How Does a Coal Power Plant Work?

A coal power plant is a type of power station that burns coal to produce electricity. The coal-burning process is continuous, requiring the addition of large amounts of water which is then recycled back into the process. The power plant is designed for continuous operation.

A coal power plant operates similarly to how nuclear power plants and petroleum power plants work. The coal must be burned for electricity to be produced. There are a number of different steps and parts to a coal power plant which allow for this process to happen, starting with the burning of the coal.

Burning the Coal for Heat

Coal cannot be burned in the form that it is naturally in. It is simply too large to efficiently burn the coal in that form.

1. Pulverized -  The coal is pulverized into an extremely small form. It usually has about the fineness of baby powder.
2. Hot Air Added - The coal is next combined with extremely hot air. This combination of hot air and fine coal powder is blown into what is known as the “firebox.”
3. Burned - The firebox then burns the hot air and the coal powder in suspension. This means that the coal is not allowed to settle while it is in the firebox. When it burns in the firebox, it results in the most complete combustion of the coal and the hottest heat that can be acquired from the coal.

Steam Pressure for Electricity

The heat from the firebox then turns water that is inside of a boiler into steam. This steam eventually powers a generator that creates electricity. Here's how:

1. The steam in the boiler frequently reaches temperatures of about one thousand degrees Fahrenheit, and pressures of about three thousand and five hundred pounds per inch.
2. The steam is then transported from the boiler through pipes to the turbine.
3. The extreme amount of pressure that is created in the boiler is enough to turn the turbine blades that are in the turbine shaft. When these blades are turned, they connect to a generator.
4. The turning of the turbine blades caused by the steam is enough to cause magnets to spin within the generator. When these magnets spin, they are spinning in wire coils. This process results in electricity.

Condenser Cools the Steam

After the steam causes the turbine blades to turn, and the electricity is produced, the steam is then drawn into a condenser. A condenser is an extremely large chamber that is located in the basement of a power plant. the condenser cools the steam and returns it as water to the boiler so that the entire coal burning process can be repeated. Here's how:

1. The condenser condenses the steam that enters it and cools it with added water. The cooling process requires a significant amount of outside water. Frequently, in fact, coal power plant stations are located on bodies of water. This location is more convenient than shipping in large quantities of water to cool the steam in the condenser.
2. Large amounts of outside water are pumped through tubes into the condenser. The water that is in these tubes is what cools the steam, and allows the steam to be reconverted into water.
3. When the steam is successfully condensed back into water, it is pumped back into the boiler. This repeats the process.

What Is Coal

Coal is a combustible black (or occasionally brown) sedimentary rock. It usually is found within rock strata in areas that are known as coal beds. The composition of coal is primarily carbon, along with some other elements such as sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or hydrogen.

When you burn coal, it creates an enormous amount of heat and energy. This is why burning coal is frequently used to produce electricity.

Now that you understand how a coal power plant works, you can appreciate where electricity often comes from!