GMR Institute of Technology GMRIT/ADM/F-44

REV.: 00
Rajam, AP
(An Autonomous Institution Affiliated to JNTUGV, AP)
Cohesive Teaching – Learning Practices (CTLP)
Class 1st Sem. – B. Tech. Department: BSH
Course Basic Electrical and Electronics Engineering Course Code 23BEX01
Prepared by Dr. V.Manoj, Assistant Professor, Dr L V Suresh Kumar, Associate Professor
Lecture Topic Energy Resources
Course Outcome (s) CO3 Program Outcome (s) PO1, PO2
Duration 180 Min Lecture 15 to 17 Unit –II
Prerequisites Energy, Power

1. Objectives

 To introduce the power plant classifications and its working principles

2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

At the end of this session the students will able to:

At the end of this session the students will able to:

A. Understand the classifications of power plants
B. Explain the working principle of Nuclear Power plant
C. Explain the working principle of Solar Power plants
D. Explain the working principle of Hydro Power plant
E. Explain the working principle of Wind Power plant

3. 2D Mapping of ILOs with Knowledge Dimension and Cognitive Learning Levels of

RBT

Cognitive Learning Levels (2D)

Knowledge
Remember Understand Apply Analyse Evaluate Create
Dimension (1D)
Factual
Conceptual A B,C,D,E
Procedural
Meta Cognitive
Teaching Methodology

 Visual Presentation, Chalk & Board

4. Evocation

5. Deliverable

Lecture – 15:

The two major sources of energy are classified as:

 Conventional Sources
 Non-Conventional Sources
The classification of the sources of energy is given in the below image.
Conventional Sources of Energy
Conventional Sources of Energy are also known as non-renewable sources of energy and are
available in limited quantity apart from hydro-electric power. Further, it is classified under
commercial and non-commercial energy.
Commercial Energy Sources
Coal, electricity and petroleum are known as commercial energy since the consumer needs to
pay its price to buy them.
Coal
Coal is the most important source of energy. There are more than 148790 coal deposits in
India, and between 2005-2006, the annual production went up to 343 million tons. India is
the fourth-largest coal-producing country, and the deposits are primarily found in Bihar,
Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bengal.
Oil and Natural Gas
Oil is considered liquid gold and one of the crucial energy sources in India and the world. Oil is
primarily used in planes, automobiles, trains and ships. The total oil production in India was
0.3 million tons in 1950-51, which increased up to 32.4 million tons in 2000-01. It is mainly
found in Assam, Gujarat and Mumbai.
Electricity
Electricity is a common form of energy used for domestic and commercial purposes, and it is
mainly utilized in electrical appliances like fridges, T.V, washing machines and air
conditioning.
The major sources of power generation are:

 Nuclear Power
 Thermal Power
 Hydro-electric power
Thermal Power
Thermal power is generated at various power stations utilizing oil and coal. It is a vital source
of electric current, and its share in the nation’s total capacity in 2004-05 was 70 percent.

Hydroelectric Power
Hydroelectric power is produced by constructing dams above flowing rivers like Damodar
Valley Project and Bhakra Nangal Project. The installed capacity of hydroelectric power was
587.4 mW in 1950-51 and went up to 19600 mW in 2004-05.

Nuclear Power

The fuel used in nuclear power plants is Uranium, which costs less than coal. Nuclear power
plants can be found in Kaiga (Karnataka), Kota (Rajasthan), Naroura (UP) and
Kalapakam(Chennai).

Non-commercial Energy Sources

Generally, the freely available energy sources are considered non-commercial energy sources.
Examples of non-commercial energy sources include straw, dried dung, firewood./p>

Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Non-conventional sources are also known as renewable sources of energy. Examples of non-
conventional sources of energy include solar energy, bioenergy, tidal energy and wind energy.
Solar Energy
Solar Energy is produced by sunlight. The photovoltaic cells are exposed to sunlight based on
the form of electricity that needs to be produced. The energy is utilized for cooking and
distillation of water.

Wind Energy
Wind energy is generated by harnessing the power of wind and mostly used in operating
water pumps for irrigation purposes. India stands as the second-largest country in the
generation of wind power.

Tidal Energy
Tidal energy is generated by exploiting the tidal waves of the sea. This source is yet to be
tapped due to the lack of cost-effective technology.

Working Principle of Hydroelectric Power Plant

The water turbine changes the kinetic energy of the falling water into mechanical energy at
the turbine shaft. In simple words, falling water spins the water turbine. The turbine drives
the alternator coupled with it and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. This is
the basic “working principle of hydroelectric power plant”.

Hydroelectric power plants are very popular because the stores of fuels (i.e., oil and coal) are
exhausting day by day. They are also beneficial for irrigation and flood control purposes.

Fig. 1. Hydroelectric Power Plant

Elements of Hydroelectric Power Plant

The main elements of a hydroelectric power plant are as follows:

Catchment area: The total area behind the dam in which water is collected and stream flow is
obtained is known as the catchment area.

Reservoir: It is an important part of a power plant, where water is stored and supplied to
water turbine continuously.

Dam: A dam is a barrier which stores water and creates water head.

Slip-way: Due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area, the water level may exceed the storage
capacity of the reservoir. It may affect the stability of reservoir. To remove this excess water, a
structure is formed around the reservoir. This structure is known as slip-way. Slip-way
provides stability to the reservoir and reduces the level of water in the time of the flood.

Surge Tank: It is a small tank (open at the top). It is provided to reduce the pressure surges
in the conduit. It is located near the beginning of the conduit.

Penstocks: Penstocks are open or closed conduits which carry water to the turbines. They are
generally made of RCC or steel. The RCC penstocks are suitable for low water heads (< 30 m).
The steel penstocks are suitable for any head; as they can be designed according to water
head or working pressure.

Water turbines: It works as an energy conversion device. It is a machine through which

potential energy of water is converted into mechanical energy of shaft. The main types of
water turbines are:

(i) Impulse turbines (ii) Reaction turbines

Impulse turbines: Such turbines are used for high water heads. It consists of a wheel
fitted with elliptical buckets along its periphery. The whole pressure of water is converted
into kinetic energy in a nozzle and the velocity of the jet spins the wheel. For example Pelton
wheel turbine.

Reaction turbines: The important types of reaction turbines are:

(a) Francis turbines (b) Kaplan turbines

A Francis turbine is used for low to medium heads. A Kaplan turbine is used for low
heads and large quantities of water.
Water Turbine Generators: They are low RPM (75 to 300) synchronous generators with
main exciters usually mounted at the top on the shaft end. The machines are generally air-
cooled with closed circuit cooling.

Power House Auxiliaries: The hydroelectric power plant requires the same basic auxiliaries
as any other power plant such as the governor system, exciters, cranes, control panels etc.
Power supply for the auxiliaries, cranes and lighting is usually arranged from a small
independent hydraulic turbine and generator.

Hydroelectric Power Plant Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

 More reliable power plant.

 Low operating cost.
 Low starting time.
 High production rate capacity.
 Fuel cost is zero.
 Pollution free.
 Renewable source of energy.
 Life of power plant is more.
 Also used in flood control and in irrigation.

Disadvantages

 Capital cost is high.

 Depends upon availability of water.
 Commonly found in hill-areas.
 Apparatus needs corrosion protection.

Lecture – 16:

Basic Layout and Working of a Nuclear Power Plant

In a nuclear power plant, heat energy is generated by a nuclear reaction called as nuclear
fission. Nuclear fission of heavy elements such as Uranium or Thorium is carried out in a
special apparatus called as a nuclear reactor. A large amount of heat energy is generated due
to nuclear fission. Rest parts of a nuclear power plant are very similar to conventional thermal
power plants. It is found that fission of only 1 Kg of Uranium produces as much heat energy as
that can be produced by 4,500 tons of high-grade coal. This considerably reduces the
transportation cost of fuel, which is a major advantage of nuclear power plants. Also, there
are large deposits of nuclear fuels available all over the world and, hence, nuclear power
plants can ensure continued supply of electrical energy for thousands of years. About 10% of
the total electricity of the world is generated in nuclear power plants.
How Does a Nuclear Power Plant Work?
Heavy elements such as Uranium (U235) or Thorium (Th232) are subjected to nuclear fission
reaction in a nuclear reactor. Due to fission, a large amount of heat energy is produced which
is transferred to the reactor coolant. The coolant may be water, gas or a liquid metal. The
heated coolant is made to flow through a heat exchanger where water is converted into high-
temperature steam. The generated steam is then allowed to drive a steam turbine. The steam,
after doing its work, is converted back into the water and recycled to the heat exchanger. The
steam turbine is coupled to an alternator which generates electricity. The generated electrical
voltage is then stepped up using a transformer for the purpose of long-distance transmission.

The image below shows basic components and layout of a nuclear power station.

Fig. 2. Nuclear Power Plant

Basic Components of a Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear Reactor
A nuclear reactor is a special apparatus used to perform nuclear fission. Since the nuclear
fission is radioactive, the reactor is covered by a protective shield. Splitting up of nuclei of
heavy atoms is called as nuclear fission, during which huge amount of energy is released.
Nuclear fission is done by bombarding slow moving neutrons on the nuclei of heavy element.
As the nuclei break up, it releases energy as well as more neutrons which further cause fission
of neighboring atoms. Hence, it is a chain reaction and it must be controlled, otherwise it may
result in explosion. A nuclear reactor consists of fuel rods, control rods and moderator. A fuel
rod contains small round fuel pallets (uranium pallets). Control rods are of cadmium which
absorb neutrons. They are inserted into reactor and can be moved in or out to control the
reaction. The moderator can be graphite rods or the coolant itself. Moderator slows down the
neutrons before they bombard on the fuel rods.

Two types of nuclear reactors that are widely used –

Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) –

This type of reactor uses regular water as coolant. The coolant (water) is kept at very high
pressure so that it does not boil. The heated water is transferred through heat exchanger
where water from secondary coolant loop is converted into steam. Thus, the secondary loop is
completely free from radioactive stuff. In a PWR, the coolant water itself acts as a moderator.
Due to these advantages, pressurized water reactors are most commonly used.

Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) –

In this type of reactor only one coolant loop is present. The water is allowed to boil in the
reactor. The steam is generated as it heads out of the reactor and then flows through the
steam turbine. One major disadvantage of a BWR is that, the coolant water comes in direct
contact with fuel rods as well as the turbine. So, there is a possibility that radioactive material
could be placed on the turbine.

Heat Exchanger
In the heat exchanger, the primary coolant transfers heat to the secondary coolant (water).
Thus, water from the secondary loop is converted into steam. The primary system and
secondary system are closed loop, and they are never allowed to mix up with each other.
Thus, heat exchanger helps in keeping secondary system free from radioactive stuff. Heat
exchanger is absent in boiling water reactors.

Steam Turbine
Generated steam is passed through a steam turbine, which runs due to pressure of the steam.
As the steam is passed through the turbine blades, the pressure of steam gradually decreases
and it expands in volume. The steam turbine is coupled to an alternator through a rotating
shaft.
Alternator
The steam turbine rotates the shaft of an alternator thus generating electrical energy.
Electrical output of the alternator is the delivered to a step up transformer to transfer it over
distances.

Condenser
The steam coming out of the turbine, after it has done its work, is then converted back into
water in a condenser. The steam is cooled by passing it through a third cold water loop.
 Lecture – 17:

Solar Power System

How Solar Power Works?

Electrical energy can be harvested from solar power by means of either photovoltaics or
concentrated solar power systems.
Photovoltaics (PV)
Photovoltaics directly convert solar energy into electricity. They work on the principle of
the photovoltaic effect. When certain materials are exposed to light, they absorb photons and
release free electrons. This phenomenon is called as the photoelectric effect. Photovoltaic
effect is a method of producing direct current electricity based on the principle of the
photoelectric effect.

Based on the principle of photovoltaic effect, solar cells or photovoltaic cells are made. They
convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. But, a single photovoltaic cell does not
produce enough amount of electricity. Therefore, a number of photovoltaic cells are mounted
on a supporting frame and are electrically connected to each other to form a photovoltaic
module or solar panel. Commonly available solar panels range from several hundred watts
(say 100 watts) up to few kilowatts (ever heard of a 5kW solar panel?). They are available in
different sizes and different price ranges. Solar panels or modules are designed to supply
electric power at a certain voltage (say 12v), but the current they produce is directly
dependent on the incident light. As of now it is clear that photovoltaic modules produce DC
electricity. But, for most of the times we require AC power and, hence, solar power
system consists of an inverter too.

Photovoltaic Solar Power System

 According to the requirement of power, multiple photovoltaic modules are electrically
connected together to form a PV array and to achieve more power. There are different
types of PV systems according to their implementation.
 PV direct systems: These systems supply the load only when the Sun is shining. There
is no storage of power generated and, hence, batteries are absent. An inverter may or
may not be used depending on the type of load.
 Off-grid systems: This type of system is commonly used at locations where power from
the grid is not available or not reliable. An off-grid solar power system is not connected
to any electric grid. It consists solar panel arrays, storage batteries and inverter
circuits.
 Grid connected systems: These solar power systems are tied with grids so that the
excess required power can be accessed from the grid. They may or may not be backed
by batteries.
 Fig. 3. Solar Power Plant

Working Principle of Wind Turbine

There is an air turbine of large blades attached on the top of a supporting tower of sufficient
height. When wind strikes on the turbine blades, the turbine rotates due to the design and
alignment of rotor blades. The shaft of the turbine is coupled with an electrical generator. The
output of the generator is collected through electric power cables.

Working of Wind Turbine

When the wind strikes the rotor blades, blades start rotating. The turbine rotor is connected
to a high-speed gearbox. Gearbox transforms the rotor rotation from low speed to high speed.
The high-speed shaft from the gearbox is coupled with the rotor of the generator and hence
the electrical generator runs at a higher speed. An exciter is needed to give the required
excitation to the magnetic coil of the generator field system so that it can generate the
required electricity. The generated voltage at output terminals of the alternator is
proportional to both the speed and field flux of the alternator. The speed is governed by wind
power which is out of control. Hence to maintain uniformity of the output power from the
alternator, excitation must be controlled according to the availability of natural wind power.
The exciter current is controlled by a turbine controller which senses the wind speed. Then
output voltage of electrical generator(alternator) is given to a rectifier where the alternator
output gets rectified to DC. Then this rectified DC output is given to line converter unit to
convert it into stabilized AC output which is ultimately fed to either electrical transmission
network or transmission grid with the help of step up transformer. An extra unit is used to
give the power to internal auxiliaries of wind turbine (like motor, battery etc.), this is called
Internal Supply Unit.
An internal Block diagram of a wind turbine

Fig. 4. Wind Power Plant

There is other two control mechanisms attached to a modern big wind turbine.
 Controlling the orientation of the turbine blade.
 Controlling the orientation of the turbine face.

The orientation of turbine blades is governed from the base hub of the blades. The blades are
attached to the central hub with the help of a rotating arrangement through gears and small
electric motor or hydraulic rotary system. The system can be electrically or mechanically
controlled depending on its design. The blades are swiveled depending upon the speed of the
wind. The technique is called pitch control. It provides the best possible orientation of the
turbine blades along the direction of the wind to obtain optimized wind power.

The orientation of the nacelle or the entire body of the turbine can follow the direction of
changing wind direction to maximize mechanical energy harvesting from the wind. The
direction of the wind along with its speed is sensed by an anemometer (automatic speed
measuring devices) with wind vanes attached to the back top of the nacelle. The signal is fed
back to an electronic microprocessor-based controlling system which governs the yaw motor
which rotates the entire nacelle with gearing arrangement to face the air turbine along the
direction of the wind.

6. Keywords
 Power Plant
 Turbine
7. Sample Questions

Remember

1. Conventional power plants

2. Non-Conventional Power plants
3. List the different major parts in Hydro-electric Power plant.
4. List the different major parts in Nuclear Power plant.

Understand

1. List the different types of power plants based on energy source.

2. Difference between Conventional and non-conventional power plants

9. Stimulating Question (s)

1. How the bulb is glowing with the help of water?

2. What if both the rods i.e. movable and stationary rods receive current?

10. Mind Map

 Fig. 5. Mind map of Energy Resources

11. Student Summary

At the end of this session, the facilitator (Teacher) shall randomly pic-up few students to
summarize the deliverables
12. Reading Materials

 A Textbook of Electrical Engineering by R.K.Rajput, Laxmi Publications, 2004.

 http://www.electrical4u.com/moving-iron-instrument/
 https://www.electrical4u.com/working-principle-of-wind-turbine/

13. Scope for Mini Project

 NA.