How does electricity get produced from these huge power stations, anyone know a website?

Answer 1

The most basic definition of how electricity is created, is by a magnet rotating in a coil of wire, generates the current.

The way it is done in powerstations, is giant coils of wire, and giant magnets rotating at really high speeds. How is the magnet rotated? By a turbine

Fossil fuels are burnt to create a LOT of heat, in which is used to heat up water. This water is turned into steam, which is then entered into a chamber containing the turbines, and because of the pressure, the steam turns these turbines. The steam then passes through a condenser, and turns back to water for the whole process to start again.

The turbines turn the magnets in the coils, to create large electric currents, which are then put through transformers to alter the rate it flows at when it hits the National Grid

Answer 2

When a magnetic field cuts across a wire, it produces an electric current in the wire. (so even if you move a magnet near a metal wire, theoretically, electricity will travel through it as long as the circuit is complete). Power stations consist of huge generators, these are simply HUGE magnets, which move across HUGE wires to produce HUGE amounts of electricity. Its as simple as that, but how do they make the huge magnets move so that the magnetic field cuts across the wire??? Well for this, they use steam, because steam under high pressure can move the huge magnets. The steam comes from heating up water (obviously). The heat can be provided in many ways, the most common being burning of fossil feuls. Nuclear fisson can also be used to generate heat (which seems to be the latest craze). But there are better methods. For example, in a windwill generator, wind moves the windwill. Stick a magent on the windmill, and a metal wire circuit behind it, and you got electric (this way you dont even need to heat up any water beacuse wind does all the work instead of steam)!!!

Answer 3

Don't know of a website but can give you a brief overview. Alternators (generators) are like electric motors in reverse i.e they convert motion into electricity. The means of creating this motion is usually done with steam. To create the steam,water needs to be heated, this can be done by burning a fossil fuel or by using nuclear fission. This steam drives turbines which, in turn, drives a shaft within the alternator.

The alternator basically consists of fixed windings (coils of conductor) which surround the rotating shaft, which also has windings. The shaft has an electrical charge applied to it which creates an electromagnetic field around it. As the shaft spins (along with it's electromagnetic field), a current is induced into the fixed windings surrounding it. This is the electricity that will eventually end up flowing through the grid.

The voltages are 'stepped up' using transformers. Transporting electricity at very high voltages is much more efficient. It is then 'stepped down' again within a series if transformers before it gets to it's point of use. These very large transformers are known as substations. I hope this isn't too simplistic for you. You could always try 'national grid' as a keyword.

Answer 4

I haven't got a website, but I can explain the basics of power stations.

There are two types. The mechanical type (wind turbines or hydro turbines) work by using nature to turn turbines, which are attached to magnets. If you turn a magnet in the middle of a coil of wire, you get an electric current. Electricity produced!

The other type works by heat (e.g. by burning gas or coal, or by producing nuclear reactions). This heat is used to heat water, producing steam. The steam rises past a wheel type thing, which it spins (similar to a water wheel in principle). This then turns the magnet again.

NB When I'm talking about steam rising past a wheel, thats the concept rather than exactly how it is in real life.

Answer 5

The main ways are hydroelectric, where falling water
turns a turbine, like at Niagara Falls, and spins the rotor of a generator inside a stator coil, and there is enough residual magnetism to begin the process of powering up the stator coil to make an electromagnet
to spin the rotor through and create electricity, and steam generation by nuclear, coal, gas, oil, or geothermal, which spins a turbine and the rest is the same.

Answer 6

.Large power stations normally burn any form of fuel,coal ,gas, peat,oil,nuclear etc, to heat water which turns into steam. The steam continues to be heated and is held in hi pressure vessels
when the pressure is high enough the steam is released through a turbine. which rotates on its on axis. This drives a generator which has magnets on its rotor and when they pass coils of wire on the circumference of the generator they produce electricity. The electricity taken away through underground cables & overhead lines to our houses.

Answer 7

In the 20th and 21st century they used a variety of fuels.. nuclear, coal, wind, solar to drive a turbine which produced electricity.

With nuclear and coal power, water was heated into steam to drive the turbine, whereas wind would directly drive it.

Solar was converted by panels into a form of dc power, and then alternated to provide mains.

My Great Great Great Great Grandfather designed turbines for "English Electric" in the 1970's

Eventually these forms were decommissioned in favour of Hydrogen fission.

Answer 8

Normally they use nuclear,gas or electricity to produce tons of high pressure steam which they then use to drive massive steam turbines which in turn drive massive Generators!!!
The one alternative is Dams where they use the water pressure to drive the Turbines instead of steam!

Answer 9

it depends, generally powered by turbines that are powered by steam. Nuclear power uses nuclear energy to create the steam that turns the turbines. Sometimes the steam is created by coal. But there is also hydroelectric and geothermal power. Lots of different kinds of power plants.

Answer 10

D - NUCLEAR ELECTRIC STATIONS ...www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=4146530
Maybe this will help.