To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 00:33:39 -0400
Subject: [WSFA] generating electricity
From: ronkean at juno.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 11:06:22 -0700 (PDT) Rich Lynch <rw_lynch at yahoo.com>
writes:

>
> So, does you get more electricity out than you use to
> run the high pressure water pumps?

The generation of electric power is not from the water itself, but rather
from the kinetic energy of the water.  So the water would not be pumped
by energy purchased for the purpose, because the resulting output energy
would be somewhat more expensive than the energy purchased to run the
pumps, the process being less than 100% efficient.  There would be no
water pumps.  The process converts energy inherent in an existing
pressure head and flow, into electrical energy.  It does much the same
thing that the turbine and generator do in a hydroelectric plant.
Economically, it depends on pressurized flowing water being already
available at low cost, as at a river dam.

I remember back
> when I worked for TVA, there were people who wrote us
> and told us we could get rid of all that polluting
> coal that was being burned to make electricity by
> using electric heaters in the boilers instead.  This
> happened more frequently than you'd think.
>

Electric heaters are about 100% efficient in converting electricity to
heat, but the boiler, steam turbine, and generator together are only
about 40% to 45% efficient converting heat to electrical energy.

Ron Kean

.

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