The TNPSC Assistant Engineer (Electrical) exam syllabus is designed to test both the technical proficiency in electrical engineering and general awareness. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the syllabus for each paper:
Paper I: Electrical Engineering
1. Electrical Circuits and Networks:
- Circuit Theory: Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Laws, Thevenin’s and Norton’s Theorems, and superposition theorem.
- AC and DC Circuits: Series and parallel circuits, phasor diagrams, impedance, reactance, and resonance.
- Network Analysis: Techniques for analyzing electrical networks, including mesh and nodal analysis.
2. Electromagnetic Fields:
- Basics of Electromagnetism: Coulomb’s Law, Gauss’s Law, Ampere’s Law, Faraday’s Law of Induction.
- Maxwell’s Equations: The set of equations that describe the behavior of electric and magnetic fields.
- Electromagnetic Waves: Wave propagation, characteristics, and applications.
3. Electrical Machines:
- Transformers: Principles of operation, types, equivalent circuit, performance characteristics, and testing.
- AC Machines: Synchronous machines, induction motors, and their starting methods, performance, and testing.
- DC Machines: DC generators and motors, their types, characteristics, and applications.
4. Power Systems:
- Generation: Types of power plants (thermal, hydro, nuclear), load forecasting, and efficiency.
- Transmission: Transmission line parameters, performance, and analysis.
- Distribution: Distribution systems, distribution transformers, and protective devices.
- System Protection: Circuit breakers, relays, and fault analysis.
5. Control Systems:
- Control Theory: Open loop and closed loop systems, transfer functions, stability, and frequency response.
- Controllers: Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) controllers and their applications.
6. Power Electronics:
- Semiconductor Devices: Diodes, transistors, MOSFETs, IGBTs, and their characteristics.
- Rectifiers and Inverters: Types, operation, and applications.
- Converters and Choppers: DC-DC converters, AC-DC converters, and their operation.
7. Instrumentation:
- Measurement Techniques: Voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy measurement.
- Electrical Measuring Instruments: Analog and digital instruments, calibration, and error analysis.
8. Renewable Energy:
- Solar Energy: Photovoltaic cells, solar thermal systems, and their applications.
- Wind Energy: Wind turbines, types, and performance analysis.
- Integration into Power Systems: Challenges and solutions for integrating renewable sources.
Paper II: General Studies
1. General Studies (Degree Standard):
- General Science: Basic concepts in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology; Environmental Science.
- Current Events: National and International current affairs, important events, and general awareness.
- Geography: Physical geography (landforms, climate, vegetation), economic geography, and regional geography of India and Tamil Nadu.
- History and Culture: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern history of India; cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu.
- Indian Polity: Constitution of India, political system, governance, and Panchayati Raj institutions.
- Indian Economy: Economic planning, industrial development, welfare schemes, and current economic issues.
- Indian National Movement: Freedom struggle, major events, and personalities.
- Development Administration in Tamil Nadu: Key policies, schemes, and administration structure.
2. Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC Standard):
- Basic Arithmetic: Number systems, percentages, ratios, and proportions.
- Logical Reasoning: Analogies, series, coding-decoding, and logical deductions.
- Data Interpretation: Interpretation of graphs, charts, and tables.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Simple and compound interest, profit and loss, time and work, time and distance.
This syllabus ensures that candidates are well-versed in both the technical aspects of electrical engineering and general knowledge, preparing them for the role of Assistant Engineer (Electrical) in the TNPSC.