Power Plant Engineering - ISRO Mechanical & Aerospace Subject-Wise PYQ Practice

Practice topic-wise Power Plant Engineering previous year questions for ISRO Mechanical & Aerospace with instant step-by-step solutions and formula breakdowns.

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4 questions.

Question 1

Year: 2008 | Topic: Power Plant Engineering

Heavy water is used in atomic power plants as

  • A. Fuel
  • B. Source of energy
  • C. Lubricant
  • D. Moderator

Answer: D. Moderator

Explanation: Heavy water is used in atomic power plants as a moderator to slow down neutrons.

Question 2

Year: 2016 | Topic: Power Plant Engineering

A steam thermal power plant works on

  • A. Brayton cycle
  • B. Rankine cycle
  • C. Carnot cycle
  • D. Otto cycle

Answer: B. Rankine cycle

Explanation: Steam thermal power plants operate on the Rankine cycle, which is the fundamental thermodynamic cycle for steam engines and steam turbines. In contrast, gas turbine power plants work on the Brayton cycle.

Question 3

Year: 2016 | Topic: Power Plant Engineering

A simple steam power cycle receives 1,00,000 kJ/min as heat transfer from hot combustion gases and rejects 66,000 kJ/min as heat transfer to the environment. If the pump power required is 1400 kJ/min the thermal efficiency of the cycle and turbine power output is

  • A. 51.5% and 590 kW
  • B. 34% and 590 kW
  • C. 51.5% and 566.6 kW
  • D. 34% and 566.6 kW

Answer: B. 34% and 590 kW

Explanation: The heat supplied is $Q_S = 1,00,000$ kJ/min and heat rejected is $Q_R = 66,000$ kJ/min. Thermal efficiency is $\eta_{th} = 1 - (Q_R / Q_S) = 1 - (66000 / 100000) = 0.34 = 34\%$. The net work output is $W_{net} = Q_S - Q_R = 34,000$ kJ/min. Since $W_{net} = W_{turbine} - W_{pump}$, we have $W_{turbine} = W_{net} + W_{pump} = 34,000 + 1,400 = 35,400$ kJ/min. Converting this to kW: $35,400 / 60 = 590$ kW.

Question 4

Year: 2026 | Topic: Rocket Propulsion

A pintle injector primarily helps in:

  • A. Controlling flow rate and atomization for mixing propellants
  • B. Reducing chamber pressure
  • C. Changing propellant chemistry
  • D. Cooling the combustion chamber

Answer: A. Controlling flow rate and atomization for mixing propellants

Explanation: Pintle injectors provide good throttling and mixing characteristics by controlling jet geometry.