How do power plants produce electricity?

Answer 1

They start by building a dam where an immense quantity of water will accumulate. Then at the bottom of the dam (on the side where the river flows) multiple pipes are placed leading to turbines. The higher the water level, the more pressure there will be for water to push on the turbines' pipes.

The simpler turbine is a rotor with blades attached to it and half of it is in the pipe so that the water pushes on the blades as it passes and it makes the rotor turn. The rotor is coupled to a generator which is very similar to a motor with coils on a rotor and magnets surrounding it.

When the rotor turns, the movement of the coil through the magnetic grid (from the surrounding magnets) causes a movement in it's free electrons. That movement of electrons is what we call current. Since the coils go through one magnetic field and then the other continuously, the current switches from one side to the other also, thus creating AC current.

From there you could create DC by connecting it to a bridge (electronics device made of about 4-6 diodes) or distribute AC by readjusting the frequency since the turbines' speed is not controlled.

Answer 2

It depends on what kind of energy source the power plant is utilizing. Most power plants utilize some energy to heat water into a superheated steam which runs through turbine fans that power generators. The generators use the rotation of the turbine fan to generate electricity which is then distributed to the rest of the world.

Answer 3

They produce electricity by spinning a bundle of wire loops in a magnetic field. The changing magnetic flux through the loops (changing caused by the spinning motion) induces an electric field in the wire according to Maxwell's Equations. The electric field induced in the wire pushes electric current down the wire. Electric current traveling through a voltage difference is electric power.

To spin the bundle of wire loops, the loops are mounted on a spinning shaft. This arrangement is called a generator or dynamo. The shaft can be spun directly by a waterwheel driven by falling water (this is how a hydroelectric plant works) or by a steam engine.

Most power plants aren't near a source of falling water so they use steam engines (steam turbines) to spin the shaft holding the wire loops. To produce the steam needed to drive the turbines, water is heated in a boiler to produce high pressure steam. The boiler can be heated by burning fossil fuel (coal, oil or natural gas) or by fissioning uranium or plutonium (in a nuclear reactor). In a very few places, the boiler is heated by concentrating sunlight onto the boiler with big mirrors. Also, there are a few places in the world where it is possible to generate steam by pumping water into hot rock formations and collecting the resulting steam via wells drilled into the rock (geothermal energy).

So the sequence is:
Burning fuel or splitting atoms generates heat.
Heat source heats water in boiler.
Boiler produces steam.
Steam drives turbine or engine.
Turbine or engine spins shaft.
Shaft spins generator.
Spinning wire loops in generator interact with magnetic field in generator, producing voltage and electric current at output of generator.
Wires carry electric current to distant loads, where, for example, motors spin shafts in machinery.

So generators and motors are 'opposite' machines:
A generator turns mechanical power (spinning shaft) into electrical power; a motor turns electrical power back into spinning shaft mechanical power. In essence, the wires connecting the generator at the power plant with the motor in the customer's machinery simply take the place of a single (really long) mechanical shaft.

Our civilization still runs on steam power, we just don't see the steam engines because they are hidden away inside distant power plants.

Answer 4

steam which are produced after burning of the coals moves the turbines which in turn moves the generator,generator convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy in which coil cuts the magnetic field and electricity is produces and being transferred form of high voltage generating transformer to the HV switig yard , High voltage supply feed to transformer primary side. normally step down transformer is used for distribution and being supplied for various application.

Hitesh Mahetaliya

Answer 5

Power plants are situated at dams and water falling from dams rotates turbines.Turbines are connected with dynamos.
Dynamo is a device which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Now these rotating turbines run the dynamo which converts its mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Answer 6

Any combustible or radioactive elements is used to create large amount of heat energy by combusting or by fission. Then Heavy Water turns into steam by absorbing This heat enegy eventually to SUPER HEATED STEAM which is made to flow through TURBINES coupled with MOTOR produces Energy OR Power
According to FARADAY's LAWS of ELECRICITY .
LAW in a line: Cut Magnetic lines produce a electric current.

Answer 7

eletricity is produced by principle of rotating a rotor within a magnetic field. To rotate the rotor one can either use steam (thermal or nuclear power plants) or water pressue (hydro power plants). The rotor - stator machines are known as turbines.

Answer 8

The Wikipedia article below contains a good synopsis of electric power generation.

Answer 9

producing electricity mainly from three ways 1. Thermal 2.Hydral, and 3. Neuclear.
Thermal : Getting steam by burning coal and using this coal to rotate turbine.
Hydral:Potential + Kinetic energy from the water of dam is being used to rotate generator.
Neuclear: Heat from regulated neuclear reaction and then to use this heat energy to rotate turbine.

Answer 10

Transforming bolts of movement and pressure in dinamic effort, which alters the magnetic structure of cumulators, giving it a huge amount of electricity and kinetic energy, both transported and caused into just electricity.