Found 1006 Articles for Electronics & Electrical

The thermal power plant is a generating station which converts the heat energy of coal combustion into electrical energy. The block diagram of a typical thermal power plant is shown in the figure below.The thermal power plant works on the Rankine cycle. In the thermal power plant, the steam is produced in the boiler by burning of coal. This steam runs the steam turbine which converts steam energy into mechanical energy. After the steam is expanded in the turbine, it is condensed in a condenser to be fed into the boiler again. The steam turbine drives the alternator which converts ... Read More

The function of an electrical power system is to connect the power generating station to a large number of consumers by means of interconnected system of transmission and distribution networks.Therefore, a typical electrical power system has three main parts, viz. −The power generating station, The transmission systems, andThe distribution systems.The transmission system is the connecting link between the power generating station and the distribution system, while the distribution system is the connecting link between the consumer’s loads and the transmission systems.The following figure shows a single-line diagram or one-line diagram of a simple electric power system.Generally, the power generating station ... Read More

A thermal power station or steam power plant is a generating station which converts the heat energy of coal combustion into electrical energy.To achieve overall economy in power generation, the following factors should be considered while selecting a site for a thermal power plant −Supply of Fuel (Coal)The thermal plant should be located near the coal mines so that the transportation cost is minimum. Although, if the thermal power plant is to be installed at a place where coal is not available near the site, then care should be taken that adequate facilities exist for the transportation of coal.Water AvailabilitySince ... Read More

A nuclear power plant is a generating station which converts nuclear energy into electrical energy. The schematic diagram of a typical nuclear power station is shown in the figure. It mainly consists of the following parts −Nuclear ReactorHeat ExchangerSteam TurbineAlternator (or Electric Generator)Nuclear ReactorThe nuclear reactor is an apparatus in which nuclear fuel such as Uranium (U235) or Thorium (Th232) is subjected to nuclear fission. The nuclear reactor controls the chain reaction which starts once the fission of the fuel is done. If the chain reaction is not controlled, the result will be an explosion due to fast increase in ... Read More

A power generating station which converts heat energy of the nuclear fission into electrical energy is called the nuclear power plant.The most important characteristic of a nuclear power plant is that a large amount of electrical energy can be produced from a relatively small amount of nuclear fuel. Therefore, the running cost of a nuclear power plant is lower than the thermal and diesel power plants.In practice, it has been found that the complete fission of 1 kg of Uranium (U235), which is a radioactive material can produce energy equivalent to that can be produced by the burning of 4500 ... Read More

A hydroelectric power plant is a generating station which converts the potential energy of water at high level into electrical energy.Generally, the hydroelectric power plants are installed in hilly areas where dams can be built and large water reservoirs can be obtained. In a hydroelectric power plant, the water head is created by constructing a dam across a river. From the dam, water is led to a water turbine. The water turbine converts the hydraulic energy of the falling water into mechanical energy. The turbine drives the alternator, which converts the mechanical energy of the turbine into electrical energy.Schematic Diagram ... Read More

Generation of Electrical EnergyThe transformation of energy available in different forms in the nature into electrical energy is called the generation of electrical energy.Energy is available in various forms in the nature such pressure energy in water head, chemical energy in fuels, nuclear energy in radioactive materials, etc. All these forms of energy can be converted into electrical energy by using a suitable arrangement of equipment. A typical arrangement for the generation of electrical energy is shown in the following block diagram.Here, an alternator (an electric generator that generates alternating electrical energy) is coupled to a prime mover (device that ... Read More

A power generating plant which has gas turbine as the prime mover for the generation of electrical energy, is called the gas turbine power plant. The block diagram of a typical gas turbine power station is shown in the figure.In a gas turbine power plant, natural air is used as the working agent. The air is compressed with the help of a compressor and fed to a combustion chamber where heat is added to this compressed air, which increases the temperature of the air. The heat to the compressed air is added either by burning fuel in the combustion chamber ... Read More

Water TurbineIn a hydroelectric power plant, a device which is used to convert the energy of falling water into mechanical energy is known as water turbine. There are two types of water turbines used in a hydroelectric power plant viz. −Impulse TurbineReaction TurbineImpulse TurbineIn an impulse turbine, the entire pressure of water is converted into kinetic energy in a nozzle and the velocity of the water jet drives the turbine wheel. Impulse turbines are used for high heads. The pelton wheel is an example of the impulse turbine. It consists of a wheel fitted with elliptical buckets along its periphery. ... Read More

An electric power generating station in which the chemical energy of diesel is converted into electrical energy is known as diesel power plant. In other words, the diesel power plant is a power generating plant in which diesel engine is used as the prime mover for the generation of electrical energy.Schematic Diagram and Working of Diesel Power PlantThe schematic arrangement of a typical diesel power plant is shown in the figure given below.In a diesel power plant, the diesel engine is used as the prime mover to drive an alternator. The diesel (fuel oil) burns inside the engine and the ... Read More