How does a thermal power plant work?
The question of how a thermal power station works can be answered with the phrase by adding thermodynamic cycles of the working fluid can be used to answer quickly, or to put it more understandably, by converting heat into motion and converting this into electricity generated.
This is how you explain how a thermal power plant works
Every thermal power plant works on the principle that heat is first converted into movement and this movement, similar to a bicycle dynamo, generates electricity:
- How is heat converted into movement? You are probably familiar with these Christmas pyramids that require you to light candles to make them spin. The warm air rises and brushes past an impeller so that it rotates like a wind turbine. In the power plant, these are not impellers, but large turbines, and instead of hot air, a similar effect is usually achieved with hot steam. Another way of creating movement is to take advantage of the fact that hot air or steam expands to create pressure that pushes a piston upwards. A valve opens, which releases the excess pressure, the piston falls back into its starting position and the whole thing starts all over again. This principle can be seen in connection with the Steam engine watch again. It will be thermal energy (Heat) into kinetic energy (movement, dynamics), hence the term "thermodynamic".
- How does movement become electricity? Think of an experiment from physics class. A horseshoe magnet lies on the table and a metal swing hangs between the poles. As soon as current flows through this swing, it moves; conversely, you can generate electricity if you move this conductor loop through the magnetic field. According to this principle, the dynamo on the bicycle generates storm, but also the alternator in the car or motorcycle. In all power plants, not just in thermal power plants, electricity is generated by rotating coils in magnetic fields. Electricity is created when electrical and magnetic lines of force cross or a conductor like copper wire is moved in a magnetic field, this is called induction.
So a power plant works by, roughly speaking, moving electrically conductive material through magnetic lines of force, e.g. B. Coils surrounded by magnets are rotated. This movement can be generated by wind energy, hydropower or heat. Depending on the type of heat generation in the thermal power plant, one speaks of nuclear, coal, oil or gas power plant. Thermal power plants can also obtain the heat they need from the ground or the sun.
