Power Eng 1st Class study plan

Derive and apply the steady-flow energy equation to a boiler, superheater and air preheater control volume, calculating heat absorbed per unit mass of steam from given inlet and outlet enthalpies.

Calculate Rankine cycle thermal efficiency, work ratio and specific steam consumption for a reheat and a regenerative cycle, and explain why each modification raises efficiency.

Compute pressure-part hoop stress and longitudinal stress using the thin-wall formulae and state the wall-thickness assumptions that make them invalid for thick-walled drums.

Identify the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section I scope boundary versus Section VIII, and list which components of a given plant fall under each.

Explain the role of the authorized inspector, the manufacturer's data report and the stamp in the pressure-part certification chain.

Solve convective heat-transfer problems for superheater tubes using Reynolds, Prandtl and Nusselt correlations, and explain how mass flux and steam temperature affect tube-metal temperature.

Compute log-mean temperature difference and effectiveness for an air preheater and economizer, and identify the failure modes caused by cold-end operation.

Apply Bernoulli and Darcy-Weisbach to a feedwater or circulating-water line, calculating head loss from given flow, pipe diameter and friction factor.

Describe material selection for waterwall, superheater and header applications, naming the creep and oxidation limits that drive alloy choice.

Explain creep, fatigue, graphitization, caustic embrittlement and hydrogen damage as pressure-part degradation mechanisms and the inspection method used to detect each.

Calculate stoichiometric air, excess air and flue-gas composition from an ultimate fuel analysis, and convert between dry and wet gas bases.

Compute boiler efficiency by both the input-output and heat-loss methods, and reconcile any difference between the two results.

Explain burner management, air-to-fuel ratio control and the light-off and purge sequences for a pulverized-coal and a gas-fired unit, and state the interlocks that prevent furnace explosions.

Diagnose common pump problems - cavitation, recirculation, air binding, misalignment - from given NPSH, vibration and discharge-pressure symptoms.

Trace a feedwater train from deaerator through boiler feed pump to economizer, identifying the function and failure consequence of each valve and fitting.

Explain NOx formation pathways - thermal, fuel-bound and prompt - and match low-NOx burners, overfire air, flue-gas recirculation and selective catalytic reduction to the pathway each addresses.

Interpret a continuous emissions monitoring record against permit limits and describe the certification, calibration and quality-assurance requirements that keep the data valid.

Design a phosphate or all-volatile treatment program for a drum boiler, justifying chemical targets for pH, phosphate, silica, conductivity and dissolved oxygen.

Diagnose caustic gouging, phosphate hideout, carryover and condensate corrosion from given chemistry and deposit-analysis data.

Explain cooling-water treatment, cycles of concentration and blowdown control, and calculate the blowdown required to hold a specified dissolved-solids limit.

Compare the Rankine, supercritical and combined cycles on efficiency and hardware, and explain why supercritical units require once-through design and full-flow demineralization.

Analyze a steam turbine stage using velocity triangles, and explain the effect of nozzle angle, blade speed ratio and reaction on stage efficiency.

Diagnose turbine problems - water induction, rotor bow, blade deposits, gland-seal leakage, overspeed trip failure - from given operating symptoms.

Explain generator synchronization, the conditions for paralleling, and the behavior of real and reactive power as governor and excitation setpoints change.

Describe the unit auxiliary power system, the fast bus transfer scheme and the consequence of losing a major auxiliary during a runback.

Explain the measurement chain for pressure, temperature, flow and level transmitters, and quantify the error contributed by each element in a given loop.

Describe a burner management and boiler trip system architecture, listing the trip initiators for low drum level, high drum level, loss of flame and high steam pressure, and the fail-safe philosophy behind each.

Interpret a control loop in manual and automatic, identify tuning problems from a trend, and state the safe action when a critical transmitter drifts or fails.

Outline the regulatory framework governing boiler operation and inspection, including jurisdictional registration, periodic inspection intervals, operator certification and record retention.

Explain management-of-change and operating-procedure control as they apply to a boiler control modification.

Apply a recognized risk-assessment method to a boiler light-off or fuel-gas system task, ranking hazards and specifying the controls that reduce each to acceptable risk.

Explain permit-to-work, lockout/tagout and confined-space entry controls for a drum internal inspection, naming the atmospheric tests and the rescue provisions required.

Conduct a root-cause analysis of a given incident using a timeline, causal-factor and barrier-analysis approach, and distinguish the immediate cause from the systemic cause.

Describe the emergency response sequence for a furnace implosion, a major tube failure and a fuel-gas leak, including isolation, evacuation and notification duties.

Summarize the reporting obligations and investigation depth expected after a reportable pressure-equipment incident.

Re-solve one missed or weak problem from each of the ten domains under timed conditions, recording the time and error type for each.

Build a one-page formula and reference sheet covering thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid flow, stress and combustion, and verify each entry against a worked example.

Answer a 60-question mixed practice set spanning all domains, and score at or above 75 percent.

Review every missed item, classify each error as knowledge gap, misread or calculation slip, and close the knowledge gaps with targeted re-study.

Confirm exam-day logistics, reference availability and time-per-question pacing, and rehearse the pacing on a 30-question block.