answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

after generating electricity its latent heat decreases

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What happens to the energy of steam after it has been used in a powerstation?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Physics

How is electricity made at a nuclear powerstation?

Electricity is made at a nuclear power station by creating a controlled nuclear chain reaction, fission, in the reactor core. This fission process generates heat, lots of it, due to the release of binding energy resulting from the loss of mass in the core. A coolant, usually water, keeps the temperature from reaching excessive levels. In the BWR (Boiling Water Reactor) that coolant flashes to steam. In the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) that coolant heats other coolant which flashes to steam. The steam spins a turbine / generator which makes electricity. The steam, which has now been condensed back to water by the turbine and condensor is reheated and fed back to the core (BWR) or steam generators (PWR) to repeat the cycle.


How is solar energy used to generate energy?

The sun's light, which is electromagnetic energy, can be directly converted into electrical energy by solar cells via the photoelectric effect. We've probably all seen this, even if it means just using a solar cell powered calculator. Also, the electromagnetic energy can generate thermal (heat) energy in things. We can focus mirrors to heat a thermal sink that heats water to generate steam. This steam can be used to spin a steam turbine. The thermal energy has been converted into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy. Plants convert the electromagnetic energy of light into chemical energy in photosynthesis. And we've all heard of this phenomenon. All light, including that from the sun, can be thought of as tiny packets of energy, called photons, speeding through space at 300 000 kilometers per second. When such a tiny light-packet hits something it can knock an electron out of its orbit around an atom. When this happens inside our eyes we register it as seeing. When it happens inside a solar panel, the panel can capture the electron and force it to go around a circuit, thus creating electricity. yes. solar pannels use light energy from the sun and transfer it for another use. e.g heat energy for a kettle or kinetic energy for a remote controlled car ...


What is energy and why do you need it?

Energy is work. It exists in all matter and is what makes everything move, grow, heat up, change phase, even light is energy. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. The use and existence of energy is what is making everything happen around you. Take for instance an ice cube. The ice has both potential (stored) energy and kinetic energy. Heat from other energy sources is melting the ice which is then releasing its stored energy to form water. The water is also evaporating at some point to form vapor. All of the phase changes are transfers of energy from the air into the ice or water. The ice has low energy and as more energy is absorbed it melts and then vaporizes. Water vapor has higher energy than ice through this process (which is known as convection). If you continue to add heat (energy) to the vapor it will become steam which has so much energy, it has been used for more than two centuries to drive turbines. When the steam hits the blades of the turbine it causes them to turn, there-by transferring its energy to the turbine and the steam becomes "weaker" or lower energy.


Has nuclear energy been used successfully?

Nuclear energy is what powers a large amount of the world and has done so for decades, so I would say yes, it has been successfully used before.


What happens to the steam after it has been used in a coal or oil-fired power station?

Once the steam has been used to turn the turbines it is then cooled by pipes containing cool water, from somewhere else, as they pass through the steam. Then the steam (which is now water after being cooled) returns back to the boiler to be turned into steam again, so it can begin the whole process again. Different water cannot replace the used steam, it has to be condensed back to water, because only purified water can be used to turn the turbines, and it is too expensive to keep purifying more and more water. The steam has to be cooled and returned to water somewhere away from the turbines, as even one droplet of water could damage them, due to their fast movement and delicacy, despite being big. If you got this question from the AQA GCSE science text book (where i got it from!) then the diagram (on page 266) is helpful, but not that detailed.

Related questions

Are hot springs natural resources?

The short answer: not really. Read on: Resources are things that we use for energy. We do not typically use hot springs as energy, but they have been used. The steam has been used as energy.


How is electricity made at a nuclear powerstation?

Electricity is made at a nuclear power station by creating a controlled nuclear chain reaction, fission, in the reactor core. This fission process generates heat, lots of it, due to the release of binding energy resulting from the loss of mass in the core. A coolant, usually water, keeps the temperature from reaching excessive levels. In the BWR (Boiling Water Reactor) that coolant flashes to steam. In the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) that coolant heats other coolant which flashes to steam. The steam spins a turbine / generator which makes electricity. The steam, which has now been condensed back to water by the turbine and condensor is reheated and fed back to the core (BWR) or steam generators (PWR) to repeat the cycle.


What happens when the mechanical energy is used up?

In that case, mechanical energy has been converted into other types of energy.


What happens to a bowl of soup thermal energy when its been left out for an hour?

It gets cold as the thermal energy dissipates.


What happens to the potential energy in a jack-in-the-box when you release the lid?

It is released (it has been stored in the spring) and appears as kinetic energy


How has the steam engine been replaced?

Steam engines have been replaced by electric motors for most applications.


What happens to the body when you have been awake for 3 years with no sleep whatsoever?

you would probably die of no energy


How is solar energy used to generate energy?

The sun's light, which is electromagnetic energy, can be directly converted into electrical energy by solar cells via the photoelectric effect. We've probably all seen this, even if it means just using a solar cell powered calculator. Also, the electromagnetic energy can generate thermal (heat) energy in things. We can focus mirrors to heat a thermal sink that heats water to generate steam. This steam can be used to spin a steam turbine. The thermal energy has been converted into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy. Plants convert the electromagnetic energy of light into chemical energy in photosynthesis. And we've all heard of this phenomenon. All light, including that from the sun, can be thought of as tiny packets of energy, called photons, speeding through space at 300 000 kilometers per second. When such a tiny light-packet hits something it can knock an electron out of its orbit around an atom. When this happens inside our eyes we register it as seeing. When it happens inside a solar panel, the panel can capture the electron and force it to go around a circuit, thus creating electricity. yes. solar pannels use light energy from the sun and transfer it for another use. e.g heat energy for a kettle or kinetic energy for a remote controlled car ...


What do you do if you have been given an invalid steam code for your game?

contact steam support


What causes steam?

steam is water evaporating. It is caused when water molecules have enough energy to break free from the electromagnetic interactions that holds all the water together as a liquid. Short form - steam is water so when it is hot it turns into gas.


Explain how geothermal energy may be used as a substitute for fossil fuels?

After it's been pumped down into hot rock, the resulting steam and hot water can be used as a source of heat. The steam and hot water also serve as a source of power to drive turbines, which generate electricity. These are all substitutes for fossil fuels. energy from earth are not pollutant and provides sufficient substitute energy. some examples are energy from waves, volcanoes, solar, and wind.


What happens when water and lava meet?

The intense heat converts the water to steam. Meanwhile, the cooling effect of the water causes the lave to begin to solidify. This continues until the lava no longer has enough heat energy to convert the water to steam. At this point, the lava solidifies very quickly. This has been happening on the east coast of the Big Island in Hawaii for several years now, and has added acres of new land (solid lava) to the island.