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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.

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