08/09/2017 BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Generating electricity

Science
Generatingelectricity
Electricityisgeneratedwhenacoilofwiremovesina
magneticfield.Thisisthebasisofelectricitygenerators.
Mostelectricityismadeinpowerstationsbyburning
fuels.
Thedynamoeffect
Anelectriccurrentisproducedwhenamagnetismovedintoa
coilofwireinacircuit.Thedirectionofthecurrentisreversed
whenthemagnetismovedoutofthecoil.Itcanalsobe
reversediftheotherpoleofthemagnetismovedintothecoil.
Checkyourunderstandingofthedynamoeffectwiththis
simulation:
Noticethatnocurrentisinducedwhenthemagnetisstill,even
ifitisinsidethecoil.
Increasingtheinducedcurrent
Toincreasetheinducedcurrent:
movethemagnetmorequickly
useastrongermagnet
increasethenumberofturnsonthecoil.
DCandACelectricity
DCelectricity
Ifthecurrentflowsinonlyone
directionitiscalleddirectcurrent,
orDC.Batteriesandsolarcells
supplyDCelectricity.Atypical
batterymaysupply1.5V.The
diagramshowsanoscilloscope
screendisplayingthesignalfroma
DCsupply.
Directcurrent

ACelectricity
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08/09/2017 BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Generating electricity

Ifthecurrentconstantlychanges
directionitiscalledalternating
current,orAC.Mainselectricityis
anACsupply.TheUKmainssupply
isabout230V.Ithasafrequencyof
50Hz,whichmeansthatitchanges
directionandbackagain50timesa
second.Thediagramshowsan
Alternatingcurrent oscilloscopescreendisplayingthe
signalfromanACsupply.
ACgenerators
Whenawireismovedinamagneticfield,themovement,
magneticfieldandcurrentareallatrightanglestoeachother.
Ifthewireismovedintheoppositedirection,theinduced
currentalsomovesintheoppositedirection.
Dynamos
Onesimpleexampleofageneratoristhebicycledynamo.The
dynamohasawheelthattouchesthebacktyre.Asthebicycle
moves,thewheelturnsamagnetinsideacoil.Thisinduces
enoughelectricitytorunthebicycle'slights.
Thefasterthebicyclemoves,thegreatertheinducedcurrent
andthebrighterthelights.
Generators
OnesideofacoilinanACgeneratormovesupduringone
halfturn,andthendownduringthenexthalfturn.Thismeans
that,asacoilisrotatedinamagneticfield,theinducedcurrent
reversesdirectioneveryhalfturn.

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08/09/2017 BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Generating electricity

CoilmotioninaACgenerator

Conventionalpowerstations
Aboutthreequartersoftheelectricitywhichisgeneratedinthe
UKcomesfrompowerstationsoperatedbyfossilfuels.

Powerstation

Therearefourmainstages:
1.fuelisburnedtoboilwatertomakesteam
2.steammakesaturbinespin
3.spinningturbineturnsageneratorwhichproduces
electricity
4.electricitygoestothetransformerstoproducethecorrect
voltage.

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08/09/2017 BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Generating electricity

TheNationalgridusespowerlinestoconnectpowerstationsto
theconsumers.Theseincludehomes,factories,officesand
farms.
Energytransfers
Powerstationsgeneratesignificantheatlossestothe
environment.Belowisanenergytransferdiagramforthe
generationofelectricityfromafossilfuelsuchascoal:
Chemicalenergyisstoredincoal.
Thisenergyistransferredasheat
andstoredinwaterassteam.The
energyinsteamistransferredto
movementinaturbineandto
electricalenergyintheturbine.
Efficiency
Theefficiencyofadeviceor
processistheproportionofthe
energysuppliedthatistransferred
inusefulways.Youshouldbeable
tocalculateefficiencyasadecimal
orasapercentage.

Energytransferforthe
generationofelectricityfrom
afossilfuel

Calculatingefficiency
Theefficiencyofapowerstationcanbecalculatedasfollows:
efficiency=usefulenergyouttotalenergyin(fora
decimalefficiency)
efficiency=(usefulenergyouttotalenergyin)100
(forapercentageefficiency)

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08/09/2017 BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Generating electricity

Forexample,thecoalforapowerstationcontains10,000MJ
ofchemicalenergy.Ifthepowerstationcanproduce3,800MJ
ofelectricityfromthiscoal,whatisitsefficiency?
Theefficiencyofthepowerstationis3,80010,000=0.38
(or38percent)
Thismeansthat62percentofthechemicalenergysuppliedis
notusefullytransferred.Forexample,itmaybetransferredto
thesurroundingsasheatenergyandsoundenergy.
Notethattheefficiencywillalwaysbelessthan100percent.
YoumightbegiventhepowerinWinsteadoftheenergyinJ.
Theequationsarethesamejustsubstitutepowerforenergy.

NowtryaTestBite.

BacktoRevisionBite

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