How It Works: Thermal Power Stations

Coal, oil and gas can be used as primary sources of energy, as well as transformed into electrical energy, which is a secondary source of energy.

This transformation happens in thermal power stations.

Process:
• Fuel such as biomass, coal, oil and gas are fed into a boiler.
• The boiler heats the fuel in extremely high temperatures.
• The heat energy produced from burning these fuels is used to heat the water found in the squiggly pipe.
• This water reaches boiling point and turns to steam, where it rises and travels through to the steam turbine.
• The turbine spins due to the pressure of the steam turning fan-like blades. The steam must flow into the turbine at a high pressure to be able to turn the blades.
• As the turbine starts to spin, the heat energy from the steam transforms to kinetic energy as the turbines spin.
• This kinetic energy turns the generator, which generates electricity.
• The steam is cooled in the condenser, turning back to water, where it’s sprayed into the cooling tower and recycled for use in the boiler pipe once again.