Water turbines extract energy from moving water for hydroelectric power generation by forcing water past inclined blades. They can be attached to machinery or an electrical generator. Steam turbines use gaseous steam to operate. Water wheels were the forerunner of water turbines and relied on the horizontal momentum of water in a river to turn. Water turbines work similarly to windmills, with the blades optimized for water. They were widely used in the 19th century to power factories and are now used in hydroelectric power plants. Steam turbines are the primary method of converting thermal energy into kinetic energy in large-scale applications.
Water turbines are used to extract energy from moving water, typically for hydroelectric power generation. They work by forcing water past inclined blades, which spin the turbines. Water turbines can be mechanically attached to machinery or an electrical generator. Steam turbines use gaseous steam, rather than liquid water, to operate.
The forerunner of water turbines was the water wheel, which was used for thousands of years. A water wheel is vertically oriented with only a small portion submerged in water at any given time. This type of wheel relies on the horizontal momentum of the water in a river to turn. For this to work, the wheel must have ridges or buckets to catch the water. The same principle is used in the paddlewheel of a steamboat.
Water turbines, on the other hand, work differently, with the blades arranged similarly to those of a windmill. The fluid flows through a windmill rather than beyond. The same design is used for water turbines, although the shape of the blades is optimized for water rather than air.
The water turbine began to be widely used during the 19th century. Before electricity was available, factories were mechanically powered. Water turbines were attached to machinery in much the same way that a car’s engine is attached to its wheels. An engine can keep running while a transmission distributes power to the wheels by making or breaking a mechanical connection. Similarly, a factory can be powered without involving electricity.
In recent times, water turbines have been used in hydroelectric power plants. These plants typically involve a dam with a significant difference in water level between sides. The plant extracts the gravitational potential energy stored in the upper water by forcing it to flow through water turbines; in other words, as water descends from high level to low level, it pushes on the blades of a water turbine and spins the turbine. Rotational energy is converted into electricity with an electric generator. In 2008, hydroelectric power accounted for the majority of renewable energy produced worldwide.
Steam turbines, on the other hand, harness energy from steam instead of liquid water. They are widely used in other types of power plants. Indeed, the steam turbine is the primary method of converting thermal energy into kinetic energy in large-scale applications. Whether the heat from a power plant comes from burning coal or nuclear fission, it is used to boil water and produce steam. The high-pressure steam is then shunted to flow through a turbine, spinning it rapidly and spinning an electric generator.
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