POWER PLANT ENGINEERING

Power plant engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with conversion of various forms of energy into electrical energy. In this text we will discuss about thermal power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, and non-conventional sources of energy. In thermal power plant, coal, diesel, petrol, natural gas, and kerosene oil are used as fuel and chemical energy of these fuels is converted into mechanical energy and then mechanical energy into electrical energy. In hydroelectric power plant the potential energy of water is converted into mechanical energy as shaft power and then mechanical energy into electrical energy. Similarly, in the case of nuclear energy, nuclear power is used to generate the heat required to produce superheated steam and then the heat energy is converted into mechanical energy and the mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.