ELEMENTS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING [18ME15 / 25]

UNIT 1

ENERGY
ENERGY RESOURCES: energy is defined as the capacity to do work. it is primary
requirement for day to day activities of human beings.

ENERGY- CAPACITY TO DO WORK.

 Most of the energy that we use is mainly derived from conventional energy sources.

 Due to the vast demand of energy, the rate of depletion of these resources has reached alarmingly
low levels.

 This situation has directed us to seek alternate energy sources such as solar, wind, ocean,
biomass, Hydel etc.

ENERGY SOURCES:

 The energy existing in the earth is known as capital energy.

 Energy that comes from outer space is called Celestial or Income energy.

 The Capital energy sources are mainly, fossil fuels, nuclear fuels and heat traps.

 Celestial energy sources are- Electromagnetic, gravitational and particle energy

from stars, planets, moon etc.

 Electromagnetic energy of the earth’s sun is called direct solar energy. this results
in wind, hydel, geothermal, biofuel, etc.

 Gravitational energy of earth’s moon produces tidal energy.

RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY:

Energy sources which are continuously produced in nature and are

essentially inexhaustible are called renewable energy sources.

1. Direct solar energy 2. Wind energy

3. Tidal energy 4. Hydel energy

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5. Ocean thermal energy 6. Bio energy

7. Geo thermal energy 8. Peat

9. Fuel wood 10. Fuel cells

NON- RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

Energy sources which have been accumulated over the ages and not quickly replenish
able when they are exhausted.

1. Fossil fuels.

2. Nuclear fuels.

3. Heat traps.

ADVANTAGES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

1. Non exhaustible.

2. Can be matched in scale to the need and can deliver quality energy.

3. Can be built near the load point.

4. Flexibility in the design of conversion systems.

5. Local self-sufficiency by harnessing locally available renewable energy.

6. Except biomass, all other sources are pollution free.

DISADVANTAGES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

1. Intermittent nature of availability of energy such as solar, wind, tidal etc. is a

major setback in the continuous supply of energy.

2. Solar energy received at the earth is dependent on local atmosphere conditions,

time of the day, part of the year etc.

3. Sources such as wind, tidal etc. are concentrated only in certain regions.

4. Technology is not fully developed to meet the present energy requirements.

5. Systems such as solar cells require advanced technologies and hence costlier.

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6. Application to transport sector has been found to be not viable as on today.

ADVANTAGES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

1. Initial cost is lower. Hence widely used.

2. Unit power costs are much lower and so are economical

3. Sources are highly reliable.

4. Power generation technologies are well established.

DISADVANTAGES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

1. The sources are getting depleted and soon will be exhausted.

2. They pollute the atmosphere.

3. They are not freely available.

DIFFERENCE EWEEN HE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND NON-RENEWABLE

ENERGY SOURCES

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE
RESOURCE
1 These are non-exhaustible with their use. These are exhaustible with their use
Causes Pollution ( Hazardous to
2 These are pollution free
environment)
These are not directly available at free of
3 These are available at free of cost
cost
Initial cost to extract the energy source is more,
4 Initial cost and maintenance cost is more..
but the maintenance cost is less.
The technology to extract the energy sources The technology to extract the energy
5
is not yet completely developed sources is developed.
Examples: Solar energy, Wind energy, tidal
6 Examples: Fossil fuels, Nuclear enery.
energy

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FUELS
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One of the most important sources of energy is fuels which are used in various forms and have wide
applications like cooking and power generation.

PROPERTIES OF FUELS:

1. It should liberate high amount of energy per unit mass.

2. Heat production should be eco-friendly.

3. It should be easy to transport and handle.

4. It should be available in large quantity to meet the energy demand.

5. It should be corrosion-resistant.

6. It should not be pungent (taste and smell).

7. It should be less volatile (easily evaporative).

8. It should have high evaporation temperature in the operating range.

9. It should be non-toxic and non-poisonous.

10. It should not be chemically explosive.

CALORIFIC VALUE (CV) or HEAT VALUE

• The calorific value of a fuel is the amount of heat liberated by burning a fuel. Precisely, the amount
of energy produced during the complete combustion of a unit quantity of fuel is called the calorific
value (CV) or heat value.

• It is expressed in J/kg for solid and liquid fuels and J/m3 for gaseous fuels.

• Higher calorific value (HCV) or gross calorific value: It is the amount of energy released per
kilogram of solid or liquid fuel and per cubic meter of a gaseous fuel, when the products of
combustion are cooled down to the original fuel temperature

• Lower calorific value (LCV) or net calorific value: It is the amount of energy released per
kilogram of solid or liquid fuel and per cubic meter of a gaseous fuel, when the products of

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• combustion are not cooled down to the original fuel temperature

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CLASSIFICATION OF FUELS

Fuels are classified according to their existence,

1) Natural fuels: Exist in original form.

Ex. wood, fatty oils, coal etc.

2) Artificial fuels or manufactured fuels: are products of distillation or other processes.

Ex. coke, petrol, diesel, oven gas, flue gas, benzene, etc.

Majorly fuels are classified according to their existence as:

1. Solid fuels

2. Liquid fuels, and

3. Gaseous fuels.

SOLID FUELS:

i) Wood:

• Wood is a good domestic fuel particularly used in rural areas where it is found abundantly and
cheaply.

• It’s by-products are methyl alcohol, acetic acid, etc., obtained by destructive distillation of wood,
and is used in industries.

• The major limitation of using wood as a fuel is high moisture content and low calorific value.

Also, fuel wood releases large quantity of smoke, which may pose health hazards.

ii) Coal:

• Coal is the most extensively (widely) used fuel in industries.

• It is produced by natural decay of plants over millions of years and compacted under pressure and
temperature below the Earth’s surface.

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• The main constituents of coal are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, moisture and ash.
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• Peat, Lignite coal, Bituminous coal, Anthracite, Wood charcoal, Briquetted coal, Pulverized coal
are the few types of coal which are generally available.

LIQUID FUELS

• Liquid fuels are mostly found beneath the Earth’s surface and is tapped out by drilling wells.

• They are formed from animals and vegetative debris, which were buried millions of years ago and
undergo pressure and temperature effects to convert them to petroleum.

• Petroleum will have impurities and are filtered out during fractional distillation to obtain petrol
(gasoline), diesel, kerosene, paraffin oil etc.

i) Petrol (gasoline):

• It is also known as gasoline and is the most volatile (easily evaporative) liquid fuel.

• It is used in I.C. engine to drive automobiles.

• Gasoline is obtained from fractional distillation of petroleum and is the lightest of all fuels obtained
out of distillation.

ii) Kerosene (paraffin oil):

• It is obtained by fractional distillation of petroleum.

• It is heavier than gasoline and lighter than diesel oil.

• It is less volatile compared to gasoline.

• Kerosene is used as a household fuel for domestic purposes.

iii) Diesel oil:

• Diesel oil is obtained after gasoline and kerosene during fractional distillation of petroleum.

• It may be obtained by direct distillation, cracking or blending several oils.

• The name „diesel‟ is given to it since it is extensively used in diesel engines (engines working on
Diesel cycle). Specially synthesized diesel is used as aircraft fuel.

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Iv) Alcohol:
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• Alcohol is one of the liquid fuels prepared by fermentation of vegetable matters.

• It is costlier than gasoline and has low energy content (i.e. low calorific value).

It is an industrial fuel and is hardly used for domestic purposes

Gaseous fuels

i. Natural gas:

• Are obtained usually near petroleum fields beneath the Earth's surface.

• The Earth is deep drilled to tap out natural gas.

• Natural gas is mixture of methane, ethane, propane and traces of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide
and nitrogen.

ii. Manufactured gases:

• Which are produced from coal, waste materials etc.

• Coal gas, Coke oven gas, Producer gas, Water gas, Blast furnace gas, Sewer gas are examples of
manufactured gases.

BIOFUELS

• The substance created by living stock i.e. mainly plants and animals, is called biomass.

• These organic elements (substances) which have high carbon content react with oxygen and in
normal metabolic process, produce fuel which is known as bio fuel.

BIOGAS

• Biogas is an asset especially for rural India.

• The animal excreta, vegetable and fruit waste etc. are decomposed and fermented to produce a gas
called biogas.

• During this process, some organic solid and liquid residue is also obtained which can be used as

manure or fertilizer. Rural Indian people use animal dung, agricultural residue and dried plants as

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fuels, but their use results in smoky kitchens and health hazards. Their storage attracts insects which
is again harmful, especially in rainy seasons.

• Biogas can be an energy source for agricultural pumps, tractors, small scale industries etc.

HYDRO ENERGY (HYDEL POWER PLANT)

 It is an indirect source of solar energy.

 The water from the earth’s surface gets evaporated by solar heat and forms as clouds.

 This in turn results in rainfall.

 Hydro-electricity is generated from running water.

 Dams are built across a lake or river to trap the water. A long pipe known as penstock is used
to draw the water from the reservoir.

Working Principle:

The rain water flowing as river can be stored behind dams and released in a regulated way to generate
hydro power. The potential energy of water stored at a height is converted in to mechanical energy in
water turbines. The mechanical energy produced by the water turbines is converted in to electrical
energy. After doing useful work water is discharged from the turbine to the river through a water way
to the tail race.

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Advantages:

1. These can be used for power generation in large scale.

2.Environmental friendly source of energy.

3. As water is natural resource, it is the energy available at free of cost.

Disadvantages:

1.It is expensive to build the dam.

2.By building a dam, the nearby area may be flooded and this could affect near by wildlife and plants.

3. As water is natural resource, it is the energy available at free of cost.

SOLAR ENERGY

The intensity of incoming solar radiation at any point on the earth depends on:

• Time of the day

• Latitude (location)

• Season

• Clouds

• Air pollution, and

• Height above sea level.

SOLAR CONSTANT

The Solar Constant is the rate at which energy is received from the sun on a unit area perpendicular to the
rays of the Sun, at the mean distance of the earth from the Sun.

Solar constant = 1367 W/m2

SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY HARVESTING

1.Liquid flat plate collectors

2.Solar ponds
3.Solar photovoltaic principle
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SOLAR FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR

 In flat plate collector, a blackened sheet of metal is used to absorb all the sunlight,
direct, diffuse and reflected ones.

 A flat metallic plate made of copper, aluminium etc. called absorber, is painted or coated with
black to absorb solar energy and is placed below a glass plate.

 Glass plate helps to scatter the solar energy over the plate surface more effectively with minimum
loss and to allow only short wavelength radiation to pass through.

 A sheet of metal coated with black color has the property of absorbing all the light and converting it
to heat. The heat generated is transferred to fluids like air, water etc.

 A number of copper tubes/pipes that carry water are fixed below the plate. The tubes are well
packed with insulating material like glass wool to minimize heat loss.

 The unit is kept at an angle of inclination facing south to receive maximum solar energy

Advantages:

1. The energy from the sun is available at free of cost

2. I is non depletable source of energy.

3. Doesn’t cause pollution.

4. The energy source can be directly converted in to required form.

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Disadvantages:

1.Initial cost is high.

2.Availability is not uniform.

3. The technology is not yet developed for commercial applications.

SOLAR PONDS

 A solar pond is a pool of water which acts as a large scale solar thermal energy collector.

 It collects and stores solar energy and can be used for drying, desalination or generating electricity.

Working Principle:

 The solar pond is filled with salt water.

 During daytime, the temperature of the pond increases due to energy absorbed from solar radiation.

As a result, the density of water decreases. Hence this warm water flows to the top surface of the

pond. High temperature water at about 90oC remains at the bottom of the pond.

 Salt gradient at the middle layer separates (insulates) the low density water from the water at the
bottom.

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WIND MILL

Working Principle:

 The Kinetic energy of moving air over the earth surface can be used for generation of electrical
energy.

 It is an indirect source of solar energy and can be utilized to produce electricity.

 It consists of a rotor fitted with blades.

 As the air current flows over the blades, the rotor rotates and produces energy.

 This in turn can be converted as electrical energy by coupling to a generator.

 Wind energy is also used for grinding grains, Pumping water.

MERITS

 Wind energy is inexhaustible/renewable source of energy.

 Wind energy is a cheap source of power.

 It is environmental friendly source of energy.

 Best source to generate energy in remote areas.

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DE-MERITS

• Only in selected places it can be harnessed.

• Fluctuating source of energy as it depends on velocity of wind.

NUCLEAR POWER

Nuclear Fission

• Involves splitting of nucleus of heavy atoms like uranium, plutonium, thorium etc. in a controlled chain
reaction.

• During fission, heat is released and this can be used to generate high pressure steam to drive turbines
and hence generate electricity.

• U-235 isotope is a fissile material which is used directly as nuclear fuel.

Nuclear Fusion

• Involves fusion of two lighter atoms to form the next heavier element. E.g. Fusion of deuterium and
tritium to form helium.

• Enormous amount of energy is released during nuclear fusion process.

NUCLEAR POWER

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Working Principle:
 Nuclear power plant consists of a nuclear reactor, a steam generator, cooling water condenser,
cooling tower, turbines and generators.
 Control rods (made of cadmium, boron or hafnium) are placed into reactor vessel and they control
the splitting of uranium atoms.
 The reactor and steam generators are housed inside a structure.
 Nuclear reactions produce enormous amount of energy which is transferred to steam generators
(boilers), where steam is produced by reaction of heat with cooling water.
 This steam is used to drive turbines and turbines are coupled with generators to produce power.
 The low pressure steam from the turbine passes through condensers and hence its temperature is
lowered. It is further cooled by mixing with cooling water drawn from cooling towers. It is then
pumped back to the steam generators and this cycle continues.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Environmental issues are defined as the problems with the planets systems (air, water, soil, etc) that have
developed as a result of human interferance or mistreatment of the planets.

 Global warming
 Ozone layer depletion
 Air, water and soil pollution
 Overpopulation
 Waste disposal
 Climatic changes
 Deforestation
 Acid rain
 Ocean acidification etc

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GLOBAL WARMING (GREEN HOUSE EFFECT)

The greenhouse effect is the problem caused by increased quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide in
the air. These gases trap the heat from the sun, and cause a gradual rise in the temperature of the Earth's
atmosphere.

Causes of Global warming (Green house effect)

 Emission of carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels.

 Emission of carbon dioxide from burning petroleum products.
 Deforestation
 Increase of use of chemical fertilizers
Effects of Global warming (Green house effect)

 Lead to crop failures

 Causes unseasonal rains
 Skin disease
 Increases the risk of floods as snow melts on the mountains.
 It is estimated that the earth will warm up by 4-5°C more in the 20th century and this may raise
ocean by 2-3 feet.
Ozone Layer Depletion

Ozone layer depletion is one of the most serious problems faced by our planet earth. It is also one of the
prime reasons which are leading to global warming. Ozone is a colorless gas which is found in the
stratosphere of our upper atmosphere. The layer of ozone gas is what which protects us from the harmful
ultraviolet radiations of the sun. The ozone layer absorbs these harmful radiations and thus prevents these
rays from entering the earth’s atmosphere. Ultraviolet radiations are high energy electromagnetic waves
emitted by the sun which if enters the earth’s atmosphere can lead to various environmental issues
including global warming, and also a number of health related issues for all living organisms. Thanks to
the ozone layer which protects us from these harmful rays.

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Effect of Ozone Layer Depletion

 Increases UV radiation over earths biosphere

 Causes skin cancer and eye disorders
 Decreases the rate of photosynthesis
 Leads to green house effect
 Causes diseases to the crops
 Causes genetic abnormalities
 It effects the marine life.

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