1.

Why does the power generated by some steam power plants drop in the summer?

2.

What are the steam conditions at the inlet to the high-pressure turbine in a steam power plant?

3.

What are the advantages of supercritical power plants?

4.

How does the second law of thermodynamics apply to power plants?

5.

How does the Carnot cycle apply to power plants?

6.

What is the maximum allowable concentration of water in the steam leaving the lowpressure turbine in a power plant?

7.

Are feedwater heaters required for all steam power plants?

1.

The power delivered by a steam turbine is given by

where is the steam flow, h ₁ is the inlet enthalpy to the turbine, and h ₂ is the outlet enthalpy of the turbine.

During the hot summer months, the lake temperature increases. The temperature of steam being condensed on the shell side of the condenser increases due to an increase in the cooling water temperature coming from the lake. The pressure of the steam being condensed also increases due to an increase in temperature. The process of condensation occurs at saturation. The temperature and pressure are tied together at saturation. An increase in temperature will result in an increase in pressure. The enthalpy of the steam being condensed ( h ₂), which depends on the temperature and pressure, increases. Thus, the power generated will decrease...