LQ4 Power Industry Flashcards
Static Electricity was
discovered by
Thales miletus
He studied magnetism and electrostatic forces, coining the term electricity from the greek work elektron (amber)
William gilbert
He built the first electrochemical battery, proving that electricity could be generated chemically and flow continuously
Alessandro volta
He developed a direct current generator, laying the foundation for practical electric power systems
Thomas edison
The first public electricity supply was generated using a
Water wheel
He invented the steam turbine, significantly improving power generation efficiency
Charles Parsons
He played a key role in developing one of the first large-scale hydroelectric powerplants
Nikola tesla
The UK commissioned its first pressurized water reactor known as
Sizewell E
What are the raw materials of fossil fuel energy
Coal, oil, natural gas
Properties such as sulfur
content in coal, impurities in the
gas, peroxide value of oil dictate
their quality
Physical and chemical factors affecting fossil fuel
The most common type, where coal is ground into a fine powder and
burned in a boiler to produce steam that drives a turbine.
Pulverized Coal Combustion
Use a bed of hot particles suspended by air to burn coal at lower
temperatures, reducing emissions and increasing efficiency
Fluidized bed combustion power plant
Generate both electricity and useful heat for industrial processes,
improving overall energy efficiency.
Cogeneration coal plants
Classified based on the steam pressure and temperature used, with
ultra-supercritical plants being the most efficient and producing
fewer emissions.
Subcritical, supercritical, and ultra-supercritical plants
Pulverized coal enters the boiler
unit and combusts to produce
enough heat to convert water into
steam
Boiler
High pressure steam produced from
the boiler is directed towards a
steam turbine, which will then
power a connecting electrical
generator
Steam turbine
The steam turbines are connected
to the generator rotor, which
rotates at 3,000 revolutions per
minute.
Generator
The condenser is used to recycle
the steam used in the turbine
back to the boiler
Condenser
generate electricity by burning
natural gas to drive gas turbines connected to generators. This
process involves mixing natural gas with air, combusting the
mixture, and using the resulting high-pressure gases to spin
the turbine, which in turn spins a magnet within the generator
to produce electricity.
Natural Gas
These are natural gas plants that
have gas turbines connected to
the generator
Can be activated and deactivated
faster to account for the fluctuating
electrical needs of society. This is
referred to as “Peaking Power
Simple cycle gas plants
Comprised of an external combustion
engine using a Rankine cycle
together with a simple cycle plant
More efficient than simple cycle gas
plants due to having the capacity to
utilize exhaust gases to power
another turbine and generate more
electricity
Combined cycle gas plants
Responsible for
injecting
pressurized air
and cooling hot
areas
Air compressor
This is where
the natural gas
and pressurized
air are mixed,
resulting in
combustion
Combustion chamber
Gases from the combustion
chambers expand in the
gas turbine and go
through three to four
expansion stages. At the
inlet, temperatures of
the gases are at 1,400ºC
whereas upon leaving they
are above 600ºC
Gas turbine
The exhaust heat from the gas
turbines are directed to the
recovery boiler. The water in
the recovery boiler’s pipes
are heated as the exhaust
heat passes through and is
turned to steam
Recovery boiler
The resulting steam from the
recovery boiler goes on to
power the steam turbine and
consequently powering a
generator to produce
electricity.
Steam
Air is compressed
using a compressor,
increasing its
pressure before
combustion.
Air compressor
Steam is cooled and
condensed back into
liquid water
Condensation
Exhaust gases from
the gas turbine pass
through a heat
recovery steam
generator (HRSG) to
produce steam.
Heat recovery
Steam exiting the turbine is
cooled in a condenser and
converted back into water for
reuse in the HRSG.
Condensation and water recycling
Compressed air is mixed with
natural gas (or another fuel)
and burned in the combustion
chamber, generating high-
temperature, high-pressure
gases.
Fuel injection and combustion
a clean fuel
alternative where it is
consumed via a fuel cell
and produces only heat
and water
Hydrogen
It can be produced from
various resources; fossil
fuels, nuclear power,
biomass, solar, wind,
geothermal, and hydropower
Hydrogen fuel
Hydrogen has the
characteristic of an ______, allowing it to
store, move, and deliver
energy from other sources
Energy carrier
Raw materials of hydrogen fuel are
Fossil fuel, biomass, water
Natural gas, steam,
and recycled H2 are
fed into the steam
reformer to produce
hot syngas
Steam reformer of hydrofuel
This unit is
responsible for
heating the steam to
the necessary
temperature to
breakdown the natural
gas and water
Steam superheater
Exothermic reaction
occurs in this unit to
produce additional H2.
Any surplus heat
leaving the unit will
be used to preheat the
Boiled Feed Water
High temperature shift converter of hydrogen fuel
removes more carbon
monoxide (CO) by
reacting it with
steam to produce
extra hydrogen at a
lower temperature
Low temperature shift converter of hydrogen fuel
separates and
purifies hydrogen by
removing unwanted CO2
and CO gases using
the change in
pressure.
Pressure swing adsorption unit of hydrogen fuel
key process for large-scale hydrogen production.
Uses natural gas (methane) and water to produce hydrogen and CO₂ through two
chemical reactions.
Hydrogen is then purified to meet customer specifications.
Most common and cost-effective method for making hydrogen
Steam methane reforming
converts hydrocarbons and limited oxygen into syngas
The reaction is exothermic, producing mostly CO instead of CO2 due to low
oxygen levels.
CO can undergo a water-gas shift to generate more hydrogen.
Thermal POX (TPOX): High temperature (>2200°F), used for high-sulfur
feedstocks.
Catalytic POX (CPOX): Lower temperature (1475-1650°F), energy-efficient,
requires low-sulfur feedstocks.
Partial oxidation
Occurs at a high temperature range of 500°–2,000°C.
Water is the only chemical consumed as the other involved chemicals
are reused during each cycle.
Used in solar and nuclear driven processes to produce hydrogen while
emitting near zero greenhouse gases.
Thermochemical water splitting
A thermal process that utilizes biomass or coal as raw materials
to produce hydrogen without undergoing combustion reactions.
The temperatures throughout the process reach up to 1000 °C.
Biomass does not gasify as easily and produces other hydrocarbon
compounds in the gas mixture so, they need to be reformed to
yield a clean syngas mixture (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and
carbon dioxide).
Thermolysis/gastification
Produces carbon-free hydrogen using electricity to split water into H2 and O2
The process occurs in an electrolyzer - varies in size from small units to
large facilities
Large-scale electrolyzers can be pwoered by renewable or nuclear energy
for sustainable H2 production
Electrolysis
Uses heat to reduce the electricity needed for splitting H2O
It is based on high-temperature fuel cell technology - more efficient than
low-temperature electrolysis
Can use geothermal, solar, or natural gas for heat to lower electricity
consumption.
High temperature electrolysis
Also known as Solar Water Splitting
Uses light energy to produce H2 and O2 from water
Has long-term potential for clean H2 production
Offers a low environmental impact compared to other methods
Photolysis
Uses sunlight, algae, and cyanobacteria to generate hydrogen
Cyanobacteria performs photosynthesis, producing hydrogen
with oxygen-tolerant enzymes
Genetic engineering can enhance hydrogen yield by optimizing
metabolic pathways
Photobiological
Fermentation-based production uses microorganisms to break down organic
matter such as biomass or wastewater
Dark fermentation - does not require light and microbes directly produce
hydrogen through the pathways
Microbial Electrolysis Cells - use microbes and small electric current to
enhance H2 production
Bacterial fermentation
