A typical coal-fired power plant burns 290 metric tons of coal every hour to gen
ID: 1709194 • Letter: A
Question
A typical coal-fired power plant burns 290 metric tons of coal every hour to generate 730 MW of electricity. 1 metric ton=1000 kg. The density of coal is 1500 kg/m^3 and its heat of combustion is 28 MJ/kg. Assume that all heat is transferred from the fuel to the boiler and that all the work done in spinning the turbine is transformed into electrical energy.
a.) Suppose the coal is piled up in a 13.0 m 14.0 m room. How tall must the pile be to operate the plant for one day? (in m)
b.) What is the power plant's thermal efficiency? (in %)
Explanation / Answer
290 tons/1500 Kg 290,000kg/1,500kg/m^3=193.3 m^3 per hour 193.3*24 = 4,640 cubic meters/day room has area of 182 square meters 4640/182 height of pile is 25.5 meters B) plant generates 270 Mw. or 2.7E8 watts 2.7E8 watts * 3600 seconds in an hour is 9.72E11 joules per hour plant burns 290,000kg/hr 290,000kg*2.8E7j/kg=8.12E12 joules 9.72E11/8.12E12 =.1197 * 100 is about 12% efficient
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