COMBINED+HEAT+POWER+STATION+-+Claudia

= = =﻿** Power Station **=



** What is a power station? **
A power station (also called generating station, power plant, or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power.

There are many different types of power station:
 * Thermal power station
 * Hydroelectric power station
 * Coal or gas (fossil fuels) power station
 * Nuclear power station
 * Geothermal power station
 * Wind power station
 * Solar power station

At the center of nearly all power stations is a generator, it rotates and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The electrical power is generated for distribution. The energy is sent to houses, buildings, everywhere for electricity.

= Example of a power station: =

A fossil-fuel is a power station that burns fossil fuels including coal, natural gas and petroleum to produce electricity.
It convert the heat energy of combustion into mechanical energy, which then operate an electrical generator. It is usually the supplier of the whole country's electricity.

How does it work?

 * The electricity used in homes and businesses is mostly generated at power stations by burning coal, gas or other fuels in a large furnace that boils water and turns it into steam.
 * This steam is forced at high temperature and pressure through a turbine, which is like a giant fan. The steam forces the blades of the turbine to spin, turning the heat energy from burning fuel into kinetic energy, or movement.
 * The turbine is connected to a generator- a coil of wire surrounded by large magnets which create a strong magnetic field. The turbine spins the coil of wire in the magnetic field, producing electricity.
 * The steam is then cooled, condensed back into water and returned to the boiler to start the process again.
 * In conventional coal-fired power stations, the carbon and hydrogen in coal are converted back into carbon dioxide(CO2) and water vapour(H2O).

Environmental Effects
The combustion of coal produces several types of emissions that adversely affect the environment. Burning coal produces:
 * Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which has been linked to acid rain and increased incidence of respiratory illnesses.
 * Nitrogen oxides (NO), which has been linked to the formation of acid rain and photochemical smog.
 * Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the primary greenhouse gas emission from energy use.

Advantages and Disadvantages
Coal burning is the world's main electricity source for houses, businesses, and industries.

But at the same time, burning coal had produced lots of waste gas which pollutes the earth and harms human.