In this blog I’ll be discussing about electricity generation from coal-fired, nuclear gas, and finally power plant.
Coal-Fired:
The coal-fired system is a process of approximately four different steps. Rst2.edu calls it a simple process. The four steps consists of heat being created, then the water turns into steam, the steam then turns into turbine, and lastly steam turns back into water, basically creating a cycle. In the first step before the coal is heated it is transformed into talcum powder. that powder is mixed with hot air and then blown to the firebox, with the coal and air mixture creating the maximum heat, bringing us to the second step. Water that is highly purified is pumped through the boiler and then turns into steam by the heat. Duke-energy.com informs that ” The steam reaches temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures up to 3,500 pounds per square inch, and is piped to the turbine”. Moving on to the third step, the pressure pushes against turbine blades and turns the turbine shaft. the generator, which is connected to the turning shaft, has magnets that spin within wire coils to produce electricity. Lastly the steam then goes into a condenser, which is a large chamber in the basement of the power plant. This last step it is very significant because millions of gallons of cool water from sources close by are pumped through a network of tubes that are running through the condenser. The water then converts the steam back into water and the cycle restarts and can be used again in the plant.
Nuclear Power Plant:
This process is much like the coal process. The water is tired into steam then it turn drives turbine generators to make electricity. Duke-energy.com explains that the difference is “the source of heat”. With this process the heat to make steam is made when uranium atoms split. This process is also known as fusion. The PWRs (Pressurized Water Reactor) keep water under pressure so it can heat but not boil. The heat water goes through tubes in steam generator which permits the water in the steam generator to also turn into steam which then turns into turbine generator. With the BWRs (Boiling Water Reactors) the water that is heated by fission boils and transforms steam to turn the turbine generator. With nuclear gas and both the PWRs and BWRs it is also a cycle where the steam turns back to water and the cycle re-begins.
Natural Gas:
In this process the natural gas if pumped to the gas turbine and is then mixed with air. It is then burned, in this burning step it converts its chemical energy into heat energy. Not only does the natural gas produce heat but it creates a mixture of gases known as the combustion gas which expands with the heat and creates a build up of pressure. This pressure pushes the combustion gas over the blades of the gas turbine making it spin, changing some of the heat energy into mechanical energy. The generator uses an electromagnetic field to change the mechanical energy to electrical energy. The combustion gas then goes to the heat recovery generator. This heats the pipes filled with water and turns that water into steam before it can escape through the exhaust stack. The hot steam expands and creates high pressure which jets spin the steam turbine. This steam turbine is connected by a shaft to the steam turbine generator that converts the turbine;s mechanical energy to electrical energy. After the steam passes through the turbine it reaches pipes filled with cold water, which cools the steam so that it condenses back into water. The cycle then restarts.
My thoughts on the research:
Out of all the blogs we have done so far this one was my favorite. The info was clear and I learned very much. I noticed many similarities in these three. The method sort of say was very alike, it started at A and went through all these steps and got back to A. A lot of the terminology was the same like
References:
https://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/coal-fired-how.asp
http://www.rst2.edu/ties/acidrain/IEcoal/how.htm
http://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/nuclear-how.asp
http://www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture/generation-gas
nicely organized!
I like how you set up each part of the question separate, because it is easier to read and understand each topic. Very informative!
I really like your style of writing and the way you set up your blog. The way you comment on your thoughts about the research at the end shows that you put work and time into these blogs. A very informative blog.