SRM Institute of Science & Technology

Faculty of Engineering and Technology

Ramapuram Campus
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

2 marks
List out the various feedstocks used for biomass.
Biomass Feedstocks
Biomass feedstocks include,
dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, algae, wood processing
residues, municipal waste, and wet waste (crop wastes, forest residues, purpose-grown grasses,
woody energy crops, algae, industrial wastes, sorted municipal solid waste [MSW], urban wood
waste, and food waste).
Define gasification.
Gasification is a technology that converts material containing carbon, such as coal, biomass, and
waste, into synthetic gas.
Five Processes of Gasification
There are five primary processes of gasification: drying, pyrolysis, combustion, cracking, and
reduction.

What is anaerobic digestion?

Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break
down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.

What are the different types of biomass conversion routes?

THERMAL CONVERSION
Chemical conversion
BIOFUELS

What is the difference between combustion and pyrolysis?

Combustion refers to the process where a substance burns in the presence of Oxygen, giving off
heat and light in the process.
Pyrolysis can be defined as the process of subjecting substances to highly elevated temperatures in
relatively inert atmospheres in order to facilitate their thermal decomposition.
Define fuel cells.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen)
and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions.
List out the components of flywheel.
Flywheel Rotor

Motor/Generator

Bearings

Vacuum Chamber

Mention the testing methods of ultracapacitors.

Electrical Characteristics Testing
A. Capacitance Measurement
B. Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR)
Performance Testing
A. Charge/Discharge Cycles
B. Energy Density and Power Density
C. Leakage Current Testing
D. Impedance Spectroscopy

What are the constituents of battery and what are they used for.
Anode: The anode is the negative electrode where oxidation occurs during discharge.
Cathode: The cathode is the positive electrode where reduction occurs during discharge.
Electrolyte: The electrolyte is a chemical medium that allows ions to flow between the anode and
cathode during the discharge and charge cycles.
Separator: The separator is a porous material that physically separates the anode and cathode,
preventing them from making direct contact, which could lead to a short circuit.

16 Marks

1. Explain Combustion, gasification, anaerobic digestion and cogeneration.

COMBUSTION
Combustion refers to the process where a substance burns in the presence of Oxygen,
giving off heat and light in the process.
Types of Combustion
1. Complete combustion: When the reaction takes place in the presence of abundant
Oxygen, the substances combine with Oxygen to their maximum extent. Such
reactions have heat and light as a visible by-product.
2. Incomplete combustion: These are defined as the reactions that occur in the absence
of sufficient oxygen because of which substances are unable to burn completely. Such
reactions leave soot in the container due to this process along with the formation of
Carbon monoxide which is an air pollutant.
 GASIFICATION
Gasification is a technology that converts material containing carbon, such as
coal, biomass, and waste, into synthetic gas.
Five Processes of Gasification
There are five primary processes of gasification: drying, pyrolysis, combustion, cracking,
and reduction.
Drying
• In drying, the moisture in the biomass needs to be eliminated before it proceeds to
pyrolysis.
• With the higher temp process, all the biomass's water will get vaporized out of the
fuel.
• The more moisture, the more energy is needed for drying, with a lower gas enthalpy
produced.
Pyrolysis
• Pyrolysis is fundamentally the process of charring and applying heat to raw biomass
to break it down into charcoal and different tar liquids and gasses.
• Once biomass's temperature rises above 240 degrees Celsius, it begins to decompose
with heat rapidly.
• The biomass breaks down into a mixture of solids, liquids, and gasses. The remaining
solids are labeled charcoal, while the liquids and gasses released are called tars.
Combustion
• The only net exothermic process of gasification is combustion.
• The combustion in a downdraft aims to get good mixing and high temperatures so that
all the tars are cracked or burned and not present in the outgoing gas.
• Primarily an issue of tar cracking in the combustion zone is solving the tar problem.
The combustion products should ideally be CO and H2O.
Cracking
• The primary purpose of cracking is to further break down tars into gasses that can be
used more efficiently.
• Tars are a mixture of light and heavy molecules that can condense and clog the
gasifier.
• Cracking breaks these larger molecules into smaller pieces so they can flow more
freely and will not block the gasifier.
• This is important in gasification because it helps break down the tars produced in
pyrolysis into smaller, more manageable molecules.
Reduction
 • The final process of gasification is reduction, which reduces the oxygen content of the
syngas to produce a fuel that will use more efficiently.
• Reduction is made by passing the syngas through a reducing agent, such as carbon
monoxide (CO).
• Reduction is the direct reverse of the combustion process. Thus, a reduction is
removing oxygen from waste products at high temperatures to produce combustible
gasses.
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break
down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.
• The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce
fuels.
• Acidogenic bacteria then convert the sugars and amino acids into carbon
dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, and organic acids. In acetogenesis, bacteria convert
these resulting organic acids into acetic acid, along with additional ammonia,
hydrogen, and carbon dioxide amongst other compounds.
• Finally, methanogens convert these products to methane and carbon dioxide

PYROLYSIS:
• Pyrolysis can be defined as the process of subjecting substances to highly elevated
temperatures in relatively inert atmospheres in order to facilitate their thermal
decomposition.
• The process of pyrolysis is widely used to break down organic substances. For
example, the charring of wood (or the incomplete combustion of wood) that results in
the formation of charcoal involves the process of pyrolysis.
COGENERATION
Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power
station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.
• Cogeneration plants are highly efficient, with efficiency rates of 80-90%, compared to
the 35% efficiency of conventional power plants.
• In a conventional power plant, the fuel is burnt in a boiler, which in turn produces
high pressure steam. This high pressure steam is used to drive a tribune, which is in
turn is connected to an alternator and hence drive an alternator to produce electric
energy.
• The exhaust steam in a conventional power plant is sent to a condenser, where it cools
down, turns back into water, and returns to the boiler to produce more electricity.
These plants are only 35% efficient.
• In a cogeneration plant, low-pressure steam from the turbine is not condensed into
water but is used for heating or cooling buildings and factories, utilizing its high
thermal energy.
2. Explain open cycle and closed cycle ocean Thermal Energy Conversion in detail.

OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY (OTEC)

• Ocean Thermal Energy, also called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC),
refers to using the temperature difference between the deep parts of the sea, which are
cold and the shallow parts of the sea, which are cold, to run a heat engine and produce
useful work.
• The deeper parts of the ocean are cooler because the heat of sunlight cannot penetrate
very deep into the water.

• CLOSED CYCLE:
• Closed cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion systems use a working fluid
with a low boiling point, Ammonia, for example, and use it to power a turbine
to generate electricity.
• Warm seawater is taken in from the surface of the oceans and cold
water from the deep at 5o.
• The warm seawater vaporises the fluid in the heat exchanger, turning
the generator’s turbines.
• The fluid now in the vapour state is brought in contact with cold water,
which turns it back into a liquid.
• The fluid is recycled in the system, which is why it is called a closed system.
 Advantages
1. Higher Efficiency: higher thermal efficiency compared to open cycle systems due to
the use of a working fluid with a low boiling point.
2. Environmental Protection: Since the working fluid is contained in a closed loop,
3. Consistent Power Generation.
Disadvantages
1. High Initial Costs
2. Limited Locations
3. Maintenance Challenges
4. Energy Losses: has energy losses in the heat exchange process

OPEN CYCLE:

Open cycle OTEC directly uses the warm water from the surface to make electricity.

1. The warm seawater is first pumped into a low-pressure chamber,

where it undergoes a drop in boiling point due to the pressure drop.
2. This causes the water to boil.
3. This steam drives a low-pressure turbine which is attached to an
electrical generator.
2. The advantage this system has over a closed system is that, in the open cycle,
desalinated water is obtained in the form of steam.
1. Since it is steam, it is free from all impurities.
2. This water can be used for domestic, industrial, or agricultural
purposes.
 Advantages
1. Simple Design
2. Direct Use of Seawater
3. Freshwater Production
4. Environmentally Friendly

Disadvantages

• Lower Efficiency.

• Environmental Concerns

• Corrosion and Biofouling

3. Explain principle of operation of fuel cells and its performance characteristics in

detail.

Fuel cell
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel
(often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair
of redox reactions.
There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist of an anode, a cathode, and
an electrolyte that allows ions, often positively charged hydrogen ions (protons), to
move between the two sides of the fuel cell.
Working:
• At the anode, a catalyst causes the fuel to undergo oxidation reactions that generate
ions (often positively charged hydrogen ions) and electrons.
• The ions move from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte. At the same
time, electrons flow from the anode to the cathode through an external circuit,
producing direct current electricity.
 • At the cathode, another catalyst causes ions, electrons, and oxygen to react, forming
water and possibly other products.

Fuel cells are classified by the type of electrolyte they use and by the difference in
start-up time ranging from 1 second for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM
fuel cells, or PEMFC) to 10 minutes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC).
Design features in a fuel cell include:
• The electrolyte substance, which usually defines the type of fuel cell, and can be made
from a number of substances like potassium hydroxide, salt carbonates, and
phosphoric acid
• The most common fuel that is used is hydrogen.
• The anode catalyst, usually fine platinum powder, breaks down the fuel into electrons
and ions.
• The cathode catalyst, often nickel, converts ions into waste chemicals, with water
being the most common type of waste.
• Gas diffusion layers that are designed to resist oxidization.
A typical fuel cell produces a voltage from 0.6 to 0.7 V at a full-rated load. Voltage decreases
as current increases, due to several factors:
• Activation loss
 • Ohmic loss (voltage drop due to resistance of the cell components and
interconnections)
• Mass transport loss (depletion of reactants at catalyst sites under high loads, causing
rapid loss of voltage).
FUEL CELL CHARACTERISTICS CURVE
• A typical voltage-current characteristic of a fuel cell is shown in Figure 1. As can be
seen, the actual voltage decreases as a function of the current drawn from the fuel cell.
• As shown, fuel cell I-V characteristic curve is divided into three regions: R-1, R-2,
and R-3. The point at the boundary of regions R-2 and R-3 is known as maximum
power density point or knee/optimum point.
• Loading the fuel cells above the maximum power point (MPP) current will shift the
operating point right of the optimum point (region R-3) causing a sudden collapse of
the fuel cell voltage to zero. Therefore, no power could be drawn from the cell.
• Extended operation in region R-3 may damage the fuel cell. Fuel cells are generally
operated in the region R-2 of the characteristics shown in Figure 1.

4. Explain the principle of operation of micro turbines and discuss its advantages and
disadvantages.
Microturbines are small, high-efficiency gas turbine engines that are used to generate
electricity or mechanical power.
Key Features of Microturbines:
 1. Size and Efficiency: Microturbines are much smaller than traditional gas turbines,
making them suitable for decentralized or distributed energy production. They can
operate efficiently at part-load and are capable of high electrical efficiency in certain
configurations (especially when used in combined heat and power or CHP systems).
2. Fuel Flexibility: Microturbines can run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas,
diesel, propane, and even renewable fuels like biogas or hydrogen. This flexibility
makes them attractive for use in a variety of industries, from backup power to
combined heat and power (CHP) systems.
3. Low Emissions: Microturbines typically have lower emissions compared to larger
fossil fuel-based power generation systems. Their small size and efficient combustion
process help minimize environmental impacts.
4. Modular and Scalable: These systems are often modular, meaning multiple units can
be added together to increase power capacity as needed. This makes them adaptable
for various energy demands, whether for residential, industrial, or commercial use.
5. Noise and Vibration: Microturbines are known for their relatively low noise levels
compared to larger turbines or internal combustion engines, making them suitable for
installations in noise-sensitive areas.
6. Reliability: With fewer moving parts than traditional engines, microturbines are
considered to be reliable and durable. They can also operate in harsh environments,
making them useful in remote locations or for backup power applications.
The principle of operation of a microturbine is based on the same fundamental
thermodynamic principles as larger gas turbines, specifically the Brayton Cycle,
• Air Compression
• Combustion
• Turbine Expansion
• Exhaust