introduction on power plants

1. Power plants
Dr. Mudar Salah Dayoub

2. Objective Learning
This course is all about applying the principles of thermal
engineering and mechanics to various systems that involve heat
and fluids. We'll explore things like boilers, heat exchangers,
turbines, power plants, and internal and external combustion
engines. You'll learn how these devices work, how they're built,
and how to evaluate how well they perform. This knowledge is
essential for anyone in the field of air conditioning because it
helps you understand the core systems that control temperature
and air quality.

3. References

4. Power Plant
1.What electricity is used for:
Heating, cooking, cooling, light, sound, computers, communication,
entertainment…
2.Distribution grid: Our focus

5. What is power plant
A power plant, also known as a power station or
generating station, is a facility that generates electricity by
converting various forms of energy into electrical energy
A power plant is assembly of systems or subsystems to
generate electricity

6. common Types of Power Plants
Thermal Power Plants: These power plants use heat energy to generate electricity. They typically
burn fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, or oil to produce steam, which drives a turbine connected to a
generator.
Nuclear Power Plants: Nuclear power plants use controlled nuclear reactions, usually involving
uranium or plutonium, to produce heat. This heat is used to generate steam and drive turbines for
electricity generation.
Hydroelectric Power Plants: Hydroelectric power plants harness the energy of flowing or falling
water, such as rivers or dams, to turn turbines and generate electricity.
Wind Power Plants: Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into electricity. Arrays of wind
turbines, often referred to as wind farms, are used to generate significant electrical power.
Solar Power Plants: Solar power plants use photovoltaic cells to capture sunlight and convert it
directly into electricity. Concentrated solar power plants use mirrors or lenses to focus sunlight onto a
receiver, creating steam to drive turbines.
Geothermal Power Plants: These plants tap into the Earth's internal heat by using hot water or steam
from underground reservoirs to generate electricity.
Biomass Power Plants: Biomass power plants burn organic materials like wood, agricultural residues,
or waste to produce heat, which is then used to generate electricity.
Tidal Power Plants: Tidal power plants harness the energy of ocean tides to generate electricity as
water flows in and out of tidal basins.
Wave Power Plants: Wave energy converters capture the kinetic energy of ocean waves and convert it
into electricity

8. Hydroelectric Power Plant

10. Geothermal Power Plant

11. Tidal Power Plants

12. Wave Power Plants

13. Power plants Cycles
Power plant cycles refer to the thermodynamic processes that occur within
power plants to generate electricity. These cycles involve the conversion of
various energy sources into electrical power. Different types of power plants
use distinct cycles optimized for their energy sources and operational
requirements.
Here are some common power plant cycles:
Rankine Cycle (Steam Cycle)
Brayton Cycle (Gas Turbine Cycle)
Combined Cycle
Stirling Cycle
Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
Closed Brayton Cycle (Closed Gas Turbine Cycle)
Carnot Cycle

14. Steam Table Steam tables commonly consist of two sets
of tables of the energy transfer properties
of water and steam: saturated steam tables
and superheated steam tables. Both sets of
tables are tabulations of pressure (P),
temperature (T), specific volume (v),
specific internal energy (u), specific
enthalpy (h), and specific entropy (s).
The following notation is used in steam
tables.
T : temperature (oC)
P : pressure (kPa)
v : specific volume (m3/kg)
u: specific internal energy (kJ/kg)
h: specific enthalpy (kJ/kg)
s: specific entropy (kJ/kg K)

15. Terminology
• Turbine: A machine that converts the energy of a moving fluid (usually steam or gas)
into mechanical energy by rotating a shaft.
• Generator: An electrical machine that converts mechanical energy (from a turbine)
into electrical energy.
• Boiler: A vessel or apparatus that produces steam by heating water. It's often used
in power plants to produce high-pressure steam.
• Condenser: A device that removes heat from a working fluid (steam) and converts it
back into a liquid state.
• Heat Exchanger: A device that transfers heat from one fluid to another without
them coming into direct contact.
• Thermal Efficiency: A measure of how efficiently a power plant converts heat
energy into mechanical work or electricity.
• Carnot Efficiency: The maximum theoretical efficiency for a heat engine operating
between two temperature reservoirs.
• Cogeneration: Simultaneously producing electricity and useful heat energy from the
same energy source.
• Combined Cycle Power Plant: A type of power plant that combines a gas turbine
cycle and a steam turbine cycle to improve efficiency.

16. • Fuel Source: This can be coal, natural gas, oil, uranium (for nuclear plants), sunlight
(for solar plants), wind (for wind farms), or water (for hydropower plants). The choice
of fuel source depends on the type of power plant.
• Cooling System: Power plants require cooling systems to dissipate excess heat. This
can involve cooling towers, ponds, or other cooling mechanisms.
• Electrical Grid Connection: The generated electricity is connected to the electrical
grid, which distributes it to homes and businesses.
• Control Room: This is the central location where plant operators monitor and control
various systems to ensure efficient and safe operation.
• Emissions Control Systems: Many power plants have systems in place to reduce
emissions of pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and
particulate matter.
• Fuel Handling System: Fossil fuel power plants have systems for storing, handling,
and transporting fuel to the boiler.
• Ash Handling System: In coal-fired power plants, an ash handling system is used to
collect and dispose of ash and other waste materials.
• Switchyard: This is the area where the electrical connections are made between the
power plant and the grid.
• Fuel Storage: For some types of power plants, such as natural gas or biomass, fuel
storage facilities are needed.