Consider a coal-fired steam power plant that produces 120 MW of
electric power. The
power plant operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle with turbine
inlet conditions of
9 MPa and 550 °C and a condenser pressure of 15 kPa. The coal has a
heating value of
29,300 kJ/kg. Assuming that 75 percent of this energy is
transferred to the steam in the
boiler and that the electric generator has an efficiency of 96
percent. Determine,
(a) the pump work input;
(2 marks)
(b) the quality of the liquid-vapor mixture;
(6 marks)
(c) the thermal efficiency of the cycle;
(6 marks)