ELEMENTS OF

MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
 Introduction
➢ Most of the energy we use now comes from the following sources:
➢ - coal
➢ - petroleum
➢ - natural gas

➢ Alternate sources: solar, wind, tidal, ocean, geothermal, biomass etc.

➢ Energy is a greek derived word.
➢ Energia= capacity for doing work.
 Why do we need energy?
• Transportation
• Heating homes
• Cooking
• Power machinery used for agriculture,
industry/business
• What else?
 Energy resources
➢ Energy resources exist in the earth or in the outer space.
➢ The energy resources existing in the earth is known as capital energy and that comes
the outer space is called celestial energy.
➢ Capital energy sources are mainly fossil fuels.
➢ Celestial energy resources are electromagnetic, gravitational and particle energy.
➢ The useful celestial electromagnetic energy of sun called direct sun light.
 Conventional vs non- conventional energy resources
Conventional energy Non Conventional
resources energy resources
➢ Presently most of our energy needs
➢ Fossil fuels to get over soon .
are met by fossil fuels (such as coal,
➢ Hydel sources are not available
petroleum, natural gas) and hydel
everywhere and also depend on
resources.
unpredictable nature of hydrological
➢ nuclear is not used on large due to
cycle and high cost of generation.
its hazardous nature and high of
➢ Alternate energy sources: solar, wind,
generation.
tidal, ocean thermal, bio energy, soild
➢ As fossil fuels and hydel sources are
waste, etc.
in use over several decades, these
➢ These aletrnate inexhaustible sorces of
are called as conventional energy
energy are called non conventional
resources.
energy.
 Convectional vs non- conventional energy resources
Renewable energy Non renewable
resources energy resources
➢ Presently most of our energy needs
➢ Fossil fuels to get over soon .
are met by fossil fuels (such as coal,
➢ Hydel sources are not available
petroleum, natural gas) and hydel
everywhere and also depend on
resources.
unpredictable nature of hydrological
➢ nuclear is not used on large due to
cycle and high cost of generation.
its hazardous nature and high of
➢ Alternate energy sources: solar, wind,
generation.
tidal, ocean thermal, bio energy, soild
➢ As fossil fuels and hydel sources are
waste, etc.
in use over several decades, these
➢ These alternate inexhaustible sources
are called as conventional energy
of energy are called non conventional
resources.
energy.
ELEMENTS OF
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
SOLAR
 Solar power
➢ Solar radiation is a radiant energy emitted by the sun, particularly electromagnetic
energy.
➢ Solar radiation helps sustain life.
➢ Measurements for solar radiation are higher on clear, sunny day and usually low on
cloudy days.
➢ Solar power is the power obtained by harnessing the energy given out by the sun’s
days.
 Solar constant
➢ Solar constant = the quantity of radiant solar energy received at the outer layer of
the earth’s atmosphere that has a mean value of 1370 watts per square meter.
➢ It is a measure of incoming solar radiation per unit area incident on a plane that is
perpendicular to the rays at a distance equal to the mean distance between the earth
and the sun.
➢ French physicist claude pouillet first estimated solar constant by using an instrument
called pyrheliometer.
➢ Sun is considered to be a sphere of intensely hot gaseous matter continuously
generating heat by thermonuclear fusion reactions which convert hydrogen atoms to
helium atoms.
➢ Sun radiates energy into space at nearly 4x1026 watts.
 Solar energy
• When dealing with solar energy, there are two
basic choices.
– Direct energy conversion that converts solar
radiation to electricity (photovoltaics)
– Indirect energy conversion in which the solar
radiation is used to provide heat to a thermodynamic
system, thus creating mechanical energy that can be
converted to electricity (solar thermal system)
• In commercially available photovoltaic systems,
efficiencies are on the order of 10 to 15 percent,
where in a solar thermal system, efficiencies as
high as 30 percent are achievable.
 The Need

➢ Rising electricity demand

➢ Rapidly depleting fossil fuel reserves

➢ Global Warming

➢ Rising fuel imports

➢ Huge solar energy potential

 History of solar energy research
• The first documented attempt is that of the French chemist
Lavoisier and the English scientist Joseph Priestley for
combustion related expt

Solar furnace used by Lavoisier in 1774

Parabolic collector powered printing
press at the 1878 Paris Exposition
 Parabolic collector powered
printing press
• This solar power plant consisted of a
parabolic reflector that focused
sunlight onto a steam boiler located at
the focus, thus producing steam that
was used to operate a small
reciprocating steam engine for running
a printing press
 History contd..
• Interest in solar energy production fell off due to
advances in internal combustion engines and the
increasing availability of low-cost oil in the early
1900s.

• It wasn't until the oil embargo in 1973 that interest

was once again sparked, and research began to take
place for the development of solar electric power.
 Flat plate collector
• Flat plate collector
– Simple construction
– A blackened sheet of
metal is used to
absorb all the
sunlight
– No moving parts
– No maintenance
– For application in the
temperature range of
40-100 C
 Concentrating collectors
For higher temperatures, focus the radiation

Collector has to be rotated with the sun:

Tracking

1. Flat plate with plane reflectors

2. Cylindrical parabolic collector
3. Compound parabolic collector
4. Paraboloid dish collector
5. Central receiver collector
 Working
• Mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large
area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy,
onto a small area.
• Electrical power is produced when the
concentrated light is converted to heat,
which drives a heat engine (usually a
steam turbine) connected to an electrical
power generator
 Parabolic Troughs - Operation

The receiver is a tube positioned

A working fluid is molten salt directly above the middle of the
and is heated to 150–350 °C parabolic mirror and filled with a
working fluid
ELEMENTS OF
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
WIND ENERGY
 Wind energy

➢ Wind energy is the energy contained in force of winds blowing across the earth’s
surface.
➢ Wind energy is defined as the kinetic energy associated with the movement of large
masses of air over the earth’s surface.
➢ Wind energy can be converted to mechanical energy for performing work such as
pumping water, grinding grain by wind mills and producing electrical energy by wind
turbines.
➢ Circulation of air in the atmosphere is caused by the non uniform heating of earth’s
surface by the sun.
➢ The average wind speeds are greater in hilly and costal areas compared to the well
inlands.
➢ Wind speeds increase with height.
➢ They have been measured at a standard height of 10 m.
 Wind energy

➢ No device however well designed can extract all the wind energy because the wind
would have to be brought to the halt and this would block the passage of incoming
air through rotor.
➢ For maximum power out put, the exit velocity is equal to the one third of the
entrance velocity.
➢ Only able to convert 60% of the wind energy into mechanical work.
 Wind energy conversions

➢ No device however well designed can extract all the wind energy because the wind
would have to be brought to the halt and this would block the passage of incoming
air through rotor.
➢ For maximum power out put, the exit velocity is equal to the one third of the
entrance velocity.
➢ Only able to convert 60% of the wind energy into mechanical work.
Horizontal Axis Wind Machines
Horizontal Axis Wind Machines
Wind Energy Conversion System
 Power in Wind (Linear Momentum and basic theory)

In the unperturbed state a column of wind upstream of

the turbine, with cross sectional area A1 of the turbine
disk, has
Kinetic Energy = Work = ½muo2

Where:
m= mass of air entering
= density (ρ) x volume (Area x distance)
= ρ x A1x d
uo = velocity of air

A1
uo
d
 Offshore Wind Energy

The wind farm has 80 turbines;

generate electricity for around
150,000 private households in
Denmark.
 Offshore Wind Energy

▪ More wind speeds

▪ Less noise pollution

▪ Less visual impact

▪ Difficult to install and maintain

▪ Energy losses due long distance

transport
Geothermal Energy
• WHAT DOES THE WORD "GEOTHERMAL" MEAN?
• Geo = Earth, Thermal = Heat

• WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

• Energy that can be extracted from the heat in the earth.
• Conditions are most favorable for geothermal activity where the
earth's tectonic plates collide and one slides beneath another.
• The best example of these hot regions is the Pacific Ring of Fire
 The earth’s interior
• Earth’s Crust Thickness: 3 to 30 km.
– Temperature Increases With Depth
• Gradient: 50-87°F / Mile (17-30°C / km)
 Sources of Earth’s Internal Energy
•70% comes from the decay of radioactive nuclei with long half lives
that are embedded within the Earth
•Some energy is from residual heat left over from Earths formation.
•The rest of the energy comes from meteorite impacts.
HOW DOES GEOTHERMAL HEAT GET UP TO EARTH'S
SURFACE?
 GEOTHERMAL HEAT IN THE
Bathing: PAST
Ancient civilizations used hot springs
for bathing Dates Back 10,000 Years

Cooking: Native Americans and others

used geothermal water for cooking

Heating: Early Romans used

geothermal water to heat their Medical Therapy: Early Romans used
homes in Pompeii geothermal water to treat eye and
skin disease
Direct uses of geothermal energy is
appropriate for sources
• space heating
• air conditioning
• industrial processes
• drying
• Greenhouses
• hot water
• resorts and pools
• melting snow
Thank you