It is a factory that converts the heat energy generated by the combustion of solid, liquid or gas fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas into kinetic energy to produce electric energy. According to the category of fuel, it can be divided into coal-fired thermal power plant, oil-fired thermal power plant and gas-fired thermal power plant. According to function, it can be divided into power plant and thermal power plant. The power plant only produces and supplies electric energy to users; The thermal power plant not only produces and supplies electric energy to users, but also supplies heat energy. According to the service scale, it can be divided into regional thermal power plants, local thermal power plants and train power plants. Regional thermal power plants with large installed capacity are generally built near fuel bases, such as large coal mines. This kind of power plant is also called pithead power plant, and its electric energy is supplied to users through long-distance transmission lines. Turnkey construction of mini CHPs are mostly built in load centers, and fuel needs to be transported in for a long distance. The power produced by them is supplied to more concentrated users.
In 1875, the thermal power plant of Paris North Railway Station in France was built to generate electricity, using a very small DC motor for nearby lighting. This is the first thermal power plant in the world. Subsequently, small thermal power plants were built in the United States, Russia and Britain. In the late 1880s, with the growth of industrial and domestic power consumption, the United States built the first AC power plant in 1886. In 1888, British C.A. Parsons successfully developed the first 75kW steam turbine generator with high and low pressure cylinders and installed it in flowbanks power plant in Britain. In 1891, Parsons manufactured the first generator set with condenser for Cambridge electric lamp company in England, with a capacity of 100kW and greatly improved thermal efficiency. In 1882, China built a thermal power plant with a 12KW DC generator in Shanghai. On July 26 of that year, it officially generated power for power supply and lighting.
The main characteristics of generator for thermal power plants are a short construction period, low project cost, fast investment recovery and flexible site selection compared with hydropower stations with the same capacity. The main disadvantage of thermal power plant is that it pollutes the environment to a certain extent. The environmental protection measures taken mainly include: the use of high-efficiency electrostatic precipitator and desulfurization measures, the comprehensive utilization of fly ash, and the use of circulating cooling to protect water sources.
