Electric Power Generation

Vijaya Margaret
 Importance of Electrical Energy
Electrical energy is superior to all other forms of energy
due to the following reasons :
(i) Convenient form. Electrical energy is a very
convenient form of energy. It can be easily converted
into other forms of energy. For example, if we want to
convert electrical energy into heat, the only thing to be
done is to pass electrical current through a wire of high
resistance e.g., a heater.
Similarly, electrical energy can be converted into light
(e.g. electric bulb), mechanical energy (e.g. electric
motors) etc.
 Importance of Electrical Energy
(ii) Easy control. The electrically operated machines
have simple and convenient starting, control and
operation. For instance, an electric motor can be started
or stopped by turning on or off a switch.
Similarly, with simple arrangements, the speed of
electric motors can be easily varied over the desired
range.
 Importance of Electrical Energy
(iii) Greater flexibility. One important reason for
preferring electrical energy is the flexibility that it
offers. It can be easily transported from one place to
another with the help of conductors.
(iv) Cheapness. Electrical energy is much cheaper than
other forms of energy. Thus it is overall economical to
use this form of energy for domestic, commercial and
industrial purposes.
 Importance of Electrical Energy
(v) Cleanliness. Electrical energy is not associated with
smoke, fumes or poisonous gases. Therefore, its use
ensures cleanliness and healthy conditions.
(vi) High transmission efficiency. The consumers of
electrical energy are generally situated quite away from
the centres of its production. The electrical energy can
be transmitted conveniently and efficiently from the
centres.
 Generation of electrical energy
• The conversion of energy available in different forms
in nature into electrical energy is known as
generation of electrical energy.
 Common Sources of Energy
• The Sun
• The Wind
• The Water Head
• The Fuel
• The Nuclear Energy
Energy Utilisation
Comparison of Energy Sources
 Generating Stations
• Bulk electric power is produced by special plants
known as generating stations or power plants.
• Depending upon the form of energy converted into
electrical energy, the generating stations are classified
as under :
(i) Steam power stations
(ii) Hydroelectric power stations
(iii) Diesel power stations
(iv) Nuclear power stations
 Hydro-electric Power Station.
• A generating station which utilises the potential
energy of water at a high level for the generation of
electrical energy is known as a hydro-electric power
station.
 Advantages

(i) It requires no fuel as water is used for the generation

of electrical energy.
(ii) It is quite neat and clean as no smoke or ash is
produced.
(iii) It requires very small running charges because
water is the source of energy which is available free of
cost.
(iv) It is comparatively simple in construction and
requires less maintenance.
 Advantages
(v) It does not require a long starting time like a steam power
station. In fact, such plants can be put into service instantly.
(vi) It is robust and has a longer life.
(vii) Such plants serve many purposes. In addition to the
generation of electrical energy, they also help in irrigation and
controlling floods.
(viii) Although such plants require the attention of highly skilled
persons at the time of construction, yet for operation, a few
experienced persons may do the job well.
 Disadvantages
(i) It involves high capital cost due to construction of dam.
(ii) There is uncertainty about the availability of huge amount of
water due to dependence on weather conditions.
(iii) Skilled and experienced hands are required to build the plant.
(iv) It requires high cost of transmission lines as the plant is
located in hilly areas which are quite away from the consumers.
 What is Hydropower?
• Hydropower ( from hydro meaning water) is energy
that comes from the force moving water. The fall and
movement of water is part of a continuous natural
cycle called the water cycle.
 History of Hydro electricity
• The old Schoelkof Power Station No. 1 near
Niagara Falls in the U.S. side began to produce
electricity in 1881.
• The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the
Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September
30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output
of about 12.5 kilowatts.[8]
• By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power
stations in the U.S. and Canada.
• By 1889 there were 200 in the U.S. alone.[
 Hydro Dams
• It’s easier to build a hydro plant where there is
a natural waterfall. That’s why the first hydro
plant was built at Niagara Falls. Dams which
are artificial waterfalls, are the next best way.
 CREDIT: “Dam across river, Appleton, Wis.,” 1880-1889. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction
Number LC-D4-4783 DLC.

The dam across Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, the site of the
first hydroelectric power plant in the world. The plant, later
named the Appleton Edison Light Company, was initiated by
Appleton paper manufacturer H.J. Rogers, who had been inspired
by Thomas Edison's plans for an electricity-producing station in
New York.
 Hydroelectric power in India
• India is the 7th largest producer of hydroelectric power in
the world.
• As of 30 April 2017, India's installed utility-scale
hydroelectric capacity was 44,594 MW, or 13.5% of its total
utility power generation capacity.[1]
• Additional smaller hydroelectric power units with a total
capacity of 4,380 MW (1.3% of its total utility power
generation capacity) have been installed.[2][3]
• India's hydroelectric power potential is estimated at
148,700 MW at 60% load factor.[4] In the fiscal year 2016-
17, the total hydroelectric power generated in India was
122.31 TWh (excluding small hydro) with an average
capacity factor of 33%.
 Hydroelectric power in India
• The hydro-electric power plants at Darjeeling
and Shivanasamudram were established in
1898 and 1902, respectively.
• They were among the first in Asia and India
has been a dominant player in global
hydroelectric power development
Shivanasamudra: The First Hydro-
electric Power Station in Asia
 Shivanasamudra: The First Hydro-
electric Power Station in Asia
• The Shivanasamudra Hydro-Electric Power Project supplied electricity
to Kolar Gold Fields in 1902 and in 1905 to Bangalore, which became
the first Indian city to have power supply.
• The project was taken up in 1900 when K. Sheshadri Iyer was the
Dewan after Mysore State decided in 1899 to utilise its natural water
falls for producing electricity.
• The site of setting up the power station was a point on the Cauvery
east of Mysore city and south of Bangalore where the river divides into
two forming the island of Shivanasamudram.
• The work on the power station was completed by 1902 and on June 30
of that year, power was transmitted for the first time to Kolar Gold
Fields.
• In December 1937, the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV,
laid the foundation stone for the Shimsha Hydro Electric Project at
Shimshapura.
List of power stations in India
 Three Gorges Dam
world's largest power station
• The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity
dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of
Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei
province, China.
• The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power
station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW).
• In 2014, the dam generated 98.8 terawatt-hours
(TWh) and had the world record, but was surpassed
by the Itaipú Dam, which set the new world record in
2016, producing 103.1 TWh
Panorama of the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam Francis turbine
Large-scale hydroelectric power stations
• Panoramic view of the Itaipu Dam, with the
spillways (closed at the time of the photo) on
the left. In 1994, the American Society of Civil
Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the
seven modern Wonders of the World.
• The Hoover Dam in the United States is a large
conventional dammed-hydro facility, with an installed
capacity of 2,080 MW.
• Dams are built on rivers where the terrain will
produce an artificial lake or reservoir above
the dam. Today there are about 80,000 dams
in the United States, but only three percent
(2,000) have power generating hydro plants.
 Classification based on the hydraulic
features
• Based on the hydraulic features hydro electric
power plants can be classified into the four
types:
– conventional hydro electric plants
– Pumped storage plants
– Tidal power plant
– Depression power plants:
 Conventional hydroelectric plant
• These plants utilize the hydraulic energy of the flowing water
of the rivers. Dams are constructed to collect the water in the
reservoir and is used to run the turbines.
 Pumped storage plants

• In this type of hydroelectric power plants the same water is

utilized again and again by pumping back during the off peak
hours. They are mainly used to meet the peak demand.
 Tidal power plant
• These power plant produces electric energy from the tides of
the seas.
 Depression power plants:

• In this type of power plant water is diverted

into a natural topological depression which
provides head for the plant.
• Water is diverted from ample resources such
as seas.
• It is a rare type of power plant.
• This type of power plants exists in Egypt.
Classification based on the operation
• Base load plants
• This type of plants involves in continuous power generation.
Simply speaking conventional hydroelectric power plants are
base load plants.
• Peak load plants
• If the power plant is operated only to meet the peak demand
then it is called peak load plants.
• In general, pumped storage power plants are peak load plants.
In this type of hydroelectric power plants the same water is
utilized again and again by pumping back during the off peak
hours.
 Classification based on storage
• By considering the availability of storage reservoirs, hydro
electric power plants can be classified into
– power plants having storage reservoir and without storage reservoir.
• If the availability of the water is uneven over the year, storage
reservoirs are essential.
• If there is a natural normal flow throughout they year then it is
not essential to have a reservoir.
• Under such conditions a mini reservoir or pond that takes care
of day to day fluctuations is enough.
Classification based on plant capacity
They can also be classified as follows
 Classification based on head
• Based on the available head hydro power plants are classified
into the following:
High head plants
 High head plants
• Due to high head, small amount of water can produce large
amount of power.
• Therefore these types of plants are very economical.
• The reservoir is found at the top of the mountain and the
power house is found at the foot.
• For high head plants catchment area of small capacity is
sufficient.
• If the water from one stream is not sufficient, more than water
can be diverted from the neighboring streams.
• For heads above 500 m, Pelton turbine is used and for low
heads Francis turbines are used.
 Medium head plants
• Larger volume of water is required in this type if power plant.
• The reservoir capacity will be large.
• In these power plant water is carried from the reservoir is
carried to the penstock through the forebay.
• There is no need of surge tank as forebay itself acts as a surge
tank.
• Francis, Kaplan and Propeller turbines are commonly used for
the medium head plants.
 Low head plants
• Low head plants require larger volume of water than high and
medium head plants to produce same amount of power.
• The reservoir capacity will be large.
• Francis, Kaplan and Propeller turbines are commonly used for
the low head plants.
Schematic Arrangement of Hydro-
electric Power Station
 Choice of Site for Hydro-electric Power
Stations
The following points should be taken into account while
selecting the site for a hydro-electric power station.
– Availability of water
– Storage of water
– Cost and type of land
– Transportation facilities
 Constituents of Hydro-electric Plant

The constituents of a hydro-electric plant are

(1) hydraulic structures
(2) water turbines and
(3) electrical equipment
 Main components of Hydro- Electric
Power plants
The main components of a typical hydro electric power plant are
the following.
• Dam
• Reservoir
• Fore bay
• Water conduit system
• Tailrace
• Surge tank
• Trash rack
• Turbine
• Power house
• Spillway
 Layout of Hydropower Plant
Water Reservoir
 In a reservoir the water collected
from the catchment area is stored
behind a dam.
 Catchment area gets its water
from rain and streams. The level
of water surface in the reservoir is
called Head water level.
 Continuous availability of water is
a basic necessity for a hydro-
electric power plant.
Dam
 The purpose of the dam is to store
the water and to regulate the out
going flow of water. The dam
helps to store all the incoming
water. It also helps to increase the
head of the water.
 In order to generate a required
quantity of power it is necessary
that a sufficient head is available.
 Spillway:
 Excess accumulation of water endangers the stability of dam construction. Also in
order to avoid the over flow of water out of the dam especially during rainy seasons
spillways are provided. This prevents the rise of water level in the dam. Spillways are
passages which allows the excess water to flow to a storage area away from the dam.
 Gate :
o A gate is used to regulate or control the flow of water from the dam.
 Pressure tunnel:
o It is a passage that carries water from the reservoir to the surge tank
 Trash rack:-
 to prevent the entries if the derbies which might damage the fixed plate and the
runner of the turbine or chock up the nozzle of the impulse turbine
 Forebay:-
 These are the kind of the storage tanks which are present at the end of the head race
pipe or canal. These are the input to the penstock. The water of the Forebay is an
important factor in case of small hydropower plant as it determines the operational
head of the plant
 Function:- To serve the regulating reservoir temporarily storing the water when the
load on the plant is reduced and provides water for essential increment of an
increasing load while water in the canal is being accelerated
Surge Tank Diagram
• A Surge tank is a small reservoir or tank in
which the water level rises or falls due to
sudden changes in pressure.
• Purpose of surge tank:
– To serve as a supply tank to the
turbine when the water in the pipe is
accelerated during increased load
conditions and as a storage tank
when the water is decelerating
during reduced load conditions.
– o reduce the distance between the
free water surface in the dam and the
turbine, thereby reducing the water-
hammer effect on penstock and also
protect the upstream tunnel from
high pressure rise.
• Water-hammer effect :
– The water hammer is defined as the
change in pressure rapidly above or
below normal pressure caused by
sudden change in the rate of water
flow through the pipe, according to
the demand of prime mover i.e.
turbine.
 Draft tube:
• It is connected to the outlet of the turbine.
• It allows the turbine to be placed above the tail water level.
 Tail water level or Tail race:
• Tail water level is the water level after the discharge from the turbine. The
discharged water is sent to the river, thus the level of the river is the tail
water level.
 Penstock:-
• to carry the water under pressure from large reservoir to the turbine.
• It is pipes of large diameter and commonly made of steel through reinforced
concrete.
 Electric generator, Step-up transformer and Pylon :
• As the water rushes through the turbine, it spins the turbine shaft, which is
coupled to the electric generator. The generator has a rotating
electromagnet called a rotor and a stationary part called a stator. The rotor
creates a magnetic field that produces an electric charge in the stator. The
charge is transmitted as electricity. The step-up transformer increases the
voltage of the current coming from the stator. The electricity is distributed
through power lines also called as pylon.
 Hydraulic structures

Hydraulic structures in a hydro-electric power station include

dam, spillways, head works, surge tank, penstock and accessory
works.
Dam. A dam is a barrier which stores water and creates water
head.
• Dams are built of concrete or stone masonary, earth or rock
fill.
• The type and arrangement depends upon the topography of the
site.
• A masonary dam may be built in a narrow canyon.
• An earth dam may be best suited for a wide valley.
 Hydraulic structures

• The type of dam also depends upon the foundation conditions,

local materials and transportation available, occurrence of
earthquakes and other hazards.
• At most of sites, more than one type of dam may be suitable
and the one which is most economical is chosen.
 Reservoir

• The reservoir is used to store water for power generation and

irrigation purposes.
• The water is mainly stores during the rainy season.
• The water required for the power generation determines the
capacity of the reservoir.
 Fore bay
• Fore bay is a regulating reservoir used to store water
temporarily when the load on the turbine is reduced
and provide water when load has increased.
Water- conduit system
A water conduit system carries water from the reservoir
to the turbine through pipes. These pipes are called as
penstock. These can be laid above ground or
underground.
Tail race
Water discharged into the tail race after passing through
the turbine. It carries the water back to the river. Tail
race may be an open channel or a tunnel depending on
upon the power house location.
Surge tank
It acts as pressure release valve of the water conduit
system. It is an additional storage space provided near
the turbine to control the pressure variation of the
penstock and prevent water hammer effect during
sudden pressure variation.

Trash rack.
It is provided to stop the entry of debris, which might
damage the gates and turbine runner. It is placed across
the intake.
 Spillways.
• There are times when the river flow exceeds the storage
capacity of the reservoir.
• Such a situation arises during heavy rainfall in the catchment
area.
• In order to discharge the surplus water from the storage
reservoir into the river on the down-stream side of the dam,
spillways are used.
• Spillways are constructed of concrete piers on the top of the
dam.
• Gates are provided between these piers and surplus water is
discharged over the crest of the dam by opening these gates.
 Headworks
• The headworks consists of the diversion structures at the head
of an intake.
• They generally include booms and racks for diverting floating
debris, sluices for by-passing debris and sediments and valves
for controlling the flow of water to the turbine.
• The flow of water into and through headworks should be as
smooth as possible to avoid head loss and cavitation.
• For this purpose, it is necessary to avoid sharp corners and
abrupt contractions or enlargements.
 Surge tank
• A surge tank is a small reservoir or tank (open at the top) in
which water level rises or falls to reduce the pressure swings
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 reinforced concrete or steel.
• Concrete penstocks are suitable for low heads (< 30 m) as
greater pressure causes rapid deterioration of concrete.
• The steel penstocks can be designed for any head; the
thickness of the penstock increases with the head or working
pressure.
 Water turbines.
Water turbines are used to convert the energy of falling water into
mechanical energy.
The principal types of water turbines are :
(i) Impulse turbines
(ii) Reaction turbines
Steam Power Station (Thermal Station)
• A generating station which converts heat energy of coal combustion
into electrical energy is known as a steam power station.
• A steam power station basically works on the Rankine cycle.
• Steam is produced in the boiler by utilising the heat of coal
combustion.
• The steam is then expanded in the prime mover (i.e., steam turbine)
and is condensed in a condenser to be fed into the boiler again.
• The steam turbine drives the alternator which converts mechanical
energy of the turbine into electrical energy.
• This type of power station is suitable where coal and water are
available in abundance and a large amount of electric power is to be
generated.
 Advantages
(i) The fuel (i.e., coal) used is quite cheap.
(ii) Less initial cost as compared to other generating stations.
(iii) It can be installed at any place irrespective of the existence of
coal. The coal can be transported to the site of the plant by rail or
road.
(iv) It requires less space as compared to the hydroelectric power
station.
(v) The cost of generation is lesser than that of the diesel power
station.
 Disadvantages
(i) It pollutes the atmosphere due to the production of large
amount of smoke and fumes.
(ii) It is costlier in running cost as compared to hydroelectric
plant.
 Schematic Arrangement of Steam
Power Station
• Although steam power station simply involves the conversion
of heat of coal combustion into electrical energy, yet it
embraces many arrangements for proper working and
efficiency.
Schematic Arrangement of Steam Power Station
The whole arrangement can be divided into the following stages
for the sake of simplicity :
1. Coal and ash handling arrangement
2. Steam generating plant
3. Steam turbine
4. Alternator
5. Feed water
6. Cooling arrangement
 Coal and ash handling plant
• The coal is transported to the power station by road or rail and
is stored in the coal storage plant.
• Storage of coal is primarily a matter of protection against coal
strikes, failure of transportation system and general coal
shortages.
• From the coal storage plant, coal is delivered to the coal
handling plant where it is pulverised (i.e., crushed into small
pieces) in order to increase its surface exposure, thus
promoting rapid combustion without using large quantity of
excess air.
 Coal and ash handling plant
• The pulverised coal is fed to the boiler by belt conveyors.
• The coal is burnt in the boiler and the ash produced after the
complete combustion of coal is removed to the ash handling
plant and then delivered to the ash storage plant for disposal.
• The removal of the ash from the boiler furnace is necessary for
proper burning of coal.
• It is worthwhile to give a passing reference to the amount of
coal burnt and ash produced in a modern thermal power
station.
• A 100 MW station operating at 50% load factor may burn
about 20,000 tons of coal per month and ash produced may be
to the tune of 10% to 15% of coal fired i.e., 2,000 to 3,000
tons. I
• n fact, in a thermal station, about 50% to 60% of the total
operating cost consists of fuel purchasing and its handling.
 Steam generating plant
The steam generating plant consists of a boiler for the production
of steam and other auxiliary equipment for the utilisation of flue
gases.
(i) Boiler. The heat of combustion of coal in the boiler is utilised
to convert water into steam at high temperature and pressure. The
flue gases from the boiler make their journey through
superheater, economiser, air pre-heater and are finally exhausted
to atmosphere through the chimney.
 Steam generating plant
(ii) Superheater. The steam produced in the boiler is wet and is
passed through a superheater where it is dried and superheated
(i.e., steam temperature increased above that of boiling point of
water) by the flue gases on their way to chimney. Superheating
provides two principal benefits.

Firstly, the overall efficiency is increased. Secondly, too much

condensation in the last stages of turbine (which would cause
blade corrosion) is avoided. The superheated steam from the
superheater is fed to steam turbine through the main valve.
 Steam generating plant
(iii) Economiser. An economiser is essentially a feed water
heater and derives heat from the flue gases for this purpose.
The feed water is fed to the economiser before supplying to the
boiler.
The economiser extracts a part of heat of flue gases to increase
the feed water temperature.
 Steam generating plant
(iv) Air preheater. An air preheater increases the temperature of
the air supplied for coal burning by deriving heat from flue gases.
Air is drawn from the atmosphere by a forced draught fan and is
passed through air preheater before supplying to the boiler
furnace.
The air preheater extracts heat from flue gases and increases the
temperature of air used for coal combustion.
The principal benefits of preheating the air are : increased thermal
efficiency and increased steam capacity per square metre of
boiler surface.
 Steam turbine
• The dry and superheated steam from the superheater is fed to
the steam turbine through main valve.
• The heat energy of steam when passing over the blades of
turbine is converted into mechanical energy.
• After giving heat energy to the turbine, the steam is exhausted
to the condenser which condenses the exhausted steam by
means of cold water circulation.
 Alternator
• The steam turbine is coupled to an alternator. The alternator
converts mechanical energy of turbine into electrical energy.
• The electrical output from the alternator is delivered to the bus
bars through transformer, circuit breakers and isolators.
 Feed water
• The condensate from the condenser is used as feed water to the
boiler.
• Some water may be lost in the cycle which is suitably made up
from external source.
• The feed water on its way to the boiler is heated by water
heaters and economiser.
• This helps in raising the overall efficiency of the plant.
 Cooling arrangement
• In order to improve the efficiency of the plant, the steam
exhausted from the turbine is condensed* by means of a
condenser.
• Water is drawn from a natural source of supply such as a river,
canal or lake and is circulated through the condenser.
• The circulating water takes up the heat of the exhausted steam
and itself becomes hot.
• This hot water coming out from the condenser is discharged at
a suitable location down the river.
 Cooling arrangement
• In case the availability of water from the source of supply is
not assured throughout the year, cooling towers are used.
• During the scarcity of water in the river, hot water from the
condenser is passed on to the cooling towers where it is
cooled.
• The cold water from the cooling tower is reused in the
condenser.