Comparison between Steam Power Plant and Gas Power Plant

In energy generation sector steam power plants are those which make use of a high pressure steam to rotate the turbine and then use that turbine to generate electrical energy through a generator attached to turbine. Whereas the Gas power plant are those which make use of a high pressure gas to rotate the turbine and then use that turbine to generate electrical energy through a generator attached to turbine. The working of the steam turbine power plant is governed and analysed by the Rankine cycle where initially heat energy is used to turn the water inside boiler in to high pressure steam and then that steam is used to rotated the blades of turbine whereas the working of the gas turbine power plant is governed and analysed by the Brayton cycle and directly used the air fuel mixture to burn and produce high pressure gasses which are then used to rotate blades of gas turbine. Steam turbine power plant governed by Rankine cycle starts with the work in put by the pump which provides the sufficient flow rate and pressured head to water. Followed by the boiler that provide all heat input required to generate high pressure and high temperature steam. Steam used by Turbine lower the pressure of the steam which is then condenses to lower the temperature and turning steam into water. Whereas Gas turbine power plant governed by Brayton cycle starts with the work in put by the compressor which provides the sufficient flow rate and pressured head to air. Followed by the burning of air fuel mixture that provides all heat input required to generate high pressure and high temperature gasses. Gasses used by Turbine, lower their pressure which is then exhausted into atmosphere

Methods of testing oil viscosity

1) Falling Sphere Viscometer

Falling sphere viscometer is a simple instrument which used to measure the dynamics viscosity of the Newtonian fluid. Working principle of this falling sphere viscometer is very simple. It measure the time needed by a solid sphere to cover a certain vertical distance. This vertical free fall movement is inside the viscous fluid whose dynamic viscosity is needed to be measured. The apparatus simply consist of a cylindrical tube having starting and ending marks for vertical distance. Tube is filled with viscous fluid and stop watch is used to measure the time of sphere moving inside the tube. A simple thermometer and density-meter is used to measure the temperature and density of the fluid during before the experiment starts

2) Capillary Viscometer

Capillary viscometer is the simplest and easiest instrument and method available to measure the viscosity of the all Newtonian fluids and some of the Non-Newtonian fluids. This apparatus simply consists of a single piece of a specially design tube that has multiple shapes with each as it’s on diameter and length all integrated into one tube. Capillary viscometer measures viscosity of a fluid by allowing the fluid to pass through certain length of tube with constant diameter. The movement of fluid inside viscometer is due to its hydrostatic pressure. Time taken by the known volume of fluid to pass the specific marked length of the tube with constant diameter is used to calculate the viscosity of the fluid. Time is measure with the help of a stop watch and tubes has all necessary grading to show the start and end point of length.

3) Viscometer of Ubbelohde

Viscometer of Ubbelohde was name after its German inventor a chemist named Ubbelohde and its working principle is very much same as that of the capillary viscometer. It also uses a very much similar glass tube that allows the fluid to pass through a known length of tube. Time required to cover that know length of glass tube defines the viscosity of the fluid. Its use is recommended specifically for higher viscosity fluid (cellulosic polymer solutions). The main advantage of this instrument over the capillary viscometer is that the values obtained are independent of the total fluid volume used.

Thermodynamics Systems and The Laws

When a matter is separated from its surrounding by some means of walls then that matter is called a system and when that system is observed in terms of heat and mass transfer then that system became a thermodynamics system. So a thermodynamics system is one in which a matter is separated from its surrounding by means of wall called boundary and is observed in terms of heat and mass transferred between system and surrounding through boundaries at certain conditions. There three types of thermodynamics system; isolated system, close system and open system and when external forces like force and heat is applied on system it is called thermodynamics operations. These operations are controlled by the means of three thermodynamics laws. Thermodynamics operation involve the external forces, work done, heat energy and transfer of mass between system and surrounding through boundaries. When a thermodynamics operation is performed on a system then its properties like internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, pressure, volume and temperature is changed. This change is governed by thermodynamics laws and happens to make the system in thermodynamics equilibrium.

According to first law of thermodynamics; heat can neither be generated nor be destroyed but it ca be changed from one form of energy to another form of energy. Therefore this law of thermodynamics is called the law of conservation of energy. In energy generating power plants the first law of thermodynamics govern the mechanism of energy transfer and energy generation. As per law energy cannot be created to generate energy in power plant, an energy source is needed. As per law energy is converted from one form to another form, so to get electrical energy of heat energy the initial form of biomass have to convert into other form of energy. This conversion of biomass energy into heat energy can be done through thermodynamics operations, which changes system properties governed by the thermodynamics laws.

A perfect gas or also known as the Ideal gas is one which fully follows the thermodynamics process and laws and does not show any divergence from them. An ideal gas will show perfect relationship of three main properties of a system that is relationship between pressure, volume and Temperature. In an ideal gas case at any point of the system the following relation can be find true

PV/T=C

B) Polytropic index

The polytropic index for a process that changes its state from point 1 to point 2 can be calculated as follow

n=log⁡(P1/P2)/log⁡(V2/V1) 

So the polytropic index of the following system is 1.3 and it will remain same for  each and every stage of the system.

c) Work done

Work done in polytropic can be calculated as follow

Work= W=(P2V2-P1V1)/(1-n)

In above result the work done is positive which show that work in done by the system. If the work result were negative then it show that work was done on the system (energy is being added into the system)