Discussion on Power Plants

Natural Gas Power Plant
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is created when decomposed plants and animals are subjected to intense heat and pressure within the earth over thousands of years. It is the carbon content in natural gas that is combusted to generate electric power. Since humans consume natural gas at a significantly higher rate than it is naturally produced natural gas is considered a nonrenewable energy source. A typical natural gas power plant is shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Natural gas power plant.

The electric power from a natural gas power plant is generated using a similar combustion process as oil and coal fired power plants. These fossil fuel based power plants use steam driven turbines and generators to produce electric power. The University of Washington uses a natural gas power plant with a diesel powered back-up system. The general process of electric power production using a natural gas power plant is now described. The natural gas is transported ...