6PH03: Physics Coursework Summary of visit to Keadby power station Introduction

Name: Jordan Carlton

On Monday 14th February 2011 I visited Keadby power station as part of a trip with my physics group to participate in a tour of the station, and later attempt to explain the physics behind one of the processes we had seen earlier in the day. Keadby power station is situated near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, and is a gas-powered station. However, Keadby power station is unconventional when compared to most other power stations in that it possesses waste heat recovery systems on both of its turbines, which greatly increase their efficiency. Description of the visit During the visit we were given valuable insight into the day to day running of the power station, as well given the opportunity to explain the relevant physics behind it all. At the beginning of the day we were given an introduction talk from the operating staff who explained to us the basic principle of electricity generation, as well as giving us insight into the features of the station and how they aided the running of the power plant. After this we experienced a tour of the whole power plant, given to us by a site engineer. This allowed to us contextualise all the knowledge that the previous talk had given us and gave us an overview of the station as a whole. Then, we applied our knowledge to a task which had been set for us. My task was to find out the efficiency of the gas turbine at Keadby power station. Efficiency of the Gas turbine In any situation, the efficiency of a process can be derived from the formula: Efficiency = Useful Energy Output Total Energy iInput x 100

The Useful Energy Output was obtained from the power stations data sheet, which gave a reading of 2.2837 x 107 W. The Total Energy Input can be found by working out the amount of energy in the gas which the power plant burns. This can be obtained from the formula: Total Energy Input = Flow rate x Calorific value of gas The Flow rate of the gas into the power station was obtained from the data sheet, which gave a value of 17.725 m3/s.

The calorific value of the gas was acquired from a site engineer, who cited a figure of 4.012 x 107 J/m3. Inputting these figures into the formula for the Total Energy input gives a value of 711 127 000 W. Placing the Total Energy Input and the Useful Energy Output into the formula for efficiency gave an efficiency rating of 32.11%. Thus, this means that the Keadby power station gas turbine converts 32.11% of the total energy from the gas into useful electrical output, and the rest of the energy is lost in other forms such as heat. Context of the power plant Keadby power plant plays a giant role in the lives of the British people in that it generates a portion of the electricity that enables them to live their lives in the way they wish to. Every time we use an appliance that requires an electrical input to function it is partly in thanks to Keadby power station. However, although we receive massive advantages from the existence of power plants such as the one at Keadby, they have their associated problems. The most prominent danger that power plants pose is to the environment as a result of the pollution they emit. As a byproduct of the fuel burned to generate the electricity, pollutants including green house gases are released into the atmosphere. These have been shown to contribute to net temperature rise across the planet. However, relative to other power stations, Keadby is very environmentally friendly. The fact that it burns natural gas, as opposed to other fuels like coal, means that it has cleaner emissions. Furthermore, the waste heat recovery boiler greatly increases the efficiency of the power plant which in turn makes it more environmentally friendly. This is because the more efficient something is, the less the amount of fuel that has to entered in order to generate a set amount of useful energy output. This fact shows how efficiency is intrinsically linked to environmental friendliness, and gives an indication of why it is so important to calculate and maximise efficiency. How the practical relates to the visit The title of my practical experiment is The effect of the size of the air hole on the efficiency of a gas burner. The visit was extremely relevant to this practical because for our experiment we have to work out the total input, useful energy output and then calculate the efficiency. This is very similar to our work at the power station, where we were required to calculate and measure efficiency data.