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thermal power plant is a type of power plant that generates electricity by converting heat energy into electrical energy. This process mainly involves burning fuel, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, to produce heat, which is then used to generate steam. The steam drives a turbine connected to a generator, producing electricity.
Here’s how it works step by step:
- Fuel Combustion: The plant burns fuel (like coal or gas) in a furnace to produce heat.
- Water Heating: The heat produced from the burning fuel is used to heat water in a boiler, turning it into steam.
- Steam Drives Turbine: The high-pressure steam flows through a turbine, causing it to spin.
- Turbine Generates Electricity: The turbine is connected to a generator, so when the turbine spins, it drives the generator to produce electricity.
- Cooling: After the steam passes through the turbine, it’s cooled down and condensed back into water, so it can be reused in the system.
Types of thermal power plants:
- Coal-fired power plants: These burn coal to produce heat.
- Gas-fired power plants: These burn natural gas for heat.
- Oil-fired power plants: These burn oil for energy.
Thermal power plants are commonly used worldwide because they can produce large amounts of electricity, but they also contribute to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which is a concern for the environment.