TWO MARKS

Unit I
1. What are the types of power plants?
➢ Steam or thermal power plant
➢ Hydro electric power plant
➢ Diesel power plant
➢ Nuclear power plant
➢ Gas turbine power plant
➢ MHd power plant.

2. Define high pressure boilers.

When boiler generates steam at a pressure greater than 80 bars and temperature about
500˚C and capacity more than 250tons of steam per hour are called high – pressure boilers.

3. Give examples for high – pressure boilers.

➢ Lamont boiler
➢ Benson boiler
➢ Loeffler boiler
➢ Volex boiler
4. What are all the features of the high – pressure boilers?
➢ Method of water circulation
➢ Improved method of heating
5. What is the function of economizer?

The feed water from the feed tank is supplied to the economizer by feed pump. The
economizer is used to preheat the water before it going to the boiler. There is a heat
exchanger from the hot gases to the feed water.

6. What is the principle operation of Loeffler boiler?

The principle is evaporating the feed water by means of superheated steam from the
superheated, the hot gases from the furnace being used for superheating purposes.

7. What is the capacity of Lamont boiler& Bensor boiler?

It can generate steam at a capacity of 100 tonnes/hr and operating at 140bar.

It can generate steam at a capacity of 100 tonnes/hr and operating at 140 bar.
8. What is the capacity of Bensor boiler & Velox boiler?

The maximum working pressure is 500atm. The steam generating capacity is about
150tonnes/hr.

The steam generating capacity of this boiler is about 100tonnes/hr.

9. What are super critical boilers?

A large number of steam generating plants are designed between working pressure ranges
of 125atm to 300atm and temperature range of about 510˚C to 660˚C. The super – critical
boiler requires only preheater and superheater.

10. What are all the steam power plant cycles?

➢ Rankine cycle
➢ Reheat cycle
➢ Regenerative cycle
➢ Binary vapour cycle
➢ Superposed or Topping cycle.
11. What are all the operating conditions for improving the cycle efficiency in Rankine
cycle?
➢ Increasing the average temperature at which heat is supplied.
➢ Decreasing or reducing the temperature at which heat is rejected.
12. Rankine cycle efficiency is given by ……………..

Wnet Workdone
 Rankine = =
Q1 Heat sup plied

13. Give some advantages of regenerative cycle over Rankine cycle.

➢ The thermal stresses set up in the boiler are minimized.
➢ The thermal efficiency is improved because the average temperature of heat
addition is increased.
14. What are all the advantages of superheated steam?
➢ It reduces the initial condensation of the steam.
➢ If results in improving the plant efficiency.
15. Give some proportion required for an ideal binary fluid used in binary vapour cycle.
➢ It should have high heat of vaporization
➢ It should have high critical temperate.
➢ It should have chemical stability.
16. Explain reheat cycle.
 In reheat cycle, the steam is extracted from a suitable point in the turbine and reheated with
the help of the flue gases in the boiler.

17. What is the advantage of reheat cycle?

➢ The reheating reduces 4 to 5% fuel consumption.
➢ The reheat cycle reduces the steam of 15 of 20% with corresponding reduction in
boiler, turbine and feed heating equipments capacity.

18. What are the methods of reheating?

➢ Gas reheating
➢ Live stem reheating
➢ Combined gas and like steam reheater.
19. What is regenerative cycle?

The feed water is heated with the help of steam in a reversible manner, the temperature of
steam and water is same at any section. Such type of heating is known as regenerative
cycle.

20. Where the reheat-regenerative cycle is used?

In actual thermal power plant with high steam pressure (above 90kg/cm2), the reheat
regenerative cycle is used to increase the overall efficiency of the cycle.

21. What is superposed or topping cycle?

Increasing the capacity of the power plant by purchasing additional equipment or by

superposing a high pressure non condensing steam plant on the existing plant is known as
topping cycle.

22. List out the major advantages of high pressure boilers in modern thermal power plants.
➢ It is forced circulation boiler.
➢ High working pressure.
➢ Higher salt concentrations ratio than any other type of high – pressure boiler.
➢ More compact.
➢ Easy transportation.
➢ High combustion rates are possible.
➢ Quick starter.
➢ Compact in size and has greater flexibility.
➢ Excess air requirement is less.
23. What are the modern trends in generating steam of high pressure boiler?

A boiler which generates steam at pressure greater than 80bar a temperature of about
500˚C, producing more than 250 tons of steam per hour called high – pressure boilers. By
 using high – pressure boilers, low grade fuels can be burned easily. High pressure boilers
are water – tube boilers and uses pulverized coal firing. Examples of these boilers are
Lamont, Benson, Loeffer and Volex boilers.

24. What is meant by fluidized bed combustion?

The mixing of particles, gas in equilibrium condition and then the combustion takes place
is called fluidized bed combustion.

25. What are types of fluidized bed boilers?its uses

➢ Bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boilers
➢ Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers.

Uses

It is used to produce steam from fossil and waste fuels

 Unit II

1. What are the methods used for handling of coal?

➢ Transportation by sea or river

➢ Transportation by Rail
➢ Transportation by ropeways
➢ Transportation by pipeline
➢ Transportation by road.

2. What are the types of mills used for pulverizing the coal?

➢ Ball mill
➢ Ball and race mill
➢ Impact or hammer mill
➢ Bowl mill.

3. What are all the types or pulverized fuel firing system?

➢ Unit system
➢ Central system

4. What are the types of stokers used in solid fuel firing system in coal burning?

➢ Overfeed stokers
➢ Underfeed system

5. What is the difference between overfeed and underfeed stokers?

In overfeed stokers, the coal is fed on to the grate above the point of air admission.

In under feed stokers, the coal is fed on to the grate below the point of air admission i.e.
the primary air is supplied just below the level at which combustion takes place.

6. What are all the types of pulverized fuel burners?

➢ U – flame burner
➢ Turbulent burner
➢ Tangential burner
➢ Tangential burner
➢ Cyclone burner

7. What are the types of coal?

 ➢ Peat
➢ Lignite
➢ Bituminous coal
➢ Anthracite coal.

8. What are the steps in implant handling of coal?

➢ Preparation transportation
➢ Storage
➢ Weighing
➢ Transportation

9. What are the methods used in ash handling system?

➢ Mechanical handling system

➢ Hydraulic system
➢ Pneumatic system
➢ Steam jet system

10. What is cyclone separator?

Cyclone separator is a dust cleaning device and it used to remove the dust from the fly
ash. The cyclone separator produces the whirling motion of the gas within the chamber
and throws the heavy dust particles to the sides and fallout in the collector.

11. What are the different types of draught system?

➢ Forced draught
➢ Induced draught
➢ Natural draught

12. What is the mechanism of pulverized fuel firing system?

In this, the coal is reduced to a fine powder with the help of grinding mill and then
projected into the combustion chamber with the help of hot air. The amount of secondary
air to complete the combustion is supplied separately.

13. What are the different types of cooling tower?

➢ Natural draft spray filled tower

➢ Natural draft packed type tower
➢ Hyperbolic cooling tower
➢ Induced draft tower.

14. What is pulverization?

 It is the method of making the coal in the form of powder. Pulverization is done by
various types of pulverizing mills.

15. What is dry cooling tower?

It offers a solution to the problem of thermal pollution of water. The dry cooling system
rejects the heat directly to the atmosphere.

16. What are the advantages of burning coal in pulverized form?

➢ Combustion rate is increased

➢ Thermal efficiency is increased
➢ Fuel feed rate is increased

17. What are the limitations of chimney draught?

➢ The maximum pressure available is 10 to 20mm of water under normal

atmospheric and flue gas temperature.
➢ The flue gas discharged at high temperature resulting loss in efficiency of the
plant.

18. What are the function of cooling tower?

Cooling tower is used to control the temperature of water required for the plant. It
reduces the water consumption of the plant.

19. What are the types of water distribution systems used in cooling tower?

➢ Gravity flow
➢ Spray nozzles
➢ Soda ash

20. What are the different types of chemicals used in feed water treatment?

➢ Caustic soda
➢ Phosphates
➢ Soda ash

21. What are the different impurities in feed water?

➢ Undissolved and suspended solids.
➢ Dissolved salts and minerals
➢ Dissolved solids.

22. What are the types of dust collecting equipments?

➢ Gravitational separators
 ➢ Cyclone separator
➢ Scrubbers
➢ Electro static precipitators.

23. What is cooling tower approach?

The temperature difference between WBT of incoming air and outgoing temperature of
water is known as cooling tower approach.

24. What is cooling tower range?

It is the difference in temperature of the incoming warm water and the existing cooled
water.

25. What are the types of oil burners?

➢ Steam or air-atomised oil burners.

➢ Pressure atomizer with tangential oil feed.

26. What are the different pollutions in the flue gas?

➢ Oxides of nitrogen
➢ Oxides of sulphur
➢ Carbon monoxide
➢ Particulates

27. What are the methods used for reduction of SO2 pollutant?

➢ Adding lime stone (CaCo3) to the coal

➢ Using wet scrubbers
➢ Using electro static precipitator

28. What are the methods used for controlling the NOx?

➢ Reduction of temperature in combustion zone

➢ Reduction of residence time in combustion zone
➢ Increase in equivalence ratio in the combustion zone.

29. What is Acid rain?

The CO2, SO2 and NOx contact the water during rainy season. So, H2SO4 and HNO3 acids
are formed and mixed with water with water during the rainfall.

30. What are the equipments used to control the particulates?

➢ Scrubbers
 ➢ Cyclone separators
➢ Fabric filters
➢ Electro static precipitators.

Unit III

1. What are the various types of nozzles and their functions?

Nozzle is a duct of varying cross-sectional area in which the velocity increases with the
corresponding drop in pressure.

❖ Convergent Nozzle

In convergent nozzle, the cross sectional area decreases from the inlet section to the
outlet section.

❖ Divergent nozzle

In divergent nozzle, the cross sectional area increases from the inlet section to the outlet
section.

❖ Convergent-Divergent nozzle

When the cross section of a nozzle first decreases form the inlet section to throat and then
increases from its throat to outlet section. It is called a Convergent-divergent nozzle.

2. Write down the expression for velocity at exit from steam nozzle.

Exit velocity V2 = 2000  (h1 − h2 )

Or
n −1
2n  P  n
V2 =  P1 11 − 2 
n −1  P1 

Where,

P1 ➔ Initial Pressure of steam

 1 ➔ Initial volume of steam

h1 ➔ Enthalpy of steam entering the nozzle

P2, 1 , h2 ➔ Pressure, volume and enthalpy at exit.

3. Derive the expression for the critical pressure ratio in a steam nozzle.

P2
There is only one value of the ratio (called critical pressure ratio) , which will produce
P1
P 
the maximum discharge. This can be obtained by differentiating ‘m’ with respect to  2  and
 P1 
P
equating it to zero. Other quantities except the ratio 2 are constant.
P1

 2 n +1

d  p 
 2  −  p 2  =0
n n

d  p 2 / p1  p1  p
 1  
 
2 n +1
−1 −1
2  p2  n n + 1  p2  n
−   =0
n  p1  n  p1 
 2
−1
2  p2  n n + 1  p2  1
  =  
n  p1  n  p1  n
2− n 1
 p2  n n n + 1  p2  n
  =   
 p1  2 n  p1 
n
2− n  1

 p2    
n + 1 p2 n 
  =  
 p1   2  p1  
 
2− n
 p2   n + 1  p2 
n

  =   
 p1   2   p1 
2−n
 p2 
 
 n +1
n
 p1  = 
 p2   2 
 
 p1 
2 − n −1
 p2   n +1
n

  = 
 p1   2 
1− n 1
n
 p2   n +1 P  n +1
n
1− n
  =  == 2 =  
 p1   2  P1  2 

n
P2  n + 1  1− n
= 
P1  2 

Critical pressure ratio of steam nozzle,

n
P2  2  n −1
= 
P1  n + 1 

4. What are the effectcs of friction on the flow through a steam nozzle?

❖ The expansion is no more isotropic and enthalpy drop is reduced thereby resulting in
lower exit velocity.
❖ The final fraction of the steam is increased as the part of the kinetic energy gets converted
into heat due to friction and absorbed by steam within increase in enthalpy.
❖ The specific volume of steam is increased as the steam becomes drier due to this
frictional reheating.
5. Write the general energy equation for a steady flow system and from this obtain the energy
equation for nozzle.

Steady flow energy equation,

1 1
h1 + mV 21 + mgz1 + Q = h2 + mV 2 2 + mgz2 + W
2 2

If mass flow rate is unit, m = 1

1 1
h1 + V 21 + gz1 + Q = h2 + V 2 2 + gz 2 + W
2 2

For nozzle, there is no heat transfer, no work transfer and no potential energy difference.
So,

Q = 0, W = 0 and g z1 = g z2

1 1
h2 + V 21 = h2 + V 2 2
2 2
V2 = 2(h1 − h2 ) + V 1 2
V2 = 2000(h1 − h2 ) + V 1 2

Inlet velocity V1 is negligible as compared to outlet velocity V2

V2 = 2000(h1 − h2 ) = 44.72 h1 − h2

6. Define nozzle efficiency and critical pressure ratio.

Nozzle efficiency: It is defined as the ratio of actual enthalpy drop to the is entropic
enthalpy drop.

Actualenthalpydrop
Nozzle efficiency =
Isentropicenthalpydrop

Critical Pressure Ratio: There is only one value of the ratio (p2/p1) which produces
maximum discharge from the nozzle. The ratio is called critical pressure ratio.
n
p  2  n −1
Critical pressure ratio 2 =  
p1  n + 1 

Where
 P1 ➔ initial Pressure

P2 ➔ Throat Pressure

7. Explain the phenomenon of super saturated expansion in steam nozzle.

Or

What is metastable flow?

When the supersaturated steam is expanded in the nozzle, the condensation should occur
in the nozzle. Since the steam has a great velocity, the condensation does not take place at the
expected rate. So the equilibrium between the liquid and vapour phase is delayed and the steam
continues to expand in a dry state.

The steam in such set of condition is said to be supersaturated or metastable flow.

8. What are the conditions that produce super saturation of steam in nozzles?

When the superheated steam expands in the nozzle, the condensation will occur in the
nozzle. Since, the steam has more velocity; the condensation will not take place at the expected
rate. So, the equilibrium between the liquid and vapour phase is delayed and the steam continues
to expand in a dry state.

9. Draw the T-s and h-s plot of supersaturated expansion of steam in a nozzle.

T-s diagram h-s diagram

Super sataurated flow

10. What are the effects of super saturation in a steam nozzle?

The following effects in a nozzle on steam, in which super saturation occurs, may be
summarized as follows.
 ❖ The dryness fraction of the steam is increased.
❖ Entropy and specific volume of the steam are increased
❖ Exit velocity of the steam is reduced.
❖ Mass of stream discharged is increased

11. What are the differences between supersaturated flow and isentropic flow through steam
nozzles?

Supersaturated flow Isentropic flow

1. Entropy is not constant Entropy is constant

2. Reduce in enthalpy drop. No reduce in enthalpy drop.

3. We cannot use mollier diagram to We can use mollier diagram to solve problems.
solve problems

12. What is a steam turbine?

Steam turbine is a device which is used to convert kinetic energy of steam into
mechanical energy.

State the uses.

In large sizes, it is used for driving electric generators. In small sizes, it is used to drive
pumps, fans, compressors etc.

13. Classify steam turbines.

Steam turbines are classified as follows:

1. On the basic of method of steam expansion

(a) Impulse turbine
(b) Reaction turbine
(c) Combination of impulse and reaction turbine
2. On the basis of number of stages
(a) Single stage turbine
(b) Multi-stage turbines
3. On the basis of steam flow directions
(a) Axial turbine
 (b) Radial turbine
(c) Tangential turbine
(d) Mixed flow turbine
4. On the basis of pressure of steam
(a) High pressure turbine
(b) Low pressure turbine
(c) Medium pressure turbine

14. State the function of fixed blades.

The function of fixed blades is that they guide the steam as well as allow it to expand a
large velocity.

State the function of fixed blades and moving blades.

1. It converts the kinetic energy of the steam into useful mechanical energy.
2. The steam expands while flowing over the moving blades and thus gives reaction to the
moving blades. Hence, the turbine is called as Reaction turbine.
3. The velocity of the steam decreases as the kinetic energy of the steam absorbed.

15. What is the fundamental difference between the operation of impulse and reaction steam
turbines?

Sl. No Impulse Turbine Reaction turbine

1. It consists of nozzles and moving blades. It consists of fixed blades and moving blades.

2. Pressure drop occurs only in nozzles not Pressure drop occurs in fixed as well as moving
in moving blades. blades.

3. Steam strikes the blade with kinetic Steam passes over the moving blades with pressure
energy. and kinetic energy.

4. It has constant blade channels area. It has varying blade channels area.

5. Due to more pressure drop per blade, Number of stages required is more due to more
number of stages required is less. pressure drop.
16. Explain the need of compounding in steam turbines.

Or

Explain the purpose of compounding in steam turbines.

In simple impulse turbine, the expansion of steam from the boiler pressure to condenser
pressure to condenser pressure takes place in a single stage turbine. The velocity of steam at the
exit of turbine is very high. Hence, there is a considerable loss of kinetic energy (i.e. about 10 to
12%). Also the speed of the rotor is very high (i.e. up to 30000rpm). There are several methods
of reducing this speed to lower value. Compounding is a method of absorbing the jet velocity in
stages when the steam flows over moving blades.

17. What are the different methods of compounding?

❖ Velocity compounding
❖ Pressure compounding
❖ Pressure – velocity compounding

18. State any two advantages and disadvantages of velocity-compounded turbines.

Advantages:

1. Its initial cost is less because of few numbers of stages.

2. Less space is required.

Disadvantages:

1. Frictional losses are high due to high initial velocity.

Hence the efficiency is low.
2. The ratio of blade velocity to steam velocity is not optimum for all wheels. It also reduces
the efficiency.

19. Write down the formula for the following terms:

✓ Driving force
✓ Axial thrust
✓ Work done
✓ K.E. supplied
✓ Blade efficiency with friction
✓ Maximum blade efficiency

Driving force ➔ Fx = m  (Vw1 + Vw 2 )

Axial thrust ➔ (
Fy = m V f 1 − V f 2 )
 Work done ➔ P − m(Vw1 + Vw 2 )Vb

mV 21
K.E supplied ➔ K .E =
2

2Vb (Vw1 + Vw2 )

Blade efficiency with friction ➔ b = 2
V1

Maximum blade efficiency without friction,

cos 2 
 b m ax =
2

20. What is enthalpy drop in each stage of a 4 – stage pressure compounded turbine?

Totalenthalpydrop
Enthalpy drop in stage
Numbrofsta ges

h1 − h5
h1 − h2 = (referh − sdiagram)
4

21. Define degree of reaction.

It is defined as the ratio of isentropic heat drop in the moving blades to isentropic heat
drop in the moving blades to isentropic heat drop in the entire stage of the reaction turbine.

Define degree of reaction and unite down the formula for degree of reach ere

Enthalpydrop int hemovingblade h2 − h3

R= =
Enthalpydrop int hestage h1 − h3

Or

Vf
R= (cot )
2Vb

22. What is meant by the term governing in turbines?

The method of maintaining the speed of the turbine is constant irrespective of variation of
the load on the turbine known as governing of turbines.
23. What are the different methods of governing steam turbines?
➢ Throttle governing
➢ Nozzle control governing
➢ By-pass governing
➢ Combination of throttle and nozzle governing or throttle and by-pass governing.
24. How is throttle governing done?

Steam pressure at inlet to a steam turbine is reduced by throttling process to maintain the
speed of the turbine constant at part load.
Where nozzle control governing is used?
Nozzle control governing is used in large power steam turbines to which very high
pressure steam is supplied.
25. What are the different losses involved in steam turbines?

➢ Losses in regulating valves

➢ Losses due to steam friction
➢ Losses due to mechanical friction
➢ Losses due to leakage
➢ Residual velocity losses
➢ Carry over losses
➢ Losses due to wetness of steam
➢ Losses due to radiation
 Unit IV
1. Mention the various processes of the Brayton cycle.
❖ Isentropic compression
❖ Constant pressure heat supplied
❖ Isentropic expansion and
❖ Constant pressure heat rejection.
2. What are all the modifications are carried out in Brayton cycle? Why?

In Brayton cycle, three modifications can be carried out as follows.

❖ Regenerator
❖ Reheater, and
❖ Intercooler
3. Draw the p-V and T-s diagram of Brayton cycle.

or

Sketch the limited pressure cycle on p-V and T-s diagram and name various processes.

4. Is it always useful to have a regenerator in a gas turbine power cycle? Why?

It is not always useful to have a regenerator in a gas turbine cycle. Regenerator causes
pressure drop of 0.035 to 0.2 bar in compressed air and about 0.035 bar in exhaust gases.
These pressure drops affect to contain extend the gain in efficiency due to regeneration.

5. What is the expression for optimum pressure ratio for maximum specific work out – put
in Brayton cycle?

 T  2( −1)
Optimum pressure ratio RP =  3 
 T1 
6. Sketch the schematic arrangement of open cycle gas turbine plant and name the
components.

7. When will be the gas turbine cycle efficiency reaches maximum?

T −T 
When pressure ratio, RP = 1 and is equal to  3 1 
 T3 

8. What are effects of introducing regeneration in the basic gas turbine cycle?
❖ The fuel economy is improved. The quantity of fuel required per unit mass of air is
less.
❖ The work output from turbine, work required to the compressor will not change.
❖ Pressure drop will occurs during regeneration.
❖ It increases thermal efficiency when low pressure ratio.
9. When will the intercooler is provided between two compressors?

When the pressure ratio is very high, then the intercooler is provided between compressors.

10. What are the effects of providing the intercooler in the gas turbine cycle?
❖ Heat supply is increased
❖ It decreases the thermal efficiency
❖ Work ratio will be increased
❖ Specific volume of air is reduced.
11. When the reheater is employed in the gas turbine cycle

When the air-fuel ratio is high, the combustion products after expansion in the high-
pressure turbine contain more oxygen. This, by introducing reheater the exhaust pressure
can be reheated and expanded again in the low-pressure turbine.

12. What is the condition for maximum work in the case of reheater employed in the gas
turbine cycle?

For optimum work pressure ratio is equal for all the stages.

i.e. RP1 = RP2 = ………………= (RP ) n

1

Where

RP = pressure ratio

n – number of stages

13. What are the effects of reheat cycle?

❖ Thermal efficiency is less since the heat supplied is more.
❖ Turbine output is increased for same expansion ratio.

14. What is the principle of operation of simple jet propulsion system?

When the works output of the gas turbine plant is used to produce high velocity jet of hot
gases and this jet is used to propel the vehicles in which the systems are mounted such
systems are kept as jet propulsion systems.

15. What are the advantages of nuclear power plant?

❖ No atmospheric pollution by combustion products.
❖ Space requirement is less as compared to other conventional power plants are of
equal size.
❖ Environmental pollution is less when compared to fossil fuel power plants.
❖ Well suited to meet large power demands. They give better performance at high
load factors (80 to 90%)
❖ Increased reliability of operation.
❖ Fuel transportation cost is less and large storage facilities are not needed since
nuclear fuel has very high energy density.
❖ Nuclear power plants are not affected by adverse weather conditions.
❖ The expenditure on metal structure, piping, storage mechanisms is much lower for
a nuclear power plants than a coal burning power plants.
 ❖ Water requirement is very less.

16. State the Daltons atomic theory.

❖ All the atoms of one element are precisely alike, have the same mass but differ from
the atoms of other elements.
❖ The chemical combination consists of the union of small fixed number of atoms of
one element with a small fixed number of other elements.
17. What is atomic number and mass number?

The number of protons in the nuclear is called atomic number. It is denoted by ‘Z’. The
total number of nucleons in the nuclear is called mass number. It is denoted by the letter
‘A’.

18. What is an isotope?

Some elements exist in different forms. Mass number of these different forms is different,
but the atomic number is the same. They are known as isotopes of the element.

19. What is nuclear binding energy?

The energy released at the moment of combination of two nucleons to form nucleus of an
atom is called “binding energy”.

20. Explain the radioactivity principles.

During this emission process, high velocity particles are emitted. These emissions include
alpha particles, beta particles or gamma particles. After many stages of disintegration,
atomic specie with a stable nucleus is formed. As already defined, the emission of
radioactive waves (alpha, beta and gamma rays) by an unstable element is called
radioactivity of the element or simply radiation.

21. What is nuclear fission?

Nuclear fission is the process of splitting of nucleus into two almost equal fragments
accompanied by the release of heat.

22. What are the conditions satisfied to sustain nuclear fission process?
❖ The neutrons emitted in fission must have adequate energy to cause fission of
another nucleus.
❖ The number of neutrons produced must be able not only to sustain the fission
process but also to increase the rate of fission.
❖ The fission process must liberate the energy.
❖ It must be possible to control the rate of energy liberation.
23. Define chain reaction.
 This chain reaction is the process in which the number of neutrons keeps on multiplying
rapidly during the fission till whole of the fissionable material is disintegrated.

24. Define multiplication factor or reproduction factor.

This condition can be conveniently expressed in the form of multiplication factor or

reproduction factor of the system which may be defined as

Numberneutron sin anyparticul arg eneration

K=
Numberneutron sin theprecedinggeneration

25. What is nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion is the process of combining of fusing two lighter nuclei into a stable and
heavier nuclide. In this process also, large amount of energy is released because mass of
the product nucleus is less very when compared to mass of the two nuclei which are fussed.

26. Differentiate nuclear fission and nuclear

S. No Nuclear fission Nuclear fusion

1. It is the process of breaking a heavy It is a process of fusing two light nuclei into
nucleus with some projectiles into two or single nucleus with the liberation of a large
more light fragments with liberation of a amount of heat.
large amount of energy.

2. This process results in the emission of This process does not emit any kind of
radioactive rays. radioactive rays.

3. This process takes place spontaneously at This process takes place at very high
ordinary temperature. temperature (nearly at about>105K).

4. The mass number and atomic number of The mass number and atomic number of the
the daughter elements (new elements) are product is higher than that of the starting
considerably lower than that of the parent elements.
nucleus.

5. This process gives rise to chain reaction. This process does not give rise to chain
reaction.

6. During nuclear fission, neutrons are During nuclear fusion, protons are emitted.
emitted.
7. Nuclear fission can be performed under Nuclear fusion cannot be performed under
controlled conditions. controlled conditions.

27. What are the main components of nuclear power plants?

The main components of nuclear power plants are

❖ Nuclear reactor.
❖ Heat exchanger or steam generator.
❖ Steam turbine.
❖ Condenser.
❖ Electric generator.
28. What do you understand by moderation?

The process of slow down the neutrons from high velocity without capturing them is known
as moderation.

29. What is the purpose of moderator?

Moderator is a material which is used to slow down the neutrons from high velocities
without capturing them. The fast moving neutrons are far less effective in causing the
fission and try to escape from the reactor.

30. What are the desired properties required for good moderator/

A good moderator should possess the flowing properties:

❖ High thermal conductivity.

❖ High slowing down power.
❖ Low parasite captures.
❖ Lighter
❖ High resistance to corrosion
❖ Stability under heat and radiation
❖ Abundance in pure form
❖ High meeting point for solids and low melting point for liquids.
31. What are the functions of control rods?

The function of control rod is:

❖ To control the rate of fission.

❖ To start the nuclear chain reaction, when reactor is started from cold.
❖ To shut down the reactor under emergency condition.
❖ To maintain the chain reaction at a steady state.
 ❖ To prevent the melting of fuel rods.

32. Classify the different types of nuclear reactor.

❖ According to the neutrons energy.
• Fast reactors – Fast fission is caused by high – energy neutrons.
• Intermediate or epithermal.
• Low energy or Thermal reactors – Fission is due to slow moving neutrons
❖ According to the fuel used
• Natural fuel reactor – Natural Uranium is used as fuel.
• Enriched Uranium reactor – Uranium used in this reactor contains 5 to 10% of U235
❖ According to the type of coolant used
• Water cooled reactors – Ordinary of heavy water is used a coolants.
• Gas cooled reactors – CO2, He, N2, air etc. are used as coolants.
• Liquid metal cooled reactors – Liquid metals such as sodium, bismuth and lead are
used as coolants.
❖ According to the type of moderators used
• Graphite moderator reactor
• Beryllium moderator reactor
• Water moderator reactor
❖ According to construction of core
• Cubical core reactor
• Cylindrical core reactor
• Spherical core reactor
• Annulus core reactor
• Slab core reactor.
33. Define the term “Breeding”.

In fast breeder reactor, the process of producing energy to self – sustain nuclear fission
chain reaction without using moderator is known s breeding. Enriched Uranium (U235) or
Plutonium is used as fuels which are surrounded by a thick blanket of fertile Uranium
(U238).

34. What factors control the selection of a particular type of a reactor?

❖ Neutrons energy
❖ Type of fuel
❖ Type of coolant
❖ Type of moderators
❖ Construction of core.
35. What are the components of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant?
❖ Reactor, Heat exchanger
❖ Coolant pump., Pressuriser