Steam turbine plants can be divided into three general categories: fossil fueled, nuclear, and renewable. Most of electricity produced in the United States, for example, comes from fossil fuel steam turbine plants, about 70%. The dominant fossil fuels are coal, petroleum and natural gas; others include petroleum coke, coke oven gas, and liquefied petroleum gas. Steam turbine plants operate by burning fuel, which heats water in a boiler; the water boils and produce steam, which is channeled to a turbine and turns it. The turbine is connected to a generator shaft which turns and produces power. All steam turbine plants function the same way.
Of the many fuels used in steam turbine plants, coal is the most common. Coal is inexpensive and readily available since the US has large deposits. Annually electric utilities purchase over 900 million short tons (короткая\малая тонна = 907,2 кг) of coal for electric generation.
Answer the following questions:
1. What three categories can steam turbine plants be divided into?
2. What are the dominant fossil fuels?
3. How do steam turbine plants operate?
4. What are the pros and cons of building steam turbine plants?