L-4/T-2/ME Date: 09/01/2021

BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, BUET

L-4/T-2 B.Sc. Engineering Examinations 2019-2020
Sub: ME 419 (Power Plant Engineering)
Full Marks: 180 Time: 2 Hours
The figures in the margin indicate full marks.
Abbreviations and symbols used have their usual meanings and interpretations
Assume reasonable values for missing data, if required
Steam Tables and necessary charts are attached
USE SEPARATE SCRIPTS FOR EACH SECTION
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SECTION-A

There are FOUR questions in this section. Answer any THREE

1. (a) What are diversity factor and load factor? Explain how does the increase of (10)
diversity factor increases the load factor and hence lowers the cost of electricity.
(b) Explain the characteristic features of base load and peak load power plants. Give
examples. (10)
(c) A power plant produces (400 + 0.1 n)  106 kWh of electricity in a year with a
capacity factor of 0.6, where n is the last three digits of your student number. (10)
The plant remains unutilized for 760 hours in a year. If the reserve capacity over
and above the peak load is 20 MW, find out the plant capacity, the load factor,
and the use factor.

2. (a) What is meant by the rank of coal? Considering the commercial characteristics, (10)
usability, cost, and environmental aspects, explain logically, which type of coal
is best suited for power plants.

(b) Which type of coal burners are most suitable for ultra-supercritical power plants? (10)
Give reasons for your answer and also state the merits and demerits of the
chosen burner.

(c) With suitable graphs, briefly explain the effects of pressure ratio and turbine inlet (10)
temperature on the efficiency and work output of a simple cycle gas turbine
power plant.
3. (a) Show the actual cycle of a sub-critical steam power plant on an h-s plane and
(10)
point out and briefly explain the various losses in the cycle.

(b) Show using a T-s diagram and reasoning, how regenerative feedwater heater
(10)
enhances the overall performance of a steam power plant.

(c) Write short notes on:

(10)
(i) IGCC
(ii) Blade cooling of gas turbine

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4. The turbine inlet and exit steam in an ideal Rankine cycle are 2000 psia and 900 (30)
F and 0.8 psia, respectively. A two-pass condenser would handle the steam
mass flow rate of 2.5  106 lbm/h as well as (300,000 – 10 n) lbm/h of 110 F drain
water from the low-pressure feedwater heater, where n is the last three digits of
your student number. The condenser has 40 ft long 1 inch 18 BWG 70-30 Cu-Ni
tubes. Cooling water enters the tubes at 75 F and 6 ft/s. Determine the number
of tubes in the condenser if the TTD is 7 F.
What happens to the number of tubes [use logic, i.e., you need not calculate] if:
(i) the turbine exit pressure is increased to 1 psia
(ii) the TTD is increased to 8 F.

SECTION-B

There are FOUR questions in this section. Answer any THREE

Briefly discuss key View Points and associated Technical Strategies of Power
5. (a) (20)
System Master Plan 2016 (PSMP: 2016) adopted by GOB. Also correlate them
with appropriate Universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Why Sulphur removal is so vital for coal-fired TPP? Summarize the advantages
(b) (10)
of “Wet” Flue-Gas Desulpharization (FGD) Systems over the “Dry FGD System”.
Explain “Mass Defect” and “Binding Energy” in context to nuclear system. Also
6. (a) (15)
correlate them with atomic mass number in suitable sketch showing the regime
of nuclear “Fusion” and “Fission” reactions.
Explicate various control strategies adopted in nuclear power plants for reactor
(15)
output power.

7. (a) For the following nuclear wastes, describe briefly appropriate disposal (15)
technique:
(i) Spent reactor fuel (ii) Ion exchange resin (iii) Protective clothing of reactor
inspector

(b) Explain different “Fuel Enrichment” techniques adopted in Nuclear Power (15)
Industry.

8. (a) Describe key components of hydraulic turbine governing system. (15)

(b) With neat sketch describe fuel supply system in HFO power plant. (15)

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