THERMAL

WHAT IS THERMAL GENERATION? What is thermal generation? Thermal generation is the process of generating electricity from heat. Heat is a form of energy. Thermal generation refers to the process Heatgenerating electricity into electricity can be of energy that is turned from heat. There madefour thermal energy fuels: coal, natural are in many ways. It can be produced by burning fuelswaste as coal, oil, gas or wood. It can gas, wood such and geo-thermal. Strictly also be taken from steam from a geothermal speaking, nuclear power is also thermal eld, or created byit is set aside in a class of energy fuel, but nuclear reactions. its own because of its unique traits. In this factsheet you will learn about the burning ofFossil fuels,(coal, oil,gas and coal, were and fossil fuels such as gas), wood (biomass) geothermal energy. For more information about created millions of years ago from layers nuclear power, see the Nuclear Energy factsheet. of animal and plant matter. When coal is burnt to oil and heat, this Fossil fuels, such as gas,producecoal, wereheat can be used to create ago from animal created millions of yearssteam. The steamand drives the that was compressed connected plant mattersteam turbine, which isand compacted inside layers of rock. to a generator. The energy produced by the generator is passed through a transformer When the National Grid transmission line which into coal is burnt to produce heat energy, this heat energy can be used to create steam. The delivers electricity throughout New Zealand. steam drives the steam turbine, which is Natural gas a generator. The energy produced connected to can provide energy through the process of burning it for through a transformer by the generator is passedheating and cooking. It the National Grid fuel an electricity This is the intocan also be used totransmission line. turbine. system that delivers electricity to all of Wood waste New Zealand. (bio-mass) comes from wood processing plants and other related industries. Often means a waste is is made of, but in Biomassthe wood fuel that disposedfrom living some situations it can be example order is things. The most common burned inof this to produce heat energy. Heat energy can make wood waste, which comes from wood processing steam. Steam drives a steam turbine to plants and related industries; for example, pulp and paper mills. Often the wood waste is generate power. disposed of, but in some situations it can be Three types of power energy, which to burned to produce heatplants are used can be generate power from geo-thermal energy: used in di erent ways to generate electrical dry steam, ash and binary. Dry steam energy. plants take steam out of fractures in the Geothermal energy is the heat that ows continuously from the hot interior of the Earth to the cooler use it to In most places in the ground and surface. directly drive a turbine world, there is not enough of this heat to use that spins a generator. for generating electricity. New Zealand is one of just a few countries in the world that have geothermal elds where hot rocks are close enough to the surface to be useful. Wells are drilled deep into the ground and a mixture of hot water and steam is taken out at high pressure. This steam is separated and piped to the power station, where it is used to drive a turbine and generator in the same way as at other power stations. The water is usually put back into the ground, so that the geothermal reservoir isnt depleted.
HUNTLY POWER STATION IN THE NORTH ISLAND SUPPLYS UP TO 20% OF NEW ZEALANDS ELECTRICITY. SOURCE: GENESIS ENERGY HOW DO STEAM AND GAS TURBINES WORK?

In New Zealand, three types of turbines are How is electricity generated from thermal used to drive the electrical generators of energy fuels? power stations: In New Zealand, three types of turbines Conventional steam turbine gas: generate heat from natural The fuel is burnt in a boiler to heat water into Conventional Steam Turbine steam under high pressure. A conventional steam turbine uses the pressure of the Gas is burnt in a to turn turbine. The expanding steamboiler toaheat water into steam. drives a generator. The whole uses turbine A conventional steam turbine process high pressure steam to rotational kinetic converts heat energy to turn a turbine. The turbine drives a generator which converts energy, which is then converted into electrical kinetic energy. energy into electrical energy.

Open Cycle Gas Turbine Open-cycle gas turbine An open-cycle gas turbine is very similar to a An open cycle gas turbine is very similar to jetjet engine on an aircraft and the most basic a engine on an aircraft and is is the most thermal energy turbine. Air is passed through basic thermal energy turbine. Air is passed athrough a compressor and is then mixed gas compressor and is then mixed with fuel in a combustion chamber. It is then burnt and

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the hot expanding gases create thrust that with fuel gas in a combustion of the gas turns the gas turbine. The shaft chamber. It is then burnt and the to a generator which turbine is connected hot gases create thrust that turns the gas turbine shaft. The gas generates electricity. turbine shaft is connected to a generator Combined-cycle gas turbine which generates electricity. Combined-cycle gas turbines rst combust the Combined Cycle Gas Turbine gas in a gas turbine, which produces electricity as above. The exhaust heat is then passed Combined cycle gas turbines combust the through a boiler to create steam which turns a gas and then pass the exhaust heat through steam turbine. The steam turbine produces a boiler to create steam. The steam turns further electricity, and so improves the overall e a steam turbine, which generates power. ciency of the operation. Both the gas turbine and the steam turbine are connected to the generator. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF THERMAL ENERGY? What are the t of thermal The main beneadvantages energy is that it can of thermal energy? provide continuous, reliable energy that is not dependent on the weather. The main benet of thermal energy is that it can Coal provide continuous, reliable energy that is not dependent on fuel for generating Coal has been a usefulthe weather.

electricity for many decades because it is Coal relatively cheap and available. Coal is in plentiful supplyhas been a useful fuel for generating Coal worldwide which generally makes its price and availability reliable. New Zealand has electricity for many decades because it is abundant reserves of coal: near Huntly in the relatively cheap and available. Coal is in North Island, and on the West Coast and in plentiful supply worldwide which generally Southland in the South Island. makes its price and availability reliable. New Zealand Natural gas has abundant reserves of coal. E Naturalcombined-cycle gas turbines produce a cient Gas lot more electricity and less pollution than coal, meaning they put out much less carbon dioxide Efcient combined cycle gas turbines produce into the atmosphere for the same output of a lot more electricity and burn cleaner than electrical energy. coal, meaning they emit much less carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Wood waste Wood waste is generally sourced from a pulp Wood Waste and paper mill which needs electricity and Wood waste is renewable the mill can be steam. Thereforeathe waste ofsource of fuel. Wood waste is generally energy from a used to provide steam andsourcedfor the mill. This reduces transportation cost. New Zealand pulp and paper mill which needs electricity has huge forests of exotic (non-native) trees. and steam. Therefore the waste of the mill

The processing of these trees into paper or can timber to provide steam and energy milled be usedresults in a large amount of bark for itself. This reduces transportation cost. and wood waste, which can be burnt in a boiler toNew Zealand for manufacturing and/or create steam has vast forests of exotic electricity generation.The processingexample of (non-native) trees. This is a good of these co-generation, andor discussed further in the trees into paper is milled timber, results in separate factsheetof bark and wood waste, a large amount on co-generation. which can be burnt in a boiler to create steam Geothermal for manufacturing or electricity generation. Geothermal energy is the only renewable thermal energy available in the world. Using Geo-thermal geothermal energy is a cleaner, greener way to Geo-thermal energy is compared to using produce thermal energy, the only renewable fossil fuels,energy not dependent on the weather thermal and is available in the world. Using orgeo-thermal energy is a cleaner, greener mining. way to produce thermal energy, compared WHAT AREfuels, DISADVANTAGES OF THERMAL to fossil THE and is not dependent on the ENERGY? weather or mining. All thermal power stations produce steam which once used to drive the turbine is still too hot to What are the disadvantages discharge directly. Resource consents stipulate of thermal energy? how waste steam must be cooled before it can beCoal discharged to the environment. Coal is a non-renewable resource and Other disadvantages are speci c to particular is only available in a few select areas fuels. of New Zealand. Burning coal creates Coal carbon dioxide emissions which contribute Coal greenhouse gases. resource and is only to is a non-renewable available in a few areas of New Zealand. Burning Natural Gas coal creates carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to greenhouse gases. Natural Gas is a non-renewable resource and is only Natural gas produced in the Taranaki region which limits non-renewable resource and, Natural gas is athe supply. Natural gas, once in burned, also creates carbon dioxide Taranaki New Zealand, is only produced in theemissions. region. Natural gas, once burned, also creates Wood Waste carbon dioxide emissions. A renewable resource, wood waste creates Wood waste carbon dioxide emissions once burned A renewable resource, wood waste creates although this is largely o set by growing carbon dioxide emissions once burned, although new trees. o set is growing new trees. Howthis is largelySupplyby limited and dependent on whats available. ever, the supply is limited and dependent on what is available.

Geothermal Geo-thermal Even though geothermal energy is technically renewable, this is dependent on the careful Even though of geothermal elds, for example management geo-thermal energy is renewable, its lifetime is limited, so into the to be careful by re-injection of water we need underground with how we manage our geo-thermal reservoir rocks. It is also relatively expensive to resource. Its also expensive to build with large build a geo-thermal plant. Compared a fossil fuel-burning thermal powergenerate geo-thermal plant and it doesnt stations, geothermal stations have relatively smaller a lot of energy compared to other sources. generating capacities. How is thermal energy used in New Zealand? HOW IS THERMAL ENERGY USED IN NEW ZEALAND? Thermal energy plays a key role in supplying Thermal energy plays a key role in supplying New Zealands electricity. New Zealands electricity.Huntly Power Station is the countrys largest power station Genesis Energys Huntly PowerZealands the generating up to 20% of New Station is countrys largest power station. It has six electricity requirements. separate generating units: four conventional Huntly Power Station has can burn coal boiler and turbine units thatve separate generating units (four turbines which of or gas and that each generate 250 MW each power, one gas- red turbineannually and generate 250MW of power generating 48 MW and a 385 MW combined cycle gas one gas-red turbine generating 48MW turbine (a a total of 1048MW annually). MW annually 250 MW gas turbine plus a 135 steam turbine) a total capacity gas1433 MW. A new 385MW combined cycle of turbine Huntly is capable of producing nearly 13 TWhr is nearing completion at Huntly. This new (13 million MWhr) of energy each year about power station will reduce the amount of 20% of New Zealands electricity requirements. coal burnt at Huntly and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well. Other fossil-fuel burning power stations are located in Auckland, Taranaki and Hawkes Bay. New Zealand is a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy. Wairakei is the oldest operational geothermal power station in the world. New Zealands other geothermal power stations are all in the Taupo Volcanic Zone and the Northland geothermal eld.

In total they account for 635 MW or nearly ACTIVITIES 7% of our generating capacity. ACTIVITY ONE

ACTIVITIES What are carbon-dioxide Research project:

ACTIVITY ONE why are they bad for the emissions and Research project: What are carbon-dioxide environment? emissions and why are they bad for the ACTIVITY TWO environment? Divide the class ACTIVITY TWO into seven groups. Assign each group seven groups. Assign Divide the class intoone of the following energy sources: each group one of the following energy sources: Co-generation Wind Co-generation Hydro Wind Thermal Hydro Thermal Nuclear Nuclear Ocean Ocean Solar Solar Each group presents a case for why their Each group presents a case for why their energy source is the best to the class. energy source is the best to the class.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES
New Zea la nd Geotherma l As s ocia tion: www. nzgeotherma l. org. nz Energy Efciency a nd Cons erva tion Authority: www. eeca . govt. nz Minis try of Economic Development: www. med. govt. nz Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_New_Zealand