Diesel, Gas

Turbine, and
Combined
Cycle Power
Plants
 Diesel Power Plant
A generating station in which diesel engine is used as the prime mover for the generation of
electrical energy is known as diesel power station
History
• Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer, conceived the idea
for the engine that now bears his name after he had
sought a device to increase the efficiency of the Otto
engine (the first four-stroke-cycle engine, built in the
19th-century by Nikolaus Otto)
• In 1885, Diesel set up his first shop in Paris to begin
development of a compression ignition engine
• In the 1890s, he received numbers of patents for his invention of an efficient, slow burning,
compression ignition, internal combustion engine
• From 1893 to 1897, Diesel further developed his ideas at Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg AG (later
called Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nürnberg or MAN)
• In 1894, the first prototype had been modified to become the second prototype
• In 1896, the third and final prototype engine is completed
• First successful run was in 1897
• In 1899, The first two-stroke diesel engine, invented by Hugo Güldner
• The first mobile diesel power plants in the USSR were built in 1934 and were known as diesel
trains. Such diesel trains have all the power plant equipment installed on platforms or in cars.
The power ratings of diesel trains are 1, 2.5, 4.5, and 10 megawatts
 Diesel’s Third Test
Engine

Specifications:
• 1 cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, air
injection of fuel
• Output: 14.7 kW (20 hp)
• Fuel consumption: 317 g/kWh (238 g/hp-
hr)
• Efficiency: 26.2%
• Number of revolutions: 172 min-1
• Displacement volume: 19.6 L
• Bore: 250 mm
• Stroke: 400 mm
Types/Classifications of Diesel Engine

Two-Stroke Diesel Engine Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

Two-Stroke Diesel Engine

• The two-stroke cycle is completed in two strokes of the piston or one

revolution of the crankshaft
• Two-stroke engine will be considerably lighter
• It runs smoother than the four-stroke diesel engine
• It does not produce as much power as a four-stroke diesel engine
Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

• The four-stroke cycle is completed in four strokes of the piston, or two

revolutions of the crankshaft. In order to operate the cycle, the engine
requires a mechanism to open and close the inlet and exhaust valves
• Recommended for heavy-duty applications with a high daily rate of use
• It can operate efficiently at high speeds
• It consumes less lubricating oil than two-stroke diesel engines
Theoretical
Background
Processes in a
Diesel Cycle
1-2: Isentropic Compression
2–3: Isobaric Heat Addition
3–4: Isentropic Expansion
4–1: Isobaric Expansion
Isentropic Compression (Process 1-2)

• This process is called isentropic compression as there is

no heat transferred (adiabatic) to or from the system and it is
a reversible process
• The gas inside the cylinder is compressed isentropically
from a volume V1 to V2
• The ratio of V1 and V2 is referred to as the compression
ratio
• Work is done by the piston on gases (negative work Win),
which means external work is to be done to compress the
gases
• This process is characterized by the compression stroke
of the 4-stroke cycle
Isobaric Heat Addition (Process 2-3)

• Isobaric means that the process carried out at constant

pressure
• With the pressure being constant, heat is added externally
until volume V3 is reached
• The ratio of V3 and V2 is referred to as the cut-off ratio
• Heat is added to the system (positive heat Qin), by
combusting the air-fuel mixture
• This process is characterized by the initial part of the
power stroke of the 4-stroke cycle, until volume has
expanded to V3
Isentropic Expansion (Process 3-4)

• The gas inside the cylinder expands from V3 to V4

which is equal to V1
• The ratio of V4 (or V1) and V3 is known as the
expansion ratio
• Work is done by the gases on the piston (positive work
Wout), thus powering the engine by pushing the piston
down
• This process is characterized by the final part of the
power stroke of the 4-stroke cycle, until volume has
expanded to V4
Isobaric Expansion (Process 4-1)

• Isobaric means that the process carried out at constant

volume
• With the volume being constant, heat is removed until
pressure comes down to p1
• Heat is removed from the system (negative heat Qout),
by flushing out the combusted gases
• This process is characterized by the exhaust and
intake stroke of the 4-stroke cycle
Working Principle

• Engine: This is the main component of the plant which develops required
power. The engine is generally directly coupled to the generator.
• Air-filter and Supercharger: The function of the air-filter is to remove the dust
from the air which is taken by the engine. The function of the supercharger is
to increase the pressure of the air supplied to the engine to increase the power
of the engine. The superchargers are generally driven by the engines.
• Exhaust System: This includes the silencers and connecting ducts. The
temperature of the exhaust, gases is sufficiently high, therefore, the heat of the
exhaust gases many times is used for heating the oil or air supplied to the
engine.
• Fuel System: It includes the storage tank, fuel pump, fuel transfer pump,
strainers and heater. The fuel is supplied to the engines according to the
load on the plant.
• Cooling System: This system includes water circulating pumps, cooling
towers or spray ponds and water filtration plant. The purpose of cooling
system is to carry the heat from the engine cylinder to keep the
temperature of the cylinder in safe range and extend its life.
• Lubrication System. It includes the oil pumps, oil tanks, filters, coolers and
connecting pipes. The function of the lubrication system is to reduce the
friction of moving parts and reduce the wear and tear of the engine parts.
• Starting System: This includes compressed air tanks. The function of this
system is to start the engine from cold by supplying the compressed air.
• Governing System: The function of the governing system is to maintain
the speed of the engine constant irrespective of load on the plant. This is
done generally by varying fuel supply to the engine according to load.
Application

• They are used as central station for small or medium power supplies
• They can be used as stand-by plants to hydro-electric power plants and steam
power plants for emergency services
• Nowadays power cut has become a regular feature for industries. The only
solution to tide over this difficulty is to install diesel generating sets
• Diesel plants mounted on trailers can be used for temporary or emergency
purposes such as supplying power to large civil engineering works
• Suitable for mobile power generation and are widely used in transportation
systems such as automobiles, railways, airplanes and ships
 Gas Turbine
The gas turbine is the engine at the heart of the power plant that produces electric current. A
gas turbine is a combustion engine that can convert natural gas or other liquid fuels to
mechanical energy. This energy then drives a generator that produces electrical energy
History

• 50 AD, earliest records of hero’s engine (aeopile). It most likely served no practical
purpose, and was rather more of a curiosity; nonetheless, it demonstrated an important
principle of physics that all modern turbine engines rely on.
• 1000 AD, The "Trotting Horse Lamp" was used by the Chinese at lantern fairs as early
as the northern song dynasty. When the lamp is lit, the heated airflow rises and drives
an impeller with horse-riding figures attached on it, whose shadows are then projected
onto the outer screen of the lantern.
• 1500: The chimney jack was drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci: hot air from a fire rises
through a single-stage axial turbine rotor mounted in the exhaust duct of the fireplace
and turning the roasting spit by gear-chain connection.
• 1629: Jets of steam rotated an impulse turbine that then drove a working stamping mill by means of a bevel
gear, developed by Giovanni Branca.
• 1872: A gas turbine engine designed by Berlin engineer, Franz Stolze, is thought to be the first attempt at
creating a working model but the engine never ran under its own power.
• 1678: Ferdinand Verbiest built a model carriage relying on a steam jet for power.
• 1791: A patent was given to John Barber, an Englishman, for the first true gas turbine. His invention had most
of the elements present in the modern day gas turbines.
• 1895: Three 4-ton 100 kW Parsons radial flow generators were installed in Cambridge Power Station and
was used to power the first electric street lighting scheme in the city.
• 1903: A Norwegian, Ægidius Elling, built the first gas turbine that was able to produce more power than
needed to run its own components.
Types/Classifications of Gas Turbines

• Turbojet Engine
• Turbofan Engine
• Turboshaft Engine
• Turboprop Engine
Turbofan Engine

Turbofans work by attaching a

ducted fan to the front of a
turbojet engine. The fan creates
additional thrust, helps cool the
engine, and lowers the noise
output of the engine.
Turbojet Engine

Turbojet engines were the first

type of gas turbine engine
invented.
Turboshaft Engine

Turboshaft engines are primarily

used on helicopters. The biggest
difference between turboshaft
and turbojet is that turboshaft
engines use majority of its power
to turn a turbine, rather than
produce thrust out the back of the
engine.
Turboprop Engine

Turboprop engines drive

propellers through a reduction
gear, which provides optimum
propeller performance at slower
rpm speeds.
 Theoretical Background
Processes in a
Gas Turbine
Cycle
1-2: Isentropic Compression
2–3: Constant Pressure
Heat Addition
3–4: Isentropic Expansion
4–1: Constant Pressure
Heat Rejection
Schematic Diagram
• Compressor - draws in air and compresses it
• Combustion Chamber - fuel pumped in and ignited to burn with
compressed air
• Turbine - hot gases converted to work
- can drive compressor and external load
 Advantages Disadvantages

• Simplicity • Many parts under high stress

• Reduced manning requirements • High pitched noise
• Quicker response time • Needs large quantities of air
• Faster acceleration/ deceleration • Large quantities of hot exhaust
• Modular replacement • Cannot be repaired in place
• Less vibrations
Working Principle

• To generate electricity, the gas turbine heats a mixture of air and fuel at
very high temperatures, causing the turbine blades to spin. The spinning
turbine drives a generator that converts the energy into electricity.
• The gas turbine can be used in combination with a steam turbine in a
combined-cycle power plant to create power extremely efficiently.
• Air-fuel mixture ignites - The gas turbine compresses air and mixes it with fuel
that is then burned at extremely high temperatures, creating a hot gas.
• Hot gas spins turbine blades - The hot air and fuel mixture moves through
blades in the turbine, causing them to spin quickly.
• Spinning blades turn the drive shaft - The fast-spinning turbine blades rotate
the turbine drive shaft.
• Turbine rotation powers the generator - The spinning turbine is connected to
the rod in a generator that turns a large magnet surrounded by coils of copper
wire.
• Generator magnet causes electrons to move and creates electricity - The fast-
revolving generator magnet creates a powerful magnetic field that lines up the
electrons around the copper coils and causes them to move.
- The movement of these electrons through a wire is electricity.
 Combined Cycle
Power Plant
A combined-cycle power plant uses both a gas and a steam turbine together to produce up to
50 percent more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional simple-cycle plant
History

• 1949: First Combined Cycle Power Plant Applying Feedwater Heating

• 1957: First Heat Recovery Steam Generator for a Gas Turbine
• 1965: First Fully-Fired Boiler Combined Cycle Power Plant
• 1968: First Combined Cycle Power Plant with Heat Recovery Steam
Generator
• 1972: First Coal-Gasification Combined Cycle Power Plant
• 1990: First Combined Cycle Power Plant with an Advanced Gas Turbine
• 2000: First Combined Cycle Power Plant with Fuel Cell
Types of Combined-Cycle Power Plants

• Gas Turbine-Steam Turbine Power Plant

• MHD-Thermionic Steam Power Plant
• Thermo Electric-Steam Power Plant
• MHD-Steam Power Plant
• Nuclear-Steam Combined Power Plant
• MHD-Gas Turbine Power Plant
Gas Turbine-Steam
Turbine Power Plant

It is the combination of simple gas

turbine power plant and steam power
plant. In the gas turbine unit, the heat
from the exhausted gas is recovered
by a heat recovery boiler and the
steam is produced by using this heat
in the boiler and it goes to the steam
turbine, Here, two generators are
used to produce the power. One
generator is connected to the gas
turbine unit and the other generator is
connected to the steam turbine unit.
The efficiency of this combined unit is
about 45%.
MHD-Thermionic Steam
Power Plant

• A metal electrode which is called an emitter

is heated until it is hot enough to release
electrons from its surface.
• This electron crosses a small gap and is
stored on a cooled metal electrode called
collector.
• To reduce the energy loss, the gap is
maintained with vacuum space.
• The electrons enter the collector and return
through an external load to the emitter by
producing electrical power.
• The thermionic-generator transforms heat
directly into power.
• Waste heat from and MHD generator is
(about 1900*C) used to heat 'the thermionic
device with the addition of a high temperature
emitters like tungsten or rhenium.
Thermo Electric-
Steam Power Plant

It is somewhat similar to a
thermocouple with the
difference that the
thermo-elements are
made up of semi
conductors P and N, heat
is given to the hot
junction and the heat is
removed from the cold
junction.
MHD-steam power
plant (open and
closed cycle)
Open cycle MHD, the products
of combustion with preheated
air are seeded with 1 %
potassium and it is entered in
the MHD duct at about 2500-
3000K where some part of
internal energy is converted to
electricity. The exhaust from the
MHD duct is used to preheat
the steam and air.

Open Cycle MHD

Closed Cycle MHD

In closed cycle, helium (or argon)

gas is seeded with cesium and it
is heated in a nuclear reactor and
then it is passed into the MHD
duct. After that it is passed into
the steam generating system.
The duct wall material used in
MHD generator is strontium
zirconate, magnesium oxide, and
hafnium. The Tungsten or
Carbon electrodes are used.
Nuclear-steam
combined power
plant
Nuclear power plants are a type
of power plant that use the
process of nuclear fission in
order to generate electricity.
They do this by using nuclear
reactors in combination with
the Rankine cycle, where
the heat generated by the
reactor converts water
into steam, which spins
a turbine and a generator.
MHD-gas turbine
power plant
One MHD and one gas turbine
power plant are connected in
series which means heat
rejected by MHD plant is fully
utilized to heat the air inside the
combustion chamber in gas
turbine power plant. by this,
heat action by the cycle is
reduced drastically so that the
efficiency of the combined cycle
will increase. The overall
efficiency can be off 70 - 72%.
 Theoretical
Background
• The thermodynamic cycle of the basic
combined cycle consists of two power
plant cycles.
• One is the Joule or Brayton cycle
which is a gas turbine cycle and the
other is Rankine cycle which is a steam
turbine cycle.
• The cycle 1-2-3-4-1 which is the gas
turbine power plant cycle is the topping
cycle.
• It depicts the heat and work transfer
process taking place in high temperature
region.
• The cycle a-b-c-d-e-f-a which is the Rankine steam cycle takes place at a
low temperature and is known as the bottoming cycle.
• Transfer of heat energy from high temperature exhaust gas to water and
steam takes place by a waste heat recovery boiler in the bottoming cycle.
• During the constant pressure process 4-1 the exhaust gases in the gas
turbine reject heat.
• The feed water, wet and super heated steam absorb some of this heat in
the process a-b, b-c and c-d.
Working Principle

This is how a combined-cycle plant works to produce electricity and captures

waste heat from the gas turbine to increase efficiency and electrical output.

• Gas turbine burns fuel - The gas turbine compresses air and mixes it with fuel
that is heated to a very high temperature. The hot air-fuel mixture moves
through the gas turbine blades, making them spin.
-The fast-spinning turbine drives a generator that converts
a portion of the spinning energy into electricity.
• Heat recovery system captures exhaust - A Heat Recovery Steam
Generator (HRSG) captures exhaust heat from the gas turbine that would
otherwise escape through the exhaust stack.
- The HRSG creates steam from
the gas turbine exhaust heat and delivers it to the steam turbine.
• Steam turbine delivers additional electricity - The steam turbine sends its
energy to the generator drive shaft, where it is converted into additional
electricity.
Application
A combined-cycle power plant
uses both a gas and a steam
turbine together to produce up to
50 percent more electricity from
the same fuel than a traditional
simple-cycle plant. The waste
heat from the gas turbine is
routed to the nearby steam
turbine, which generates extra
power.
References

• Diesel electric power plant:

http://www.sgipolytechnic.in/Notes/Electrical/SE_05.pdf
• Diesel Engine:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/diesel-engine/Major-types-of-diesel-engines
• Diesel Engine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine
• Early History of the Diesel Engine:
https://dieselnet.com/tech/diesel_history.php#:~:text=Rudolf%20Diesel's%20Invention,Rudolf%20
Diesel%2C%20who&text=In%201885%2C%20Diesel%20set%20up,process%20would%20last%2
013%20years.
References

• Diesel Power Plant:

https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Diesel+Power+Plant
• Two Stroke Diesel Engine:
http://www.machineryspaces.com/Two-stroke-cycle-diesel-engines.html
• Four Stroke Diesel Engine:
http://www.machineryspaces.com/Four-stroke-cycle-diesel-engines.html
• How Two Stroke Diesel Engine Work:
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/dieseltwostroke1.htm#:~:text=The%20two%2Dstroke%20diesel%2
0cycle%20goes%20like%20this%3A&text=Diesel%20fuel%20is%20sprayed%20into,fuel%20drive
s%20the%20piston%20downward.
References

• How Diesel Engines Work:

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/diesel1.htm
• Diesel Power Plant:
https://ajourneywithtime.weebly.com/uploads/6/7/3/3/6733268/diesel_power_plant.pdf
• What Is Diesel Cycle? What Are The Four Processes Of Diesel Cycle:
https://engineeringinsider.org/diesel-cycle-four-processes/
• Diesel, Gas Turbine And Combined Cycle Power Plants:
https://slideplayer.com/slide/14316405/
References

• Gas Turbines:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_turbine#:~:text=1678%3A%20Ferdinand%20Verbiest%20built%2
0a,to%20power%20a%20horseless%20carriage.
• Gas Turbines:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/gas-turbine-engine/Major-components-of-gas-turbine-
engines
• What Is A Gas Turbine And How Does It Work?:
https://www.ge.com/power/resources/knowledge-base/what-is-a-gas-turbine
References

• Schematic Diagram Of Gas Turbine:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-diagram-of-a-Simple-Gas-Turbine-Power-
plant_fig2_308887222
• Four Types Of Gas Turbines:
https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/systems/the-4-types-of-turbine-engines/
• Gas Turbine Plant:
https://slideplayer.com/slide/12388657/
References

• Forty Years Of Combined Cycle Power Plants:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.800.1755&rep=rep1&type=pdf#:~:text=T
he%20evolutionary%20development%20of%20combined,an%20efficiency%20level%20below%20
40%25.&text=The%20combination%20of%20the%20gas,more%20efficient%20bottoming%20stea
m%20cycles.
• Closed | Open Cycle MHD Generator:
https://www.yourelectricalguide.com/2018/05/closed-open-cycle-mhd-system.html
• Power Plant Engineering - Unit I - Combined Power Plants And Their Comparisons:
https://www.vidyarthiplus.com/vp/attachment.php?aid=17835
References

• Combined Cycle Power Plant: How It Works:

https://www.ge.com/power/resources/knowledge-base/combined-cycle-power-plant- how-it-
works
• Nuclear Power Plant:
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power_plant
• Combined Cycle Power Plant:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle_power_plant#:~:text=The%20thermodynamic%20cy
cle%20of%20the,cycle%20is%20the%20topping%20cycle.