Electrical grid 1 test 2 Flashcards
Electrical power is generated at facilities known as.
Generating stations or power plants
generating stations use some method of rotating a magnetic field that produces electrical energy in the form of?
alternating current
the operating voltages of most generating stations are a constant value that typically falls somewhere between
13,800 and 24,000 volts
true or false, after voltage is generated at generating stations it is stepped up to a much higher voltage for long distance transmission?
true
nuclear energy is what percentage of the us energy produced?
20%
what is the fastest growing energy resource?
wind energy
mechanical energy that can be used to turn the generator thus producing electricity is?
steam, hydroelectric, wind, distributed generation, combustion engine/ turbine
distributed generation is known as what?
micro-generation
high pressure steam is produced by what methods?
fossil-fired generation, nuclear-fired generation, geothermal generation, solar generation
what psi is needed to drive the blades of a turbine to provide mechanical motion?
2400 - 3500 psi
sources of fossil fuel include what?
coal, petroleum, and natural gas
in many cases the heat from the steam is captured for another useful purpose such as heating, this is known as?
co-generation or combined heat and power
a fossil fuel formed from the decaying matter of buried plants, animals, and other gases is?
natural gas
the hot exhaust from the natural gas turbine is used to produce steam which can spin an additional steam turbine connected to another generator. this is called?
combined cycle
can crude oil be used in co-generation?
yes
natural heat from geysers or hot springs to produce steam is?
geothermal generation
the two methods of generating electricity using solar power is
photovoltaic and parabolic trough
what type of solar generation uses semi-conducting solar panels to produce electrical power in the form of direct current?
photovoltaic
can direct current be turned into alternating current?
yes
what type of solar generation harnesses the heat energy from the sun to heat up salt to a molten state?
parabolic trough
what uses woodchips, sugarcane, switch grass etc. to fuel a boiler?
biomass
what is the tube like opening used to channel water through a hydroelectric dam?
penstock
two ways to harness hydroelectric power are?
a dam and a waterfall
the blades of a wind turbine can?
change their pitch or angle to help control the speed of rotation
the whole wind generation unit is housed in what?
the nacelle
distributed generation is normally located where?
at the point of consumption
one fundamental law of physics states that energy can be converted but it cannot be
created or destroyed
energy in motion is most commonly seen in?
electrical motors
the law of charges states that like charges
repel
the law of charges also states that opposite charges
attract
in ac circuits the terms positive and negative refer to the direction of?
current flow in a conductor
polarity is the
direction of current
the strength of the voltage to be produced depends on what three factors?
number of turns in a coil, strength of the magnetic field, the speed at which the magnetic lines of flux pass through the coil
for a generator to produce one volt a single conductor must pass through how many lines of flux in one second?
100,000,000
are sine waves produced by all rotating machines?
yes
what is a graphical representation of what is happening to voltage in an AC circuit over a period of time?
sine wave
one complete rotation of a generator is referred to as a
cycle
the number of times that a generator rotates in one second is known as the
frequency
how many times does voltage fall per cycle?
3x
RMS stands for
root mean square
the value given in most volt meters is
RMS
is the RMS value always lower or higher then the peak value?
lower
the maximum voltage of a sine wave
peak
