First, what is a powerplant?
A power plant is an industrial facility that generates electricity from
primary energy. Most power plants use one or more generators that
convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in order to supply
power to the electrical grid for society's electrical needs. The
exception is solar power plants, which use photovoltaic cells (instead
of a turbine) to generate this electricity.
What are the types of powerplants?
• Coal-fired power plant
• Nuclear power plant
• Hydroelectric power plant
• Solar power plant
• Geothermal power plant
• Wind power plant
Coal-fired power plant
Coal fired power plants are a type of power
plant that make use of the combustion of coal
in order to generate electricity. Their use
provides around 40% of the world's electricity
and they are primarily used in developing
countries.
How it works?
The workings of a coal fired power station are
simple and straight forward. The animation above
simplifies the process. Initially coal is pulverized
(D) and burnt in a furnace (C). The heat energy
released is used to heat water into super hot
steam which is then used to turn turbines (B). The
turbines drive the generators (A) which produce
electricity.
The steam is then condensed and recycled.
The chimney labeled "F", known as a condensing
tower, releases water vapor and is part of the
recycling of steam. The chimney labeled "G" is
attached to the furnace and releases carbon
dioxide and ash.
Advantages
•Coal’s ability to supply power during
peak power demand either as base
power or as off-peak power is greatly
valued as a power plant fuel.
•depends on a lot of manpower to
operate, so creates jobs
•well-understood, non-threatening
technology as compared to the
nuclear alternative
Disadvantages
•Coal is a nonrenewable resource
•Coal emits the largest amount of
carbon dioxide (CO2) per kWH
generated of all fossil fuels, and thus
is the largest contributor to global
warming
•Coal mining can have serious
environmental issues
•Coal burning releases sulfur dioxide
(SOx) and nitrous oxide (NOx) which
cause acid rain, if not captured
Nuclear power plant
PowerPoint Presentation
A Simple
nuclear
power plant is a thermal power
station
in which the
heat source is a nuclear
Simple PowerPoint
Presentation
reactor. The steam is used to spin large
Simple PowerPoint Presentation
turbines that generate electricity. The steam is
Simple
Presentation
used
toPowerPoint
spin large
turbines that generate
electricity.
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How it works?
Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to
produce electricity. A nuclear power reactor uses
uranium rods as nuclear fuel to generate heat that
will be used to generate electricity. Carbon dioxide
and water is then used to take the heat away to
produce steam and generate electricity.
Advantages
•Unlike traditional fossil fuels like
coal, nuclear power does not
produce greenhouse gas emissions
like methane and CO2.
•Not intermittent
Disadvantages
•Despite all the safety measures in
place these nuclear plants, different
factors caused them to go into
meltdown, which was devastating for
the environment and for local
inhabitants who had to flee the
affected areas.
•Cheap to run
•Nuclear waste
•Expensive to build
Hydroelectric power plant
Hydro power is electrical energy produced through
the power of moving water. In modern technology,
hydropower moves turbines that pass on their
energy to a generator which then produces
electric power. Hydropower is a type of renewable
energy, and once the power plant is constructed
it produces little to no waste.
How it works?
The dam raises the water level of the river to
create falling water. Also controls the flow of
water. The reservoir that is formed is, in
effect, stored energy. The force of falling
water pushing against the turbine's blades
causes the turbine to spin. A water turbine is
much like a windmill, except the energy is
provided by falling water instead of wind. The
turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling
water into mechanical energy connected to
the turbine by shafts and possibly gears so
when the turbine spins it causes the
generator to spin also converts the
mechanical energy from the turbine into
electric energy. Generators in hydropower
plants work just like the generators in other
types of power plants. The transmission lines
conduct electricity from the hydropower
plant to homes and business.
Advantages
Disadvantages
•Hydropower is fueled by water, so
it's a clean fuel source, meaning it
won't pollute the air like power plants
that burn fossil fuels, such as coal or
natural gas.
•Hydropower is non-polluting, but
does have environmental impacts.
Hydropower facilities can affect land
use, homes, and natural habitats in
the dam area. Reservoirs may cover
people’s homes, important natural
areas, agricultural land, and
archaeological sites.
•Hydroelectric power is a domestic
source of energy, allowing each
state to produce their own energy
without being reliant on international
fuel sources.
•The energy generated through
hydropower relies on the water
cycle, which is driven by the sun,
making it a renewable power source,
making it a more reliable and
affordable source than fossil fuels
that are rapidly being depleted.
•Hydroelectricity is hydrology
dependent. The system depends on
precipitation levels, which can
fluctuate from year to year, causing
instability.
•In some cases, hydroelectricity can
disrupt wildlife habitat. Hydroelectric
power plants can cause a loss or
modification of fish habitat, and lead
to the entrapment of fish and the
restriction of their passages.
Solar power plant
A solar power plant is a type of facility that
converts sunlight indirectly like solar thermal
plants into electricity
How it works?
Basically, a heat transfer fluid is heated and
circulated in the receiver and used to
produce steam and that is converted into
mechanical energy in a turbine which powers
a generator to produce electricity
Advantages
• Solar power is pollution free and
causes no greenhouse gases to be
emitted after installation
• Reduced dependence on foreign
oil and fossil fuels
Disadvantages
•High initial costs for material and
installation
•Needs lots of space as efficiency is
not 100% yet
•Weather-Dependent
• Efficiency is always improving so
the same size solar that is
available today will become more
efficient tomorrow
Geothermal power plant
Geothermal power plants are used in order to
generate electricity by the use of geothermal
energy (the Earth's internal thermal energy).
They essentially work the same as a coal or
nuclear power plant, the main difference being
the heat source. With geothermal, the Earth's
heat replaces the boiler of a coal plant or the
reactor of a nuclear plant.
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Designed
How it works?
Hot water is pumped from
deep underground through a
well under high pressure.
When the water reaches the
surface, the pressure is
dropped, which causes the
water to turn into steam.
The steam spins a turbine,
which is connected to a
generator that produces
electricity.
The steam cools off in a
cooling tower and condenses
back to water.
The cooled water is pumped
back into the Earth to begin
the process again.
Types of
Geothermal Powerplant
Dry steam plants are the most
common types of geothermal
power plants, accounting for
about half of the installed
geothermal plants. They work
by piping hot steam from
underground reservoirs
directly into turbines from
geothermal reservoirs, which
power the generators to
provide electricity. After
powering the turbines, the
steam condenses into water
and is piped back into the earth
via the injection well.
Flash steam plants differ from
dry steam because they pump
hot water, rather than steam,
directly to the surface. These
flash steam plants pump hot
water at a high pressure from
below the earth into a “flash
tank” on the surface.
The flash tank is at a much
lower temperature, causing
the fluid to quickly “flash” into
steam. The steam produced
powers the turbines. The
steam is cooled and
condenses into water, where it
is pumped back into the
ground through the injection
well.
In these binary cycle plants, the
main difference is that the water
or steam from below the earth
never comes in direct contact
with the turbines. Instead, water
from geothermal reservoirs is
pumped through a heat exchanger
where it heats a second liquid—
like isobutene (which boils at a
lower temperature than water.)
This second liquid is heated into
steam, which powers the turbines
that drives a generator. The hot
water from the earth is recycled
into the earth through the
injection well, and the second
liquid is recycled through the
turbine and back into the heat
exchanger where it can be used
again.
Advantages
• Environmentally friendly
compared to gas or oil furnaces
(no combustion).
Disadvantages
•Electricity is still needed to operate
heat pumps.
• Not a significant source of
pollution.
•Geothermal energy using wells
requires an incredible usage of
water.
• Geothermal energy is a renewable
resource as long as the Earth
exists.
•Discharge into the Earth could
include sulfur dioxide and silica (well
pumps).
• Not weather dependent like solar
or wind power; geothermal heat
pumps work year-round.
Wind power plant
Wind power generation means getting the
electrical energy by converting wind energy
into rotating energy of the blades and
converting that rotating energy into electrical
energy by the generator. Wind energy
increases with the cube of the wind speed,
therefore WTGs should be installed in the
higher wind speed area.
How it works?
Wind blows across tall wind turbines.to turn huge turbine blades
which spin generators to create electricity.
A transformer increases the voltage to send electricity over distribution lines. Then local
transformers reduce the voltage for you to use.
Advantages
• Wind Energy is Renewable and
Sustainable
Disadvantages
•Unpredictable Energy Source
•Noise Pollution
• Renewable & clean source of
energy
• Low Operating Costs and Steadily
Decreasing Overall Cost
•Biological and Environmental
Impacts