Heat engines

[gregbellows]

Hi, I am stuck on the question, I don't require the solution, just how to get started.

A power plant's electrical output is 750MW. Cooling water at 15oC flows through the plant at 2.8x10^4 litres/sec and its temperature by 8.5oC. Assuming the plants only energy loss is to the cooling water and that the cooling water is effectively the low temperature reservoir, determine:

1. the rate of energy extraction from the fuel
2. the plant's efficiency.

Cheers
Greg

[Clausius2]

. Cooling water at 15oC flows through the plant at 2.8x10^4 litres/sec and its temperature by 8.5oC.


What do you mean?. IF you're meaning \Delta T=8.5ºC is the increasing of temperature of that water, then:

Power extracted of the fuel: W=W_{electric}+W_{losses}

The losses to the environment can be calculated:

W_{losses}=\rho Q c\Delta T

as a function of the volumetric flux Q, density and heat capacity.

Go ahead!!.