Diesel Power Plant

A Diesel power station(also known as Stand-by power station) uses a diesel engine as
prime mover for the generation of electrical energy.

This power station is generally compact and thus can be located where it is actually
required. This kind of power station can be used to produce limited amounts of electrical energy.
In most countries these power stations are used as emergency supply stations.

Operation

The diesel burns inside the engine and the combustion process moves a fluid that turns
the engine shaft and drives the alternator. The alternator in turn, converts mechanical energy into
electrical energy.

This type of electricity generating power station will probably be used a long time into
the future, due to a need for reliable stand-by electrical source for emergency situations.

However, diesel power plants emit green house gases that pollute the environment and
also require frequent servicing.

Applications of the diesel engine power plant:

1. Peak load:

We can notice the combination of the hydro plant and thermal plant in the diesel engine
as a peak load unit. To meet the peak demand they stopped and started the engine easily.

2. Mobile plant:

Diesel plants fixed on trailers can be pre owned for emergency or temporary purposes
like providing power to huge civil engineering workings.

3. Standby unit:

If it cannot handle up with the demand or main unit fails then the diesel plant can supply
the required power source.

4. Emergency plant:

During the time of power disruption in an energetic unit like industrial plant or a hospital,
a diesel electric plant can be used to generate the power.

5. Nursery station:

In the absence of the key grid for power supply a diesel plant is installed in the town.
When the power is required in the other stations in that case they transport the power
 from one place to the other. It means they transfer to the small plants. So this is known as
nursery station.

6. Starting stations:

The main purpose of the diesel station is used to run the induced draft fans, forced draft
fans. Boiler feed is required for the larger steam power plants.

Advantages of diesel power plant:

 Capital cost is low

 The design of the plant is easy and installation process is also easy.
 In standard capacities it is easily available.
 Without facing any difficulties they respond to the changed load.
 There are smaller amount replacement losses.
 It occupies less space
 They can be opened and stopped very quickly.
 Requirement of cooling water is less.
 Operating must be less
 For super vising staff is required
 At the time of conservation they convert the fuel into power.
 Part loads efficiency are higher
 Less members of engineers are required
 Near the load center plants are located
 We cannot absorb the ash handling problems
 Lubrication system must be easy

Disadvantages of Diesel power plant:

 Operating cost must be high

 Lubrication cost and maintenance cost is also high
 Capacity is restricted
 Big size is not available
 Sound pollution is noticed
 Overload is not possible
 Released unwanted emissions
 The life time is 7 to 10 years
 Life span must be 25 to 45 years
 For every 10 years the life is decreased by 10 %
The Diesel Engine

Diesel engine is one of the main components present in the diesel power plant. Mainly
the engines are classified in to two types they are two stroke engine and four stroke engine. In
the diesel engine the engine is straight away joined to the generator to develop power. In the
engine the air entered in the cylinder must be compressed. Fuel must be injected by the end of
the compression stroke. After the burning of the fuel the burnt gases expand and apply pressure
on the piston. To the generator the shaft of the engine is straightly attached to the engine. After
the completion of the combustion the burnt gases are ejected in the atmosphere.

"Stroke" refers to the movement of the piston in the engine. 2 Stroke means one stroke in
each direction.

A 2 stoke engine will have a compression stroke followed by an explosion of the

compressed fuel. On the return stroke new fuel mixture is inserted into the cylinder.

A 4 stroke engine has 1 compression stroke and 1 exhaust stoke. Each is followed by a
return stroke. The compression stroke compresses the fuel air mixture prior to the gas explosion.
The exhaust stroke simply pushes the burnt gases out the exhaust.

A 4 stroke engine usually has a distributor that supplies a spark to the cylinder only when
its piston is near TDC (top dead center) on the fuel compression stroke, ie. one spark every two
turns of the crank shaft. Some 4 stroke engines do away with the distributor and make sparks
every turn of the crank. This means a spark happens in a cylinder that just has burnt gasses in
itwhich just means the sparkplug wears out faster.
Advantages of 2 Stroke Engines:

 Two-stroke engines do not have valves, simplifying their construction.

 Two-stroke engines fire once every revolution (four-stroke engines fire once every other
revolution). This gives two-stroke engines a significant power boost.
 Two-stroke engines are lighter, and cost less to manufacture.
 Two-stroke engines have the potential for about twice the power in the same size because
there are twice as many power strokes per revolution.

Disadvantages of 2 Stroke Engines:

 Two-stroke engines don't live as long as four-stroke engines. The lack of a dedicated
lubrication system means that the parts of a two-stroke engine wear-out faster. Two-
stroke engines require a mix of oil in with the gas to lubricate the crankshaft, connecting
rod and cylinder walls.
 Two-stroke oil can be expensive. Mixing ratio is about 4 ounces per gallon of gas:
burning about a gallon of oil every 1,000 miles.
 Two-stroke engines do not use fuel efficiently, yielding fewer miles per gallon.
 Two-stroke engines produce more pollution. The combustion of the oil in the gas. The oil
makes all two-stroke engines smoky to some extent, and a badly worn two-stroke engine
can emit more oily smoke.Each time a new mix of air/fuel is loaded into the combustion
chamber, part of it leaks out through the exhaust port.

Advantages of Four Stroke Engines:

 More torque - This is the most important reasons why people choose a 4-stroke engine.
The two-stroke boasts its speed and power, but the four-stroke shows extra torque. It is
more reliable and quitter.
 Last longer - Four stroke engines last longer and use much, much less oil. Compared to
two-stroke engines, the four stroke engine is durable for use. The more times an engine
goes around, the quicker it will wear out. As 2-strokes must rev to very high RPM to
make any power, most applications using them are geared toward maintaining that RPM.
Thus, they can’t live as long as four-stroke engine.
 Run much cleaner than 2 strokes - A 2 stroke makes a lot of exhaust smoke because it
burns oil mixed with fuel. On the contrary, four-stroke engines have a dedicated oiling
system that’s kept largely separate from the combustion chamber, which help to ensure
that the only thing burning in the engine is gasoline.
 More efficient use of gas - If you have picked up both of them, you may obviously realize
the problem. The intake and exhaust accounted 360 °crank angle, the exhaust top dead
center the piston upward, the residual gas is exhaust forcibly. When a mixture of fuel and
air is forced by atmospheric pressure into the cylinder, the piston down to the intake
bottom dead center, the incoming fresh mixture almost combust. Substantially, there is no
 wasted fresh mixture. However, for two-stroke engine, the fresh mixture is escaping with
exhaust gases during exhaust stroke.

Disadvantages of Four Stroke Engine:

 Complicated - Two-stroke engines do not have valves, simplifying their construction.

However, there are more parts to worry about in a four-stroke engine which results in
harder to troubleshoot.
 Half as powerful as two stroke engines - For equivalent engines, the four stroke ones fire
once every two revolutions, while two stroke engines are more powerful because every
revolution of the engine includes a power stroke.
 More expensive than 2 stroke - A four-stroke engine is much more expensive and
complex than a two-stroke one. It has more complied with more parts so they often
require repairs more often and it is usually more expensive.