Diesel powered electricity generation applications

By 1973 about 1.4 million barrels per day of residual fuel oil were used for electric power generation in the United States. This accounted for 16.8 percent of U.S. electricity generation, mostly in areas where cheap, foreign heavy fuel could be delivered by tanker. That same year, another 1.4 million barrels per day of heavy fuel oil were used in the United States for industrial and commercial applications. Worldwide during 1973 about 2.6 million barrels per day of residual fuel oil were used in marine diesel engines, and another 1.1 million barrels per day were used for steamship propulsion. 

Examples of the application of nickel-cadmium batteries in emergency power and lighting applications include multistorey buildings, aviation safety, railway vehicles, ships, tunnels, sports areas, shops and offices. Nickel-cadmium batteries are also used for starting up diesel generators to supply electrical power in the event of a mains failure (Figure 33.1). 

By the end ofWorld War II the use of residual fuel oil in the United States had reached about 1.2 million barrels per day. The bulk of this use was in industri-al/commercial boilers, railroad locomotives, and steamships. Shortly thereafter, railroad use declined rapidly as diesel engines, which used distillate fuel, replaced steam locomotives. In the 19.30s and 1960s residual fuel oil use for marine and industrial applications, as well as for electric power generation, con-... 

The preceding section reviewed the application of popular prime movers for the generation of electrical power only. In the conversion of fuel energy to electricity it is shown that heat is rejected, either in the exhaust of a diesel or gas turbine or, alternatively, in the condenser of a thermal power plant. It can be seen that by applying these machines to provide both heat and electricity the total energy recovery can be much greater and efficiency thereby improved. Combined heat and power (CHP) schemes of this nature are well-established methods of producing both heat and power efficiently and economically. 

Efficient autonomous portable power generators are required due to the common use of portable electrical and electronic devices, such as laptop computers and cell telephones. Currently, rechargeable batteries are the predominant technology for these applications. Moreover, mobile power generators are needed for residential and recreational purposes to replace small combustion engines, for example diesel generators on board (sailing) yachts. In all these applications, small FP-FC systems are convenient alternatives. 

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