Thermal electricity

Thermal energy is a kind of energy which is produced through the heat energy with the support of boilers and other machinery. Among all the energy resources like hydro power, solar power, tidal and geo-thermal power, thermal power energy is the most produced energy in the country. Thermal energy is the main resource of various industries to conduct their operations. From household to industrial sectors, thermal power is being used everywhere as within the country India, the largest production of energy comes from the “thermal power plant”. In this report, the concept of thermal energy with its production methodology has been discussed. In which manner electrical power gets converted into heat energy has been highlighted. Generation procedure of Thermal power has been discussed. 

Thermal electricity

Thermal power is produced within the power station in which heat related energy is being transformed into electricity. Thermodynamics is the crucial branch of physics which deals with the fact that in which manner, within the different systems heat gets transferred and in which manner work is being done in the process. It is considered as the energy which is contained within a particular system that is accountable for its temperature.  The heat released by the boilers is used for moving the wheels of turbines and as a result of the rotation of the wheels of turbines, electricity is produced by the generators. The particular energy is produced with the help of heat generation so that it is called thermal power. 

The conversion of electrical energy into the heat energy

Electrical energy can be converted to heat energy with the help of resistors associated with the electrical devices. In this regard, an example of electric heater can be taken where electrical energy gets converted into heat related energy due to the resistor within the device. The main heating element within the electric heater is the electrical resistor. The heating element is found to work by the “principle of joule heating”. In this context, when an electric current is being passed within that resistor, it will help the device to convert that electricity into heat related energy. Heat energy can be felt by touching that device as it warms up the device very quickly. The device gets electrical energy as the input and the device provides heat energy as the output. There are myriad applications of electric heating such as space heating, water and cooking and industrial processes. Modern electric heating devices can be found to use “nichrome wires” as this element has a “high melting point” as well as low resistivity. Ceramic insulators are being used at the outer part of the device in order to ensure human safety. Different examples of transformation of electric related energy to the heat related energy can be taken such as microvee ovens, heat pumps, lighting systems, fan heaters, convection heaters, and radiative heaters. 

Generation of thermal power in different power plant

Generation of thermal power takes place in different “thermal power plants”. The energy generation takes place with the support of steam power which is created by burning coal, natural gas, oil, liquid and other substances. The steam power created by the burning of different substances is being used to rotate the generators and electricity is being produced by the rotation of these generators. Within the power plants, various boilers are present on which different substances are being burnt; mainly coal is used for producing steam. In order to produce a large amount of steam power, million tons of coals get burnt within the large boilers. As a result of this, a large volume of steam gets evolved from the boilers. The steam produced by the boiler is used as a driving force for rotating the wheels of the turbines. At first, the steam is passed through the “high pressure turbine”. After that it goes to a “low pressure turbine”. A generator machine is found to connect with the “low pressure turbine”. The output of this “low pressure boiler” is the mechanical energy which is used as the driving force for rotating the shaft of the generator. Finally, this “mechanical energy” is being converted into “electrical energy” with the help of a generator. 

Thus the production of thermal power takes place in the different “thermal power plants” in various countries. The generated electricity is being used for meeting different energy demands all over the country. Different organisations such as NTPC, WBSEDCL, and CSE are the main distributors of thermal power throughout the country. There are different thermal power plants in different states of India especially in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat and West Bengal. Chandrapur, Sholapur in Maharashtra, singrauli, amarkantak, satpura in Madhya Pradesh, Bokaro in Jharkhand are some major “thermal power stations” in India. 

Conclusion

It can be concluded that thermal electricity is produced by the heat energy. The conversion of electrical energy is possible into the heat energy with the help of electric resistors. Different applications of heating electric devices are there such as microwave oven, heating pump, convection heaters, and radioactive heaters. The generation of thermal power is done within the different power plants with the support of boilers, turbines and generators. Different thermal power generation plants are situated in India such as Chandrapur, solapur, amarkantak, satpura and Bokaro.