Question

What kind of energy transfer takes place at a thermal power station.

Answer 1

Hint: Every power station creates some usable form of energy in the end. This usable form of energy is electricity most of the time. Think of what can produce electricity and is related to exploiting the thermal nature of a substance.

Complete step-by-step solution:
Thermal power stations use fossil fuels such as heavy oil, LPG and coal to generate heat. These fuels are heated above their flame point and are kept constant at that temperature. The energy from burning these fuels releases a lot of heat that is further used to heat the water placed above the oil in a tank. This water then evaporates and forms steam which is further used to rotate the propeller of a turbine. This turbine is the last stage of the process and it generates electricity using the same phenomena of a generator.

Note: There are a lot of modifications to the thermal power stations like regeneration, using an intercooler, using 2 turbines for different pressures etc to enhance the efficiency of electricity production.