- Large amount of fossil fuels are burnt everyday in power stations to heat up water, to produce steam which further runs the turbines to generate electricity.
- The transmission of electricity is more efficient than transporting coal or petroleum over the same distance. Therefore, many thermal power plants are set up near coal or oil fields. In a thermal power plant, heat energy is converted into electrical energy.
Ramagundam Thermal Plant in Andhra Pradesh, Raichur Thermal Plant in Karnataka, Korba Thermal Plant in Madhya Pradesh, Farraka Thermal Plant in West Bengal are a few of the thermal power plants located in India.
Here is a simple experiment to demonstrate the working of a thermal power plant.
| Take a table tennis ball and make 3 slits into it
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The force of the steam rotates the blades, and it acts like a simple turbine.
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Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.
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| Fix semicircular fins of a metal sheet into these slits as shown in the figure.
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This rotational energy produces a small current in the dynamo and lights the bulb.
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This is the principle used in the Thermal Power Plant.
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| A straight metal wire is passed through the centre of the tennis ball which is fixed to a rigid support. Now pivot the tennis ball with the wire on an axle such that it is able to rotate freely.
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| Connect a cycle dynamo to this fan
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| Connect a bulb in series with the dynamo
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| Direct a jet of water or steam produced in a pressure cooker at the fins
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