What happens to steam after it is used to produce electricity?

What happens to steam after it is used to produce electricity?

Making electricity from steam is generally a three step process, involving: 1) Converting water to high pressure steam 2) Using the high pressure steam in a steam turbine to rotate the turbine shaft 3) Using the rotating turbine shaft in an electric generator to generate electricity In most cases, the used steam is …

What happens to steam after turbine?

In simple terms, a steam turbine works by using a heat source (gas, coal, nuclear, solar) to heat water to extremely high temperatures until it is converted into steam. As that steam flows past a turbine’s spinning blades, the steam expands and cools.

What happens after electricity is generated?

Powering A Generation: What happens after electricity is made? What happens after electricity is made? After it is made, electricity is sent into a system of cables and wires called a transmission “grid.” This system connects power-plants together, and connects power-plants to buildings wired for electricity.

What energy is steam converted to?

Steam power constitutes an important power source for industrial society. Water is heated to steam in power plants, and the pressurized steam drives turbines that produce electrical current. The thermal energy of steam is thus converted to mechanical energy, which in turn is converted into…

How is the steam used to generate electricity?

Geothermal power plants use steam to produce electricity. The steam comes from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth’s surface. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity.

Why do we use steam to generate electricity?

This steam is an important part in electrical generation since it can be used to spin a turbine (which is connected to a generator to create power). When high pressure steam passes through the turbines it expands and emerges at an increased speed but lower pressure.

How much electricity does a steam turbine generate?

Practical steam turbines come in all shapes and sizes and produce power ranging from one or two megawatts (roughly the same output as a single wind turbine) up to 1,000 megawatts or more (the output from a large power plant, equivalent to 500–1000 wind turbines working at full capacity).

How does a turbine generate electricity?

In a turbine generator, a moving fluid—water, steam, combustion gases, or air—pushes a series of blades mounted on a rotor shaft. The force of the fluid on the blades spins/rotates the rotor shaft of a generator. The generator, in turn, converts the mechanical (kinetic) energy of the rotor to electrical energy.

How is generated electricity stored?

Storage systems for electricity include battery, flywheel, compressed air, and pumped hydro storage. Any systems are limited in the total amount of energy they can store. Pumped storage involves pumping water uphill to a reservoir from which it can be released on demand to generate hydroelectricity.

How does generating electricity affect the environment?

Environmental Impacts of the Electricity System. In general, the environmental effects can include: Emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, especially when a fuel is burned. Use of water resources to produce steam, provide cooling, and serve other functions.

Can steam pass electricity?

Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser. Worldwide, most electric power is produced by steam-electric power plants, which produce about 89% of all electric generation.

What did steam power do?

The steam engine helped to power the Industrial Revolution. Before steam power, most factories and mills were powered by water, wind, horse, or man. Steam power allowed for factories to be located anywhere. It also provided reliable power and could be used to power large machines.

How does a steam electric power station work?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The steam-electric power station is a power station in which the electric generator is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser.

Why are there so many steam electric power plants?

The greatest variation in the design of steam-electric power plants is due to the different fuel sources. Almost all coal, nuclear, geothermal, solar thermal electric power plants, waste incineration plants as well as many natural gas power plants are steam-electric. Natural gas is frequently combusted in gas turbines as well as boilers.

How are steam turbines used to generate electricity?

Steam and combustion turbines can be operated as stand-alone generators in a single-cycle or combined in a sequential combined-cycle. Combined-cycle systems use combustion gases from one turbine to generate more electricity in another turbine. Most combined-cycle systems have separate generators for each turbine.

What happens to heat transfer when steam is superheated?

Gives up little heat until it has cooled to saturation temperature. Creates temperature gradients over the heat transfer surface as it cools to saturation temperature. Provides lower rates of heat transfer whilst the steam is superheated.