1. What factors influence the selection of site for a power plant?
2. Explain base load, peak load, load curve, and load duration curve.
3. Define plant load factor and discuss its importance.
4. What are the environmental impacts of power plants?
5. Compare centralized and distributed generation systems.
6. What are renewable energy power plants? Give examples.
7. Why is efficiency of power plants generally less than 100%?
8. Define installed capacity, firm capacity, and reserve capacity.
9. What is the difference between fixed cost and running cost of a power plant?
10. Explain merit order of power generation.
🔹 Thermal Power Plant
11. What are the essential components of a steam power plant?
12. Explain Rankine cycle with P–V and T–s diagrams.
13. Why is reheating used in thermal power plants?
14. Explain cogeneration in thermal plants.
15. What is the function of an economizer in a boiler?
16. Compare open cycle and closed cycle gas turbines.
17. What is the function of a condenser in a steam power plant?
18. Why are cooling towers used in thermal power plants?
19. Explain the advantages of supercritical boilers.
20. What are the major pollutants released by thermal power plants?
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🔹 Hydroelectric Power Plant
21. What are the types of hydro power plants based on head and load?
22. Differentiate between storage type and run-of-river hydro plants.
23. What are surge tanks? Why are they needed?
24. What is cavitation in turbines? How can it be avoided?
25. Derive the expression for unit quantities in turbine performance.
26. Explain governing of water turbines.
27. What are the differences between Pelton, Francis, and Kaplan turbines?
28. Define specific speed and state its typical range for different turbines.
29. Why is pumped storage plant called a “peak load” plant?
30. Explain the role of draft tube in a reaction turbine.
🔹 Nuclear Power Plant
31. What is nuclear chain reaction?
32. Define multiplication factor in a reactor.
33. What are breeder reactors?
34. Why is heavy water used in some nuclear power plants?
35. Compare fast breeder reactor and thermal reactor.
36. What are the functions of shielding in nuclear reactors?
37. What are the main by-products of nuclear fission?
38. Why is disposal of nuclear waste a problem?
39. What are the advantages of nuclear power plants over thermal plants?
40. What are the safety features of a nuclear reactor?
🔹 Diesel & Gas Turbine Power Plants
41. Explain the layout and working of a diesel power plant.
42. Compare four-stroke and two-stroke engines used in diesel plants.
43. What are the limitations of diesel power plants?
44. Explain starting methods of gas turbine plants.
45. What are combined cycle plants? Why are they more efficient?
46. Compare open cycle and closed cycle gas turbines.
47. What are intercoolers and regenerators?
48. What is the role of a compressor in a gas turbine power plant?
49. What are the advantages of gas turbine plants over steam plants?
50. Why are diesel plants suitable for small and standby power generation?
🔹 Non-Conventional Power Plants
51. Explain the working principle of a solar photovoltaic power plant.
52. Differentiate between solar PV and solar thermal plants.
53. Explain the working of a wind power plant.
54. What are tidal power plants?
55. What is geothermal energy? How is it converted into electricity?
56. Explain biomass-based power generation.
57. What is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)?
58. What are the limitations of renewable power plants?
59. Explain hybrid power generation systems.
60. What are fuel cells? Explain their role in future power generation.
