What is the energy transformation of thermal power plant?

Answer 1

Normally we refer to a power station as a facility where electricity is produced. This answer will be restricted to that instance though logically one may conceptualize power stations that produce other forms of energy.

There are several different types of energy that feed into power stations to produce electricity. Nuclear, water, coal, and other fossil fuels provide the majority of energy for power stations now. There may be other sources such as wind energy, solar, geothermal energy or tidal energy. In the future is it hoped that plasma fusion will be a source of energy.

The actual transformation process of incoming energy to electricity takes several forms.

In the most common power station fuel is burned to produce heat energy that is changed to mechanical energy that turns an electrical generator to produce electrical energy. This is the case for coal and other fossil fuel power plants as well as for nuclear power, though the engineering details are different in each. Typically, heat is used to create steam and a steam engine is connected to a mechanical device that then turns an electrical generator.

Geothermal energy employs the very high temperatures beneath the surface of the Earth to generate power, usually by heating water to steam and then connecting that to a steam engine driven electrical generator. There is also a process called the thermoelectric effect but it has not found practical use in power generation.

In hydroelectric power facilities, there is no steam but rather the flow of water turns

a turbine that transmits the mechanical force that turns the electrical generator. The same applies to wind power where the mechanical device that converts movement of wind to drive the generator is basically the set of blades of the wind turbine and possible a gearing arrangement. In tidal power generators, the flow of ocean water naturally occurring with the tides is funneled through a mechanism that pushes the water through a turbine much like the turbines used in the more common hydroelectric power stations.

Solar power can take two forms, one which takes the heat from the sun to produce steam and then power a generator. The other form of solar power is different because there is typically no mechanical process taking place. Sunlight shines on a solar panel and the materials of the panel convert the light directly to electrical energy. (That electrical energy is DC and is usually converted to AC.)

Finally, there is the case of plasma fusion energy. If plasma fusion energy evolves to a practical level, the source of the energy will be hydrogen and the fusion process will produce thermal (heat) energy. That thermal energy will probably be converted mechanical energy through a steam engine of some sort and then the generation process is the same as any other steam driven turbine generator.

These are the major types of power stations. Not all are equally efficient and the technology is evolving to make them better. Some types that are not practical now may become practical in the future.

Answer 2

in thermal powerplant heat energy in2 mechanical energy. mecanical energy in2 electriucal energy.

Answer 3

Potential energy- kinetic energy- heat energy- electric energy

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