The Power of Water

The Power of Water Water is one of the oldest ways of producing energy. From the elementary motion of the water mills to the huge hydroelectric plants of today, water has and does play a vital role in our energy production. Our rivers and streams are the source of this natural force.

From ancient times, moving water has been used to turn wooden wheels that were attached to grinding wheels to grind (or mill) flour or corn. These are called gristmills or water mills. Water can either go over the top of the wheel, or it can be placed in the moving river. The flow of the river then turns the wheel at the bottom. These mills can still be seen in action today, in many parts of the world, for example the UK. Now this same moving water, which has kinetic energy, can be used to make electricity. This is called hydroelectric power. What is hydroelectric power? As the name implies it is electricity generated by water. How does it work? Hydroelectric power uses the kinetic energy of moving water to make electricity. Dams are built to stop the flow of a river. Water behind the dam forms a reservoir. Dams are also built across larger rivers but no reservoir is made. The water is redirected through a hydroelectric power plant or powerhouse. The water behind the dam flows through the intake and into a pipe called a penstock. The water pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity. The electricity can then travel over long distance electric lines to homes, schools, factories and businesses

 Hydro is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. Waterpower supplies about 10 percent of the entire electricity that we use. In states with high mountains and lots of rivers, even more electricity if made by hydropower. This form of energy can be found in the mountainous areas of the world where there are lakes and reservoirs and along rivers.

Another way water produces energy is form steam. This is called Thermal power. This works the same way as the hydroelectric plants, using steam to move the turbine. Thermal power plants have huge boilers that burn a fuel to make heat. A boiler is like a teapot on a stove. When the water boils, the steam comes through a tiny hole on the top of the spout. In a power plant, the water is brought to a boil inside the boiler, and the steam is then piped to the turbine through very thick pipes. In most boilers, wood, coal, oil or natural gas is burned in a firebox to make heat. Running through the fire box and above that hot fire are a series of pipes with water running through them. The heat energy is conducted into the metal pipes, heating the water in the pipes until it boils into steam. Water boils into steam at 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. The steam is fed under high pressure to the turbine. The turbine spins and its shaft is connected to a turbo generator that changes the mechanical spinning energy into electricity. How does this happen? The turbine has many hundreds of blades that are turned at an angle like the blades of a fan. When the steam hits the blades they spin the turbine's shaft that is attached to the bottom of the blades. The turbine is attached by a shaft to the turbo generator, the generator has a giant magnet inside a stationary ring wrapped with a long wire. The shaft that comes out of the turbine is connected to the generator. When the turbine turns, the shaft and rotor is turned. As the magnet inside the generator turns, an electric current is produced in the wire. The electric generator is converting mechanical, moving energy into electrical energy.

Everlasting cycle. After the steam goes through the turbine, it usually goes to a cooling tower outside the where the steam cools off. It cools off and becomes water again. When the hot pipes come into contact with cool air, some water vapor in the air is heated and steam is given off above the cooling towers. That's why you will see huge white clouds of steam being given off by the cooling towers. It's not smoke, but is water vapor or steam. This is not the same steam that is used inside the turbine. The cooled water then goes back into the boiler where it is heated again and the process repeats over and over. Water generated energy is one of the cleanest forms of power and shows us yet again how water is a vital part of our lives. By using this natural form of energy there is less pollution and we are helping to keep our environment clean, by using cleaner forms of energy.

Today many areas of the world are experiencing droughts, resulting in a growing need to produce more fresh water. This is leading to the increase in Desalination plants, throughout the world, especially in California USA and Saudi Arabia. Two thirds of our planet is made up of water Much of this is salt water, and impossible to drink, or use for crops. However Desalination plants can help us utilize this water and increase our supplies of fresh water for consumption and agriculture. What is desalinization and how does it work? Desalination refers to any of several processes that remove the excess salt and other minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water suitable for for consumption or irrigation and if almost all of the salt is removed, for human consumption, sometimes producing table salt as a by product. Desalination is used in over a hundred countries, with Saudi Arabia accounting for about 24% of total world capacity. Kuwait built the world's first large-scale desalination plant in the 1960s. Kuwait is unique in that it also uses desalinated water for agriculture. The world's largest desalination plant is in Ashkelon Israel. Began operating on August 4, 2005. It is capable of producing 100 million cubic meters a year of water.

How does it work?

 There are 2 main methods of desalination Reverse Osmosis. Pressure is applied to the intake water, forcing the water molecules through a semi permeable membrane. The salt molecules do not pass through the membrane, and the water that passes through becomes fresh water.

Distillation. The intake water is heated to produce steam. The steam is then condensed to produce pure water

Desalination is a growing alternative for increasing our supplies of useable water and reliving the strains we are starting to put on our water supplies, with our increased use of this valuable resource. However it is not without some risks to our fragile environment. Most desalination plants produce hypersaline brine that must be disposed. These desalting concentrates are classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as industrial wastes. The hypersaline brine has the potential to harm marine ecosystems, especially in sea regions with low turbidity, high evaporation and hence already increased salinity. Examples are the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and in particular Coral Lagoons of Atolls and other tropical Islands around the world. It is up to us to operate our Desalination plants responsibly and not allow their wastes to harm our finely balanced ecosystem. Desalination / Distillation is one of mankind's earliest forms of water treatment, and it is still a popular treatment solution throughout the world today. In ancient times, many civilizations used this process on their ships to convert sea water into drinking water. Today, desalination plants are used to convert sea water to drinking water on ships and in many arid regions of the world, and to treat water in other areas that is fouled by natural and unnatural contaminants.

Distillation is perhaps the one water treatment technology that most completely reduces the widest range of drinking water contaminants.

About The Publisher

Richard Deddy has had a full time business on the internet for over six years. He is the owner and webmaster of www.A1-Water-Distiller.com  and http://www.HotGiftsandGags.com  He is the author of "The Changing Face of Civilization-Water Quality and Your Life". And an instructor at the Center for Lifelong Learning in Morris County, NJ. Richard is available for seminars and private consultations in person and by phone. He lives with his wife Carol, daughter Brooke, two cats and one dog in Kinnelon, NJ. Contact him through the contact button above

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