Generating Electricity in Fuel Based Power Stations
- Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are used to produce energy on-demand when energy is needed
- This is done by:
- Burning the fuel to heat water
- The water boils creating steam
- Steam is forced around the system and this turns a turbine
- The turbine turns coils in a magnetic field in the generator
- This generates electricity
- The electricity is transferred to the National Grid through a step-up transformer and is carried by electrical lines
- The steam within the turbine will cool and condense and then be pumped back into the boiler to repeat the process
A Coal Powered Thermal Power Station
The structure of a coal-fired thermal power station
- The energy transfers taking place in this process are:
- Chemical energy is released from the fuel when it is burned and is transformed into thermal energy in the water
- As the steam turns the turbine, energy is transformed into kinetic energy in the turbine
- As the turbine turns the generator, energy is transformed into kinetic energy in the generator
- All thermal power stations generate electricity by heating water to turn a turbine
- The only difference is the type of fuel used
- The majority of power stations in the UK use gas because this is the cleanest of the fossil fuels (less polluting)
