Most gas turbines, unless they are peaker plants, are a combined cycle plant, which is a gas turbine combined with a HRSG and steam turbine.
Coal plants use steam, CC plants use steam, nuke plants use steam, even CSP solar plants use steam. Everything but hydro, PV solar, and wind turbines use steam.
Yep, steam drives the turbine to spin, then the kinetic energy from the turbine is converted into electricity through movement in a magnetic field. That's how electricity is generated. Whatever power source you use, the purpose is always the same, which is to boil water and create steam.
Not to get too enginerdy on you (because from an engineering perspective, you are 100% correct) but some of the other reasons water is used is because of its massive capacity to "store" heat as both its heat capacity and phase change. It also is only moderately corrosive in an oxidizing environment, is non-toxic and ubiquitous on Earth.
All-in-all, water is an amazing molecule and most leftists don't understand that the majority of their electricity comes from a system that is very similar to the first steam locomotives and Aeolipile.
Most gas turbines, unless they are peaker plants, are a combined cycle plant, which is a gas turbine combined with a HRSG and steam turbine.
Coal plants use steam, CC plants use steam, nuke plants use steam, even CSP solar plants use steam. Everything but hydro, PV solar, and wind turbines use steam.
Yep, steam drives the turbine to spin, then the kinetic energy from the turbine is converted into electricity through movement in a magnetic field. That's how electricity is generated. Whatever power source you use, the purpose is always the same, which is to boil water and create steam.
Not to get too enginerdy on you (because from an engineering perspective, you are 100% correct) but some of the other reasons water is used is because of its massive capacity to "store" heat as both its heat capacity and phase change. It also is only moderately corrosive in an oxidizing environment, is non-toxic and ubiquitous on Earth.
All-in-all, water is an amazing molecule and most leftists don't understand that the majority of their electricity comes from a system that is very similar to the first steam locomotives and Aeolipile.
Get Super Nerdy. I love Engineering.
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