StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System - Case Study Example

Cite this document
Summary
This case study "The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System" discusses engineering aspects in a systematic manner is very significant especially with regard to providing a clear understanding of the operation or the functionality of the engineering aspects…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.8% of users find it useful

Extract of sample "The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System"

SYSTEM CASE STUDY (NATURAL GAS POWER PLANT) Name Professor Institution Course Date Executive summary Power plants are very crucial systems in the field of engineering as they seen be the basis on which other engineering systems function. The analysis and evaluation of natural oil power plant is crucial step towards the establishments of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the system in order to effect the necessary changes. This is because for the successful development and maintenance of any power plant, it is important to take into consideration factors such as making the generated power to be affordable, lowering the environmental pollution which may result from the power generation and usage processes as well as increasing the flexibility and reliability the power plant as an engineering system. Introduction Natural gas power plant system is considered as an engineering system due to the fact that its components and the operations involves in its power production operations are technically complex to a higher degree. The activities these natural oil power plants are involved in are also socially intricate. The entire operations and activities that take in a natural oil power plant right from the time that the inputs are factored into the system to the time that the electric power is generated as output have got the objectives that are meant to ultimately be beneficial to the society at large. The adoption of a systematic approach in dealing with the idea of electric power generation through the use of natural gas is beneficial in that it serves to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the power generation process. The analysis and evaluation of natural gas power plants as engineering systems is aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the flow and sequence of the operation and activities. This will assist in future developments and improvements as well as efficiency enhancement of the power plants. The analysis of the natural gas power plant engineering systems is a critical activity when it comes to detecting and identifying failure points and those components that need to be adjusted of modified in order to realize maximum electric power generation as the output prom these systems (Chandra, 2006). System overview The natural gas power plant is an engineering system that functions to generate electric power through the use of natural gas. Natural gas refers to a hydrocarbon gas that naturally occurs. The natural hydrocarbon is basically made up of methane. However, is also contains some certain amounts of higher alkane as well as low percentages of hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. As an energy source, natural gas often finds its usage in electricity generation, cooking and heating. Other than these common usages the natural gas also finds application as a fuel for certain vehicles and also in the manufacture of organic chemicals (Chandra, 2006). The description of structure and key elements of the natural gas power plant system involves turbines that run on natural gas otherwise known as gas turbines, three steam generators that are meant for steam recovery as well as a steam turbine that is meant for condensation of reheat steam. In the process of electric power generation, the system incorporates catalytic reduction that is selective in nature and is aimed at the minimization of pollutant gas emission. The natural gas power plant system operates under a structure that can be described in terms of system parameters which include the plant size, the net power production from the gas turbines, net power production from the seam cycle, the feed rate of the natural gas, the efficiency of the power plant, the net heat production rate, the ratio of the water injected into the system to that which is ejected from the system, the efficiency of pollutant gas removal process, the ration of ammonia injection into the system as well as the factor for average operating capacity. The structure of the gas power plant is such that they make use of a modern technology for lean burn which allows for the fulfillment of very high emission standards. The power plants are also run on the basis of units of modular engine which operate on a variety of gaseous fuels (Tabak, 2009). System interactions The focus on natural gas systems with regard to greater levels of interaction within its components is one clear way of establishing and understanding the behavior of the entire system. The components of this system interact on the basis and within the principles of steam power plant cycles in fundamental thermodynamics. This also takes place with consideration of the features of fuels in thermochemistry as well as the system design and the flow of processes that characterize the seam power plants. Another basic interaction of the components that are involved in the natural gas power plant flow of operations and activities which include the gas movement, the air for combustion intake, fuel introduction into the stream of air, the process of combustion, the cooling of the combustion gas in the furnace as well as he processing and release of the gas into the atmosphere (Tabak, 2009). The other level of interaction involves the preparation and transportation of fuel to a point where it forms part of the gas that is utilized in the combustion process. One key aspect of the power that is generated through natural gas power plant is the involvement of economic principles in its design and operation. This is taken into consideration together with some fundamental evaluation and analysis of the general performance and production of the plant and comparing with other power generation plants. There also exists a certain level of interaction between the components of the natural gas power plant system and the environmental systems. These interaction calls for the incorporation of the environmental concerns and considerations into the design and planning of operations in the plant (Kehlhofer and Kehlhofer, 2009). Generally, all these interaction that are involved in the system design and operation processes are very important as far as the overall performance of the overall power plant system in concerned. The success and effectiveness of the individual system components as well as the processes involved in the power generation plant is very critical in the determination of the overall success and effectiveness of the power generation through a more enhanced and effective manner which is the objective of the natural gas power plant system. System context The operation of natural gas power plant system takes place in a vast and wide environment with several issues and concerns surrounding it. This is because energy is a global fundamental concern in the sense that its generation and usage affects various other sectors in the society. The environment in which the natural gas power generation plant system operates is one that is greatly affected by economic forces, competition from other electric power generation plant systems. It is therefore important to factor in the environmental concern sin the analysis and evaluation of this particular system. Co-generation systems as well as boilers used in industries have got several design and technology aspects to share with natural gas power plant systems which form the origin of part of the environmental impacts that influence the power plant system under consideration (Tabak, 2009). Power generation that leads to harnessing of energy is a very fundamental in the world today. It is therefore a bit difficult to introduce development without thinking about the extent to which the energy generation sources are impacted or influenced by the environment in which they are situated. Political as well as legal issues are supposed to be taken into consideration while planning and designing for both the installation of this particular engineering system. This is because they play an important role in the formulation of policies, laws and regulations that form the basis of operating environment for such systems. The other set of factors and issues that form part of the environmental conditions that influence the of the natural gas power plant as an engineering system include social, cultural and ethical issues. These are especially important since they contribute a great deal to the establishment and definition of the interaction and association that exists between the surrounding individuals and the engineering system in question. The operating environment of the power plant system is also subject to influence by technical issues. The technical issues in most cases majorly impact on the management or the decision making arm if the engineering system that is in place. Decision making process in relation to the technical issues involve can influence the system in either positive or in a negative manner (Kehlhofer and Kehlhofer, 2009). Future challenges Despite the developments and improvements in natural gas power plant system, there are a number of challenges and problems that are facing the system at large and its operations. This include the projected overwhelming increase in demand for natural gas that is likely to put its natural resources at stake especially considering the fact that natural oil is a nonrenewable energy source. The use of natural gas in power plants for the generation of electric power also poses a current as well as a future problem in the sense that it is still way below the recommended standards in terms of meeting the global climate goals to reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere (Chandra, 2006). The future engineers and scientist are therefore called upon to modifications and adjustments that will lead to the realization of long lasting solutions for these challenges and problems. The future scientists and engineers could also be involved in policy making process for them to offer their expertise that would help in dealing with the problems and challenges in future. Conclusion In conclusion, the description, analysis, evaluation as well as the presentation of the engineering aspects in a systematic manner is very significant especially with regard to providing a clear understanding of the operation of functionality of the engineering aspects. Looking at engineering aspects in terms of systems also allows for the identification of weaknesses, challenges and problems so that they can be adequately addressed with a lot of ease. Natural gas power plant as an engineering system still require some improvements it its design and operation so as to enhance its efficiency as well as sustainability. This kind of evaluation and analysis also provides a better opportunity for analysts to understand clearly the components and structure of a system, its functionality as well as he interaction that exists amongst its individual components. This is actually demonstrated through the description and analysis of natural gas power plant as an engineering system. References Chandra, V. (2006). Fundamentals of natural gas. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell Corp. Kehlhofer, R., & Kehlhofer, R. (2009). Combined-cycle gas & steam turbine power plants. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell. Tabak, J. (2009). Natural gas and hydrogen. New York NY: Facts On File. Appendices Appendix I: Gas cleaning process flow diagram Appendix II: Flow diagram of a typical natural gas power plant Appendix III: Key elements and components of a natural gas power plant Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System Case Study, n.d.)
The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System Case Study. https://studentshare.org/engineering-and-construction/2062597-engineering-system-case-study
(The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System Case Study)
The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System Case Study. https://studentshare.org/engineering-and-construction/2062597-engineering-system-case-study.
“The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System Case Study”. https://studentshare.org/engineering-and-construction/2062597-engineering-system-case-study.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Natural Gas Power Plant Engineering System

Engineering - Anaerobic Digestion

Just as any system, the biogas production plat is affected by the input and any additional disturbances, which are reflected in the output (which in our case is biogas).... Planning a biogas plant Designing a biogas plant is an engineering problem that has to be approached by considering all the operational, economic, environmental and sustainability conditions.... Before designing the biogas plant in the Middle East, the engineer has to first engage in plans, which are conceptualized ideas, but not suited for any one given application....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Huntly power station

Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Overview of Huntly power plant 4 Principles of Huntly power plant 4 Commission of Unit 1-4 4 Commission of Unit 5 5 Commission of Unit 6 5 Overview of Resource Consents Held by Huntly power plant 6 The plant holds various types of resource consents as it is responsible for emancipating pollutants in air, water, dust and ashes.... 6 Resource Management Act 6 Overview of Resource Consents 6 Aquatic Resource Consent owned by Huntly power plant 7 Environmental Effects of Aquatic Resource Consent 7 References 8 Glossary 9 Abstract The paper is written in order to discuss environmental costs and ramifications of operationalization of Huntly power plant....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Electricity Generation in the UK

Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas that are burned to generate energy.... It also discusses the alternative energy sources in generating electricity like wind energy, solar energy, tidal energy, hydroelectricity, wave energy, geothermal energy, ocean thermal energy, biomass, and waste incineration. According to the Institution of engineering and Technology (2006), there are three (3) areas from which the environmental debates in the field of Electrical engineering are concerned: (1) the electricity generation process, (2) the discarding of the "resultant waste products", and (3) energy conservation potentials....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

How gas turbine engine works

Norbye, 34-42)It doesn't matter of the turbine used in a tank or a power plant, there really is nothing to do with the exhaust gases but vent them through an exhaust pipe.... The next step was steam turbine engines, which use energy of steam created by burning of natural gas, oil or coal. … A gas turbine appeared on the horizon of human activity only in the twenties century and it was a trend of traditional turbine principle development.... All modern gas engines are produced in the way that they produce pressurized gases themselves, burning something like propane, natural gas, and kerosene or jet fuel....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Sustainable Engineering Assignment

The essay "Sustainable Engineering Assignment" states that a complete combustion of 148 g of natural gas in a power plant produces direct CO2 emissions of 407 g CO2 and 1kWh electricity.... Why are the CO2 emissions listed in the table for natural gas (595 g) higher than the CO2?... hellip; Complete combustion of 148 g of natural gas generates about 1kWh of electricity and 407 g CO2.... However, according to the table, natural gas produces 595 g of CO2 while generating 1kWh of energy....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

A Control System For A Power Plant

In a nuclear power plant, the energy given out is used as heat to generate steam to produce electricity.... Powering a nuclear plant reactor: Most reactors need to be turned off for refueling, so that the pressure tubes can be opened up.... The ideologies for using nuclear power to yield electricity are similar… The energy given from constant fission of the atoms of the fuel is collected as heat in either a liquid or gaseous, and is used to yield vapor....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Most Significant Engineering Achievements

Thomas Edison was the first one to establish a commercial power plant in 1882.... Transportation of electricity from a power plant (usually located in remote areas) to such a large number of consumers either concentrated into huge populations in cities or wide-spread over rural areas was, still is and would always remain to be the most remarkable feat of engineering and what we see around us; a perfect system of machines generating, regulating and then transporting the Electricity, wasn't always there....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Is Hydro Generated Electricity the Best Way to Generated Electricity and Compare that Between the Twin Turbines

It is apparent that while wind turbines are effective in the production of electricity, hydro generation is the most superior electricity production system.... hellip; The sustainability of electricity generation from wind and hydro energies has been assessed according to seven important benchmarks namely price, efficiency, availability, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, limitations, and social impacts.... This is with regard to aspects such as price, efficiency, availability, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, limitations, and social impacts....
10 Pages (2500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us