How a Steam Turbine Works
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The Components of a Steam Turbine
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A steam turbine uses steam, produced by the heating of water or other liquids, to generate rotational motion and energy. Most turbines have a sort of liquid tank, or boiler, with a heat source to heat the liquid. All turbines must have an impeller, a fan-shaped object that rotates in response to steam pressure. Many today have more than one impeller. The impeller is connected to a rotating generator, which generates electrical power, or to some other rotating mechanism that requires mechanical force to operate, such as a wheel.
The Heating of the Liquid and Turning of the Impeller
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The boiler of a steam turbine used to be powered solely by coal fires. However, modern day technology has allowed other, more efficient heat sources to be used, such as nuclear or gas energy. Once the liquid boils and releases a vapor, the vapor travels to the first impeller via a pipe. This pipe increases the pressure of the steam until it is of high enough pressure to turn the turbine. The steam continues to travel past the impeller and into other pipes, provided the steam turbine has more than one impeller. These pipes direct the steam past other impellers, which the steam also spins with kinetic energy. Each successive impeller is easier to turn than the last, because the steam has less energy after going through each impeller.
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Generating Energy and Recycling the Steam
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The result of all these turning impellers is a rotational force, which can be used to generate electricity if the rotating impeller is connected to an electric generator. Usually, these electric generators generate electricity by turning a copper circuit inside of a magnetic field. The turning of the copper inside the magnetic field generates electricity, as stated by the law of induction. The steam left over inside the turbine must be recycled so that the turbine does not have to be constantly filled with more liquid. To do this, the steam is allowed to condense back into a liquid and is then pumped back into the boiler tank to be reheated and sent back through the impellers, generating more power.
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References
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