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Date: _______________
Coal-Fired Power Plant
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Coal-fired units produce electricity by burning coal in a boiler to heat water to
produce steam. The steam, at tremendous pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins a
generator to produce electricity. The steam is cooled, condensed back into water, and
returned to the boiler to start the process over.
The coal-fired boilers usually heat water to about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (540
degrees Celsius) to create steam. The steam is piped to the turbines at pressures of more
than 1,800 pounds per square inch (130 kilograms per square centimeter). The turbines
are connected to the generators and spin them at 3600 revolutions per minute to make
alternating current electricity at 20,000 volts. River water is pumped through tubes in a
condenser to cool and condense the steam coming out of the turbines.
Some power plants generate about 10 billion kilowatt-hours a year, or enough
electricity to supply 700,000 homes. To meet this demand, they burn about 14,000 tons
of coal a day, an amount that would fill 140 railroad cars.
Fossil Fuels
Coal
What is it made out
of?
Where in the world
is it found?
How is it extracted?
How is it
transported?
What is it used for?
What impacts does
it have on the
environment?
How can its
environmental
impact be reduced?
How much longer
do we have until it
runs out?
Oil
Natural Gas