Abstract
In large-scale power generation, for example at a central power station, the standard process involves the use of a heat engine to drive an electrical conductor through a magnetic field. The last stage is the alternator, which is very highly developed and has an efficiency of 98%. The heat engine itself has been considerably improved over the last 50 years or so, but still has an efficiency of < 50%, usually 30–40%. It is based on the use of coal or oil (fossil fuel) or nuclear power (uranium fission). Any of these fuels can be used to raise steam and drive a steam turbine, and this is the usual procedure in the central power station. Fossil fuel can be used in the gas turbine or the internal combustion engine, and both are used in relatively small installations to drive an alternator. Water and wind power are, of course, also utilised. There has been increasing interest in recent years in the possibility of developing more direct processes of converting heat to electricity.
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