Information Sheet 1.

1
: Electric Power Generation

Energy is the basic necessity for the economic development of a country.

Many functions necessary to present-day living grind to halt when the supply of
energy stops. It is practically impossible to estimate the actual magnitude of the
part that energy has played in the building up of present-day civilization. Energy
exists in different forms in nature but the most important form is the electrical
energy. The modern society is so much dependent upon the use of electrical
energy that it has become a part and parcel of our life. In this chapter, we shall
focus our attention on the general aspects of electrical energy.

Importance of Electrical Energy

Energy may be needed as heat, as light, as motive power etc. The present-day
advancement in science and technology has made it possible to convert electrical
energy into any desired form. This has given electrical energy a place of pride in
the modem world. The survival of industrial undertakings and our social
structures depends primarily upon low cost and uninterrupted supply of
electrical energy. In fact, the advancement of a country is measured in terms of
per capital consumption of electrical energy.

Sources of Energy
Since electrical energy is produced from energy available in various forms in
nature, it is desirable to look into the various sources of energy. These sources
of energy are:

 The Sun
 The Wind
 Water
 Fuels
 Nuclear energy
Power System
Power System is the study concerned with generation, transmission, distribution
and utilization of electric power.

Generation of Electrical Energy

The conversion of energy available in different forms in nature into electrical
energy is known as generation of electrical energy.
Bulk electric power is produced by special plants known as generating stations
or power plants.

Power Plant
A station or establishment which houses the prime-movers, electric generators
and auxiliaries, for conversion of mechanical, chemical and / or nuclear energy
into electrical energy.

Types of Power Plants (As to source of energy)

1. Thermal Power Plant - an electric generating station using heat as a

source of energy

a. Oil-fired Steam Plant - makes use of heavy fuel oil, light

fuel oil or bunker oil for production of energy.

b. Coal-fired thermal plant - makes use of pulverized coal as

fuel.

c. Dendro-thermal plant - makes use of wood (ipil-ipil).

d. Nuclear-steam plant makes use of steam generated in a

reactor by heat from the fission production of energy process
of nuclear fuel (Uranium 235, Uranium-238)

e. Gas turbine plant - makes use of combustible gasses as fuel

from a gas turbine engine prime mover.
 f. Geothermal Plant - makes use of generated heat from the
inherent steam from the earth's magma fuel.

g. Solar steam Plant - makes use of steam generated from

solar radiation.

Advantages

 The fuel (ie., coal) used is quite cheap.

 Less initial cost as compared to other generating stations.

 It can be installed at any place irrespective of the existence of

coal. The coal can be ported to the site of the plant by rail or
road.

 It requires less space as compared to the hydroelectric power

station.

 The cost of generation is lesser than that of the diesel power

station.

Disadvantages

 It pollutes the atmosphere due to the production of large

amount of smoke and fume.

 It is costlier in running cost as compared to hydroelectric

plant.
2. Hydro Electric Power Plant - an electric generating station using
flowing water to drive the prime - movers (hydraulic turbines) either
impulse or reaction type.

Theoretical Power of a water turbine,

P = Qwh𝛈

Where:
Q = Volume discharge in m3 /s
w = specific weight of water = 1000 kg/m3 = 9810 N/m3
h = head in meter
η = overall efficiency

Two types of Hydraulic turbines

a. impulse type - use for high-heads and low volume, example

is the "Pelton wheel"

b. Reaction type - use for low-heads and high volume,

examples are " Francis & Kaplan Turbine”
Types of Hydro-electric plant

a. Run-of-river - using pondage or steam flow as it occurs,

more power can be generated in a rainy season than in dry
season.

b. Plant with storage capacity - associated with a large water

reservoir. This permits regulated supply of water so that the
power output is constant throughout the year.

c. Pump Storage Plant - where energy is generated during

periods of high system demand using water which has been
pumped into a reservoir usually periods of relatively low
system demand.

Advantages

 It requires no fuel as water is used for the generation of

electrical energy.

 It is quite neat and clean as no smoke or ash is produced.

 it requires very small running charges because water is the

source of energy which is available free of cost.

 It is comparatively simple in construction and requires less

maintenance.

 It does not require a long starting time like a steam power

station. In fact, such plants can be put into service instantly.

 It is robust and has a longer life.

 Such plants serve many purposes. In addition to the

generation of electrical energy, they also help in irrigation
and controlling floods.
  Although such plants require the attention of highly skilled
persons at the time of construction, yet for operation, a few
experienced persons may do the job well.

Disadvantages

 It involves high capital cost due to construction of dam.

 There is uncertainty about the availability of huge amount of

water due to dependence on weather conditions.

 Skilled and experienced hands are required to build the

plant.

 It requires high cost of transmission lines as the plant is

located in hilly areas which are quit away from the
consumers.

3. Diesel Power Plant - a plant of internal combustion engine (ICE)

prime-mover using diesel as fuel in producing energy.

Advantages

 The design and layout of the plant are quite simple.

 It occupies less space as the number and size of the

auxiliaries is small.
  It can be located at any place.

 It can be started quickly and can pick up load in a short

time.

 There are no standby losses.

 It requires less quantity of water for cooling.

 The overall cost is much less than that of steam power

station of the same capacity.

 The thermal efficiency of the plant is higher than that of a

steam power station.

 It requires fewer operating staff.

Disadvantages
 The plant has high running charges as the fuel (i.e., diesel)
used is costly.

 The plant does not work satisfactorily under overload

conditions for a longer period.

 The plant can only generate small power.

 The cost of lubrication is generally high.

 The maintenance charges are generally high.

4. Wind mill Plant - using a series of windmills as prime-mover.

Wind power,

P = 2.46 x 𝟏𝟎−𝟑 𝐃𝟐 𝐕 𝟑 𝛈

Where:
D = length of blade in ft
V = miles/hr
η = efficiency

Advantages

 Clean and environment friendly

 Renewable and Sustainable

 Cost effective

Disadvantages

 Fluctuation of Wind and Good wind sites

 Noise and aesthetic pollution

 Threat to wild life

5. Sea waves/Ocean Tides Plant - makes use of the natural rising of
tide to simulate flowing water.

Tidal power,

P = 0.219A𝐇 𝟐

Where:
A = Area in m2
H = head in meter

Advantages

 Clean and inexhaustible energy

 Silent and atmospheric gases emissions wing

 Raw materials costs theoretically zero

 Available regardless of weather and time of year

Disadvantages

 Depends on tidal range so it can’t be installed anywhere

 High cost per MW installed

 Energy transfers usually expensive

 Impacts on marine biodiversity

 6. Solar or Photo- Voltaic - Plant chemical conversion of radiant energy
of the sun to electric (dc) energy.

Advantages

 Its Renewable

 Fossil Fuel will eventually run out, so we need less

dependence on it

 Reduces Carbon footprint

 More Environmentally-Friendly

Types of Power Plant (As to use)

1. Load Plant - plant that assumed local requirements under normal

condition.

2. Peaking Plant - plant that is normally operated to provide power only

during peak load periods

3. Regulating Plant - plant capable of carrying load for the time interval
either during off peak or peak periods and usually responds to
changes in system frequency.

4. Reserve or Stand- by plant - for peak or system deficiencies.

Relationship Among Energy Units

1. Electrical and Mechanical

1 kWh = 1 kW x 1 hour
1 kWh = 3600 kilo Joules

2. Heat and Mechanical

1 calorie = 4.18 Joules

1 BTU = 1053 Joules

3. Heat and Electrical

1 kWh = 860,000 calories or 860 kcal
1 kWh = 3413 BTU

Efficiency
Energy is available in various forms from different natural sources such as
pressure head of water, chemical energy of fuels, nuclear energy of radioactive
substances etc. All these forms of energy can be converted into electrical energy
by the use of suitable arrangement. In this process of conversion, some energy
is lost in the sense that it is converted to a form different from electrical energy.
Therefore, the output energy is less than the input energy. The output energy
divided by the input energy is called energy efficiency or simply efficiency of the
system.

𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫
η=
𝐈𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫
Thermal Efficiency (𝐞𝐭 )

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡′ 𝐥.𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞

𝐞𝐭 =
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐐𝐀 − 𝐐𝐑 𝐐𝐑 𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐰
𝐞𝐭 =
𝐐𝐀
= 1 − 𝐐𝐀
= 1 − 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡

Overall Efficiency (𝐞𝐨 )

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭

𝐞𝐨 =
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐞𝐨 = 𝐞 𝐭 * 𝐞 𝐠

Where:
𝐞𝐠 = electrical efficiency = alternator efficiency
Heat Rate (HR)
- refers to a power plant's efficiency in converting fuel to electricity.

𝟏
HR = K
𝐞𝐭

Where:
K = Constant conversion factor

Values of K based from the ff. Conversion factor

1 kWh = 3600 J
1 Hp – hr = 2545 BTU
1 kWh = 3413 BTU
1 kWh = 860 kcal

Calorific Value of Fuels

The amount of heat produced by the complete combustion of a unit weight of
Fuel is known as calorific value.
 Sample Practical Problems Sheet 1.1
Electric Power Generation

Learning Objectives:
After reading this sample practical problems sheet, you should be able to:
1. Learn and understand how to solve Electric Power Generation problems.

Sample Problems:

1. A power plant gets water from a dam from a height of 122.45 m at

the rate of 1000 cubic meter per minute. If the output of the plant is
15,000 kW, what is the plant efficiency?

Solution:
Given:
h = 122.45 m
Q = 1000 m3 /minute
Pout = 15,000 kW
Req’d.:
η =?

Convert m3 /min. to m3 /s:

1 min.
Q = 1000 m3 /min. *
60 s
Q = 16.67 m /s
3

Solving for Pin :

Pin = Qwh
= 16.67 m3 /s * 9810 N/m3 * 122.45 m
Pin = 20,024.58 kW
 Solving for η:
Pout
η=
Pin

15,000 kW
=
20,024.58 kW

η = 0.75

Multiply by 100 to convert to Percentage,

η = 0.75 * 100

η = 75% Answer

Sample Problems:

2. A power plant has a fuel consumption of 100,000 pounds of coal per

hour. The heating value of the coal is 12,000 BTU per pound. The
overall plant efficiency is 30%. What is the Kw output of the plant?

Solution:
Given:
mf = 100,000 pounds/hr
HHV = 12,000 BTU/hr
η =?
Req’d.:
 kWo =?
Solving for kWo :

kWo ∗K
= HHV * mf
η

η
Multiply both sides by :
K

η kWo ∗K η
K
* η
= HHV * mf * K

Simplifying the Equation above we get,

HHV∗ mf ∗ η
kWo =
K

12,000 BTU/lb ∗ 100,000 lb/ hr ∗ 0.30

=
3413 BTU / kWh

kWo = 105,478 kW Answer

Sample Problems:

3. The maximum tidal head available for a proposed tidal-power station

is 23 feet. What must be the area in square kilometer of the tidal bay
to generate an average of 1,200 MWatts of power?

Solution:
Given:
H = 23 feet
P = 1,200 MWatts
Req’d.:
A =?

Convert ft to meters,
1m
H = 23 feet *
3.281 feet
H = 7.01 m

Solving for A:

P = 0.219AH2

Divide both sides by 0.219H 2 :

P 0.219AH2
=
0.219H2 0.219H2

Simplifying the equation above we get,

P
A=
0.219H2
 1,200 x 106
=
0.219 ∗ (7.01)2

A = 115.507 x 106 m2

Convert m2 to km2 :
1 km
A = 115.507 x 106 m2 * ( )2
1000 m

A = 115.507 km2 Answer

Sample Problems:

4. A wind generator with an efficiency of 80% has a blade diameter of

20 m. if the wind velocity is 30 kph, how much power is obtainable
from the generator?

Solution:
Given:
η = 80% or 0.80
D = 20 m
V = 30 kph
Req’d.:
P =?

Convert m to ft:
3.281ft
D = 20 m *
1m
D = 65.62 ft
Convert kph to mph:
1 mile
V = 30 kph *
1.609 km

V = 18.645 mph

Solving for P:
P = 2.46 x 10−3 D2 V 3 η
2
= 2.46 ∗ (65.62 ft) ∗ (18.645 mph)3 ∗ (0.80)

P = 54.927 kW Answer