Glossary of Power Engineering Terms
All
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| BASE LOADING |
When an electric generating system consists of several electric generating units and where the first unit is fully loaded at a constant load, and the second generating unit may control the load demand. |
| BASEBOARD HEATERS |
Tubular hot water or steam heating elements that have aluminium fins mounted on exterior walls near the floor and covered with vented sheet metal casings. |
| BASIC PROCESS |
Process of making steel using a basic type slag. |
| BATCH PROCESS |
A treatment operation in which a vessel or reactor is filled, the process is treated, and the vessel is emptied. It may then be refilled and the process repeated. |
| BELLOWS |
A corrugated metal tube that is designed to expand or contract when pressure is applied. |
| BELLOWS SEAL |
A metal bellows used in place of packing for valves and compressor shafts. |
| BIMETAL ELEMENT |
A strip or coil that consists of two different metals having different thermal expansion rates that are bonded together. |
| BIMETAL THERMOMETER |
A temperature-sensing device employing a bimetal element. |
| BIOSPHERE |
The life-supporting surroundings and its immediate atmosphere where interactions occur between the organisms and the environment. |
| BIT |
In computer science, a single character of a language having just two characters, as either of the binary digits 0 or 1; a unit of information equivalent to the choice of either of two equally likely alternatives; a unit of information storage capacity, as of memory. |
| BITUMINOUS |
A coal with approximately 60% fixed carbon |
| BLADE FOULING |
Contaminants, present in the air or the fuel, are deposited on the blades of a compressor or turbine. |
| BLAST FURNACE GAS |
The waste product from furnaces used to smelt iron ores. |
| BLINDING |
The clogging of filtering medium of a micro screen or a vacuum filter when the holes or spaces in the media become sealed off due to grease or the material being filtered. Also, insertion of blind flanges into a pipeline for isolation purposes. |
| BLOCK VALVES |
Valves used simultaneously to isolate a specific section of a system for maintenance or inspection of that section. |
| BLOCK(S) |
A group of pulleys on the same shaft. A continuous rope is wound over two such blocks to form a machine that will provide a mechanical advantage. |
| BLOW TANK |
In a pulping process, a vessel that receives the solution of chips and chemicals before the solution is washed; where the steam from the digester is removed to atmosphere. The chips and chemical are blown into the vessel causing the break-up of the chips. |
| BLOW-OFF VALVES |
Valves that are opened to remove sludge and impurities from, or drain, a boiler or vessel. |
| BOILER |
A pressure vessel in which water is heated to produce steam. |
| BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL CODE |
An ASME code, The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code establishes rules of safety governing the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels, and nuclear power plant components during construction. |
| BOILER BLOWDOWN |
The process of releasing a portion of the water continuously or intermittently from a boiler to remove impurities in order to maintain predetermined concentrations. |
| BOILER CAPACITY |
The mass, in kilograms, of steam per hour that a boiler is capable of producing. |
| BOILER DRUM |
A pressure vessel part of a boiler that consists of a shell and heads. |
| BOILING POINT |
The temperature at which a phase change occurs between liquid and vapour. |
| BOND |
A strong force of attraction that holds atoms together in a compound or crystal. |
| BOUNDARY LUBRICATION |
Where a very thin film of lubricant separates the rubbing surfaces. |
| BRANCH |
In electricity, one of the paths of a parallel circuit along which current may travel. |
| BRAYTON CYCLE |
An ideal cycle in which compression and expansion take place at constant entropy, an ideal gas turbine. |
| BRINE |
A concentrated solution of a salt (NaCl) and water used in the regeneration of sodium zeolite softeners. |
| BRINE COOLER |
Evaporator for cooling brine in an indirect cooling system. |