3. Power plants
3-1. DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
traditionally – традиционно, обычно fossil-fuel steam-electric plant – теплоэлектростанция на органическом топливе hydroelectric plant – гидроэлектростанция internal-combustion-engine – двигатель внутреннего сгорания nuclear plant – атомная электростанция selection – отбор, выбор, подбор particular – особенный, отдельный location – размещение to involve – вовлекать transmission – передача environmental – относящийся к окружающей среде reason – причина to shift – сдвигать site – место, участок scarce – скудный, недостаточный distribution – распределение, раздача network – сеть, сетка to extend – расширять instead of – вместо, взамен |
Text |
The two main types of power plants traditionally have been the fossil-fuel steam-electric plant and the hydroelectric plant. Other types, including internal-combustion-engine plants and nuclear plants also have been built. The selection of a particular type of generating plant and its location involves consideration of a number of factors such as plant, fuel, and transmission line costs; availability of cooling water; and environmental considerations. |
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Figure 4. Cross-section through the main structures and units of hydroelectric power plant |
For several reasons, the relative importance of the various types of power plants has been shifting. Good sites for new hydroelectric plants have become scarce in many countries. Distribution networks have been extended so that less expensive power from large steam-electric stations has been replacing power from smaller diesel-generator units. Nuclear-electric power plants have been built instead of fossil-fuel steam-electric plants because the cost of coal and oil has been increasing. |
In the United States in 1970, fossil-fuel steam-electric plants accounted for 76% of the power generated, hydroelectric plants for 16%, and nuclear plants for 2%. |
In 2000 45% of the electric power in the United States is generated from fossil-fuel steam-electric plants, 45% from nuclear plants, and 10% from hydroelectric plants. |
Exercises |
distribution, network, environmental, hydroelectric, traditionally, diesel-generator, importance, various.
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3-2. ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
power plants - электростанции to generate – производить, порождать generator - генератор to comprise – охватывать, заключать в себе prime – главный, основной mover – двигатель, движитель to rotate – вращать (-ся) to actuate - побуждать to require - требовать to obtain – достигать, приобретать, применяться, получать fuel – топливо, горючее pressure – давление, (эл) напряжение, (тех) прессование due to - благодаря thermal – тепловой, термальный steam turbine plant – электростанции с паровой турбиной hydraulic - гидравлический capacity – (тех) мощность a pistone-type steam engine – (тех) паровой двигатель поршневого типа diesel engine plants – электростанции с дизельным двигателем diesel internal combustion engines – дизельный двигатель внутреннего сгорания to install – устанавливать, (тех) проводить to employ – применять, использовать total – (все) общий, суммарный to utilize – использовать, утилизировать to estimate - оценивать consumption – потребление, расход double - двойной to double - удваивать to belong to – принадлежать, относиться |
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Electric power is generated at electric power plants. The main unit of an electric power plant comprises a prime mover and the generator which it rotates. |
In order to actuate the prime mover energy is required. Many different sources of energy are in use nowadays. To these sources belong heat obtained by burning fuels, pressure due to the flow of air (wind), solar heat, etc. |
According to the kind of energy used by the prime mover, power plants are divided into groups. Thermal, hydraulic (water-power) and wind plants form these groups. According to the kind of prime mover, electric power plants are classed as: |
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Nowadays no large generating plants of industrial importance are constructed with such prime movers. They are used only for local power supply. |
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Modern wind-electric power plants utilize various turbines; these plants as well as the small capacity hydroelectric power plants are widely used in agriculture. |
Exercises |
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3-3. HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
commonly - обычно to locate – размещаться, располагаться, поселяться considerable - значительный consumer - потребитель runner – (тех) бегунок, ролик, каток, рабочее колесо, подвижной блок blades – лопасти, крылья, лапки turbine shaft – вал турбины generator shaft – вал генератора to connect – связывать(-ся), соединять(-ся) level - уровень to influence - влиять magnitude – величина, значительность, важность water head – напор воды inflow – приток, втекание to fluctuate – колебаться, быть неустойчивым i.e. = id est – то есть expenditure – трата, расход |
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Hydroelectric power plants are built on rivers. Large-capacity hydroelectric power plants are commonly located at considerable distances from the consumers of electric power. |
The production process at these plants is rather simple: the water flows into the hydro turbine runner, acts upon the runner blades and rotates the runner and the turbine shaft. |
The generator shaft is connected to the turbine runner shaft. The difference in the water level influences the power capacity of a plant, i.e. the magnitude of the water head and the daily inflow of water fluctuates considerably according to the season. |
The production process is different at power plants of different constructions and of different kinds. In atomic power plants, for example, it is not so simple as in hydroelectric plants. |
Exercises |
consumer, runner, blade, shaft, level, magnitude, head, inflow, to influence, to fluctuate, i.e. = id est (that is).
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3-4. WIND-DRIVEN POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
annual – ежегодный apart from – кроме, независимо от requirement – потребность, требование mankind – человечество wind-driven – движимый ветром disadvantage – невыгода, вред, ущерб nevertheless – все же, однако negligible – незначительный to house – помещать, располагать installation – установка, устройство ways and means – способы и средства to raise – поднимать, воздвигать to reduce – уменьшать, сокращать efficiency – действенность, продуктивность obtainable – доступный, достижимый velocity – скорость a rotor – ротор, винт to intercept – перехватить, прервать |
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The large quantities of electric power generated at present mostly depend on various sources of mechanical energy. It is obvious that production of so much power by existing means only could not last for ever since the earth's available supply of coal, wood and oil will be completely used up some day. |
Apart from the main sources of energy, that is, fuel and water powers which meet most of the present-day power requirements of mankind and also apart from atomic energy, there are several other sources as well. |
It is with one of these so-called "new sources of energy" that we shall deal below. |
Wind-Driven Power Plant. It is calculated that the annual energy available in the winds over the earth's surface exceeds millions of millions of kilowatt hours. Nevertheless, only a comparatively negligible part of that value finds an efficient application under cur present conditions. |
It would be hard to say exactly when windmills were first harnessed as a source of mechanical energy. The Dutch, at least, are said to have used them for centuries in order to perform certain kinds of mechanical work. Old Egyptian writings tell us that wind power had already been used a thousand and more years before our times. However, wind power has been able to meet but small local needs for mechanical power. |
Today scientists, designers, and inventors are turning their attention to another purpose, namely, that of electricity generation. Generally speaking, electric windmills are in production or operation in a number of countries, the Russian Federation, the United States, England and France being among them, we should like to point out here that in 1931 a large turbine powered by the wind was built for electricity generation in Yalta, the Crimea. The electric generator of that equipment was housed in an installation raised on a high tower. |
Windmills may in theory obtain perhaps about 60 per cent of the wind power but in practice losses in the rotor and in the whole equipment as well as considerable electrical losses are supposed to reduce the efficiency to some 40 per cent or even less. The basic elements defining and influencing the obtainable energy are the velocity and strength of the wind. |
So far nothing was said about the principal disadvantage distinguishing wind power from some of the other sources of energy. Sometimes there is no wind at all and even when it blows, its strength and direction may change at any moment. In short, we cannot expect the wind to blow when, where and as long as we should like it. |
Whatever may be its exact form, purpose, or maintenance, a wind power plant must consist of the following main parts: |
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The three parts mentioned above form the wind-driven power plant. |
Exercises |
electrify, electricity, electrical, electrically; scientist, scientific, scientifically, science; vary, various, variable, variety; invent, inventor, inventiveness; appliance, application, apply, applicable
gas turbine, iron bar, liquid state, energy distribution, heat power, wind speed, power generation, heat power plant
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3-5. TIDES AND TIDAL POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
amount – количество, сумма level – уровень ocean – океан at any rate – во всяком случае capacity – способность coast – побережье dam – дамба, плотина design – проект, рисунок to direct – направлять, указывать to enable – давать право, возможность locality – местность no wonder – не удивительно tide – прилив и отлив considerable – значительный contribution – вклад, содействие quality – качество to conduct – проводить installation – установка, устройство to intercept – прервать, помешать |
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Coal, oil, wind, water and atomic energy-these are familiar sources of power, but what is tidal energy? |
The periodic rise and fall of the ocean on a coast line is well known. In the open ocean the changes in level amount to only about 61 cm, or so. On the coasts of continents it is often much greater. At any rate, tides like wind will last for ever. |
Utilization of tidal energy has been studied more or less extensively in a number of countries, such as Russia, the USA, France, Canada, England, and others. The fact is that tidal forces are expected to make considerable contribution if not to present-day, at least to future electricity production. By intercepting ocean or sea water at high tide in a basin and directing it back through turbines at low tide, one could create a kind of a working hydro-electric plant. |
Although there are tides along all coasts of all continents, not all places possess the necessary qualities for the installation of an efficient, reliable and economical tidal power plant. The most important features are the amplitude of the tide, the surface area of the basin, and the size of the dam required. The higher the tide, the larger the area of the available basin, and the smaller the dam required, the better the locality. Suitable places can be found, for instance, on the French coast and it is probably there that a big t. e. s. was constructed. |
Russia’s tidal power sources are among the greatest in the world. No wonder that several large tidal power plants are planned here. Kislaya Bay on the Barents Sea was found to be the very place for the construction of the first experimental tidal power plant. At high tide water from the Barents Sea will flow in through an operating turbine, while at low tide the water will be conducted back to the sea through that very turbine, making it work in both directions. Such a turbine makes it possible to use both high and low tides to the best advantage. |
The Kislaya Bay station is an experimental project and its planned capacity is not large. But that is not the principal thing. What is important is the possibility of testing the design of the station under consideration. The results obtained will enable designers to solve the main problems for several other powerful and super powerful tidal plants to go into operation in future. One cannot help mentioning in this connection the Belomorsky project of a t. e. s. which is to have a power capacity greater than that of Bratsk, the biggest hydro-electric station in the world. |
Exercises |
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Both primary and secondary batteries and fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electricity. In view of their limited range of application, and also the relatively low power which they supply, primary batteries will not be considered in this paper. The principles of operation of these energy-conversion devices differ basically from those in electric power stations. The main part of our electric power is derived from the combustion of coal and oil. A multi-stage process is involved. First the oxidation of the fuel produces heat, which through the steam-turbine is converted into mechanical energy and this, in its turn, drives a generator, which produces electricity. |
3-6. THERMAL ELECTRICAL PLANTS
Vocabulary |
to deliver – доставить, вручить to require - требовать peat - торф shale – глинистый сланец to convert – превращать, конвертировать fuel – топливо, горючее pipeline – трубопровод, нефтепровод conveyor - конвейер to unload – разгружать, выгружать, разряжать (оружие) storage – хранение, склад, хранилище furnace – печка, очаг, горн, топка powder – порошок, пудра, порох to crush – давить, мять, уничтожать, толочь to pulverize – растирать в порошок, распылять to blow, blew, blown - дуть to attain - достигать complete – полный, законченный, совершенный combustion - сгорание fan – вентилятор, веер exhauster – вытяжной вентилятор, эксгаузер, пылесос smoke stacks – дымовые трубы, выхлопные трубы to drive, drove, driven – управлять, править to join – соединять (-ся), присоединять (-ся), вступать to supervise – смотреть, наблюдать to monitor – контролировать, управлять forced - принудительный forced air fans – принудительная воздушная вентиляция to feed, fed, fed – кормить, подавать |
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Hydroelectric stations deliver power from great rivers, but still about 80 per cent of the required electric power is produced in thermal electrical plants. These plants burn coal, gas, peat or shale to make steam. |
To understand how the energy of fuel is converted into electrical energy let us discuss the heat process and begin with the fuel. |
Gas is delivered through gas pipelines. The coal (peat, shale) arrives in trains, and conveyors or cranes unload it for storage and bring it to the furnace. It is more effective to burn coal in the form of powder, therefore it is first crushed, pulverized and blown into furnaces. To attain complete combustion of the powder a large volume of air is needed, delivered by forced air fans, exhauster fans and smoke stacks. The steam boilers or steam generators supply the huge amount of high-pressure, high-temperature steam required to drive the high-power turbine-generators. |
The kinetic energy of its steam acts against the blades of the turbine and rotates its shaft joined to the generator shaft. |
A centralized control desk with panels and many instruments and automatic control devices supervises and monitors the plant, with only a few operators. |
Exercises |
power input, continuous operation, voltage transformer initial conditions, optimum process, correct choice interior part, wide application, moderate temperature, blast furnace, raw materials, heat treatment, current of air, high-power turbine-generator, high-pressure, waste pipes, limited energy, mass production, forced air fans, exhauster fans, smoke stacks.
to convert, to crush, to pulverize, to burn, to blow, to unload, to feed, to supervise, to bring, to monitor.
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3-7. THERMAL STEAM-TURBINE POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
condensing plants – конденсирующая станция to accomplish – совершать, выполнять boiler – паровой котел condenser – конденсатор, (тех.холодильник) to circulate – распространяться, циркулировать to decrease – уменьшать to transmit – передавать in addition – к тому, кроме того purpose – намерение, цель municipal – муниципальный laundry – прачечная to dwel – жить, пребывать switch-board – щит управления, распределительный щит whence – откуда to deliver – доставлять, освобождать transmission – передача overhead –над головой, надземный |
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Large steam-turbine plants have two forms: condensing plants or electric power plants. |
The great masses of hot steam, having accomplished the mechanical work in the turbines of condensing steam-turbine plants, are condensed, i.e. are cooled down and turned back into distilled water, and returned to the boiler for production of steam to activate the turbine. |
Condensation of steam takes place in condensers where the hot steam is cooled when it comes in contact with tubes through which cold water, supplied from a water reservoir (river or lake), is circulated. This cooling water, after it takes the heat from the spent steam, is returned to the water source carrying along with it the unutilized heat energy. This water is called the circulating water. The importance of the distilled water for feeding steam boilers is extremely great since chemically clean water decreases the formation of scale in the boiler tubes, and, thus, makes their service life longer. |
Condensing plants of large generating capacity are built close to sources of fuel, in order not to transport large quantities of fuel over considerable distances. |
The electric power generated in such plants is transmitted over long distances for the supply of large industrial regions. So these plants are called regional thermal power plants. |
Heat and electric power plants, in addition to electric power generation, also supply heat to closely located consumers (within a radius of 50 km), i.e. serve as district heat plants. To such heat consumers belong all kinds of industrial enterprises that require heat for production purposes, and also municipal consumers such as baths, laundries and the heating systems of dwelling houses and other buildings. |
The electric power developed by the generators is fed to the switchboard of the plant, whence it is delivered by overhead transmission and cable lines to the consumers. |
Exercises |
accomplish, condenser, laundry, purpose, switch-board, transmission, boiler, condensing plants.
to increase, small, to warm, to leave, hot water, to utilize, dirty water, death.
жить, выполнять, чистый, определять, помогать, исследовать, применять. |
3-8. GEOTHERMAL POWER STATIONS
Vocabulary |
infrequent – редкий to flow – течь, литься pressure – давление condition – условие certain – определенный low-coast – дешевый to obtain – получать, достигать output – производительность, мощность large-scale – крупный масштаб suitable – подходящий, годный to experiment – экспериментировать, производить опыт geologist – геолог unlimited – безграничный, неиссякаемый |
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Apart from steam, nuclear and hydroelectric stations, we should like to turn the reader's attention to the geothermal power station. |
Boiling "seas" are by no means infrequent and it is quite possible that hot waters are flowing right under our city. In fact, geothermic energy comes out from the earth under pressure as hot water or natural steam, sometimes carrying with it various economically important chemicals. It follows that under certain conditions it can be used for space heating and the generation of low-cost electricity, and in addition to it to get useful chemical substances. |
Practical utilization of geothermic heat for power generation and space heating has so far taken place in Italy and Iceland where geothermal stations are already in operation. Chemical substances were obtained in Italy as far back as the end of the 18th century when such underground waters were found to contain them. As to the production of electric power, it began with the first experiment in 1904. By the end of 1954, geothermal installations already reached a capacity of 274,000 kW, giving annual output, amounting to 2,000 kWh, or so. With its electricity generation from geothermic steam rising, New Zealand may soon be in a similar position. |
Large-scale utilization of geothermal heat for heating purposes is greatly developed in Iceland mainly because of that country's want of local fuels as well as because of its suitable geological conditions. It is for these reasons that geothermal heat supplies a far greater proportion of the general energy requirements in that country than in any other country. |
The possibilities of geothermic energy utilization are also widely experimented with in some other parts of the world, as In the United States and in Russia. Our geologists have already discovered a number of underground reservoirs in various localities of our country. One of them, found in Siberia, covers an area of several million square kilometers, that is to say, an area three or four times larger than the Caspian and the Black Seas taken together. |
According to plan work on the construction of the first geothermic power plant was to begin in Kamchatka. Similar stations have been planned in many other places of our country. The fact is that we expect such an underground boiler room to become a constant source of heat and an unlimited source of electric energy. |
Exercises |
amount, certain, infrequent, suitable, according to, construction, underground, unlimited sources, production.
Our geologists have already discovered many underground reservoirs in our country.
to generate, to use, to support, to state, to heat, to move
кипящие «моря» - вполне возможно – течет прямо под городом – при определенных условиях – химические вещества – конец 18 века – подземные воды – первый опыт – к концу 1954 года – в подобном положении- |
3-9. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Vocabulary |
mankind - человечество uranium - уран nuclear - ядерный available – наличный, имеющийся в распоряжении cost – стоимость, цена to near – приближаться, подходить advantage – выгода, польза, преимущество installation – установка, устройство fission – расщепление, деление клеток equipment – снаряжение, оборудование exchanger - обменник circulation – циркуляция, обращение circuit - цель consumption – потребление, расход to assume – предполагать, допускать efficiency – эффективность, производительность to ensure – обеспечивать, гарантировать carload – вагон как мера груза brown coal – бурый уголь to enrich - обогащать to demand - требовать to allow – позволять, предоставлять, допускать beyond – вдали, за, по ту сторону, позже, после conventional – общепринятый, обычный, традиционный to exhaust – истощать, исчерпывать, опустошать to meet – удовлетворять, встречать to transfer – переносить, перемещать reactor – реактор, атомный котел ever – когда-либо, всегда |
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Industry depends on power. The industrial development of the last 200 years has been based primarily on the exploitation of coal and later of oil. In some parts of the world the force of flowing water has been used to generate electricity. |
Now a new fuel and a new source of power is put to the service of mankind. The fuel is uranium and the source of power is atomic power. |
Nuclear power plants offer a new means of making power available in regions where the cost of transport is nearing its economic limits. One of the great advantages of atomic power stations is the fact they can be built in the very region where power is to be used. As a result long electric transmission lines become unnecessary. The atomic power plant is a typical steam power installation with the electricity generated by a steam turbine operated by water converted into steam as a result of uranium fission. |
The principal components of the power plant equipment are: |
a. the nuclear reactor. |
b. the heat exchanger in which the steam is produced. |
c. the steam turbine. |
The power plant has two main water circulation circuits: first-between the reactor and the steam exchanger for transferring heat and second-between the steam exchanger and the turbine for producing steam to drive the turbine. |
The scientists have designed a few types of reactors. The reactors will operate with a mixture of natural and enriched uranium. Atomic power stations are advantageous because of their low fuel consumption. If the capacity of an atomic power station is assumed to be one million kilowatts and its efficiency 25 per cent, only about 500 kg of fuel will be required to ensure the operation of the reactors for 24 hours. A power station of the same capacity operating with ordinary solid fuel would require 550 carloads of brown coal for the same period of time. |
Atomic power plants will meet the ever-increasing demand for power by using a new source of energy, a source allowing the great industrial systems to continue hundreds-even thousands of years beyond the time when the conventional sources of power will have been exhausted. |
Exercises |
nuclear, reactor, capacity, installation, equipment, fission, exchanger, mixture, consumption, carload, to demand, to exhaust, to transfer, to meet, uranium, to assume.
nuclear installations, power engineering, neutron reactors, fast neutron reactors, power capacity concentration, nuclear power concentration, fast neutron installations, atomic power stations, transmission lines, steam power installations, heat exchanger, low fuel consumption.
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3-10. CHERNOBYL ACCIDIENDT
Vocabulary |
concern - забота accident - трагедия suffer - претерпевать moderate – регулировать, умерять violate - нарушать withdraw – убирать explosion - взрыв damage - разрушать prolonged - продолжительный detect - обнаруживать seal - запечатывать rotate - поворачивать clockwise – по часовой стрелке to be deposited - откладываться contamination - гибель entire – целый |
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The accident, which was of global concern, was the accident in Ukraine in the. Chernobyl power plant located in Polesye on the River Pripyat. |
On 26 April, 1986, Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant suffered a major accident. The Chernobyl 4 reactor was a graphite-moderated, light-water-cooled system. The installed electrical generating capacity was 1 GW. The accident followed some engineering tests of a generator. |
During the tests, basic operating safety rules were being violated. Most control rods were withdrawn from the core and the safety systems were switched off. Two explosions and a fire that followed them damaged the reactor and the containment building. The graphite started to burn. Explosive energy was released, which resulted in the 1000 ton cover plate of the reactor being lifted up. |
A prolonged release of large quantities of radioactive products transported by' the cloud from Chernobyl was detected not only in northern and southern Europe but also in Canada, Japan, and the US. |
The major part of the release took place over the period of about ten days. There were two peaks in release rate (26th April and 5th May). Later on, the release continued for many weeks at a lower rate before the destroyed reactor was finally sealed, which took place some five months later. |
Initially the cloud of radioactive material was carried over the Baltic Sea into Scandinavia. After a few days the wind direction rotated clockwise and the cloud traveled eastwards across the USSR and southwards to Turkey. |
The total mass of the radioactive particles released in the accident was about 6000-8000 Kg. More than half of it was deposited near the plant but the rest traveled thousands of kilometers. |
There is no doubt that the nuclear plant accidents offer a number of lessons to be learnt. |
At present, over 200 nuclear power reactors for commercial electricity production operate in Europe. |
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant has shown that large-scale accidents in nuclear power plants can lead to contamination of the entire continent. |
Exercises |
the accident, which was of global concern; unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, to suffer a major accident; a graphite - moderated, light - water -cooled system; basic operating safety rules; violate to withdraw from the core; explosive energy; the 1000 ton cover plate of the reactor; a prolonged release of large quantities of radioactive products; two peaks in release rate; before the destroyed reactor was finally sealed; the wind direction rotated clockwise; for commercial electricity production; contamination of the entire content.
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TESTS
Read the sentences and say if the following statements are true (.T.) or false (.F.): |
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