CONCEPTS OF

POWER SYSTEM
ENGINEERING
 UNIT-1
Power Generation Concepts & Types
 Generation and Sources of Energy

 Working Principle and Schematic Diagram Approach of Thermal Power Plant

 Hydro Power Plant

 Nuclear Power Plant

 Gas Power Plants

 Comparison Between Power Plants

  Generation and Sources of Energy:

Sources of Energy

Sources of energy can be classified into:

 Renewable Sources

 Non-renewable Sources

Renewable sources of energy are available plentiful in nature and are sustainable. These
resources of energy can be naturally replenished and are safe for the environment.

Examples of renewable sources of energy are: Solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy,
biomass, hydropower and tidal energy.

A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that is found underneath the earth. These type
of energy resources do not replenish at the same speed at which it is used. They take millions of
years to replenish. The main examples of non-renewable resources are coal, oil and natural gas.

Examples of non-renewable sources of energy are: Natural gas, coal, petroleum, nuclear
energy and hydrocarbon gas liquids.
 Difference between Renewable and Non-
renewable Sources of Energy
Renewable Non-renewable

The resources that can be renewed once they The resources that cannot be renewed once
are consumed are called renewable sources they are consumed are called non-renewable
of energy. sources of energy.

These resources do not cause any These resources cause environmental

environmental pollution. pollution..

Renewable resources are inexhaustible. Non- Renewable resources are exhaustible.

Renewable resources are not affected by Non- Renewable resources are affected by
human activities. human activities.

Examples of Renewable resources- Air, Examples of Non-renewable resources- natural

water and solar energy. gas, coal and nuclear energy.

What is energy?
Energy is the power or capacity to do work such as the capacity to move an object
by the application of force. Energy can exist in a variety of numbers, such as
thermal, mechanical, chemical, or nuclear, and can be transformed from one form
to another. Electrical energy is caused by the movement of electric charges called
electrons. Energy is a conserved quantity, and the law of conservation of energy
also states that energy can be converted in any form, but it can neither be created
nor destroyed. The world has everything either in the form of energy or matter.

Sources of energy
Energy is used to power the devices we use for heat and light in our homes, for
transportation and for the manufacture of all kinds of products. The primary use of
these different sources of energy is to produce electricity. All these different
sources of energy add to the store of electrical power that is then sent out to
different locations via high powered lines.
There are 9 Main Different Sources of Energy:-
 Solar energy
 Wind energy
 Geothermal energy
 Hydrogen energy
 Tidal energy
 Wave energy
 Hydroelectric energy
 Biomass energy
 Nuclear power energy
Solar Energy
It is the energy from the sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as
solar heating, solar architecture, photovoltaics, and artificial photosynthesis. It is
an essential source of renewable energy. The mechanism by which silicon solar
panels harness the sun's energy and generate electricity is known as photovoltaic
effect.
Advantages
 Reduces electricity bills
 Low maintenance cost
 Technology development
Disadvantages
 Weather dependent
 Solar energy storage is expensive
 Uses a lot of space
Wind Energy
Wind energy is the energy produced through wind. It is the process by which wind
is used to generate electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind
into mechanical power and that mechanical power can also be utilized for specific
tasks.
Advantages
 Clean & environment-friendly fuel source.
 Cost-effective
Disadvantages
  Notice and aesthetic pollution
 Threat to wildlife
 Fluctuations of wind
Geothermal Energy
It is the heat that comes from the surface of the earth. It is contained in the rocks
and fluid beneath the earth's crust. The oldest form of geothermal energy is dry
steam. It takes out of the ground and uses it to directly drive the turbine.
Advantages
 High efficiency
 Little to no geothermal system maintenance.
Disadvantages
 High investment cost
 Location restricted
 Sustainability
Hydrogen Energy
It involves the use of hydrogen or hydrogen compounds to generate energy to be
supplied to all practical uses. It is a zero-emission fuel burned with oxygen. It can
be used in combustion engines or fuel cells. It is also used as a fuel in rocket
propulsion.
Advantages
 It is fuel-efficient.
 It is renewable.
 It does not produce harmful emissions.
Disadvantages
 It is expensive.
 It is difficult to store.
 It is highly flammable.
Tidal Energy
It is the form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into
useful forms of power, mainly electricity. Tides are more predictable than the wind
and the sun.
Advantages
 It is a continuous, predictable energy
 The longevity of the equipment
Disadvantages
 The impact of EMF emissions
  High construction costs
Wave Energy
It is produced by the up and down motion of floating devices placed on the surface
of the ocean. The energy provided is most often used in power plants, water
pumps, and desalination plants.
Advantages
 It is abundant and widely available
 Easily predictable
 No damage to the land
Disadvantages
 It is suitable for certain locations
 It is highly dependent on the wavelength
 They also generate noise and visual pollution
Hydroelectric Energy
It is the energy derived from the movement of water. It has kinetic energy when it
moves, which can be harnessed. Basically, it is the electricity produced by
hydropower.

Advantages
 It is reliable and adjustable
 It is emission-free
 It is completely renewable
Disadvantages
 Higher initial costs
 Flood risk
 Carbon and methane emissions
Biomass Energy
It is the use of organic material to generate energy. Biomass is just organic matter
that is made in nature like dung, grass clippings, etc. It is a renewable source of
energy.
Advantages
 It is carbon neutral
 It is less expensive than fossil fuels
 It's a revenue source for manufacturers
Disadvantages
  It is not entirely clear
 It can lead to deforestation
 Energy generation requires a lot of space
Nuclear Power Energy
It is the use of nuclear reactions that releases nuclear energy to generate heat. This
heat is used in steam turbines to produce electricity in a nuclear power plant.
Advantages
 It is less expensive
 No greenhouse gases
Disadvantages
 It harms plant and animal life
 It is a water pollutant

Working Principle and Schematic Diagram Approach of Thermal

Power Plant

Working Principle of Thermal power plant

Layout and Working of Hydroelectric Power Plant
Definition of Hydroelectric Power Plant:

Hydroelectric Power Plant is an area where hydraulic energy is converted into

electrical energy by the rise or flow of water which is driven by the turbine.
The above image shows the typical layout of a hydroelectric power plant and its
basic components.

Dam and Reservoir: The dam is constructed on a large river in hilly areas to
ensure sufficient water storage at height. The dam forms a large reservoir behind it.
The height of water level (called as water head) in the reservoir determines how
much of potential energy is stored in it.

Control Gate: Water from the reservoir is allowed to flow through the penstock to
the turbine. The amount of water which is to be released in the penstock can be
controlled by a control gate. When the control gate is fully opened, maximum
amount of water is released through the penstock.
Penstock: A penstock is a huge steel pipe which carries water from the reservoir to
the turbine. Potential energy of the water is converted into kinetic energy as it
flows down through the penstock due to gravity.

Water Turbine: Water from the penstock is taken into the water turbine. The
turbine is mechanically coupled to an electric generator. Kinetic energy of the
water drives the turbine and consequently the generator gets driven. There are two
main types of water turbine; (i) Impulse turbine and (ii) Reaction turbine. Impulse
turbines are used for large heads and reaction turbines are used for low and
medium heads.

Generator: A generator is mounted in the power house and it is mechanically

coupled to the turbine shaft. When the turbine blades are rotated, it drives the
generator and electricity is generated which is then stepped up with the help of
a transformer for the transmission purpose.

Surge Tank:
Surge tanks are usually provided in high or medium head power plants when
considerably long penstock is required. A surge tank is a small reservoir or tank
which is open at the top. It is fitted between the reservoir and the power house. The
water level in the surge tank rises or falls to reduce the pressure swings in the
penstock. When there is sudden reduction in load on the turbine, the governor
closes the gates of the turbine to reduce the water flow. This causes pressure to
increase abnormally in the penstock. This is prevented by using a surge tank, in
which the water level rises to reduce the pressure. On the other hand, the surge
tank provides excess water needed when the gates are suddenly opened to meet the
increased load demand.
Hydroelectric Power Plant Advantages:

The advantages of Hydroelectric Power Plant are as follows.

 By the usage of the hydropower plant, environmental pollution is almost

zero.
 The efficiency of this system is high.
 It is a renewable source of energy and that's the reason, it is installed on
every dam for the generation of free power.

Hydroelectric Power Plant Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power Plant are as follows.

 The installation cost is very high.

 When water is not available, it does not produce electricity. So the engineers
have to make sure that the water will be always in surplus.
 For the installation setup, it needs a large surface area where there might be
a loss to the farmers who have crops over there.
 The population of fishes can be impacted.

Applications of Hydroelectric Power Plant:

The applications of Hydroelectric Power Plant are as follows.

 The water which stays in a reservoir can be used for agriculture purposes.
  Thermal Power stations can be built near the reservoirs.
 It is used for the generation of electric power.
 It will control the floods in the rivers.
 The micro hydropower plant is used to provide power to isolated rooms.

This is the detailed explanation of Hydroelectric Power Plant. If you have any
doubts, you can ask us and we will reply it soon.

Layout and Working of Nuclear Power Plant

What is a Nuclear Power Plant?

Definition: The power plant that is used to warm the water to generate steam, then
this steam can be used for rotating huge turbines for generating electricity. These
plants use the heat to warm the water which is generated by nuclear fission. So the
atoms in the nuclear fission will split into different smaller atoms for generating
energy. The nuclear power plant diagram is shown below.

Nuclear Power Plant Working Principle

In the power plant, the fission takes place in the reactor and the middle of the
reactor is known as the core that includes uranium fuel, and this can be formed into
pellets of ceramic. Every pellet generates 150 gallons of oil energy. The total
energy generated from the pellets is stacked in metal fuel rods. A bunch of these
rods is known as a fuel assembly and a reactor core includes several fuel
assemblies.
During nuclear fission, the heat can be generated within the core of the reactor.
This heat can be used to warm the water into steam so that turbine blades can be
activated. Once the turbine blades activated then they drive the generators to make
electricity. In a power plant, a cooling tower is available to cool the steam into the
water otherwise they use the water from different resources. Finally, the cooled
water can be reused to generate steam.

Nuclear-Power-Plant-Block-Diagram
Components of Nuclear Power Plant

In the above nuclear power plant block diagram, there are different components
which include the following.

Nuclear Reactor

In a power plant, a nuclear reactor is an essential component like a heat source that
includes the fuel & its reaction of nuclear chain including the waste products of
nuclear. The nuclear fuel used in the nuclear reactor is Uranium & its reactions are
heat generated in a reactor. Then, this heat can be transferred to the coolant of the
reactor to generate heat to all the parts in the power plant.

There are different types of nuclear reactors that are used in the manufacturing of
plutonium, ships, satellites & aircraft for research as well as medical purposes. The
power plant includes not only includes the reactor and also includes turbines,
generators, cooling towers, a variety of safety systems.
Steam Generation

In all the power plants, the production of steam is general; however, the way of
generating will change. Most of the plants use water reactors by using two loops of
rotating water to generate steam. The primary loop carries very hot water for
heating an exchange once water at a low-pressure is circulated, then it warms the
water to generate the steam to transmit to the turbine section.

Generator & Turbine

Once the steam is generated, then it travels with high pressures to speed up the
turbine. The rotating of the turbines can be used to rotate an electric generator for
generating electricity that is transmitted to the electrical grid.

Cooling Towers
In a nuclear power plant, the most essential part is a cooling tower which is used to
reduce the heat of the water.
Working of Nuclear Power Plant
The elements like Uranium or Thorium are sued nuclear fission reaction of a
nuclear reactor. Because of this fission, a huge amount of heat energy can be
generated and it is transmitted to the coolant reactor. Here, the coolant is nothing
but water, liquid metal otherwise gas. The water is heated to flow in a heat
exchanger so that it changes into high-temperature steam. Then the steam which is
produced is permitted to make a steam turbine run. Again the steam can be
changed back into the coolant & recycled to use for the heat exchanger. So, the
turbine and alternator are connected to produce electricity. By using a transformer,
the electricity which is produced can be increased to use in long-distance
communication.
Types of Nuclear Power Plant
There are two types of nuclear power plants such as pressurized water reactor and
boiling water reactor.
Pressurized Water Reactor
In this kind of reactor, regular water is used as a coolant. This is kept at extremely
high force so that it does not get a boil. A heat exchanger in this reactor transfers
the heated water where the water from the secondary coolant circle is changed into
vapor. Therefore, this loop is totally free from the material of radioactive. In this
reactor, the coolant water works as a moderator. Because of these benefits, these
reactors are used most frequently.
Boiling Water Reactor
In this kind of reactor, a single coolant loop is only available. The water is
permissible to heat within the reactor. The steam is produced from the reactor
when it heads out from the reactor & the steam will flow throughout the steam
turbine. The main drawback of this reactor is, the coolant water approaches the fuel
rods & the turbine. So, radioactive material could be located over the turbine.
Site Selection for Nuclear Power Plant
The selection of the site for nuclear PowerPoint can be done by considering the
technical requirement. The arrangement and working of a nuclear power plant
mainly depend on the characteristics of the site.
While designing the plant, the risks from the site must be considered. The plant
design has to handle with tremendous natural occurrence & human-induced
actions, without damaging the operational security of the plant.
Each site has to give needed necessities like discarded and decay heat sinks, power
supply availability, excellent communications and efficient crisis management, etc.
For a power plant, the estimate of the site typically occupies different stages like
selection, characterization, pre-operational, and operational.

Nuclear Power Plants in India

There seven nuclear power plants in India which include the following.
 Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, located in Tamil Nadu
 Tarapur Nuclear Reactor, located in Maharashtra
 Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant, located in Rajasthan
 Kaiga Atomic Power Plant, located in Karnataka
 Kalapakkam Nuclear Power Plant, located in Tamil Nadu
 Narora Nuclear Reactor, located in Uttar Pradesh
 Kakarapar Atomic Power Plant, located in Gujarat
Advantages
The advantages of nuclear power plants include the following.
 It uses less space compared with other power plants
 It is extremely economical and generates huge electric power.
 These plants are located near the load center because there is no requirement of
huge fuel.
 It generates a huge amount of power in the process of each nuclear fission
 It uses less fuel to generate huge energy
 Its operation is reliable
 When compared with steam power plants, it is very clean and neat
 The operating cost is small
 It doesn’t produce polluting gases
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of nuclear power plants include the following.
 The cost of primary installation is extremely high when compared with other
power stations.
 The nuclear fuel is expensive so recovering is difficult
 High capital cost compare with other power plants
 Technical knowledge is required to operate this plat. So maintenance, as well as
salary, will be high.
 There is a chance of radioactive pollution
 The response is not efficient
 The requirement of cooling water is double compare with a steam power plant.
Applications
The applications of nuclear power plants include the following.
Nuclear energy is used in different industries all over the world for desalination of
ocean water, production of hydrogen, district cooling/heating, the removal of
tertiary oil resources & used in heat process applications like cogeneration,
conversion of coal to liquids & help in the chemical feedstock synthesis.

Layout and Working of GAS Power Plant

A generating station which employs gas turbine as the prime mover for the
generation of electrical energy is known as a gas turbine power plant In a gas
turbine power plant, air is used as the working fluid. The air is compressed by the
compressor and is led to the combustion chamber where heat is added to air, thus
raising its temperature. Heat is added to the compressed air either by burning fuel
in the chamber or by the use of air heaters. The hot and high pressure air from the
combustion chamber is then passed to the gas turbine where it expands and does
the mechanical work. The gas turbine drives the alternator which converts
mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Schematic Arrangement of Gas Turbine Power Plant:

The schematic arrangement of a gas turbine power plant is shown in Fig. The main
components of the plant are
1. Compressor
2. Regenerator
3. Combustion chamber
4. Gas turbine
5. Off Alternator
6. Starting motor
1)Compressor. The compressor used in the plant is generally of rotatory type. The
air at atmospheric pressure is drawn by the compressor via the filter which
removes the dust from air. The rotatory blades of the compressor push the air
between stationary blades to raise its pressure. Thus air at high pressure is
available at the output of the compressor.

(2)Regenerator. A regenerator is a device which recovers heat from the exhaust

gases of the turbine. The exhaust is passed through the regenerator before wasting
to atmosphere. A regenerator consists of a nest of tubes contained in a shell. The
compressed air from the compressor passes through the tubes on its way to the
combustion chamber. In this way, compressed air is heated by the hot exhaust
gases..

3)Combustion chamber. The air at high pressure from the compressor is led to
the combustion chamber via the regenerator. In the combustion chamber, heat is
added to the air by burning oil. The oil is injected through the burner into the
chamber at high pressure to ensure atomisation of oil and its thorough mixing with
air. The result is that the chamber attains a very high temperature (about 3000 °F).
The combustion gases are suitably cooled to 1300 °F to 1500°F and then delivered
to the gas turbine.

(4)Gas turbine. The products of combustion consisting of a mixture of gases at

high temperature and pressure are passed to the gas turbine. These gases in passing
over the turbine blades expand and thus do the mechanical work. The temperature
of the exhaust gases from the turbine is about 900°F.

(5)The gas turbine. is coupled to the alternator. The alternator converts mechani-
cal energy of the turbine into electrical energy. The output from the alternator is
given to the bus-bars through transformer, circuit breakers and isolators.

6)Starting motor. Before starting the turbine, compressor has to be started. For
this purpose, an electric motor is mounted on the same shaft as that of the turbine.
The motor is energised by the batteries. Once the unit starts, a part of mechanical
power of the turbine drives the compressor and there is no need of motor now.
Advantages:
 It is simple in design as compared to steam power station since no boilers
and their auxiliaries are required.
 It is much smaller in size as compared to steam power station of the same
capacity. This is expected since gas turbine power plant does not require
boiler, feed water arrangement etc.
 The initial and operating costs are much lower than that of equivalent steam
power station.
 It requires comparatively less water as no condenser is used.
 The maintenance charges are quite small.

Disadvantages:
 There is a problem for starting the unit. It is because before starting the
turbine; the compressor has to be operated for which power is required from
some external source. However, once the unit starts, the external power is
not needed as the turbine itself supplies the necessary power to the
compressor.
 Since a greater part of power developed by the turbine is used in driving the
compressor, the net output is low.
 Comparison between Power Plants.

Thermal power Hydro power Nuclear power

Sr. No parameter plant plant plant Diesel power plant
Highest as cost of
High due to
1. Initial cost Lower than hydro reactor Less as compared to
large dam
and nuclear. construction is other stations.
construction.
very high.

Higher than nuclear Low as very less

and hydro due to Practically very amount of fuel is Highest running cost
2. Running cost amount of coal low as no fuel required but more due to high price of
required and heavy is required. than hydro diesel.
losses. stations.

Hazardous for
Most environment if
Pollution Harmful pollution Harmful pollution
3. environment nuclear wastes are
effects effects. effects.
friendly. not properly
disposed.

It can be used
Economical to run as for base as well Generally used as Most suitable as
4. Applications
base load plant. as peak load base-load plant. peak-load plant.
plant.