Energy Efficiency of Different Types of Power Stations

RUNNING HEAD: Energy & our Universe 1
Electricity
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Energy & our Universe 2
Task 3
title: using the digital multimeter
objectives: at the end of the experiment, student should be able to;
 Describe the operation and put in use measuring instruments.
 Ascertain ohms’ law by comparing measured value with calculated value.
Equipment list:
1. Ammeter
2. Voltmeter
3. Ohmmeter
Procedure:
I. Set up two circuits as shown by the tutor. One with 1 lamp and 2 cells and the other
with 2 lamps and 2 cells., being circuit a and b respectively.
II. Plug the probes into their respective ports i.e. the red one in the mAVΩ and the black
in the COM.
III. To measure voltage in circuit a set the knob in the DC range to ’20 V’. touch the
probes, each on either side of the lamp such that it forms a parallel connection. Read
and record the voltage reading.
IV. To measure current, set the knob to the 200mA range and connect the multimeter in
series to the circuit. (disconnect the wire going to the lamp and connect the
multimeter in between so that current passes through the meter before reaching the
lamp). Record the displayed reading.
V. Repeat steps (iii) & (iv) on circuit b and record the displayed readings.
VI. Using ohms’ law, calculate the resistances of the circuits a and b using the measured
values.

Energy & our Universe 3
VII. Remove the power supply from the circuit and test for the resistance of the circuits by
placing the knob to 20kΩ range. Record the readings obtained.
VIII. Compare the calculated and measured values of resistance
Conclusion
Ohms law gives the relationship between the current, voltage and resistance in a circuit
i.e. (V=IR). It is better to use the formula to countercheck the measured value of the
circuits resistance. The calculated and measured values of resistance are almost similar.
The deviation occurs because of miscellaneous readings from other components of the
circuit picked by the multimeter (Pickering, 2016).
Task4: Efficiency of different types of power stations
fossil fuel
biomass
nuclear fuel
wave powered
wind powered
solar powered
hydroelectric
power
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
efficiency
efficiency
Power plants that run on fossil fuels such as coal function on the improved Rankine
thermodynamic cycle. This cycle can be operated differently depending on the specific
parameters. Averagely a fossil fuel power plant has an efficiency in the range of 31%-41%,
with ours operating at an efficiency of 35%. The range is usually as a factor of the superheat