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Thermal Power Plant : Principle, Parts, Working, Advantages and Disadvantages

Basic Introduction or Principle: We all are aware with the term "Generator". A device which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy is known as generator. This generator makes rotate with the help of some kind of external energy. When this energy extract from the energy of steam, the plant is known as steam power plant.  A simple steam plant works on Rankine cycle. In the first step, water is feed into a boiler at a very high pressure by BFP (boiler feed pump). This high pressurized water is heated into a  boiler   which converts it into high pressurized super heated steam. This high energized steam passes through steam  turbine  (a mechanical device which converts flow energy of fluid into mechanical energy) and rotate it. Owing to extract full energy of steam, three stage turbines is used which is known as LPT (Low pressure turbine), IPT (intermediate pressure turbine) and HPT (High pressure turbine). The turbine shaft is connected to the...

New imaging technique could detect acoustically 'invisible' cracks

The next generation of aircraft could be thinner and lighter thanks to the development of a new imaging technique that could detect damage previously invisible to acoustic imaging systems. The nonlinear acoustic technique developed by researchers from the University of Bristol's Ultrasonics and Non-destructive Testing (NDT) research group is published in the current issue of  Physical Review Letters  together with an accompanying article in  Physics . It has long been understood that acoustic nonlinearity is sensitive to many physical properties including material microstructure and mechanical damage. The lack of effective imaging has, however, held back the use of this important method. Currently engineers are able to produce images of the interior of components using ultrasound, but can only detect large problems such as cracks. This is like detecting only broken bones in a medical environment. Imaging of acoustic nonlinearity is achieved by exploiting diffe...

Japanese wave turbines combine generation with protection

A new type of turbine designed at Japan’s Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) could generate electricity while simultaneously protecting coastlines from erosion. (Credit: OIST) The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) project involves using multiple turbines near the shoreline, which harvest the energy of crashing waves. Like the concrete tetrapods and wave breakers used on coasts around the world, the turbines would help dissipate the incoming power of the ocean, helping to limit erosion. “Surprisingly, 30 per cent of the seashore in mainland Japan is covered with tetrapods and wave breakers,” said OIST’s Professor Tsumoru Shintake, who is leading the project. “Using just 1 per cent of the seashore of mainland Japan can [generate] about 10 gigawatts [of energy], which is equivalent to 10 nuclear power plants. That’s huge.” According to the researchers, the devices will be able to withstand the harsh wave conditions as well as extreme weather such as typhoons. I...

Dyson to launch an electric vehicle by 2020

Dyson is expanding into the automotive sector with a battery electric vehicle that will be launched by 2020. In an email to company employees, founder James Dyson said the move to an electric vehicle has been prompted by a desire ‘to find a solution to the global problem of air pollution’ and that the technologies underpinning the company’s products could now be employed in an EV. ‘At this moment, we finally have the opportunity to bring all our technologies together into a single product,’ he said in his missive. To this end, over 400 Dyson engineers and ‘talented individuals from the automotive industry’ are taking part in the £2bn project, which is ‘recruiting aggressively’ for new team members. ‘The project will grow quickly from here but at this stage we will not release any information,’ said Dyson. ‘Competition for new technology in the automotive industry is fierce and we must do everything we can to keep the specifics of our vehicle confidential.’ Commen...

Nottingham students develop 3D selfie software

PhD researchers at Nottingham University have developed a software programme that can turn a flat 2D image into a 3D selfie. Their web application allows users to upload a single colour image, then transforms it into a 3D image that shows the physical shape of the face. It works using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) – artificial intelligence (AI) that applies machine learning which has been trained on a huge dataset of 2D pictures and 3D facial models. As well as being able to reconstruct 3D facial geometry, the CNN can also make predictions regarding the non-visible parts of the face. “Our CNN uses just a single 2D facial image, and works for arbitrary facial poses [front or profile images] and facial expressions [smiling],” said Nottingham PhD student Aaron Jackson, the paper’s lead author. According to the team, current techniques to create a 3D representation require multiple facial images, and face several challenges such as dense correspondences across large facial...