Power plant Equipment

Presented by:
Suman Acharya
Department of Applied Sciences
National College of Engineering
IOE, TU
 Chapter 5
Diesel Power Plant
5.1 Introduction:
• A generating station in which diesel engine is used as the prime mover for
the generation of electricity is known as diesel power station.
• Diesel burns inside the engine and the products of this combustion act as
the working fluid to produce mechanical energy.
• The diesel engine drives the alternator which converts mechanical energy
into electrical energy.
• Diesel power plants produce power in the range of 2 to 50 MW.
• They are used as standby sets for continuity of supply such as hospitals,
telephone exchanges, radio stations, cinema theatres and industries.
• They are also suitable for mobile power generation

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 Types of Diesel Engines used for Diesel
Power Plants
• Classified as
– Two Stroke
– Four Stroke
• The four-stroke engine develops power after every two revolutions of crank
shaft whereas two-stroke engine develops power with each revolution of
crank shaft.
• Generally, two- stroke engines are favored for diesel power plants for the
advantages described later.

• Duel Fuel Engines: In Duel fuel engines, gas and oil both are used as fuels
for the engines. The gas is used as main fuel and oil is used as helper for
ignition.

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 5.2 Revision of Diesel Cycle
Operation of Four Stroke Diesel Engine
In case of diesel engines, diesel is exposed to high temperature air at the end of
the compression stroke, gets self burnt. Therefore, diesel engine is also called
compression ignition (CI) engine

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Air Standard Diesel Cycle

It is an idealized model for the operation of diesel engines. It consists of isentropic

compression, isobaric heat addition, isentropic expansion and isochoric heat.

Process 1-2 (Isentropic Compression)

At the beginning of the compression,
piston will be at the BDC and the cylinder
contains air. When the piston travels from
BDC to TDC, the air inside the cylinder is
compressed under isentropic condition.
During the isentropic compression,
pressure of the system increases, its
volume decreases, temperature increases
and entropy remains constant.
Process 2-3 (Isobaric Heat Addition)

At the end of the compression stroke, the

temperature of the air reaches greater than the self
ignition temperature of the diesel. At this state, fuel
injector nozzle supplies diesel into the cylinder and
the diesel get self burnt. However in this case,
combustion of the diesel cannot complete
instantaneously and the piston move from TDC to
towards the BDC simultaneously with heat
addition. Therefore, heat addition for an ideal
diesel cycle is modeled as an isobaric process.
Hence, during the constant pressure heat addition
process, volume, temperature and entropy of the
system increases.
Process 3-4 (Isentropic Expansion)

Due to the impact of burning, piston gets further expansion isentropic condition.
During the expansion process, pressure of the system decreases, volume increases,
temperature decreases and entropy remains constant.
Process 4-1 (Isochoric Heat Rejection)

Heat is rejected by the system to the surroundings through the exhaust gas and this
process is replaced by an equivalent constant volume heat rejection process to
complete the cycle. Hence, during isochoric heat rejection process, temperature,
pressure and entropy of the system decrease.
Efficiency of an Air Standard Diesel Cycle

Efficiency of an ideal diesel cycle is given as

Heat rejected by the system during constant volume process 4-1 is given by

Heat added to the system during constant pressure process 2-3 is given by

Substituting
Applying temperature – volume relationship for isentropic compression process 1-2

where r = V1/V2, is called compression

ratio.

Applying temperature – volume relationship for isobaric heat addition process 2-3

where a = V3/V2, is called cut off ratio.

Applying temperature – volume relationship for isentropic expansion process 3-4

Substituting V4 =V1,
Multiplying temperature ratios,

Expression for the efficiency of diesel cycle can be given as

5.3 Main Components of a Diesel Power Plant

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 Essential Elements of Diesel Power Plant

1. Engine
2. Starting system
3. Fuel Supply System
4. Air Intake system
5. Exhaust system
6. Cooling system
7. Lubricating system

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1. Diesel engine :

• Diesel engine is a compression ignition(CI) engine.

• The air required for the diesel engine is drawn through the air filter from the
atmosphere and compressed inside the cylinder.
• The fuel(diesel) from the diesel engine is drawn through a filter from the all
day tank and injected into the cylinder through fuel injectors.
• Because of the high temperature and pressure of the compressed air, the fuel
ignites.
• The fuel burns and the burnt gases expand to do work on the moving part inside
the cylinder called piston.
• This movement of the piston rotates a flywheel and the engine is directly
coupled to electric generator.

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2. Starting system:
• Diesel engine used in diesel power plants is not self starting.
• It is difficult to start even smallest diesel engine by hand cranking as the
compression power are extremely high.
• Therefore, some mechanical system must be used to start the engine. Generally,
compressed air, electric motors and auxiliary gasoline engines are used for
starting purposes.
• Compressed air system is commonly used in big diesel power plants.
• Air starting system uses valve arrangement to admit pressurized air at about 20
bar to a few of the cylinders making them to act as reciprocating air motors to
turn the engine shaft. Admitting fuel oil to the remaining engine cylinder helps
the engine to start under its own power.

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2. Engine Starting System
• The function of starting system is to start the engine form
stand still or cold conditions by supplying compressed air.

• For starting a diesel engine, initial rotation of the engine shaft

is required. Until the firing start and the unit runs with its own
power.

• For small DG set, the initial rotation of the shaft is provided by

handles but for large diesel power station. Compressed air is
made for starting.

• This system includes storage compressed air tank, self starter,

auxiliary engines & electrical motors (battery) etc.
2. Engine Starting System
A. Starting of Small Engine:
Small sets or small capacity of diesel engines are started
manually.

B. Starting with the help of Auxiliary Engine:

When it is started by auxiliary engine, the auxiliary
engine is disengaged by the main engine & started by
hand. When it is warmed up, it is geared with the main
engine so that it will start to rotate. After that within, few
seconds auxiliary engine disengaging.
2. Engine Starting System
C. Starting with the help of batteries:
To start the electrical motor batteries are used, the motor is
geared with diesel engine, it will start rotating with the motor &
will start in few seconds & as it picks up the speed the motor
gets disengaged automatically. In some cases the motor works as
a generator, this will further helps to charge the batteries.

D. Starting with the help of compressed air:

A large capacity (above 75kW) capacity diesel engines are
started with the help of compressed air. Diesel engines are
started with the help of compressed air following procedure
adopted:
1. First up all open the compressed air valve, then starting lever
operated.
2. First up all air should be cut off in first combustion. Then open
ventilating valve. Start the engine after two or three revolutions
3. Fuel storage and supply system:
• Fuel from the storage tank is pumped through a filter into a smaller tank
called all day tank. This tank supplies the daily requirements of the diesel
engine.
• The all day tank is placed high so that the fuel flows to the engine under
gravity with sufficient pressure.
• The fuel storage and supply arrangement generally depend on the type of
fuel, size of plant and type of engine used and so on.
• The supply system is generally classified as:
1. Simple Suction system and
2. Transfer system

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3. Fuel storage and supply system:

• In a simple suction system, the oil is taken by a suction pump driven by

engines from service tank located a few cm below the engine level. Such
pump delivers constant volume off fuel, therefore, an overflow line is
required back to the tank. This system is used for small capacity plant.

• In transfer system, the motor driven pump takes the oil from main storage
and supply to the day storage tank. The oil from day-storage tank flows
under gravity to the engine pump.

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Fuel storage and supply system:
Transfer system type fuel storage and supply
arrangement

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 Fuel injection system
• Fuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion
engine. A fuel injection system is designed and calibrated specifically for
the type of fuel it will handle.
• Most fuel injection systems are for diesel applications. With advent of
electronic fuel injection(EFI), the diesel gasoline hardware has become
similar.
• The primary difference between carburetors and fuel injection is that fuel
injection atomizes the fuel by forcibly pumping it through a small nozzle
under high pressure, while a carburetor relies on low pressure created by
intake air rushing through it to add the fuel to the air stream.

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 4. Air intake system :
• A large diesel engine power plant requires considerable amount of air as 4
to 8 m3/kW-hr.
• This system supplies necessary air to the engine for fuel combustion. It
consists of pipes for the supply of fresh air to the engine manifold.
• Filters are provided to remove dust particles from air which may act as
abrasive in the engine cylinder.
• The air is sucked or bubbled through a housing that holds a bath of oil such
that the dirt in the air is removed by the oil in the filter.
• The air then flows through a screen-type material to ensure any entrained
oil is removed from the air.
• In a dry filter system, paper, cloth, or a metal screen material is used to
catch and trap dirt before it enters the engine.
• In addition to cleaning the air, the intake system is usually designed to
intake fresh air from as far away from the engine as practicable, usually just
outside of the engine’s building or enclosure.

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4. Air intake system
 4. Air intake system :

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Precautions taken while designing Air Intake System

• Air intake should be located outside the engine room.

• Air intake should not be located in confined places to avoid

undesirable acoustic vibrations.

• Pressure drop in the air intake line should minimum to avoid

engine starvation.

• Air filters should be accessible for periodic cleaning.

• In some cases a muffler may be introduced to prevent engine

noise from reaching outside air.
 5. Exhaust system:

• The purpose of exhaust system is to discharge the engine exhaust to the

atmosphere outside the building.

• The exhaust gases coming out of the engine is very noisy. In order to reduce
the noise a silencer(muffler) is used.

• Catalytic converters can also be used to reduce the harmful gas pollutants
coming out from the combustion of fuel.

• The exhaust pipe should be short in length with minimum number of bends.

• Every engine should be provided with its own independent exhaust system.

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 6. Cooling system:

• The temperature of the burning fuel inside the engine cylinder is in the order
of 15000C to 20000C. In order to lower this temperature water is circulated
around the engine.

• The water envelopes(water jacket) the engine. The heat from the cylinder,
piston, combustion chamber etc., is carried by the circulating water.

• The hot water leaving the jacket is passed through the heat exchanger

• The heat from the heat exchanger is carried away by the raw water circulated
through the heat exchanger and is cooled in the cooling tower.

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 Cooling system
Necessity for cooling:
In an internal combustion engine, the fuel is burned within the engine cylinder.
During combustion, high temperatures are reached within the cylinder , for
example in a compression ignition engine as high as 15000C to 20000C is
reached.

Effects of over heating of the engine components:

• Setting up of thermal stresses
• Sticking of piston rings in the ring grooves, due to carbonization of the oil.
• Burning of piston crown.
• Burning and warping of exhaust valves.
• Reduction in volumetric efficient i.e. reduced weight of charge retained in the
cylinder.

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 Optimum cooling

• To avoid overheating, and the consequent ill effects mentioned above, the
heat transferred to an engine component (after a certain level) must be
removed as quickly as possible and be conveyed to the atmosphere.
• It should be remembered that abstraction of heat from the working medium
by way of cooling the engine components is a direct thermodynamic loss.
• A cooling system must be provided not only to prevent damage to the vital
parts of the engine (due to high temperature), but the temperature of these
components must be maintained within certain limits in order to obtain
maximum performance from the engine.

Effects of excessive cooling:

1. Reduction in thermal efficiency.

2. Increased corrosion of engine parts.
3. Reduced mechanical efficiency.
4. Improper vaporization of fuel.
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 Types of cooling system

1. Air cooling

2. Liquid Cooling:
A. Thermo syphon cooling system:
B. Forced circulation cooling system (or Pump circulation
cooling system):

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 1.Air cooling
• In air cooling, large quantities of air is circulated around the hot engine
components.
• the engine is totally enclosed by the vehicle body, air is forced by a fan or
blower of generous capacity. The fan or blower is fixed to the flywheel.
• Fins are added on the cylinder which provide additional mass of material for
conduction as well as additional area for convection and radiative modes of
heat transfer

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 Advantages of air cooling:

1. Cylinder and cylinder head casting are less complicated.

2. Engine weight is reduced, because engine jackets are not there.
3. Cheaper to manufacture- both labor and material.
4. Volume or size (overall) may be reduced, as no device such as radiator is
required for re-cooling the coolant.
5. Engine warms up more quickly, and delivers its full power in lesser time
than the liquid cooled engines.
6. Quick starting of the engine is possible even in frosty weather.
7. No Coolant Leakage and freezing problem.

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 Disadvantages of air cooling:
• Greater mechanical noise, particularly because of the fan.

• Not suitable for multi-cylinder engines, unless a fan (which

absorbs some power) and suitable cowling are used.

• Not suitable for engines to be mounted on vehicles meant for

agricultural and construction applications.

• Large amount of power is used to drive the cooling fan.

• Engines give low power output.

• Cooling fins under certain conditions may vibrate and amplify the
noise level.
• Cooling is not uniform.
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 2.Liquid Cooling:

• In this method, the cylinder

walls and head are provided
with jackets through which
the cooling liquid can
circulate.
• The heat is transferred from
the cylinder walls to the liquid
by convection and
conduction.
• The liquid gets heated during
its passage through the
cooling jackets and is itself
cooled by means of an air
cooled radiator system.
 2.Liquid Cooling:

1. Thermo syphon cooling system:

• In this system the

circulation of water is due
to difference in
temperature (i.e. difference
in densities) of water.
• So in this system pump is
not required but water is
circulated because of
density difference only

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 Working of Thermosyphon Cooling System

• This cooling system has different parts such as the radiator, fan, lower tank, upper tank,
lower hose pipe connection, upper hose pipe connection, and cylinder water jacket as
shown in the thermosyphon cooling system diagram.
• The Thermosyphon cooling system is so designed that the water may circulate naturally
because of the density difference between hot water and cold water.
• This system has a radiator and its upper and lower tanks are connected to upper and lower
water jackets of the cylinder using the pipes.
• The hot water in the jacket rises and flows into the upper tank due to lower density
compared to cold water and cold water from the radiator flow to the lower water jacket to
replace the present hot water.
• Hot water from the upper tank now flows towards the lower tanks. The fan fitted across the
tubes which are driven by an engine crankshaft cool down the water and collect it at the
lower tank.
• To increase the rate of heat transfer, the surface area of the radiator is exposed to the air
blast is covered with fins.
• The thermosyphon cooling system in automobiles and transformers uses the same principle
of cooling.
• This cooling system is suitable for only low capacity engines
• For example, this system is used in CPU Cooling.
 Disadvantages of Thermosyphon Cooling System
• In this system, the radiator needs to be kept above the engine
cylinder level for the flow of water to the engine under gravity
for the efficient functioning of the system.
• The circulation of hot water is started only when engines
become hot.
• The thermosyphon cooling system is not suitable for heavy-duty
engines where a very high rate of heat transfer is required.
• The level of water in the radiator should be kept above delivery
pipes to avoid an excessive temperature rise of cooling water
and the formation of steam.
• In this system, the temperature of the cooling water should
strictly maintain. It should not be allowed to increase by more
than 80ºC.
 2. Forced circulation cooling system(or Pump
Circulation Cooling System)

• In this system, circulation of

water is obtained by a pump.
This pump is driven by means
of engine output shaft through
V-belts.
• This system is used in a large
number of vehicles like cars,
buses , trucks and other heavy
vehicles. Here, circulation of
water takes place with
convection currents helped by
a pump.

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Cooling Tower

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 Cooling Tower
• A cooling tower is a heat rejection device, which extracts waste heat to the
atmosphere though the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature.
• The type of heat rejection in a cooling tower is termed "evaporative" in that it
allows a small portion of the water being cooled to evaporate into a moving
air stream to provide significant cooling to the rest of that water stream.
• The heat from the water stream transferred to the air stream raises the air's
temperature and its relative humidity to 100%, and this air is discharged to
the atmosphere.
• Evaporative heat rejection devices such as cooling towers are commonly used
to provide significantly lower water temperatures than achievable with "air
cooled" or "dry" heat rejection devices, like the radiator in a car, thereby
achieving more cost-effective and energy efficient operation of systems in
need of cooling.
• Think of the times you've seen something hot be rapidly cooled by putting
water on it, which evaporates, cooling rapidly, such as an overheated car
radiator. The cooling potential of a wet surface is much better than a dry one.
 Direct (Open Circuit) Cooling Tower

• A direct, or open circuit cooling tower is an enclosed structure with internal

means to distribute the warm water fed to it over a labyrinth-like packing or
"fill." The fill provides a vastly expanded air-water interface for heating of the air
and evaporation to take place. The water is cooled as it descends through the fill
by gravity while in direct contact with air that passes over it. The cooled water is
then collected in a cold water basin below the fill from which it is pumped back
through the process to absorb more heat. The heated and moisture laden air
leaving the fill is discharged to the atmosphere at a point remote enough from the
air inlets to prevent its being drawn back into the cooling tower.

• The fill may consist of multiple, mainly vertical, wetted surfaces upon which a
thin film of water spreads (film fill), or several levels of horizontal splash
elements which create a cascade of many small droplets that have a large
combined surface area (splash fill).
 Indirect (Closed Circuit) Cooling Tower

• An indirect, or closed circuit cooling tower involves no direct contact of the air
and the fluid, usually water or a glycol mixture, being cooled. Unlike the open
cooling tower, the indirect cooling tower has two separate fluid circuits. One is
an external circuit in which water is recirculated on the outside of the second
circuit, which is tube bundles (closed coils) which are connected to the process
for the hot fluid being cooled and returned in a closed circuit. Air is drawn
through the recirculating water cascading over the outside of the hot tubes,
providing evaporative cooling similar to an open cooling tower. In operation the
heat flows from the internal fluid circuit, through the tube walls of the coils, to
the external circuit and then by heating of the air and evaporation of some of the
water, to the atmosphere. Operation of the indirect cooling towers is therefore
very similar to the open cooling tower with one exception. The process fluid
being cooled is contained in a "closed" circuit and is not directly exposed to the
atmosphere or the recirculated external water.
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Advantages of Liquid Cooling System

• Uniform cooling of cylinder, cylinder head and

valves.

• fuel consumption of engine improves by using

water cooling system.

• The Engine need not be provided at the front end

of moving vehicle because of cooling system.

• Engine is less noisy as compared with air cooled

engines, as it has water for damping noise.
 Disadvantages of Liquid Cooling System

• It depends upon the supply of water.

• The water pump which circulates water absorbs

considerable power.

• If the water cooling system fails then it will result in

several damage of engine.

• The water cooling system is costlier as it has more

number of parts.

• Also it requires more maintenance and care for its parts.

7. Lubricating system:

• This circuit includes lubricating oil tank, oil pump and oil cooler.
• The purpose of the lubrication system is to reduce the wear of the engine
moving parts. Part of the cylinder such as piston, shafts, valves must be
lubricated.
• Lubrication also helps to cool the engine.
• In the lubrication system the oil is pumped from the lubricating oil tank through
the oil cooler where the oil is cooled by the cold water entering the engine.
• The hot oil after cooling the moving parts return to the lubricating oil tank.
• The system minimizes the wear of rubbing surfaces of the engine.
• The cost of the lubricating oil in the diesel plant is considerable compared with
other plants as the consumption is nearly 3 liters per 1000 kW-hr generated at
full load conditions.
• Thus the lubricating oil consumption is nearly 1% of the fuel oil consumption.
• The lubrication oil is drawn from the lubricating oil tank by the pump and is
passed through filter to remove impurities .
• The clean lubrication oil is delivered to the points which require lubrication.

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 Purpose of Lubrication

• To reduce friction and wear between the parts having relative motion.

• To cool the surfaces by carrying away heat generated due to friction

• To seal a space adjoining the surfaces such as piston rings and cylinder
liner.

• To clean the surface by carrying away the carbon and metal particles
caused by wear.

• To absorb shock between bearings and other parts and consequently reduce
noise.

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 Methods of lubrication:

1. Mechanical system – Splash lubrication

2. Pressure lubrication system.

a. Wet sump lubrication system
b. Dry sump lubrication system.

3. Semi pressure lubrication system.

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 1.Splash lubrication

• In the splash lubrication system, the oil retained in the oil pan is churned
and splashed up by the internal parts of the engine.

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 2.PRESSURE LUBRICATION SYSTEM

• In the pressure lubrication system, the lubricating oil is pumped under

pressure to the various engine bearings.

• The oil is delivered by an oil pump under a pressure of 1.5bar to 4 bar into
an oil gallery or distributor duct.

• This gallery distributes oil to the various engine parts and bearings.

• The oil pump is driven by the engine crankshaft or camshaft.

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 2.PRESSURE LUBRICATION SYSTEM

• Oil drawn from oil sump is pumped under pressure to the various parts
requiring lubrication.
• The oil is drawn from the sump through filter and pumped by means of a
gear pump.
• The pressure pump at pressure ranging delivers oil from 1.5 to 4 bar.
• The oil under pressure is supplied to main bearings of crankshaft and
camshaft. Holes drilled through the main crankshafts bearing journals,
communicate oil to the big end bearings and also small end bearings
through holes drilled in connecting rods.
• A pressure gauge is provided to confirm the circulation of oil to the various
parts. A pressure regulating valve is also provided on the delivery side of
this pump to prevent excessive pressure.

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 a) Wet sump lubrication
• In the wet sump lubrication system, the main oil supply is kept in the sump
which is below the engine cylinder in the crankcase.
• The oil pump draws oil from the crankcase and forces it through the
lubricating oil filters to the various parts of the engine.
• This system is widely used in cars and trucks.

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 b)Dry sump lubrication

• The dry sump lubrication is used in more expensive cars.

• In the dry sump pressure lubrication system, there is no oil sump in the
crankshaft chamber.
• In this system, the oil is kept either in a separate tank or reservoir, provided
with cooling fins.
• Two pumps are used in this system.
• One pump sucks the oil from the reservoir and forces it under pressure to
the various bearings of the engine, as in the wet sump system.
• The other pump (also called scavenger oil pump) is of large capacity. This
pump sucks oil which drains down to the bottom of the crankshaft
chamber, and returns it to the oil reservoir

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b)Dry sump lubrication

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 3.Semi pressure lubrication system

• The semi pressure lubrication system is a combination of splash and

pressure lubrication system.

• Most automotive engines use this system.

• This is more simple and less costly than the complete pressure lubrication
system.

• This system also enables bearing loads and engine speeds than for the
splash system.

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Governing system

• The function of the governing system is to maintain the speed

of the engine

• This is done generally by varying fuel supply to the engine

according to load.

• It is achieved with use of governors.

5.4 Diesel Plant Performance
Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP)
In order to determine the power developed by the engine, the indicator
diagram of engine should be available. From the area of indicator diagram it is
possible to find an average gas pressure that while acting on piston throughout
one stroke would account for the network done. This pressure is called
indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP).
Indicated Power (IP)
It is the power developed in the cylinder. The indicated horse power (IP) of the
engine can be calculated as follows:

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BRAKE POWER (BP)
Brake power is defined as the net power available at the crankshaft. It is found
by measuring the output torque with a dynamometer.

where, T is torque in N-m and N is the rotational speed in revolutions per

minute.
FRICTIONAL POWER (FP)
The difference of IP and BP is called FP. It is utilized in overcoming frictional
resistance of rotating and sliding parts of the engine.

INDICATED THERMAL EFFICIENCY (ηi )

It is defined as the ratio of indicated work to thermal input.

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BRAKE THERMAL EFFICIENCY (OVERALL EFFICIENCY)
It is defined as the ratio of brake output to thermal input.

MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY (ηm)

It is defined as the ratio of BP to IP. Therefore,

Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC)

The specific fuel consumption (SFC) of a diesel engine is an important
parameter of engine performance and is calculated to judge the economy in
production with a particular engine, using a particular fuel. It is defined as the
amount of fuel burnt per brake power per hour.

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47
5.5 Method of Starting and Stopping Engines
The actual process of starting may differ from engine to engine, but there are
certain common steps in the process which are as follows:
1. If air starting system is employed, the pressure of the air should be checked
and the air system inspected for possible leakage. Air should not leak into
the cylinders. The storage battery should be checked if electric motor is used
for starting. Periodic checking of battery is also required.
2. Check for fuel, lube oil and cooling water as prescribed by the manufactures
is necessary before starting engine.
3. There should be no load on the engine at starting and decompression device
is used.
4. The engine is run at slow speed for a few minutes, and the various systems
such as fuel, lubricating oil system etc. are again checked.
5. The speed of the engine should be gradually increased till it synchronizes
with the bus bars.
6. Then the generator is connected to the bus bar when it is in synchronism and
the speed is increased till it begins to share the load as desired.

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The engine should not be stopped abruptly prescribed procedure should be
followed. The methods normally used are:
1. Stopping fuel supply.
2. Stopping the action of injection pump.
3. Keeping the exhaust valve open.
4. Shutting off air supply.

Anyone of the above methods can be employed. If an engine is to be stopped,

its speed should be reduced gradually until practically no power is delivered by
the alternator. Then the unit should be disconnected from the bus and engine
allowed to idle for a few minutes. It should then be stopped in conformity with
the instructions detailed by the manufactures. Flow of coolant and lubricating
oil through the engine should be maintained for sometime after stopping the
engine.

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 Advantages of Diesel Power Plant
1. This is simple in design point of view.

2. Required very small space.

3. It can also be designed for portable use.

4. It has quick starting facility; the small diesel generator set can be
started within few seconds.

5. It can also be stopped as when required stopping small size

diesel power station, even easier than it’s starting

6. As these machines can easily be started and stopped as when

required, there may not be any standby loss in the system.
 Advantages of Diesel Power Plant

7. Cooling is easy and required smaller quantity of water in this

type power station.

8. Initial cost is less than other types of power station.

9. Thermal efficiency of diesel is quite higher than of coal.

10. Small involvement is less than steam power station.

11. It requires less operating staff.

12. The overall cost is much less than that of steam power
station of same capacity.
13. It can respond to varying loads without any difficulty.
 Disadvantages of Diesel Power Plant
• As we have already mentioned, the cost of diesel is very high
compared to coal. This is the main reason for which a diesel power
plant is not getting popularity over other means of generating
power. In other words the running cost of this plant is higher
compared to steam and hydro power plants.
• The plant generally used to produce small power requirement.
• In a diesel plant noise is a serious problem.
• Maintenance is quite complex and costs high.
• The plant doesn’t work satisfactorily under overload conditions for a
longer period.
• The cost of lubrication is generally high.
• The maintenances charges are generally high
• The capacity of a diesel plant is limited. They cannot be constructed
in large sizes.
Applications of Diesel Power Plant

• Peak Load Plant: used in combination with thermal or

Hydropower plants

• Mobile Plants: Used in Construction Works

• Emergency and stand by units: hospitals, tunnels, industry

• Nursery Station: Power to small town in the absence of grid

• Starting Stations: Starting of large steam power plants

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Example 1
A single cylinder engine operating at 2000 rpm develops a torque of 8 N-
m. The indicated power of the engine is 2.0 KW. Find loss due to friction
as the percentage of brake power.

Question 1
A single cylinder engine running at 1800 rpm
develops a torque of 8 Nm. The indicated
power of the engine 1.8 kW. Find the loss due
to friction power as the percentage of
indicated power. (Ans: 20, 19.3, 16.22,
Example 2
A diesel engine power plant operated by a two stroke diesel engine was
motored when the meter reading was 4.5 KW. Then the test on the engine
was carried out for one hour run and the following observations were
recorded: (i) Brake Torque = 250 Nm;
(ii) Speed = 1500 rpm; (iii) Fuel consumed = 5 Kg/hr and (iv)
Calorific value of fuel = 40 MJ/Kg. Determine
i) Mechanical Efficiency
ii) Indicated thermal efficiency
iii) Brake thermal Efficiency
iv) Indicated Specific fuel consumption and
v) Brake specific fuel consumption
Question 2
A vertical single cylinder four stroke diesel engine has a bore = 80 mm
and stroke =100mm respectively. It develops a torque of 3.5 N-m. If the
mechanical efficiency is 90%, calculate the mean effective pressure of the
engine. (Ans: 97.22)

Question 3
A diesel engine consumes fuel at the rate of 5.5 gm/sec and develops a
power of 75 KW. If the mechanical efficiency is 85%. The lower heating
value of the fuel is 44 MJ/Kg. Determine,
i) Brake specific fuel consumption. (0.264
ii) Indicated specific fuel consumption. (0.224
iii) Brake thermal efficiency. (30.99%)
iv) Indicated thermal efficiency.(36.46%)
Example 3
The following observations were recorded during a trial of four stroke engine
with a rope dynamometer. Engine speed = 650 rpm, Dia. of brake drum =
600mm, Dia. of rope = 50mm, Dead load on the brake drum = 32 Kg, spring
balance reading = 4.75 Kg, Mechanical Efficiency = 80%. Calculate the brake
power, Indicated Power and Friction Power.
Question 4
In a test for four-cylinders, four-stroke engine has a diameter of 100 mm, Stroke =
120 mm, Speed of engine = 1800 rpm, fuel consumption of 0.2 Kg/min, calorific
value of fuel is 44000KJ/Kg. Difference in tension on either side of brake pulley =
40 Kg, Brake circumference is 300 cm. if the mechanical efficiency is 90%,
determine
i) Brake thermal efficiency
ii) Indicated thermal efficiency
iii) Indicated mean effective pressure, and
iv) Brake specific fuel consumption.
 Question 5
A 4-cylinder, 4-stroke cycle engine having cylinder diameter 100 mm and stroke 120
mm was tested at 1600 rpm and the following readings were obtained. Fuel
consumption = 0.27 litres/minute, Specific gravity fuel = 0.74, B.P. = 31.4 kW,
Mechanical efficiency = 80%, Calorific value of fuel = 44000 kJ/kg. Determine:
i) bsfc (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption)
ii) imep, (Indicated Mean Effective Pressure), and
iii) Brake thermal efficiency.
• Explain fuel storage and supply system of a diesel power plant with a neat
sketch. Also write down applications of diesel power plants.
• What are the different methods used for cooling diesel engines? Explain the
function of cooling tower.
• Why do we need cooling system in diesel power plant? Explain different
types of cooling system used in diesel power plant with neat sketches.
• Explain the layout diagram of diesel power plant. Explain in brief.
• Write down the function of lubricating oil in diesel engine. Sketch
lubricating system of a diesel power plant and explain its working.
• Sketch the main components of a diesel power plant. Write down the
function of starting air supply system.
• Explain the fuel supply system of a diesel power plant with a sketch.

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