Wiktor Wise
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been used to generate electricity since Thomas Edison's coal plant began generating electricity for public use in 1882. In pulverised coal combustion (PCC) systems, coal is milled into a fine powder, increasing its surface area and allowing it to burn more quickly. The powdered coal is then blown into a boiler's combustion chamber, where it is burned at a high temperature, producing hot gases and heat energy. This energy converts water into steam, which spins a turbine to generate electricity. While coal has been a significant source of electricity, particularly in the US, there is a growing shift towards decarbonising electricity, which involves adopting new technologies and reducing reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How is electricity made out of coal? | Coal is burned to heat water, creating steam. The steam then spins a turbine to produce electricity. |
| How is coal converted to electricity? | Coal is milled to a fine powder, which increases the surface area and allows it to burn more quickly. The powdered coal is blown into a combustion chamber of a boiler where it is burnt at a high temperature. |
| How does coal generate electricity? | Coal-fired power plants burn coal to make steam, and the steam turns turbines to generate electricity. |
| What is the primary use of coal in the U.S.? | To generate electricity. |
| What is the process of coal conversion to electricity called? | Pulverized coal combustion (PCC) |
| What is the alternative to PCC? | IGCC systems where coal is reacted with oxygen and steam to produce syngas. |
| What is syngas? | Synthetic fuel made by heating coal in large vessels. |
| What is the status of coal usage in Britain? | Coal will be phased out of the power mix by October 2024. |
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What You'll Learn
Coal is burned to heat water, creating steam
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been used to generate electricity since the Industrial Revolution. When coal is burned, it reacts with oxygen in the air, releasing thermal energy as heat. This heat is then used to convert water into steam.
The process begins with milling the coal into a fine powder, which increases its surface area and allows it to burn more quickly. In pulverized coal combustion (PCC) systems, this powdered coal is blown into the combustion chamber of a boiler, where it is burned at high temperatures. The boiler contains tubes lined with water, which is heated and converted into steam as the hot gases and heat energy pass through them.
As more water is converted into steam, the pressure inside the boiler builds up. This high-pressure steam is then directed into a turbine, which contains thousands of propeller-like blades. The steam pushes against these blades, causing the turbine shaft to rotate at high speed.
The turbine is connected to a generator, which contains magnets and wire coils. As the turbine spins, the magnetic field rotates through the wire coils, inducing a current and generating electricity. This is the fundamental principle behind how coal is used to produce electricity.
It is important to note that burning coal releases harmful greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. As a result, many countries are transitioning away from coal and towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly sources of energy.
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Steam turns turbines to generate electricity
Steam turbines are a key component of thermal power stations, which can be fuelled by fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, geothermal energy, or solar energy. Steam turbines use the energy in hot, gaseous steam to turn electricity generators at incredibly high speeds.
The steam turbine was invented in 1884 by Charles Parsons, whose first model generated 7.5 kilowatts (10.1 hp) of electricity. The steam turbine made cheap and plentiful electricity possible and revolutionized marine transport and naval warfare.
A steam turbine works similarly to a wind turbine, with spinning blades that turn when steam blows past them. The blades fit inside a sealed outer container so that the steam is constrained and forced past them at speed. As the steam passes the blades, it expands and cools, giving up as much as possible of the energy it originally contained. This energy is then transformed into mechanical work.
The rotary motion generated by the turbine can be coupled to a generator to harness its motion into electricity. The speed of the turbine's rotation must be controlled to generate the desired amount of power. Most steam turbines are in huge power plants driven by enormous furnaces, and it is not easy to reduce the amount of heat they produce. Therefore, a control mechanism is needed to regulate the turbine's speed.
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Coal is milled to a fine powder to burn quicker
Coal is an essential fossil fuel that has been used to generate electricity since the Industrial Revolution. However, due to its harmful environmental impact, there has been a shift towards decarbonising electricity and phasing out coal usage.
To understand why coal is milled to a fine powder, it's important to know the process of coal-fired power generation. In coal-fired power plants, coal is burned to heat water, creating steam. This steam then spins heavy turbines, which are connected to generators, to produce electricity.
Now, let's delve into the role of coal mills. After coal is mined and transported to the power plant, it goes through a coal breaker to reduce the size into pieces of approximately 2 cm in diameter. This sized coal then enters the coal mill via a system of hoppers and conveyors.
The coal mill is a crucial component of the coal-fired power generation process. It grinds the coal into a fine powder through mechanical means, including grinding, crushing, or cutting. The three main types of coal mills are ball mills, bowl mills, and hammer mills. The fineness of the coal powder is important for ensuring efficient combustion in the boiler furnace. By increasing the surface area of the coal, the ignition and combustion processes are improved, resulting in a more efficient release of thermal energy.
In summary, milling coal to a fine powder is a critical step in coal-fired power generation. It optimises the combustion process, ensuring a more efficient release of energy and reducing potential environmental impacts.
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Coal is reacted with oxygen to produce syngas
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been used to generate electricity since the Industrial Revolution. The process of burning coal to generate electricity involves converting its stored solar energy into thermal energy, which is then used to heat water and produce steam. This steam is directed towards spinning turbines to produce electricity.
However, burning coal releases harmful greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, contributing to environmental concerns. To address this issue, coal gasification offers a potential solution by reacting coal with oxygen to produce syngas, a cleaner alternative to direct coal combustion.
Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, with additional amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour. The production of syngas through coal gasification involves cooking coal under high pressure while blasting it with oxygen and steam. This process partially oxidises the coal, forming syngas. The chemical composition of syngas can vary depending on the raw materials and specific processes used. Typically, syngas from coal gasification contains 30-60% carbon monoxide, 25-30% hydrogen, 5-15% carbon dioxide, and 0-5% methane, along with traces of other gases.
The syngas produced from coal gasification has multiple applications. It can be used as a fuel source for generating electricity, replacing natural gas, methane, and other fuels. Syngas is also valuable in the production of ammonia, methanol, fertilisers, fuels, solvents, synthetic materials, and chemical feedstock.
Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a specific type of coal gasification that occurs in unmined coal seams. This process involves injecting an oxidising agent, such as oxygen or air, into the coal seams and then retrieving the resulting syngas through production gas wells. UCG allows for the conversion of coal into gas while it is still in the seam, providing a more environmentally friendly approach to utilising coal's chemical qualities.
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Coal is a fossil fuel being phased out
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been used to generate electricity since the Industrial Revolution. When burned, coal reacts with oxygen in the air, turning stored solar energy into thermal energy, which is then released as heat. This heat is used to turn water into steam, which spins a turbine to produce electricity.
However, burning coal also produces carbon dioxide and methane, which are harmful greenhouse gases. As a result, coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, contributing to about 30% of the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels. To limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C and meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, it is critical to phase out coal.
Many countries have recognized the importance of transitioning away from coal and have taken steps to do so. For example, the United Kingdom has replaced coal with wind, bioenergy, and gas, reducing its coal power from 39% in 2012 to 2% in 2020. Germany has announced the largest transition away from coal so far and plans to shut down its last coal-fired power station between 2035 and 2038.
Additionally, some countries have implemented national carbon pricing and introduced innovations and technologies to manage the properties that coal provides to the electricity system, such as stability and inertia. These efforts demonstrate that phasing out coal is possible, and it is expected that coal consumption will peak in the mid-2020s.
While there is some disagreement about how quickly the phase-out should occur, the health and environmental benefits of getting rid of coal are significant. By phasing out coal, we can limit respiratory diseases, biodiversity loss, and the impacts of climate change. As such, coal is being phased out globally, with a focus on transitioning to renewable and cleaner energy sources.
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Frequently asked questions
Coal is burned to heat water, creating steam. The steam then spins a turbine to produce electricity.
This process is called coal combustion.
Coal is milled into a fine powder, which is then blown into a boiler's combustion chamber and burned at a high temperature. The resulting heat energy converts water in tubes lining the boiler into steam. This steam is passed into a turbine, which rotates a generator to produce electricity.
