Unit 3 (Question and Answers)

1 Distinguish the conventional and Non conventional energy sources and also give some examples.

Energy Sources

Conventional Non-conventional

Coal Sun (Solar Energy)

Wind (Wind Energy)

Petrolium

Natural Water (Hydro Energy)

Gas

Tides (Tidel Energy)

Uranium

Earth (Geo-Thermal
Energy)

Conventional sources of energy Non-conventional sources of energy

These sources of energy are not abundant These sources of energy are abundant in nature.
(present in limited quantity).

Examples: coal, petroleum, natural gas, Examples: solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal
uranium etc. energy, geo-thermal biomass energy etc.

They are non-renewable. They are renewable.

They pollute the environment. Do not pollute the environment.

They have been in use for a long time. They have been in use for the last few years.

They are used at a higher rate. They are used at a lower rate.

They can be exhausted completely due to They cannot be exhausted completely.

over-consumption.

They are commonly used for industrial and They are used commonly used for household purposes.
commercial purposes.

They are expensive They are inexpensive.

2 Give a detailed note on operation of conversion of Solar Energy to Electricity.

The main components of the solar power are;

1. Sun: Sun gives required light and heat energy.
2. Solar panels: Solar panels are the photo-voltic panels/ PV panels. They are used to convert sunlight into
electricity. The output from the solar panels is DC in nature. But in our homes we use AC. So to convert
DC into AC we use inverters.
3. Inverter: Inveters are used to convert DC voltage into useful AC voltage
4. Bidirectional meter: The inveter output is given to the bidirectional meter. It will send the AC power to
the utilities like fan, light, computer etc. in our home. Bidirectional meter does either of three things:
 If the generated power is more than the connected load, the remaining power will be transferred to
the power grid.
 If the generated power is less than the connected load, the required power will be drawn from the
power grid.
 If the generated power is equals to the connected load, it just power the utilities.
5. Grid: Grid is point, from where electricity is either given or taken.
OPERATION:
The sun provides the light energy. PV panels convert the light energy into DC power. Inverters convert DC
power into AC power. A bidirectional meter manages the AC power as mentioned above.
3 Give a detailed sketch and explain about the operation of Hydroelectric power plant
Hydroelectric Power Plant
Hydropower refers to the conversion of energy from flowing water into electricity. It is considered a
renewable energy source because the water cycle is constantly renewed by the sun. One of the first uses of
hydropower was grinding grains and water lifting from the well, but today modern hydro plants produce
electricity using turbines and generators.

The main parts of the hydroelectric power plant are

1. Resorvoir: a water storage.

2. Dam: a large barrier built across a river to create a reservoir.
3. Penstock: a pipe line that directs water flow from the reservoir to the turbine.
4. Turbine: a rotating wheel that converts forced water (from the penstock) into mechanical energy.
5. Alternator: an AC generator that converts mechanical energy (from the turbine) into electrical
energy.
6. Power Transformer: a static AC machine that steps up the voltage level for efficient transmission.
7. Control room: a place from which one can monitor and manage the power plant operations.
8. Draft tube: a pipe line that collects the discharged water from the turbine and back to the river.
9. Transmission lines: HT lines used for power transmission.
10. Surge Tank: a room for the back water during sudden opening and closing of inlet value.

OPERATION:
The reservoir water head has the potential energy (PE = mgH). When water flows through a penstock, the potential
energy of the water is converted into kinetic energy (KE = 1/2 mV2). The water, with kinetic energy, strikes the turbine
and converts into mechanical energy. An alternator is used to convert this mechanical energy into electricity.
4 Explain the working principle and operation of Windmill with a neat diagram

The main parts of the wind turbine are

1. Turbine: The wind runs through the turbine blades;
- Thus decreasing the air pressure on one side of the blade
- This causes a difference in air pressure through both sides of the blade
- Creating a force on the blades.
- The intensity of the force rotates the turbine.
But the slow rotation speed of the turbine is not enough to produce electricity. For this reason, a Gear box is
connected in between the turbine and the generator.
2. Gear box: A gear box is a mechanical device that is used to change the speed or torque. In a wind turbine, it will
take the low speed of the turbine as the input and convert it to high speed.
3. Generator: The generator is used to convert the aerodynamic force into electricity.
4. Nacelle: The housing holding the gear box and generator is called the Nacelle, which can move according to the
direction of the wind.
5. Yaw mechanism: If the direction of the wind changes, the velocity sensor located on top of the nacelle sends a
signal to the yaw mechanism at the base of the nacelle. This mechanism then moves the blades to face the proper
wind direction.
6. Blade tilting mechanism: Also, the blades can rotate using a blade tilting mechanism to align themselves with the
proper angle of the wind.
OPERATION:
The turbine is used to convert wind energy into mechanical energy. A gear box is used to change speed. An alternator
is used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
5 Explain the operation of Nuclear power plant including various parts in it and also give its construction details.

The main parts of the Nuclear power plant are

1. Nuclear reactor: A nuclear reactor is a chamber where heat is produced. It mainly consists of three parts: fuel
rods, moderators, and control rods.
2. Fuel rods: a material used to generate heat energy in nuclear power plants. Enriched uranium clad with stainless
steel is used as fuel rods.
3. Moderator: a material used to slow down the velocity of thermal neutrons. Normal water (H2O)or heavy water
(D2O) is used as moderator.
4. Control rods: they are used to stop the nuclear fission process.
5. Steam Generator/ Heat Exchanger: a device that converts heat energy into steam.
6. Steam Turbine: Steam turbine is a device that converts steam into mechanical energy
7. Alternator: Alternator is an AC generator that converts mechanical energy from the turbine into electricity.
8. Condenser: The condenser is chamber where the high-temperature steam from the turbine is converted into low -
temperature water.

OPERATION:
The reactor is used to generate heat energy using the nuclear fission process. In the heat exchanger, the heat energy is
converted into steam. A steam turbine is used to convert steam jets into mechanical energy. An alternator is used to
convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
6 Define “unit” used for consumption of electrical energy.
Electrical Energy: Consumption & Bill Generation
The power rating of household appliances, including air conditioners, PCs, laptops, printers, and more, is
typically measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). It indicates the rate at which the appliance consumes electrical
energy. A higher power rating signifies greater energy consumption.
Electrical energy consumption is calculated in units. One unit of electrical energy consumption is equal to the
one kilowatt-hour (kWh). One kilowatt-hour is the amount of energy used when a 1,000-watt appliance operates for
one hour.
To calculate electricity bill:
1. Calculate the number of hours each appliance operates and multiply it by its power rating in kilowatts.
2. Sum up the usage of all appliances to get the total energy consumption in kilowatt-hours.
3. Multiply this by your electricity provider's rate per kilowatt-hour to determine the cost.
Example-1: If you run a 1 kW air conditioner for 5 hours a day and your rate is 6 Rupees per kWh, what is the
monthly bill?
Monthly bill = (1 kW * 5 hours/day) * 30 days * (6 Rupees per kWh) = 900 Rupees.
Example-2: The following table provides the usage of electrical appliances in one domestic house. If unit cost of
electrical energy is 6.50 Rupees then determine electricity bill for a month.

No of Total Energy Energy consumed in

Total
SL operational consumed = No of kwh (units) per
Appliances Watts Qty no of
NO hours per watts X No of day= energy
watts
day operation hours consumed / 1000

1 Tube light 60W 4 240 5 1200 1.2

2 Fan 75W 4 300 8 2400 2.4

3 Refrigerator 200W 1 200 24 4800 4.8

4 AC 1500W 2 3000 5 15,000 15

5 Laptop 50W 1 50 2 100 0.1

6 Television 50W 1 50 3 150 0.15

Washing
7 2000W 1 2000 1 2000 2
machine

8 Micro wave 1000W 1 1000 1 1000 1

Total no of units consumed per day 26.65 = 27 Units

Monthly bill = total no of units consumed per day * 30 days * (6.5 Rupees per kWh)
= 27 * 30 * 6.5
 = 5,265 Rupees.
7 Write a note on types of tariffs and explain two-part electricity tariff in detail
What is Tariff?
Tariff is the rate/ amount/ cost/ charge at which electricity is supplied to a customer.
The main purpose of the tariff is to recover the capital investment and maintaining the service without any
interruption.
Factors affected on the tariff
 Type of load (domestic/ commercial/ industrial)
 Maximum demand (when all loads are connected at a time)
 No of units consumed (up to 100 units, between 100 to 200 units etc.)
 Time of day (day time/ night time)
 Purpose (domestic/agriculture/business/education/ hospitals etc.)
Types of Tariff
1. Flat rate tariff:
2. Two-part tariff:
3. Block rate tariff:
4. Maximum demand tariff:
5. Power factor tariff:
6. Time of day (ToD) tariff
Two-part tariff:
In Two-part tariff, the total charge is split into two components. A fixed charge dependent up on the maximum demand
and a variable charge based on the energy consumption.
8 Mention the importance of safety measures in electricity and write the various types of earthing used for various
applications
Earthing
It is the process of instant discharge of electrical energy into the earth through a low resistance wire.
Earthing means the connection of non-current carrying parts of the equipment to the earth.
Necessity of earthing
1. Earthing protect the human lives and electrical equipment from fault current.
2. Maintain the voltage at a constant level even fault occurs.
3. Protect the buildings from over voltages due to lightning strokes.
4. Prevent the fire in electrical systems.
5. Provide a return path for the fault current.

a. No earthing situation b. Earthing situation

Types of Earthing

1. Plate type

2. Pipe type

3. Rod Type

4. Strip type

Comparison of types of earthing

Type of Earthing Plate type Pipe type Rod Type Strip type

Earth Electrode Cu or GI plate Cu or GI pipe Cu or GI rod Cu or GI strip

Earth wire Cu wire Cu wire Cu wire Cu wire

Dimensions 2 m X 2 m X 6 mm 2 m long 2 m long 25 mm X 4 mm

Depth 3mt 3mt 3mt 0.5mt

Filling materials Charcoal and salt Charcoal and salt Charcoal and salt Charcoal and salt
9 Explain the Working principle of Fuse and Miniature circuit breaker (MCB) and also write the application of
Fuse and MCB
Fuse
A fuse is a safety device that protects electrical circuits from over current.
It consists of a thin wire (Lead/ aluminum/ silver/ copper/ alloy wires).
Working Principle: The fuse generates the heat when the current passing
through it (heat = I2Rt; where I is the current, R is the resistance of fuse,
and t is the time of operation of fuse). If the heat produced by the fuse is
more than the set value then the fuse will be melt and fuse breaks the circuit
to prevent damage or fire.

a. Normal condition b. Fault condition

Merits:
 Cost is less and simple operation.
 Fast response to over current
 Provides basic protection for electrical systems.
Demerits:
 One-time use;
 Must be replaced after blowing.
 Limited accuracy
 Can't be reset or adjusted.
Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)

MCB OVERLOAD SHORT CIRCUIT

MCB is a safety device used for circuit protection. It works on the principle of thermal-magnetic protection. It has a
bimetallic strip and a solenoid.
Working Principle: The bimetallic strip bends when excessive current flows through the load (thermal protection).
The solenoid trips the breaker in case of short circuits (magnetic protection).
Merits:
 Fast Response
 Resettable
 Compact size saves space in electrical panels.
 More reliable than fuse.
Demerits:
 Limited Capacity
 Less sensitivity than fuse.
 Cost is high when compared to fuses
Working: 3 conditions
1. Normal condition:
Under normal condition, the current flows from the
Phase wire ---- > Solenoid ---- > Bimetallic strip ---- > closed contact ---- > load ---- > Neutral wire.
So, MCB is ON.
 a. MCB under Normal condition

2. Overload condition
Overload condition means applied load is greater than the rated value.
Phase wire ---- > Solenoid ---- > Bimetallic strip ---- > Bend ---- > open circuit ---- > Load safe.

Bimetallic strip ------ > hits the trip bar ------ > MCB OFF.

b. Under Overload condition (Thermal trip protection)

3. Short circuit condition

Excess current ---- > Phase wire ---- > Solenoid ---- > Magnetized ---- > attracts Plunger (P) ---- >open circuit ---
- > Load safe.
Plunger ------ > hits the trip bar ------ > MCB OFF.

c.Under Short circuit condition (Magnetic trip protection)