P1.5 Generation And Transmission Of Electricity Flashcards
What is electricity?
A flow of charge around a circuit.
What is current?
The rate of the flow of charge around a circuit.
What is voltage?
An electrical pressure giving a measure of the energy transferredx.
What is a.c.?
Alternating current, which keeps changing the direction of flow.
What id d.c.?
Direct current, which always flows in the same direction.
What is electrical power?
The energy transferred per second.
What is the formula for power?
Power = Current * Voltage
P=I*V
What is the name of the process generator use to generate electricity?
Electromagnetic induction.
How is electricity generated?
By moving a magnet in a coil of wire.
What factors can affect peak voltage and current?
The strength of the magnet
The area of the coil
The number of turns on the coil
The speed of movement.
What electricity is produced through electromagnetic induction?
Alternating current.
What is a dynamo?
A type of generator where the coil of wire turns rather than the magnet.
What are the non-renewable sources of energy?
Coal
Oil
Natural gas
Nuclear fuels (Uranium and Plutonium)
What are the environmental problems with fossil fuels?
They release lots of Carbon Dioxide
Coal and oil releases sulphur dioxide, which causes acid rain
Coal mining makes a mess of the landscape
Oil spillages cause serious environmental problems.
What are the problems of using nuclear fuels?
Nuclear waste is very difficult to dispose of and very dangerous
The cost is high due to the building and decommissioning costs of the power plant
It carries the risk of major disaster, like Chernobyl.
What are the basic stages of a power plant?
Boiler
Turbine
Generator
Grid
What is the difference between a regular boiler and a nuclear boiler?
The nuclear one uses nuclear fission reactions to generate the heat needed.
Why are non-renewable energy sources preferred to renewable sources?
They are more reliable and provide more energy.
What is hydroelectricity?
Rainwater is caught and then released through turbines when desired. This generates a large amount of electricity on demand.
What is wave power?
When waves are used to push air through a turbine. It is unreliable as it depends on the wind to generate the waves. It is not used on a large scale.
What are tidal barrages?
When big dams are built across estuaries of rivers. The water is allowed through at a controlled speed to generate electricity. It can only be used at a few specific estuaries, but has the potential to generate a significant amount of energy.
