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Sunday, December 6, 2009

generation, and utilization and conservation

UNIT 1 
Electrical Energy generation utilization and conservation 
GENERATION 

1) What are the sources of energy? 
Electrical energy is produced from energy available in various forms in 
nature. The sources of energy are 
• The Sun 
• The wind 
• Water 
• Fuels 
• Nuclear energy


2) Name the different types of power generation. 
Conventional methods (With prime movers) 
a) Hydro power generation 
b) Thermal power generation 
c) Nuclear power generation 
Non-Conventional methods (Without prime movers) 
d) MHD (magneto hydro dynamic) power generation 
e) Solar power generation 
f) Fuel cells generation 
g) Thermo electric generation 
h) Thermionic converters 
i) Solar cells 
j) Wind power generation 
k) Geo-thermal energy generation 
l) Tidal power generation

3) How will you classify hydro-electric plants according to nature of load? 
Classification according to nature of load 
  Base load plants 
  Pear load plants 
  Pumped storage plants for peak load.



4) What is penstock? 
From the reservoir the water is carried to valve house through pressure 
tunnel and from valve house to the water turbine through pipes of large 
diameter made of steel or reinforced concrete, called the penstock. 

5) What is the principle of pumped storage scheme? 
The basic principle of pumped storage scheme is to convert the surplus 
electrical energy generated by a power plant or available in a system in offpeak 
periods, to hydraulic potential energy, in order to generate power in 
periods where the peak demand on the system exceeds the total available 
capacity of the generating stations. 

6) What are the factors to be considered while selecting a site for steam 
power plants? 
The factors to be considered for selecting the steam power plant are as 
follows: 
 Nearness to the load centre 
 Availability and supply of cooling water
  Availability of coal 
 Land requirement 
 Transport facilities and Ash disposal facilities. 

7) What is the function of deaerator in steam power plant? 
The function of deaerator is to reduce dissolved oxygen content in the 
condensate i.e. in the feed water. The feed water is then pumped into boiler 
through economizer in which it is further heated by the heat of the flue gas 
passing through it on the way to chimney. 

8) What are the disadvantages of steam power plants? 
The disadvantages are 
 High maintenance and operating cost. 
 Pollution of atmosphere due to fumes and residues from 
pulverized fuels. 
 Requirement of water in huge quantity. 
 Handling of coal and disposal of ash is quite difficult.
 Troubles from smoke and heat from the plant. 
 Requires long time for erection and put into action. 

9) What is nuclear fission? 
In nuclear station, heavy elements such as Uranium (U235) or Thorium 
(Th232) are subjected to nuclear fission in a special apparatus known as 
reactor. 
Fission: 
The breaking up of nuclei of heavy atoms into two nearly equal parts with 
release of huge amount of energy is known as nuclear fission. 

10) What are the components of nuclear reactor? 
The nuclear reactor consists of the following basic components 
• Reactor core 
• Moderator 
• Control rods 
• Coolant 
• Reflector 
• Thermal shielding 
• Reactor vessel 
• Biological shield. 

11) What are the merits of nuclear power plants? 
The advantages are 
 The amount of fuel required is small; therefore, there is no 
problem of transportation, storage etc. 
 The demand for coal, oil and gas is reduced which are 
tending to rise in cost as the stocks are becoming depleted.
 These plants need less area as compared to any other plant. 
A 2000MW nuclear plant needs 80 acres whereas thermal 
stations need about 250 acres of land.
 Most economical in large capacity. 
 The operating cost is quite low and once the installation is 
completed, the loading of the plant is always operated as a 
base load plant. 

12) What are the advantages of MHD generation? 
The advantages are 
 The conversion efficiency is around 50% to 60%. 
 No moving part, so more reliable. 
 Capital cost is less compared with conventional steam 
plants. 
 Overall generation cost is less.
 Economic and reduced fuel consumption. 
 The closed cycle system produces power free of pollution. 9 Elimination of energy losses. 

13) What is solar cell? 
The solar cells operate on the principle of photo voltaic effect, which 
is a process of generating an emf as a result of the absorption of ionizing 
radiation. 
It is possible to convert solar energy directly into electrical energy by 
means of silicon wafer photo-voltaic cells, also called the solar cells, without 
any intermediate thermodynamic cycle. 
Thus a solar cell is a transducer, which converts the sun’s radiant 
energy directly into electrical energy and is basically a semi-conductor diode 
capable of developing a voltage of 0.5-1 volts and a current density of 20-40 
mA/sq.cm depending on the materials used and the conditions of sunlight. 

14) What are the types of collectors used in solar power generation? 
Types of collectors æ Flat plate collectors(60°C) æ Focusing or concentrating collectors 
• Cylindrical parabolic concentrator (100-200°C) 
• Paraboloids, Mirror Arrays( <200°C) 

15) What is the basic principle of wind power generation? 
Winds are essentially caused by the solar heating of the atmosphere. 
They carry enormous quantity of energy. Wind as a source of power is very 
attractive because it is plentiful, inexhaustible, renewable and non-polluting. 
There is no depletion of scarce resources. In large portion of the world, wind 
blows for 320 days in a year and this gives them an advantage over sunlight 
in direct conversion programmes, operating cost of a wind mill is negligible. 
Further, it does not impose extra burden on the environment. 
The ideal maximum efficiency using Froud momentum theory is 
equal to 59% but an overall efficiency of 30% could be had due to 
aerodynamic and other mechanical losses. This gives a power of about 
0.3KW/sq.m for a wind velocity of 10m/s. 

16) What is tide? 
TIDE is a periodical rise and fall of the water level of sea which are 
carried by the action of the sun and moon on the water of the earth. 
The main feature of the tidal cycle is the difference in water surface 
elevations at the high tide end, the tidal energy can be converted into 
electrical energy by means of a generator. 

17) What is the function of moderator in nuclear power plant? 
 A nuclear reactor is a cylindrical stout pressure vessel and 
houses fuel rods of Uranium, moderator and control rods. The 
fuel rods constitute the fission material and release huge 
amount of energy when bombarded with slow moving 
neutrons. 
 The moderator consists of graphite rods which enclose the fuel 
rods. The moderator slows down the neutrons before they 
bombard the fuel rods. 

18) What are the merits and demerits of tidal power generation? 
The advantages of tidal power are 
 It is free from the problems of uprooting the people and 
disturbing the ecology balance. 
 It is everlasting and is not influenced by the charging mood 
of the nature such as failure of the monsoon. 
 No extra submerging of land is involved. 
The major drawback of tidal power plants is their uneven operation. 
Variations in the tidal energy available through the lunar day and lunar 
month different from their solar counterparts prevent the tidal power from 
being regularly used in power systems during the periods of peak demand. 

19) What is thermal efficiency? 
The ratio of heat equivalent of mechanical energy transmitted to the 
turbine shaft to the heat of combustion of coal is known as Thermal 
efficiency of Steam power station. 

20) What are the types of wind mills? 
Wind energy conversion system are classified into two types, 
i) Horizontal axis wind mills 
The axis of rotation is horizontal and in the aero turbine, plane is 
vertical facing the wind. 
ii) Vertical axis wind mills 
The axis of rotation is vertical, the blades also be vertical. 

UNIT-2 
CONSERVATION 

21) What do you mean by Economics of power generation? 
The art of determining the per unit i.e. one KWh cost of production of 
electrical energy is known as Economics of power generation. 

22) Explain the term depreciation. 
The decrease in the value of the power plant equipment and building 
due to constant use is known as depreciation. 
In practice, every power station has a useful life ranging from fifteen 
to thirty years. From the time the power station is installed, its equipment 
steadily deteriorates due to wear and tear so that there is a gradual reduction 
in the value of the plant. This reduction in the value of plant every year is 
known as annual depreciation.
 
23) Define load factor. 
Load factor is the ratio of average demand to the maximum demand 
during a certain period of time and is applicable to both generating 
equipment and receiving equipment. 
Load factor = Average demand 
Maximum demand 

24) What is load curve? 
The curve showing the variation of load on the power station with 
reference to time is known as a load curve. 
The load curves supply the following information 
 The variation of the load during different hours of the day.
 The area under the curve represents the total number of units 
generated in a day. 
 The peak of the curve represents the maximum demand on the 
station on the particular day. 
 The area under the load curve divided by the number of hours 
represents the average load on the power station. 
 The ratio of the area under the load curve to the total area of 
the rectangle in which it is contained gives the load factor. 

25) Define diversity factor. 
Diversity factor is defined as the state of being dissimilar to one 
another. It is defined as the ratio of sum of the maximum demands of 
individual consuming units in a group during a specified period to the 
maximum demand of the whole group during the same period. 
Diversity factor = Sum of individual demands of different units in a group 
Maximum demand of the entire group 
The value of diversity factor is always greater than one. If the diversity 
factor is higher, the cost per unit of generation will be lesser. 

26) What do you mean by utilisation factor? 
It is a measure of the utility of the power plant capacity and is the 
ratio of maximum demand to the rated capacity of the power plant. It is 
always less than unity. 
Utilisation factor = Maximum Demand on the power station 
Rated capacity of the power station 
A low value of utilisation factor indicates that the plant has been installed 
much in advance of need. A high value indicates that the plant is probably 
most efficient in the system. If its value exceeds unity, it means that the load 
has been carried in excess of rated capacity of the plant

27) Write short note on load duration curve? 
When the load elements of a load curve are arranged in the order of 
descending magnitudes, the curve thus obtained is called load duration 
curve. The load curve is obtained from the same data as the load curve but the 
ordinates are arranged in the order of descending magnitudes. In other 
words, the maximum load is represented to the left and decreasing loads are 
represented to the right in the descending order. Hence the area under the 
load duration curve and the load curve are equal. 
or and diversity factor. Load factor and diversity factor play a vital role in the cost of the 
supply of electrical energy. Higher the values of load factor and diversity 
factor, lower will be the overall cost per unit generated. 

28) Write the significance of load factor? 
Higher load factor means greater average load, resulting in greater 
number of units generated for a given maximum demand. Thus, the standing 
charges, which are proportional to maximum demand and independent of 
number of units generated, can be distributed over a large number of units 
supplied and therefore overall cost per unit of electrical energy generated 
will be reduced. 

29) What is mean by base load? 
The unvarying load which occurs almost the whole day on the station 
is known as base load. 

30) What are the methods for determining depreciation charges? 
The decrease in the value of the power plant equipment and building 
due to constant use is known as depreciation. The cost of depreciation will 
depend on the size and type of equipment and on its estimated life. 
The reduction in the value of the plant every year is known as annual 
depreciation. Due to depreciation the plant has to be replaced by new one 
after its useful life. Therefore a suitable amount must be set aside every year, 
so that by the time the plant retires the collected amount by way of 
depreciation equals the cost of equipment. 
The methods commonly used for determination of annual depreciation 
charges are 
• Straight line method 
• Diminishing value method and 
• Sinking fund method. 

31) What are the objectives of tariff? 
Electrical energy is sold at such a rate so that it not only returns the 
cost but also earns reasonable profit. Therefore, a tariff must cover the 
following items: 
 Recovery of cost of capital investment in generating, transmitting and distributing equipment. 
 Recovery of cost of operation, supplies and maintenance of 
equipment. 
 Recovery of cost of metering equipment, billing, collection costs etc. 
 A satisfactory return on the total capital investment. 

32) Define energy audit. 
Energy Audit means studying the energy consumption pattern in the 
utilities or equipments by obtaining necessary data analyse the same to 
identify the areas where wastages or loses occur and suggest methods to 
avoid wastages or loss and also other consumption measures to ensure 
efficient use of energy. 

33) What are the causes of low power factor? 
The following are the causes of low power factor 9 Most of the a.c motors are of induction type which have low 
lagging power factor. These motors work at a power factor 
which is extremely small on light load 0.2 to 0.3 and rises to 0.8 
to 0.9 at full load. 9 Arc lamps, electric discharges lamps and industrial heating 
furnaces operate at low lagging power factor. 9 The load on the power system is varying, being high during 
morning and evening and low at other times. During low load 
period, supply voltage is increased which increases the 
magnetization current. This results in the decreased power 
factor. 

34) Define the term connected load factor. 
It is the sum of the continuous rating in KW of all electrical devices 
installed at the consumer’s premises and connected to the supply system. 

35) What are the important points to be taken into consideration while 
selecting the size and number of units? 9 The load on a power station is never constant due to variable demands from time to time. The nature of these demands can be 
seen from the load curve. The load variation is greater with a 
poorer load factor. 
 The selection of the number and sizes of the units is decided 
from the annual load curve of the station. The number and size 
of the units are selected in such a way that they correctly fit the 
station load curve. 
 The capacity of the plant should be made 15% to 20% more than 
the maximum demand to meet the future load requirements. 
There should be a spare generating unit so that repairs and 
overhauling of the working units can be carried out.
 
UNIT-3 
ILLUMINATION, HEATING AND WELDING 

36) Define luminous flux. 
It is defined as the total quantity of light energy emitted per second 
from a luminous body. It is represented by symbol F and is measured in 
lumens. The conception of luminous flux helps us to specify the output and 
efficiency of a given light source. 

37) What is meant by candle power? 
It is defined as the number of lumens given out by the source in a unit 
solid angle in a given direction. It is denoted by CP. 
CP=lumens 

38) Define MHCP. 
The mean of candle power in all directions in the horizontal plane 
containing the source of light is termed as Mean Horizontal Candle Power.
 
39) Define utilisation factor. 
It is defined as the ratio of total lumens reaching the working plane to 
total lumens given out by the lamp. 
Utilisation factor= Total lumens reaching the working plane 
Total lumens given out by the lamp 

40) What are the laws of illumination? 
Law of Inverse Squares: 
Illumination at appoint is inversely proportional to square of its distance 
from the point source and directly proportional to the luminous intensity 
(CP) of the source of light in that direction. 
If a source of light emits light equally in all directions be placed at the 
centre of a hollow sphere, the light will fall uniformly on the inner surface of 
the sphere. If the sphere be replaced by one of the larger radius, the same 
total amount of light is spread over a larger area proportional to the square of 
the radius. 
Lambert’s cosine law: 
The illumination at a point on a surface is proportional to cosine of the angle 
which ray makes with the normal to the surface at that point. 

41) What is meant by luminance? 
It is defined as the luminous intensity per unit projected area of either 
a surface source of light or a reflecting surface and is denoted by L. 

42) Define space-height ratio. 
It is defined as the ratio of horizontal distance between adjacent lamps 
and height of their mountings. 
Space-height ratio= Horizontal distance between two adjacent lamps 
Mounting height of lamps above working plane 

43) What is polar curve? 
In most lamps or sources of light the luminous intensity is not the same 
in all directions. If the luminous intensity, i.e. the candle power is measured 
in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis and a curve is plotted between 
candle power and the angular position, a curve is obtained is called as 
horizontal polar curve. The luminous intensity in all the directions can be represented by polar curves. If the luminous intensity in a vertical plane is plotted against the 
angular position, a curve known as vertical polar curve is obtained. 

44) Name the various photometer heads. 
1. Bunsen Head (or) Grease spot photometer 
2. Lummer-Brodhun photometer head 
There are two types of Lummer Brodhun heads 
a) Equality of Brightness type photometer head 
b) Contrast type photometer head
 
45) What are all the sources of light? 
According to principle of operation the light sources may be grouped 
as follows. 
  Arc lamps 
  High temperature lamps 
  Gaseous discharge lamps
  Fluorescent type lamps 

46) What is stroboscopic effect of fluorescent tubes? 
With a.c. supply frequency of 50 cycles per second, discharge through 
the lamp becomes zero, 100 times in a second. Due to the persistence of 
vision, our eyes do not notice this. If this light falls on moving parts, they 
may appear to be either running slow or in the reverse direction or even may 
appear stationary. This effect is called stroboscopic effect. 

47) Define beam factor. 
The ratio of lumens in the beam of a projector to the lumens given out 
by lamps is called the beam factor. This factor takes into account the 
absorption of light by reflector and front glass of the projector lamp. Its 
values vary from 0.3 to 0.6.
 
48) Mention the types of lighting schemes. 
The distribution of the light emitted by lamps is usually controlled to 
some extent by means of reflectors and translucent diffusing screens or even 
lenses. The interior lighting schemes may be classified as 
 Direct lighting 
 Semi-direct lighting 
 Indirect lighting 
 Semi-indirect lighting 
 General lighting 

49) What are the drawbacks of discharge lamps? 
Drawbacks of discharge lamps: 
• Take time to attain full brightness. 
• High initial cost and poor power factor. 
• Starting requires trigger-starter. 
• Light output fluctuates at twice the supply frequency. The 
flicker causes stroboscopic effect. 
• These lamps can be used only in particular position. 

50) What are the requirements of lighting system/ 
The following factors are required to be considered while designing 
the lighting scheme. 
 Illumination level 
 Uniformity of illumination 
 Colour of light
 Shadows 
 Glare 
 Mounting height 
 Spacing of luminaries
 Colour of surrounding walls. 

51) What are the advantages of electric heating? 
The main advantages of electric heating over other systems of heating 
such as coal, oil or gas heating are given below. 
o Economical 
o Cleanliness 
o Absence of flue gases 
o Ease of control or adaptation 
o Automatic protection 
o Upper limit of temperature 
o Special heating features 
o High efficiency of utilisation 
o Better working conditions 
o Safety 
o Heating of non-conducting materials 

52) Classify the methods of electric heating. 
Kinds of electric heating 
A. Power frequency heating 
a. Resistance heating 
i) Direct resistance heating 
ii) Indirect resistance heating 
iii) Infrared or Radiant heating 
b. Arc heating 
i) Direct arc heating 
ii) Indirect arc heating 
B. High frequency heating 
a. Induction heating 
i) Direct induction heating 
ii) Indirect induction heating 
b. Dielectric heating 

53) What is meant by indirect resistance heating? 9 In this method, the current is passed through a high resistance 
wire known as heating element. The heat produced due to I2 R 
loss in the element is transmitted by radiation or convection to 
the body to be heated.
 Applications are room heaters, in bimetallic strip used in 
starters, immersion water heaters and in domestic and 
commercial cooking and salt bath furnace. 

54) What are the properties of heating element material? 
The material of the heating elements should posses the following 
desirable properties for efficient operation and long life. 
High resistivity: It should have high specific resistance so that the overall 
length to produce a certain amount of heat may be smaller. 
High melting point: It should have high melting point so that high 
temperatures can be produced without jeopardizing the life of the element. 
Free from oxidation: It should be able to resist oxidation at high 
temperatures, otherwise its life will be shortened. 
Low temperature coefficient: It should have a low temperature coefficient so 
that resistance remains appreciably constant even with increases of 
temperature. This helps in accurate control of temperature. 

55) What are the causes of failure of heating elements? 
Principle causes are
 Formation of hot spots 
 General oxidation of the element and intermittency of 
operation 
 Embrittlement caused by grain growth
 Contamination of element or corrosion 

56) Write short note on infrared heating. 
In radiant heating, the elements are of tungsten operating about 2300°C 
as at this temperature a greater proportion of infra-red radiation is given off. 
Heating effect on the charge is greater since the temperature of the 
heating element is greater than in the case of resistance heating. Heat 
emission intensities up to 7500 watts/sq.m can be obtained leading to heat 
absorption up to 4300 watts/sq.m. This reduces the time taken by various 
drying process. 

57) What is the basic principle of induction heating? 
It works on the principle of electromagnetic induction as same as a 
transformer. It has a metal disc surrounded by a copper coil in which a.c 
supply is flowing. The disc has a finite value of diameter and thickness and 
is spaced a given distance from the coil and concentric to it. We find that a 
secondary current is caused to circulate around the outer surface of the disc. 

58) What are the different types of resistance welding? 
The different types are as follows 
 Butt welding 
 Spot welding 
 Projection welding 
 Seam welding 
 Percussion welding 

60) What is LASER welding? 
LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) 
welding is a welding process that uses the heat from a laser beam impinging 
on the joint. The process is without a shielding gas and pressure. 

UNIT-4 
ELECTRIC TRACTION 
61) What are the requirements of an ideal traction system? 
The requirements of an ideal traction system are as follows 
 The starting tractive effort should be high so as to have 
rapid acceleration. 
 The wear on the track should be minimum. 
 Pollution free 
 Speed control should be easy. 
 The equipment should be capable of withstanding large 
temporary loads. 
 Low initial and maintenance cost. 
 There should be no interference to the communication lines 
running along the lines. 
 Braking should be such that minimum wear is caused on the 
brake shoes. 

62) Name the various systems of traction. 
1. Direct steam engine drive 
2. Direct Internal Combustion Engine Drive 
3. Steam Electric Drive 
4. Internal Combustion Engine Electric Drive 
5. Petrol Electric traction 
6. Battery Electric Drive 
7. Electric Drive 

63) Classify the supply system for electric traction. 
A. D.C system 
B. A.C system 
i) Single phase 
ii) Three phase 
C. Composite system 
i) Single phase AC-DC 
ii) single phase-Three phase 

64) What are the advantages of electric traction?
 High starting torque 
 Less maintenance cost
 Cheapest method of traction 
 Rapid acceleration and braking 
 Less vibration ô Coefficient of adhesion is better 
 It has great passenger carrying capacity at higher speed. 

65) What are the disadvantages of electric traction? 
• High capital cost 
• Problem of supply failure 
• Additional equipment is required for achieving electric 
braking and control 
• The leakage of current from the distribution mains and 
drop of volts in the track are to be kept within the 
prescribed limits. 
• The electrically operated vehicles have to move on 
guided track only. 

66) What is meant by speed-time curve? Why it is used? 
The movement of the train and their energy consumption can be 
studied by means of speed-time and speed-distance curves, which shows the 
speed at different time instants after start of run and speed at different 
distances from the starting point respectively. Of the two, the speed-time 
curve is generally used. The curve drawn between speed in Kw/hr along Y-axis and time in seconds along X-axis is called speed=time curve. The speed-time curve 
gives the complete information about the motion of the train. 
This curve gives the speed at various time instants after the start of run 
directly. Slope of the curve at any point gives the speed at that instant. The 
area under the curve gives the total distance traveled by the train. 

67) What do you mean by average speed in electric traction? 
The mean of the speeds from the start to stop i.e the distance between 
two stops divided by the actual time of run is known as average speed. 
Average speed= Distance between stops in km 
Actual time of run in hours 

68) What do you mean by schedule speed in electric traction? 
The ratio of distance covered between two stops and total time of run 
including time of stop is known as schedule speed. 
Schedule speed= Distance between stops in km 
Actual time of run in hours+ Stop time in hours 
The schedule speed is always smaller than the average speed. The difference 
is large in case of urban and suburban services and is negligibly small in 
case of main line service. 

69) What is tractive effort? 
The effective force necessary to propel the train at the wheels of the 
locomotive to which the motor is geared is called the geared effort. It is 
measured in Newtons and is tangential to the driving wheels. 
Total tractive effort required to run a train on track 
= Tractive effort to produce acceleration + 
Tractive effort to overcome effect of gravity + 
Tractive effort to overcome train resistance. 

70) What are the factors affecting energy consumption? 
The various factors affecting energy consumption are 
(i) Distance between the stops 
The greater the distance between the stops, the lesser will be the 
specific energy consumption for suburban service is 50 to 75 watts-hour/ 
ton-km and for main line service it is between 18 to 32 watt-hour/ton-km. 
(ii) Train resistance 
The train resistance depends upon the nature of track, speed of the 
train and shape of the rolling stock, particularly the front and rear portions of 
the train. If the train resistance is greater, the specific energy consumption is 
more. 
(iii) Acceleration and retardation 
If the acceleration and retardation increases, the specific energy 
consumption is increased. 
(iv) Gradient 
The steep gradients will involve more energy consumption though 
regenerative braking is applied. 
(v) Train equipment 
More efficient train equipment will reduce the specific energy 
consumption. 

71) Define dead weight, adhesive weight. 
(i) Dead weight 
The total weight of locomotive and train to be pulled by the 
locomotive is known as dead weight. 
(ii) Adhesive weight 
The total weight to be carried on the driving wheels is known as 
the adhesive weight. 

72) Name the various methods of traction motor control. 
There are various methods for controlling the speed of d.c series motors. 
They are 
 Rheostatic control 
 Series parallel control 
 Field control 
 Buck and Boost method 
 Metadyne control 
 Thyristor control
 
73) What are the basic requirements of braking system? 
The basic requirements of a braking system are given below
 It should be simple, robust, quick and reliable in action.
 Easy to use for driver to operate. 
 Maintenance should be minimum. 
 The braking system should be inexhaustible. 
 In case of emergency braking, safety consideration is taken 
into account. 
 Kinetic energy of the train must be storable during braking 
which could be used subsequently during acceleration of the 
train. 

74) What are the various methods of applying electric braking? 
There are three methods of applying electric braking are 
• Plugging or Reverse current braking 
• Rheostatic braking 
• Regenerative braking. 
75) Name the advanced methods of speed control of traction motors. 
The latest methods of speed control of traction motors are
 Tap changer 
 Thyristor control 
 Chopper control ô Microprocessor control 

76) What are the advantages of microprocessor based control of traction 
motors? 
The advantages of microprocessor based drives are 9 High speed of response 9 High accuracy 9 Over voltage and over speed protection. 9 Electronic interlocking 9 Less sensitive to temperature variations and drift. 9 Numbers of components used are less. 

UNIT-5 
DRIVES AND THEIR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION 

77) What is meant by electrical drives? 
Systems employed for motion control are called “DRIVES” and drives 
employ any of the prime movers such as, diesel or petrol engines, gas or 
steam turbines, hydraulic motors and electric motors for supplying 
mechanical energy for motion control. Drives employing electric motion 
known as “Electric Drives”.
 
78) Mention the parts of electrical drives? 
• Electric motors and load 
• Power modulator 
• Sources 
• Control unit 
• Sensing unit 

79) Mention the application of electric drives?
 Paper mills 
 Electric traction 
 Cement mills 
 Steel mills. 

80) Mention the different types of classes of duty? 
• Continuous duty 
• Discontinuous duty 
• Short time duty 
• Intermittent duty 

81) Define equivalent current method. 
The motor selected should have a current rating more than or equal to 
the current. It is also necessary to check the overload capacity of the motor. 
This method of determining the power rating of motor is known as the 
equivalent current method. 

82) What are the three methods of operation of electric drive? 
 Steady state 
 Acceleration including starting 
 Decceleration including stopping. 

83) Define four-quadrant operation? 
A motor operate in two modes, motoring and braking. In motoring, it 
converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, which supports its 
motion. In braking it works as a generator converting mechanical energy 
into electrical energy and thus, opposes the motion. Motor can provide 
motoring and braking operations for both forward and reverse directions. 

84) Mention the types of braking? 
• Regenerative braking 
• Dynamic braking 
• Plugging 

85) Define and mention different types of braking in a dc motor? 
In braking, the motor works as a generator developing a negative torque 
which opposes the motion. Types of regenerative braking are Dynamic (or) 
Rheostat braking; and plugging (or) reverse voltage braking. 

86) List the drawbacks of armature resistance control? 
In armature resistance control, speed is varied by wasting power in 
external resistors that are connected in series with armature. Since it is an 
inefficient method of speed control, it was used in intermittent load 
application where the duration of low speed operation forms only a small 
proportion of total running time. 

87) Mention the methods of armature voltage control dc motor? 
When the supply voltage is ac 
i) Ward-Leonard schemes 
ii) Transformer with taps and uncontrolled rectifier bridge 
iii) Static Ward-Leonard scheme (or) controlled rectifiers 
When the supply is dc 
i) Chopper control 

88) What are the disadvantages of conventional ward-Leonard schemes? 
• Higher initial cost due to use of two additional machines. 
• Large weight and size. 
• Needs more floor space and proper foundation. 
• Required frequent maintenance. 
• Higher noise and higher loss. 

89) Mention the drawbacks of rectifier fed dc drives? É Distortion of supply É Low power factor É Ripple in motor current 

90) What are the different methods of speed control of induction motors? 
• Stator voltage control 
• Supply frequency control 
• Rotor resistance control 
• Slip power recovery control 

91) What is meant by stator voltage control? 
The speed of the induction motor can be changed by changing the 
stator voltage. Because the torque is proportional to square of the voltage. 

92) Mention the applications of stator voltage control? 
The stator voltage control method is suitable for applications where 
torque demand reduced with speed, which points towards its suitability for 
i) Fan ii) Pump drives 

93) Mention the applications of AC drives? 
AC drives are used in a number of applications such as fans, blowers, 
mill run-out tables, cranes, conveyors, traction etc. 

94) What are the advantages of stator voltage control method? 
• The control circuitry is simple 
• Compact size 
• Quick response time 
• There is considerable savings in energy and thus it is economical 
method as compared to other methods of speed control. 

95) What are the features of variable frequency control? 
 Speed control and braking operation are available from 
zero speed to above base speed. 
 Drop in speed from no load to full load is small. 
 Copper losses are low. Hence efficiency and power factor are high as the operation is restricted between synchronous speed and maximum torque point at all frequencies. During transient (starting, braking and speed reversal) operation can be carried out at the maximum torque with reduced current giving good dynamic response. 

96) What is meant by frequency control of induction motor? 
The speed of the induction motor can be controlled by changing the 
supply frequency, because the speed is directly proportional to supply 
frequency. This method of speed control is called frequency control. 

97) What is meant by V/F control? 
When the frequency is reduced, the input voltage must be reduced 
proportionally so as to maintain constant flux. Otherwise the core will get 
saturated resulting in excessive iron loss and magnetizing current. This type 
of induction motor behaviour is similar to the working of dc series motor. 

98) What is meant by regenerative braking? 
Regenerative braking occurs when the motor speed exceeds the 
synchronous speed. In this case, the induction motor would runs as the 
induction machine is converting the mechanical power into electrical power, 
which is delivered back to the electrical system. This method of braking is 
known as regenerative braking. 

99) What is meant by dynamic braking? 
Dynamic braking of electric motor occurs when the energy stored in 
the rotating mass is dissipated in an electrical resistance. This requires the 
motor to operate as a generator to convert this stored energy into electrical. 

100) What is meant by plugging? 
It is one method of braking of induction motor. When phase 
sequence of supply of the motor running at a speed is reversed, by 
interchanging connections of any two phases of stator with respect to supply 
terminals, operation shifts from motoring to plugging region.

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