Energy source, India’s production and reserves of commercial energy sources, need for non-conventional energy sources, energy alternatives, solar, thermal, photovoltaic. Water power, wind biomass, ocean temperature difference, tidal and waves, geothermal, tarsands and oil shale, nuclear (Brief descriptions); advantages and disadvantages, comparison (Qualitative and Quantitative).
Solar Radiation : Extra-Terrestrial radiation, spectral distribution of extra terrestrial radiation, solar constant, solar radiation at the earth’s surface, beam, diffuse and global radiation, solar radiation data. Measurement of Solar Radiation : Pyrometer, shading ring pyrheliometer, sunshine recorder, schematic diagrams and principle of working. Solar Radiation Geometry : Flux on a plane surface, latitude, declination angle, surface azimuth angle, hour angle, zenith angle, solar altitude angle expression for the angle between the incident beam and the normal to a plane surface (No derivation) local apparent time. Apparent motion of sum, day length, numerical examples.
Radiation Flux on a Tilted Surface : Beam, diffuse and reflected radiation, expression for flux on a tilted surface (no derivations) numerical examples. Solar Thermal Conversion : Collection and storage, thermal collection devices, liquid flat plate collectors, solar air heaters concentrating collectors (cylindrical, parabolic, paraboloid) (Quantitative analysis); sensible heat storage, latent heat storage, application of solar energy water heating. Space heating and cooling, active and passive systems, power generation, refrigeration. Distillation (Qualitative analysis) solar pond, principle of working, operational problems.
General description, collector geometry, selective surface (qualitative discussion) basic energy-balance equation, stagnation temperature, transmissivity of the cover system, transmissivity – absorptivity product, numerical examples. The overall loss coefficient, correlation for the top loss coefficient, bottom and side loss coefficient, problems (all correlations to be provided). Temperature distribution between the collector tubes, collector heat removal factor, collector efficiency factor and collector flow factor, mean plate temperature, instantaneous efficiency (all expressions to be provided). Effect of various parameters on the collector performance; collector orientation, selective surface, fluid inlet temperature, number covers, dust.
Photovoltaic Conversion : Description, principle of working and characteristics, applications. Wind Energy : Properties of wind, availability of wind energy in India, wind velocity and power from wind; major problems associated with wind power, wind machines; Types of wind machines and their characteristics, horizontal and vertical axis wind mills, elementary design principles; coefficient of performance of a wind mill rotor, aerodynamic considerations of wind mill design, numerical examples.
Tidal Power : Tides and waves as energy suppliers and their mechanics; fundamental characteristics of tidal power, harnessing tidal energy, limitations. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion : Principle of working, Rankine cycle, OTEC power stations in the world, problems associated with OTEC. Geothermal Energy Conversion : Principle of working, types of geothermal station with schematic diagram, geothermal plants in the world, problems associated with geothermal conversion, scope of geothermal energy.
Photosynthesis, photosynthetic oxygen production, energy plantation, bio gas production from organic wastes by anaerobic fermentation, description of bio-gas plants, transportation of bio-gas, problems involved with bio-gas production, application of bio-gas, application of bio-gas in engines, advantages.
Hydrogen Energy : Properties of Hydrogen with respected to its utilization as a renewable form of energy, sources of hydrogen, production of hydrogen, electrolysis of water, thermal decomposition of water, thermo chemical production bio-chemical production. Storage & Transportation Methods : Gaseous, cryogenic and metal hydrides, application of hydrogen, domestic and industrial safe burning of hydrogen.