20. List the demerits and demerits of a Hydro-electric power plant. (A.

U Coimbatore Jan 2008) Merits of a Hydro-electric power plant: 1) Water is a natural resource. It is a renewable energy source and also the cheapest source of energy. It is available in plenty, it is a free gift of nature, hence no fuel charges. In the case of Thermal, Diesel and Nuclear power plants the fuels used gets exhausted i.e, they are nonrenewable energy. 2) A Hydro-electric plant is highly reliable. 3) Maintenance and operation charges are very low. 4) Running cost of the plant is low. 5) The efficiency of the plant does not change with age. 6) It takes a few minutes to run and start the plant for power generation. 7) Less supervision staff is required. 8) No fuel transportation problem unlike other power stations, since the water from ricvers and rain is directly received in the catchment area, behind the dam. 9) No ash disposal problem. The atmosphere is not polluted since no smoke is produced in the plant. 10) In addition to power generation, hydro-electric power plants are also useful for flood control, irrigation purposes, fishery and recreation. 11) Hydro-electric power plants have a longer life (100 to 125 years as compared to thermal power plants which have a life span of 20 to 45 years). This is because the hydro-electric power plants operate at atmospheric temperature, whereas thermal electric power plants operate at very high temperatures, in the order of 500 to 800o C . 12) Variable loads do not affect the efficiency of the hydro-electric plant. 13) Water stored in the hydro-electric power plant can also be used for domestic water supply. 14) Number of operations required to run a hydro-electric power plant is less, compared to thermal power plant. 15) The machines used in hydro-electric power plant are more rigid and robust and generally run at low speed of 300 to 400 rpm. The machines used in thermal power plants run at a speed of 3000 to 4000 rpm. Since hydro-electric power plants run at low speeds there is no requirement of special alloy steel construction materials or specialized mechanical maintenance. 16) The cost of land is not a major problem, since the hydro-electric stations are situated away from the developed areas. Demerits of Hydro-electric power plants: 1) The initial cost of the plant is very high. 2) It takes long time for the erection of such plants and the construction of a dam. 3) Such plants are usually located in hilly areas far away from the load centre and as such, they require long transmission lines to deliver power. 4) The power generation by hydro-electric plant depends on the quantity of water available, which in turn depends on the rainfall.

5) Loss of land suitable for agriculture. 6) During drought season the power production may be reduced or even stopped due to insufficient water in the reservoir. 7) Water in the reservoir is lost by evaporation. 21. Draw the schematic of a gas turbine plant and explain the functions of each component. (A.U Coimbatore Jan 2008) GAS TURBINE POWER PLANT: Elements of a gas turbine power plant: 1) Starting motor: Gas turbines are not self starting. They require a starting motor to first bring the turbine to the minimum speed called coming in speed, for this purpose a starting motor is required. 2) Low pressure compressors (LPC): The purpose of the compressor is to compress the air. Air from the atmosphere is drawn into the LPC and is compressed. 3) Intercooler: The air after compression in the LPC is hot. It is cooled by the intercooler. The intercooler is circulated with cooling water. 4) High pressure compressor (HPC) : The air from the intercooler enters the (HPC) where it is further compressed to a higher pressure. The compressed air passes through a regenerator. 5) Regenerator (Heat exchanger): The air entering the combustion chamber for combustion must be hot. The exhaust gases leaving the turbine are passed through the regenerator. The heat from the exhaust gases is picked up by the compressed air entering the combustion chamber. 6) Combustion chamber: As the name suggests, it is a chamber where combustion takes place. For any combustion, fuel and air is required. The fuel used in gas power plants may be natural gas, pulverized coal, kerosene or gasoline. The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. The fuel along with the high pressure air is ignited sometimes with a spark plug. 7) High pressure turbine (HPT): In the beginning the starting motor runs the compressor shaft. The burnt gases expand through the high pressure turbine. It is important to note that when the turbine shaft rotates it in fact drives the compressor shaft which is coupled to it. Now the HPT runs the compressor and the starting motor is stopped. About 66% of the power developed by the turbine is used to run the compressor and only 34% of the power developed is used to generate energy. 8) Low pressure turbine (LPT): The purpose of the LPT is to produce electric power. The shaft of the LPT is coupled with the generator. The burnt fuel after leaving the HPT is again sent to a combustion chamber where it further undergoes combustion.

Even if there is any left out unburnt fuel from the previous turbine it gets fully burnt in the combustion chamber. The burnt gases run the low pressure turbine (LPT). The shaft of the turbine is directly coupled with the generator for producing electricity. The exhaust gases after leaving the LPT passes through the regenerator before being exhausted through the chimney into the atmosphere. The heat from the gases is used to preheat the air leaving the HPC before it enters the combustion chamber. This preheating of the air improves the efficiency of the combustion chamber.