Tag: science & technology

H.M. Naqvi won the first DSC South Asian Literature award in 2011 for his novel 'The Karachi Bakery'. This award recognizes South Asian literature and Naqvi was the inaugural recipient. Aravind Adiga, Ramachandra Guha, and Chetan Bhagat are prominent Indian writers but did not win this specific award.

Equivalent evaporation is the standard parameter used to compare steam-generating capacity of different boilers. It represents the amount of water evaporated from and at 100°C that would produce the same steam output. kg/hr varies with pressure, steam pressure is an operating parameter, and thermal efficiency is a ratio, not a capacity measure.

Throttle governing is the method adopted for governing steam turbines in power plants. It involves controlling steam flow through a throttle valve to regulate turbine output. Hit-and-miss governing is used in IC engines, blow-off is a safety measure, and speed control is the objective not the method.

Aircraft gas turbines operate on the Brayton cycle (also called the Joule cycle). It's a constant pressure cycle consisting of compression, heat addition, and expansion processes. Sterling, Rankine, and Otto cycles are used in different applications - Sterling engines, steam power plants, and gasoline engines respectively.

Carbon monoxide is not used as a refrigerant due to its toxicity and chemical properties. Ammonia (despite the typo 'amonia') is widely used in industrial refrigeration systems. Sulphur dioxide was historically used as a refrigerant. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasingly used in modern eco-friendly refrigeration systems. Only carbon monoxide serves no purpose as a refrigerant.

Freon (chlorofluorocarbon or CFC) compounds were the standard refrigerants in domestic refrigerators for decades. While sulphur dioxide was used historically, modern domestic refrigerators primarily use various types of freon (R-12, R-134a, etc.). Air and methane are not practical refrigerants for household cooling applications.

A shaper machine uses quick return motion mechanism - the ram moves forward slowly during the cutting stroke and returns rapidly during the return stroke (non-cutting). This improves efficiency since cutting happens only in one direction. Lathe, drilling, and grinder machines do not use this mechanism.

Draft (or taper) on a pattern is provided to accommodate the shrinkage of metal during cooling and solidification in the casting process. It also facilitates easy withdrawal of the pattern from the sand mold. The slight angular taper (typically 1-3 degrees) accounts for volumetric contraction.