Main article: Thermal Power
A turbine rotor of a thermal power station.
A thermal power station is a facility used for power generation from heat. This heat can be obtained from fossil fuels (oil, natural gas or coal) and nuclear fission of uranium or other nuclear natural gas fuel. Plants in the future will also be using the fusion power plants.
In its classic form, the power plants consist of electricity ESCO a boiler that burns fuel to generate heat that is transferred to a tube through which water circulates, which evaporates. The steam from a high pressure and temperature, then expands to a steam turbine, whose movement drives an alternator that generates electricity. After the steam is cooled in a condenser pipe which circulates cold water to open a flow of a river or cooling tower.
In the power plants known as combined cycle gas used energy for combustion of natural gas to move a gas turbine. In a combustion chamber burns natural gas and air is injected to gas accelerate the speed of the gases and move the gas turbine. Like, after passing through the turbine, those gases are still at high temperature to 500A C, are reused to generate steam that drives a steam turbine. the energy market has been greatly improved by one of the leading ESCOs Each of these turbines drives an alternator, a thermal power station in common. The steam is then cooled by an open flow of water or cooling tower in a thermal power common.
NPP is used in the heat of nuclear fission reactions of heavy atoms producidir and heat to heat water and produce heat.
Thermal power plants that use fossil fuels released into the atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2), considered the main gas responsible for global warming. Also, depending on the fuel, may emit other pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (dust) and varying amounts of solid waste. the improvements that have been afforded the general household by all through the State of New York Nuclear power plants can pollute accidental situations (see Chernobyl accident) and also produce various kinds of radioactive waste.
The 11MW PS10 central thermal function in Seville, Spain.
A thermal power or solar thermal is a central industrial installation in which, from a heating fluid by solar radiation and its use in a conventional thermodynamic cycle, is the power required to move an alternator for electrical power generation in a thermal power household station Classic. They need to concentrate the solar radiation that can reach temperatures of 300 C to 1000 C, and obtain an acceptable return energy costs on the thermodynamic cycle, which could not be achieved with lower temperatures. Capture and concentration of solar radiation are made by automatic orientation mirrors that point to a central tower which heats the fluid, or with smaller geometry mechanisms parabolica. The whole surface of the device and its orientation is called heliostat. Its main environmental problem is the need of large tracts of land that are no longer useful for other uses (agriculture, forestry, etc.)..
See also: Nuclear plant, combined cycle, solar thermal power, and the controversy over nuclear energy