Chemical aspects behind the energy we are using.

Either we are talking about sustaining Human body or sustaining Human Civilization, energy has been an utmost important factor for Human Kind.

For sustaining Human Body we eat food that further gives us energy via going through several biochemical processes inside the body .The same thing is true for other animals ,the only difference is the nature of food and the nature of biochemical processes.

Now for sustaining Human Civilization we have been developing several energy resources like thermal or coal energy, wind energy , tidal energy , nuclear energy , solar energy etc.

Have you ever thought that how Chemistry plays a very significant role in energy conversions ?

Although several physical manipulations need to be done in the inter conversion of the later form of energy but ultimately which element is going to be selected for manufacturing the equipments or machines involves in these conversions and what makes it workable is surely devoted towards the  hidden chemical aspects.

So, here in this article we are more concerned about the later form i.e, the energy for Human Civilization.

It is surely known to many of us that-

Wind energy which is carried forward with the help of windmill  (preferably equipped near the shores) in which wind speed makes the fans rotating which ultimately converts the Wind energy into Mechanical Energy and further into Electrical Energy with the help of some specified setups.

Coal or thermal energy in which a huge amount of coals is used in forming steams which makes turbine rotating and hence electricity is generated with the help of some specified setups.

Some same kind of setups is also used in producing electricity with the help of tidal energy.

Now behind this straight out inter energy conversion in between different forms of energy, what's those Chemical aspects that are hidden in them.

So here three important electrical energy production is covered -

Wind Energy -

It is the new kind of energy conversion which is technically termed as Non-Conventional Energy Conversion in which wind energy is converted into electricity with the help of windmills.

But apart from the physical manipulations like designing the blades with some specified bending angles and fitting it at the right place what are the chemical aspects that we generally left ?

Windmill's Blades -

Chemical aspects behind blade's material -

Choosing the right material for the windmill's blades is surely be the first most thing during this whole process.

So, what's needed is such type of material which is strong but not very heavy (so that just more than a significant wind speed can make it rotate), can resist towards UV rays coming from the Sun, can resist corrosion etc.

So keeping all these things in mind, the most advanced Windmill's blade is made up of a mixed composition of materials in which it consist around 71 - 79 % of steel , fiberglass , resin or plastic about 11 - 16 % , cast iron about 5 - 17 %, copper about 1% and Aluminium about 0 - 2 %.

Now using all these materials in a specified composition has really some significant reason.

Using Steel in high concentration is just because the first priority is to make a strong windmill.

How the steel can make it possible ?

Actually steel holds the turbine blades at their position even in very strong winds which surely produce high electricity .

Using composition of fiberglass , resins and plastics provides several benefits like it boost up the strength of blades ( fiberglass' strength is more than that of steel ), provides flexibility to the blades (so that it catches the wind in either way ), provides thermal insulation to the blades etc.

While using cast iron is also play a significant role. Actually cast iron is the perfect combination of strength and high resistance towards any kind of deformation. Along with this , the cast iron provides the best castability with which it makes possible for the the blades to be cast out in required design.

Actually the main purpose of windmill is to convert the wind energy into electrical energy via mechanical energy so ultimately there has to be a good conductor in blades.

Copper fulfill this requirement. it provides electrical conductivity along with corrosion resistance and flexibility too which is helpful in harsh conditions.

Although Aluminium too possess these properties like good electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance etc but the main purpose because of which it is used, is to make the wind blades light even after possessing high strength, so that even just more than a significant wind speed can make it rotate.

Coal or Thermal Energy -

One of the largest power generation technique across the world is definitely the Thermal Power Stations. In these stations several techniques are used and production of electricity from burning coal is high in number.

Types of Coal -

Basically the coals are divided into the following four types respectively on the basis of Carbon content and quality as well as Calorific Value -

Peat

Lignite

Bituminous

Anthracite

Now which grade should be selected and why ?

Selecting the right type of coal is the first job that needs to be done. Although Anthracite is the best variety of coal across the world with highest carbon content and highest calorific value but still it is not used in thermal power stations.The reason behind this is that Anthracite is not an economic variety of coal that can be used in thermal power stations.

So generally Lignite Coal and sometimes Bituminous Coal are used in these thermal power stations for the generation of steams and hence producing electricity.

Actually just selecting the coal and make it burn to convert water into the steam is not the only thing that has to be done.

Whenever a process is carried out at a large scale then several other important factors are there that needs to be taken in care like efficiency of inputs , economics of production, and the most important thing is to maximize the output with the limited or minimum input investment.

Here the raw material or the input is the Coal . So every single possibility which can increase the production of electricity can't be ignore.

Chemical aspects -

Pulverization of coal -

One main aspect that can increase the heat energy required for the steam production is the pulverization of coal. Actually this is a process in which the coal is fed into a pulverizers which breaks the coal into very thin powder like structure. 

Need of Pulverization-

The basic or the main reason behind pulverizing the coals is actually to increase the surface area of the coal which ensures the complete combustion it and hence increases it's as well as plant's efficiency.

Chemical aspects in the process -

This process comprises several chemical edges that needs to be performed well in order to maximize the heat generation.

How steam is more efficient than water ?

The straight out reason behind using steam in a more efficient way than water ( used in hydroelectricity ) is due to it's higher value of Heat Capacity than water.

It is one of the major chemical aspect that the high energy steams at high temperature and pressure ( superheated steam ) rotates the blades of turbine with a very high speed resulting large conversion of this Thermal energy into electrical energy via mechanical energy.

Not limited to this only, when the production of steam at specified temperature and pressure is required on a very large scale then several heat transfer equipments ( referred to Chemical Engineering ) are required like -

Boiler

Feedwater Heater

Superheater

Condenser

Cooling Tower  etc.

Nuclear Power Stations - 

Among all kind of power generation the most precise generation of electricity is done by the help of Nuclear Reactors .

Nuclear Energy produced during the fission of nucleus of radioactive isotopes of higher atomic no. like Uranium or Polonium is used in the production of electricity .

Chemical aspects -

Nuclear Chemistry is the most advanced part of the chemistry that deals with the nuclear reactions occur during the fission or fusion of radioactive isotopes.

Chemistry in the Nuclear Reactors -

Actually making it simple that what this nuclear energy is all about and how this gonna be helpful in producing the electricity the following concern has written below -

Starting with the scratch, then we have two types of nuclei one is stable and other one is unstable .

The cause of this unstability when discovered then it was found that the nuclei with highest binding energies are most stable nuclei.

The binding energy of several nuclei in the periodic table is low because of different reasons that makes them unstable.

Now to gain stability, these nuclei have only single option which is that they have to increase their binding energy.

Now according to the graph between Average binding energy per nucleon VS Atomic Mass there are two ways to achieve this.

If the nuclei has low atomic mass then they go for nuclear fusion to gain stability and

If their atomic mass are large then they go for nuclear fission to gain this stabilty.

Now in the Nuclear Reactors the basic principle that we are using is the one that has written later.

In the Nuclear reactors in which basically we use either Uranium or Polonium.

Actually they are the unstable nuclei of higher atomic mass.

So what we basically do is to make it go for nuclear fission and the energy produced during this reaction is used for steam generation and further the same process is carried out that has already discussed in Thermal Power stations.

Concise Working of Nuclear Reactors -

Actually we use neutrons for bombardment over the nuclei of Uranium ( U-235). When this is done then the uranium gets broken into the nuclei of Thorium and three new neutrons are produced. Cadmium rod is used for the absorption of two new neutrons (otherwise it will lead to the Uncontrolled chain Reaction because of very huge amount of energy is released during such process and the reactor will get explode) and the third neutron moves ahead for the same process to carry forward.

This energy is used in steam generation and further for producing electricity.

Chemistry is spread everywhere from a single electron to the huge Nuclear Reactors.

The thing is that you have to develop a new way of looking at the things !!