Power Generation

Abstract

Abstract Electricity plays a major role in the functioning of our modern society in a way that life without it is unimaginable. We owe our current high quality of life to the electricity generation and distribution industry. This article begins with a brief review of this industry. Then, the history of power generation and its major milestones are discussed. The rest of the article deals with conventional power generation systems, starting with steam power generation cycles as the base for many fossil fuel‐fired, nuclear, geothermal, and solar thermal energy power plants. The major components of a typical steam cycle, including steam generators, combustion systems, emission control systems, steam turbines, condensate‐feedwater systems, and circulating water systems are covered. Next, the fundamental principles for nuclear steam power plants, including heavy‐water, light‐water, boiling‐water, and pressurized‐water reactors, are briefly reviewed. Then, gas turbines, their history, and their major components, that is, compressors, combustion chambers, and turbines, are discussed. The article concludes with a review of combined cycle power plants and cogeneration plants.