1 of 3

PRACTICAL – 1
STUDY OF BASIC ELEMENTS OF VARIOUS POWER PLANTS
Aims: - (1) To know different types of power plants.
(2) To know energy conversions in various power plants
(3) To know about basic elements of various power plants.
Introduction:-
Basically power plant is an energy transformation unit. In general the meanings of the
words ‘power plant’ & ‘power station’ are same. But logically there is a big difference. This
difference can be easily understood by their definitions.
(a) Power Plant:- Power plant is an arrangement of various apparatus in which continuously
electrical/mechanical power is gained in bulk as output by utilization of given form of
energy as input and distributed to various consumers.
(b) Power Station: - Power station is complex unit where numbers of power plants (units) are
usually located to generate mechanical and/or electrical power in bulk, continuously and
from where it is transmitted to various consumers.
So, the object in design and operation of power plant (station) is to generate electrical
power safely, efficiently and economically.
(A) TYPES OF POWER PLANTS:-
Power plants are classified in many ways. Some of the ways are listed below.
1. According to type of Energy Source:
a) Thermal Power Plant c) Nuclear Power Plant
I. Steam Power Plant d) Solar Power Plant
II. Diesel Power Plant e) Wind Energy Power Plant
III. Gas Turbine Power Plant f) Tidal Power Plant
b) Hydel Power Plant g) Geothermal Power Plant
2. According to Load:
a) Base Load Power Plant b) Peak Load Power Plant
3. According to Types of Utilization:
a) Stand by Power Plant d) Nursery Power Plant
b) Emergency Power Plant e) Pump Storage Power Plant
c) Total Energy (cogeneration) f) Mobile Power Plant
Power Plant
4. According to Capacity and Ownership:
a) Central Power Plant b) Captive Power Plant
5. According to Location:
a) Peat Head Power Plant b) Load center Power Plant

(B) ENERGY CONVERSION IN VARIOUS POWER PLANTS:

Power plant is and energy transformation (conversion) unit. One type of energy is
converted into another type (mainly electrical energy) in power plants. Here energy conversion
steps of various power plants are given as under.
(C) BASIC ELEMENTS OF VATIOUS POWER PLANTS:-
I. Basic Elements of Steam (Thermal) Power Plant:
a) Steam Generator
b) Steam Turbine
c) Condenser
d) Feed Pump
e) Alternator (Generator)

bdrl
 II. Basic Elements of Diesel Engine Power Plant:
a) Diesel Engine
b) Alternator (Generator)
III. Basic Elements of Gas Turbine Power Plant:
a) Compressor
b) Combustion Chamber
c) Gas Turbine
d) Alternator (Generator)
IV. Basic Elements of Nuclear Power Plant (BWR)
a) Atomic Reactor
b) Steam Turbine
c) Condenser
d) Feed Pump
e) Alternator (Generator)
Here, we will see some of the basic elements of steam (thermal) power plant
in detail.
(a) Steam Generator:-
A thermal power plant using steam as a working substance works basically
on the Rankine Cycle. Steam of desired quality and quantity is generated in the boiler
(steam generator). The steam generator is a complex combination of economizer,
evaporator, superheater, reheater and air preheater. In addition, it has various
auxiliaries like furnaces, stokers, pulverizing systems, burners, fans, stacks and ash
handling equipments. Modern power plant steam generators are essentially of two
basic types.
1. Sub critical Steam Generator
2. Supercritical Steam Generator
Sub critical steam generator operates below 225 bars, usually about 130 bars
to 180 bars. Supercritical steam generators operates above 225 bars
La Mount, Benson, Loeffler, Schmidt-Hartmann, Velox, Stirlling, BHEL are
some of the high pressure steam generator (boilers) used in modern steam (thermal)
power plants.
(b) Steam Turbine:-
A steam turbine is a prime mover which continuously converts the energy of
high pressure, high temperature steam supplied by a steam generator, into shaft work.
While the low temperature steam exhausted to a condenser. This energy conversion
essentially occurs in two steps.
1) The high pressure, high temperature steam first expands in nozzles and comes
out at a high velocity.
2) The high velocity jets of steam coming out of nozzle, impinge on the blades
mounted on a wheel, get deflected by an angle and suffer a loss of momentum, which
is absorbed by the rotating wheel in producing torque.
There are mainly two types of turbines: - (1) Impulse turbine and (2)
Reaction turbine. In impulse turbine, all pressure drop of steam occur in the nozzles
and there is no pressure drop as steam flows through the passage between two blades,
where as in reaction turbine pressure drop occurs both in the nozzles or the fixed row
of blades, as well as in the moving row of blades.
(c) Condenser:-
 The exhaust steam from turbine is condensed at constant pressure in a
condenser, to recover the high quality of feed water for reuse in the cycle. There are
two objects of using a condenser in a steam plant.
1. To reduce the turbine exhaust pressure so as to increase the specific output of
the turbine.
2. To recover high quality feed water in the form of condensate and feed it back
to the steam generator without any further treatment.
There are two broad classes of condenser,
1. Direct Contact Type Condenser: - Where the condensate and cooling
water directly mix and comes out as a single stream.
2. Surface Condenser: - Which are indirect heat exchangers, where the
two fluids do not come in the direct contact and the heat released by the
condensation of steam is transferred through the walls of the tubes into the
cooling water continuously circulating inside them.
Generally surface condensers are used in power plants because it reduces the
back pressure considerably (higher vacuum) and pure condensate is obtained.
(d) Feed Pump:-
Feed pumps are used to supply feed water to the steam generator at required
rate and pressure. For small capacity, low pressure steam generator generally
reciprocating pumps are utilized as feed pump and for high capacity, high pressure
steam generators generally multistage centrifugal pumps are utilized as feed pumps.
(e) Alternator (Generator):-
The alternator (electric generator) is the most important part of the power
plant as all other units in the power plant are installed for the purpose of driving
alternator.
The principle of electromagnetic induction is used for the generation of
electric power with the help of generator. All modern typed of alternating current
generators (alternators) essentially of a fixed stator and revolving rotor. The stator
core carries three phase winding in which alternating emf is induced when the shaft of
the rotor is revolved with the help of the prime mover. The rotor is carrying field
magnet and coils which provide the magnetic flux of the machine. The field is excited
by a direct current brought into the field circuit by means of two rotor slip-rings and
set of brushes riding on them.
The magnitude of the induced voltage in the single phase of the stator
winding depends upon the strength of the magnetic field, the speed of rotation and
number of stator coils in series.
------------------------------------------xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx----------------------------