Question

Steam power plants are responsible for the production of most electric power in the world. A small increase in thermal efficiency can mean large savings from the fuel requirements. Consider a steam power plant that operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle. Steam is cooled in the condenser at a pressure of 75 kPa by running cooling water at 16°C from the nearby river through the tubes of the condenser. To increase the thermal efficiency of the power cycle, a junior engineer proposed to decrease the operating pressure of the condenser to 2 kPa while maintaining the turbine inlet conditions at constant.

You are asked to assist the junior engineer with the analysis of the feasibility of the proposal. Include the following in your report:

i. Outline the function, modes of energy transfer, and energy balance for each device in the steam power plant.

ii. Select appropriate turbine inlet conditions (i.e. pressure and temperature) with justifications. Analyse and discuss the effect of the condenser pressure as it is varied from 75 kPa to 2 kPa on the performance of the steam power plant while the turbine is operated and maintained at the selected inlet conditions. Organize relevant data/findings in a table and appropriate charts to illustrate the effect of varying condenser pressure on the performance of the steam power plant. Show one set of detailed sample calculation

Answer 1