A power station (also referred to as a generating station, power plant,
powerhouse or generating plant) is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. At the center of nearly all power stations is a generator, a rotating machine that converts mechanical power into electrical power by creating relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor. AC systems used a wide range of frequencies depending on the type of load; lighting load using higher frequencies, and traction systems and heavy motor load systems preferring lower frequencies. The economics of central station generation improved greatly when unified light and power systems, operating at a common frequency, were developed. The same generating plant that fed large industrial loads during the day, could feed commuter railway systems during rush hour and then serve lighting load in the evening, thus improving the system load factor and reducing the cost of electrical energy overall. Many exceptions existed, generating stations were dedicated to power or light by the choice of frequency, and rotating frequency changers and rotating converters were particularly common to feed electric railway systems from the general lighting and power network. UET LHR Power Station: UET LHR power station is an 11 KV power station that feeds only UET and its staff colonies. In UET power station there are three natural gas engines and four diesel engines. Two WAPDA feeders also feed UET LHR but only in emergency case. In UET power station there is generation, distribution and utilization only and there is no transmission. UET power station is a radial system. Electrical components of power station: Electrical components used in UET power station are, Three natural gas engines Four diesel engines. Vacuum circuit breakers. Air circuit breakers. Step down transformer. Step up transformer. Auxiliary panel. Introduction of Engine: The generator set is designed for continuous operation using natural gas fuel and comprises a reciprocating engine driving an alternator through a coupling. The complete assembly is bolted onto a fabricated base frame. The genset assembly is designed for reliability, low maintenance operation in standby and base load applications. The main component parts of the genset comprises the following: Gas fuelled engine with turbocharged combustion air/exhaust gas system, engine cooling system, lubricating oil system, engine monitoring and control system and starting system. Base frame with anti-vibration mounts Engine-alternator coupling Alternator A free standing Generator Control Panel Engine: The Cummins QSK 60G engine is an industrial duty, spark ignited 16-cylinder and V configuration engine having a cylinder displacement of 60 liters. An electronic ignition system is included for improved fuel consumption, high reliability and low maintenance. Fuel System: The genset engine fuel is pipeline natural gas which is admitted to the engine through a series of valves which ensures that the gas is at the correct pressure. As gas supply pressure vary from site to site, the gas train components required depend on the available gas supply pressure. A typical gas train for gas pressure up to 6 bar includes the components as shown In figure on the next page.
Vacuum Circuit Breaker: Vacuum circuit breakers are circuit breakers that are used to protect medium and high voltage circuits from dangerous electrical situations. Like other types of circuit breakers, they literally break the circuit so that energy cannot continue flowing through it, thereby preventing fires, power surges, and other problems which may emerge. In a vacuum circuit breaker, two electrical contacts are enclosed in a vacuum. One of the contacts is fixed and one is movable. When the circuit breaker detects a dangerous situation, the movable contact pulls away from the fixed contact, interrupting the current. Because the contacts are in a vacuum, arcing between the contacts is suppressed, ensuring that the circuit remains open. As long as the circuit is open, it will not be energized. Construction of vacuum circuit breaker: Generally Vacuum circuit breakers are constructed as
Air circuit breaker: This type of circuit breakers, is those kind of circuit breaker which operates in air at atmospheric pressure. Working principle of air circuit Breaker: The working principle of this breaker is rather different from those in any other types of circuit breakers. The main aim of all kind of circuit breaker is to prevent the reestablishment of arcing after current zero by creating a situation where in the contact gap will withstand the system recovery voltage. The air circuit breaker does the same but in different manner. For interrupting arc it creates an arc voltage in excess of the supply voltage. Arc voltage is defined as the minimum voltage required maintaining the arc. This circuit breaker increases the arc voltage by mainly three different ways, It may increase the arc voltage by cooling the arc plasma. As the temperature of arc plasma is decreased, the mobility of the particle in arc plasma is reduced, hence more voltage gradient is required to maintain the arc. It may increase the arc voltage by lengthening the arc path. As the length of arc path is increased, the resistance of the path is increased, and hence to maintain the same arc current more voltage is required to be applied across the arc path. That means arc voltage is increased. Splitting up the arc into a number of series arcs also increases the arc voltage.
Transformer: A transformer is an electrical device that transfers energy between two circuits through electromagnetic induction. A transformer may be used as a safe and efficient voltage converter to change the AC voltage at its input to a higher or lower voltage at its output. A transformer most commonly consists of two windings of wire that are wound around a common core to provide tight electromagnetic coupling between the windings. The core material is often a laminated iron core. The coil that receives the electrical input energy is referred to as the primary winding, the output coil is the secondary winding. An alternating electric current flowing through the primary winding (coil) of a transformer generates a varying electromagnetic field in its surroundings which induces a varying magnetic flux in the core of the transformer. The varying electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the secondary winding induces an electromotive force in the secondary winding, which appears as a voltage across the output terminals. If a load is connected across the secondary winding, a current flows through the secondary winding drawing power from the primary winding and its power source. The transformers that used in UET power station are Step Up & Step Down The step up transformer is 2500 KVA and its steps up 440 volts of diesel generator to 11 KV The step down transformer steps down 11 KV of natural gas engine to 220 volts for the auxiliary panel.