NAME:___________________________________ SECTION:______________

PERFORMANCE TASK 2
Directions: Read the text and label the diagram of the electricity generation
process below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Use
a separate sheet of paper.

How do coal-fired power plants work?

Modern life is unimaginable without electricity, and coal plays a vital role in
electricity generation worldwide. Coal-fired power plants currently fuel 41% of global
electricity and, in some countries, coal fuels a higher percentage of electricity. But how
is coal converted to electricity?

Steam coal, also known as thermal coal, is used in power stations to generate
electricity. After the coal supply is extracted from the carrier, coal is milled to a fine
powder, which increases the surface area and allows it to burn more quickly. In such
pulverized coal combustion systems, the powdered coal is transported from the coal supply
station into a boiler by a conveyor belt. In the boiler, the coal is burnt at high
temperatures. The hot gases arise from the burning coal and the produced heat energy converts
water - in tubes lining the boiler - into steam. Meanwhile, the gases released during the
burning process exit the coal combustion system by a stack - a long tube attached to the
boiler.

Next, the high-pressure steam is passed by the steam line into a turbine. The turbine
contains thousands of propeller-like blades, which are pushed by steam. This causes the
turbine shaft to rotate at high speed. A generator is mounted at one end of the turbine
shaft and consists of carefully wound wire coils. Electricity is generated when these are
rapidly rotated in a strong magnetic field. After passing through the turbine, the steam is
condensed in a special room under the turbine called a condenser. The condenser is connected
to a reservoir of cooling water so that the condensed steam cools quickly and returns to
the boiler to be heated once again.

The electricity is transported from the generator by connector cables to a switchyard,

where it is transformed into the higher voltages (up to 400,000 volts) used for economic,
efficient transmission via power line grids. When it nears the point of consumption, such
as our homes, the electricity is transformed down to the safer 100-250 voltage systems used
in the domestic market.