to generate electricity. The steam
pressure at the turbine exit is 20 kPa. The turbine isentropic efficiency is 83% and generator efficiency is 90%,
determine:
(a) The amount of steam generated in kg.
(b) The amount of electricity produced in kWh.