Name – Mohammad Jafar Jilani ID No – 16BTMECH024

Class – B. Tech Mechanical Engineering Subject - Non-Conventional

Energy Resource

Assignment - 1

Ques.1 What is biomass?

Ans.1 Biomass is plant or animal material used for energy production, or in

various industrial processes as raw substance for a range of products. It can be
purposely grown energy crops, wood or forest residues, waste from food crops,
horticulture, food processing, animal farming, or human waste from sewage
plants.

Ques.2 What are the possible applications of biomass?

Ans.2 Applications of biomass –

 In residential applications, biomass can be used for space heating or for

cooking. • Industry and businesses use biomass for several purposes
including space heating, hot water heating, and electricity generation.
Many industrial facilities, such as lumber mills, naturally produce organic
waste.
 Wood is the most common source of fuel, although many different
materials are used. New designs for woodstoves can improve the
efficiency of the cooking or heating system, decreasing the amount of
fuel that is needed.

Ques.3 “The use of biomass in energy application may not be appropriate at

some local”. Comment.

Ans.3 Biomass energy is the amount of space that it requires. A great deal of
land and water are needed for some biomass crops to be produced and, when
they have grown, the product requires a large amount of storage room before
being converted into energy.
  Few Technological Advancements. An unfortunate disadvantage of
biogas today is that the systems used in the production of biogas are not
efficient.
 Contains Impurities. After refinement and compression, biogas still
contains impurities.
 Effect of temperature on biogas production.
 Less suitable for dense Metropolitan Areas.

Ques.4 What are the different fuel that can be derived from the biomass? How
do they differ in term of energy content?

Ans.4 Biomass is an organic fuel which can be derived as –

 Charcoal is obtained from burning of the wood.

 Biogas is obtained from organic wastes such as animal excreta,
agricultural waste etc.
 Bio-diesel can be obtained from oil seed crops such as Jatropa. Natural
gas is the best fossil fuel in terms of energy output per unit carbon
dioxide emitted. Biomass is renewable because a new crop can be grown
after each harvest, and biomass is a low carbon fuel. When biomass is
burned, it emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Ques.5 What are different process of converting biomass into useful biofuel?

Ans.5 Several processing steps are required to convert raw biomass into useful
energy using the three main process technologies available: bio-chemical,
thermo-chemical, and physio-chemical. Bio-chemical conversion encompasses
two primary process options: anaerobic digestion (to biogas) and fermentation
(to ethanol). For the thermo-chemical conversion routes, the four main process
options presented here are pyrolysis, gasification, combustion, and
hydrothermal processing. Physio-chemical conversion consists principally of
extraction (with esterification) where oilseeds are crushed to extract oil.

Ques.6 Why is the energy content of the producer gas is lower than the energy
content of the biogas?

Ans.6 Producer gas is a gas mixture containing carbon monoxide hydrogen,

carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The nitrogen in the air remains unchanged and
dilutes the gas, so producer gas has a low heating value 5800 KJ/m3.
Meanwhile, the composition of biogas mainly composed of 50% to 70%
methane (CH4), 30% to 40% carbon dioxide (CO2), and traces of other gases.
Biogas is lighter than air by about 20% and flame similar to that of liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) and burned with 60% efficiency in a conventional biogas
stove. Its calorific value is 20 MJ/m3.

Ques. 7 The energy content of a biomass-based fuel increases with the ash
content. It is true.? Give your comments.

Ans.7 No, ash and moister content does not contribute in energy any increment,
meanwhile ash and moister had negative effect on the effective calorific value
of fuel.

Ques.8 The energy content of a fuel is increases with the carbon contents. It is
true?

Ans.8 True, the presence of carbon is the main source of heat energy in
biomass. If we see the chemical equation of biomass refer to hydrocarbon,
containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen which can be represented in the form
of C6n (H2O) 5n here, ‘n’ represents the number of elements. Hence the
number of carbon effect positive relationship between the carbon content and
calorific value.

Ques.9 What is the different between wood and charcoal?

Ans.9 The different between wood and charcoal are – Wood –

 The substance making up the central part of the trunk and branches of a
tree. Used as a material for construction, to manufacture various items,
etc. or as fuel.
 The wood of a particular species of tree.
 Mostly found in forested or wooded area.
 Wood got the fire going nice and comfortable.

Charcoal –

 Impure carbon obtained by destructive distillation of wood or other

organic matter, that is to say, heating it in the absence of oxygen.
 Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by removing
water and other volatile constituents from animal and plant materials.
  Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis—the heating of wood or
other organic materials in the absence of oxygen. This process is called
charcoal burning.

Ques.10 How is ethanol produce from biomass? Can the production of ethanol
from sugar, starch and cellulose be done in the same way?

Ans.10 Ethanol produce from biomass is known as bioethanol. Bioethanol is an

alcohol made by fermentation mostly, from carbohydrates produce in sugar or
starch crop such as corn or sugarcane. Cellulose biomass, derived from non-
food source such as tree and grasses, is also being developed as a feedstock for
ethanol production.

Production of Ethanol –

Ethanol can be produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar

fermentation processes. Biomass wastes contain a complex mixture of
carbohydrate polymers from the plant cell walls knows as cellulose, hemi
cellulose and lignin. In order to produce sugars from the biomass, the biomass is
pre-treated with acid or enzymes in order to reduce the size of the feedstock and
to open up the plant structure. The cellulose and the hemi cellulose portion are
broken down (hydrolyzed) by enzymes or dilute acids into sucrose sugar that is
then fermented into ethanol. The lignin which is also present in the biomass is
normally used as a fuel for ethanol production plant boilers. There are three
principle methods of extracting sugars from biomass. These are concentrated
acid hydrolysis, dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Ques.11 In term of energy, how many metre cube of biogas is equivalent to 5

litres of petrol?

Ans.11 1 liter of petrol contain 9.1Kwh of energy.

And one cubic meter of biogas contains 6.12Kwh of energy

So, 5 liters of petrol contain 9.1×5=45.5Kwh.

Now, the 45.5Kwh÷6.12Kwh= 7.45m3.

Hence, 7.45m3 of biogas required for equivalent to 5 liters of petrol.

Ques.12 In term of energy, how much of diesel, petrol, kerosene, cool, wood
and biogas is equivalent to 3.6 MJ?
Ans.12 S.No. Wood (18MJ/kg) 4. 3.6MJ÷18MJ/kg=0.2kg Hence 0.2kg of wood
are required to produce 3.6MJ of energy.

5. Biogas(20MJ/m³) Density=1.15kg/m³

3.6MJ÷20MJ/m³=0.18m³ Density(1.15kg/m³)÷0.18m³=6.38kg

Hence 6.38kg of biogas are required to produce 3.6MJ of energy. 6. Coal(32.56

MJ/kg)

3.6MJ÷32.56 MJ/kg=0.11kg Hence 0.11kg of coal are required to produce

3.6MJ of energy.

Ques.13 A family has 7 adult members. Considering the LPG consumption of 2

Kg/person/month and the cost of LPG as Rs.25 per kg. Calculate the cost of
LPG required in the family on monthly and yearly basis.

Ans.13 LPG Consumption = 2 Kg/person/month Cost of LPG per person = Rs.

25 per kg Therefore, LPG required in the family on monthly basis – = LPG
consumption of 2 person * 7 adult members S.No. Diesel (42J/kg) Density =
0.832 kg/L 1. 3.6MJ÷42MJ/kg = 0.086kg 0.086kg÷density(0.82kg/L)=0.10L
Hence 0.10 liter of diesel are Required to produce 3.6MJ of energy. 2. Petrol
(46MJ/kg) Density=0.77kg/L

3.6MJ÷46MJ/kg=0.078kg 0.078kg÷density(0.77kg/L)=0.10L Hence 0.10 liter

of petrol are required to produce 3.6MJ of energy 3. Kerosene(43.1MJ)
Density=0.81kg/L

3.6MJ÷43.1MJ/kg=0.083kg 0.083kg÷density(0.81kg/L)=1.10L Hence 0.10 liter

of kerosene are required to produce 3.6MH of energy.

= 14 Kg/person/month Therefore, Cost of LPG required in the family on

monthly basis = 14*25 = 350 Rs. …………. Ans. Now, LPG required in the
family on yearly basis – = 14*12months = 168 Kg/per Cost of LPG required in
the family on yearly basis – = 168*25 = 4,200 Rs. ……….. Ans.

Ques.14 How much energy is consumed by the family considering in question

13, per month and per year.

Ans.14 Energy consumed by the family per month – Since, we know that – 1 kg
= 49 MJ of energy from LPG Therefore, 14 kg of LPG = 14*49 = 686 MJ of
energy from LPG …Ans. Energy consumed by the family per year – 168 kg of
LPG = 168*49 = 8,232 MJ …Ans.

Ques.15 How does the biogas plant work? What is the reaction that take place
in the biogas plant? Ans.15

 Organic input materials such as foodstuff remnants, fats or sludge can be

fed into the biogas plant as substrate.
 Renewable resources such as corn, beets or grass serve as feed both for
animals such as cows and pigs as well as for the micro-organisms in the
biogas plant.
 Manure and dung are also fed into the biogas plant.
 In the fermenter, heated to approx. 38-40 °C, the substrate is decomposed
by the micro-organisms under exclusion of light and oxygen. The final
product of this fermentation process is biogas with methane as the main
ingredient. But aggressive hydrogen sulfide is also contained in the
biogas. A fermenter made of stainless steel has the clear advantage that it
withstands the attacks of the hydrogen sulfide and is usable for decades.
Furthermore, a stainless-steel fermenter provides the opportunity to
operation the biogas plant also in the thermophile temperature range (up
to 56 °C).
 Once the substrate has been fermented, it is transported to the
fermentation residues end storage tank and can be retrieved from there for
further utilization.
 The residues can be utilized as high-quality fertilizer. The advantage:
Biogas manure has a lower viscosity and therefore penetrates into the
ground more quickly. Furthermore, the fermentation residue quite often
has a higher fertilizer value and is less intense to the olfactory senses.
 But drying it and subsequently using it as dry fertilizer is also an option.
 The biogas generated is stored in the roof of the tank and from there it is
burned in the combined heat and power plant (CHP) to generate
electricity and heat.
 The electric power is fed directly into the power grid.
 The heat generated can be utilized to heat building or to dry wood or
harvest products.
 Processing of biogas.
 Gas supply to the national grid or gas filling stations.
Biomass refers to those living and nonliving organic materials that can be used
as sources of energy in the form of fuel. The reaction that takes place in the
biogas plant is anaerobic decomposition.

Assignment No. – 2

Ques.1 What is the principle of wind energy conversion?

Ans.1 The power of wind can be computed by using concept of kinetic. A wind
mill works on the principle of converting kinetic energy of the wind in
mechanical energy.

Let,

Uw = velocity of wind, km/h

ρ =Density of air (1.225 kg/m3 at sea level

A =Area, through which the air flows

Then, the amount of air passing in unit time (m)

Through area A, with velocity Uw is given by

Mass, m=ρA Uw

Kinetic energy = ½ *mU2m

=1/2* ρA Uw *U2w

=1/2 ρA U3w Watts

i.e. Total power =1/2 ρA U3w -------------(1)

from equation (1), it is obvious the power output of a wind mill varies as cube
of wind velocity further, Ptotal can be represent as:-

Ptotal =1/2ρ*π/4D2*U3w

=1/8 ρ πD2U3w--------------------(2)

Where, D = Diameter (m) in horizontal axis aero turbines

All the power cannot be extracted because, for this wind velocity would have to
be reduced to zero. Which means that the wind mill would accumulate static air
around it which would prevent the wind will operation.
Ques.2 What is Betz’s coefficient? Explain briefly.

Ans.2 Betz’s law indicates the maximum power that can be extract from the
wind, independent of the Designed of a wind turbine in open flow the law is
derived from the principles of conversion of mass and energy from the wind
stream.

According to be Betz’s law, no turbine can capture more than 16/27 of the
kinetic energy wind the factor 16/27(0.593) is known as Betz’s Coefficient.

Ques.4 What should be design consideration for wind turbine?

Ans.4 The wind turbine must be able to meet the following design consideration
–

 It should be small in size and suitable for roof mounting in urban area.
 No risk for its neighborhood.
 The efficiency should be good.
 Insensitive to turbulence.
 Suitable for mass production for low price.

Ques.5 What is “coefficient of performance”? Briefly explain.

Ans.5 Power Coefficient (Cp) is a measure of wind turbine efficiency often

used by the wind power industry. Cp is the ratio of actual electric power
produced by a wind turbine divided by the total wind power flowing into the
turbine blades at specific wind speed.
Whereas:
ρ is air density
A is the blade swept area;
V is the wind velocity.

Ques.6 Explain briefly the following:

 Constant speed- constant frequency (CSCF) system.
 Variable speed- constant frequency (VSCF) system.

Ans.6
 Constant speed- constant frequency (CSCF) system:
The wind strikes the aerodynamic system, and since the wind speed varies, the
turbine rotor speed varies also, resulting in variable output. The pitch of the
turbine blade can be adjusted to maintained constant speed irrespective of the
wind speed. The frequency of the machine may vary as the wind speed because
the machine is connected to a DC exited alternator but when the machine is
synchronized to the grid, the grid frequency toes its varying frequency.
Therefore, the wind turbine must be made to run at synchronous speed, Ns=f/p.
where; f=output frequency and P=number of pairs of poles. Induction machines
are usually used as wind turbine generators. They maintain fairly constant speed
at lower slip. When operated above synchronous speed (negative slip) the
induction machine becomes a generator and when connected to the grid, it runs
at grid frequency.
 Variable speed- constant frequency (VSCF) system:
In this technique, the ratio, turbine rotor speed (Nr) /wind speed (Nw),
determines the conversion factor, K1. The machine’s rotor is allowed to run at
the wind speed. That is, Nr is proportional to Nw. When K1 is maximum, there
is maximum efficiency of conversion from wind energy to mechanical energy.
Since constant frequency is required, the output of the machine is rectified and
fed to an inverter tuned to produce constant frequency. VSCF machine is more
reliable but more expensive due to additional electronics circuitry (for
rectification and inversion) than the CSCF machine Another version of VSCF
machine is an alternating voltage excited generator which produces amplitude
modulated output. The rotor speed, Nr=LNw. Where L=loss factor. So, the
modulated output power is made up of fr+fs and fr-fs components. Where
fr=rotor frequency and fs=system frequency used for excitation.
Ques.7 What are the main factors which govern the selection of site for a
proposed wind turbine generating system (WTGS)?
Ans.7 Wind speed
 Wind speed largely determines the amount of electricity generated by a
turbine. Higher wind speeds generate more power because stronger winds
allow the blades to rotate faster. Faster rotation translates to more
mechanical power and more electrical power from the generator.
Air Density
 Power output is related to the local air density, which is a function of
altitude, pressure, and temperature. Dense air exerts more pressure on the
rotors, which results in higher power output
Turbine Design
 Wind turbines are designed to maximize the rotor blade radius to
maximize power output. Larger blades allow the turbine to capture more
of the kinetic energy of the wind by moving more air through the rotors.
However, larger blades require more space and higher wind speeds to
operate. As a general rule, turbines are spaced out at four times the rotor
diameter. This distance is necessary to avoid interference between
turbines, which decreases the power output.