Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

8.1 Generation of Electrical Energy
1. Electrical energy is produced by using a g.. in the power station.
2. Generators convert m.. energy to e. energy.
3. Various types of generators
Type of electrical energy
generator
Thermal
Hydroelectric
Gas turbine
Diesel
Nuclear
4. Thermal power station

Source of energy used

Fossil
fuel

Electrical
energy

Electric
Grid
network

Heat
energy

Generato
r

Consume
rs

Steam

Steam
turbine

a) Coal, oil or gas is burnt in the furnace. The h.. energy released is used to
heat water in the boiler.
b) The water changes to h p steam.
c) The high pressure steam is used to turn the t.. which are attached to
generators.
d) Electricity is produced in a generator by s. an electromagnet inside
the fixed coils of wire.
e) The condenser changes the steam back to w and pumped back to the
boiler.
f) Vast amount of water are needed for condenser and this can be obtained from a
nearby river or lake.
5. Hydroelectric power station
a) Water is held in a large r
b) Running water falls from the dam through a tunnel to s the turbine.
c) The turbine is attached to generators to produce electricity.
d) No f. is needed to supply energy to spin the generators.
Water

High
position

High
potential
energy

Reservoir

Pass
through
turbines

High
kinetic
energy

Rotation
(spinning
)

Consume
rs

Electric
grid
network

Generato
r

Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

6. Gas turbine power station

Air

Compresso
r (filter +
compress)

Gas
chamber

Mix with
natural
gas

Gas
expand

CO2 +
H2O
produced

Ignited
by spark
plugs

Combustio
n chamber

Rotation
(spinning
)

Generato
r

Electrical
energy

Electric
grid
network

a) Air is sucked into the compressor through the a.. f

b) The air is then c. and m with natural gas.
c) The mixture of compressed air and natural gas is f into the
combustion chamber and i.. by sparks.
d) H.. g. is produced from the combustion of compressed air and natural gas.
e) The gas e and turns the turbine that attached to generators.
7. Diesel engine power station
a) Diesel is used to r the diesel engine.
b) The generator is c.. to the diesel engine by a shaft.
c) The running diesel engine turns the generator to produce e
Diesel

Rotation
Small
current

Generato
r

Small
town /
village

Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

8. Nuclear power station

Uranium
&
Plutoniu

Nuclear
reactor

Nuclear
fission

Heat
energy

Generato
r

Rotate
turbines

Steam

Boiler

Electrical
energy

Electric
grid

Consume
rs

a) Fuel rods containing nuclear fuels such as u. and p...

are used in the reactor.
b) F. reactions in the reactor produce energy that is used to produce
h p. steam, which turns the steam turbine.
c) The steam turbine turns the generator to produce electricity.
9. Alternative sources of energy
a) Tidal energy
- The flow of water due to h tide and l.. tide can be used to turn
the generator.
b) Wind energy
- L. wind turbines are used to turn the electrical energy
c) Solar energy
- Solar cells produce electricity when they a.. energy from sunlight.
d) Biomass energy
- Fast-growing plants like sugar cane are used to make alcohol. The alcohol is
used as fuel to generate electricity on s s. scale.

Wood fuel
8.2

Rubbish

Alcohol fuels

Crops

Landfill gas

Transformer

1. A transformer is a device that can c.. electrical energy from one

voltage to another voltage.
2. The function of transformer is to i. or d the voltage of
an current.
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Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

3. A basic transformer consists of two sets of insulated c w.. on

opposite of a soft coil.
4. The core is constructed of many layers of thin iron called l
Step-up transformer and step-down transformer
1. The primary coil is the wire coil that connect to the i v.
2. The secondary coil is the wire coil that connected to the e. l
(o. v).
3. A step-up transformer has more turns in the secondary coil than in the primary coil. It
is used to change or transform a l.. input voltage to a h.. output
voltage.
4. A step-down transformer has fewer turns in the secondary coil than in the primary
coil. It is used to change or transform a h. input voltage to a l..
output voltage.

Compare and contrast a step-up transformer and a step-down transformer

Step-up transformer
Step-down transformer
Similarities:
Consists of two coils (primary and secondary) wound around a laminated soft iron
core.
The
working
principle
is
based
on
e..
i.
It works only with an alternating c
It is used to charge or transform an AC voltage from one value to another.
Step-up transformer
Differences
Step-down transformer
It is used to i... the
Uses
It is used to l. the
input voltage.
input voltage.
The output voltage is h. Output voltage The output is l. than the
than the input voltage.
input voltage.
The number of turns in the
Number of
The number of turns in the
secondary coil is m.. than the
turns for the
secondary coil is f. than
number of turns in the primary coil.
coil
the number of turns in the primary
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Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

coil.

8.3
The electricity transmission and distribution system
1. The AC mains power supply is generated in the power stations, transmitted (sent)
through long-distance cables and then distributed to consumers.
2. The t. s consists of power stations, transformer
stations, switch zones and the National Grid network. The d..
s consists of main substations and local substations.
3. The generators at the power station produce alternating voltage as high as

4. The voltage enters a t. station and raised the voltage to

or . using a s.. transformer.
5. The alternating voltage then flows through a network of transmission cables called
N.. G N
6. Then it enters into a r.. c. and s z.
Here, the electrical power is controlled before it is sent to the place where is needed.
7. From this zone, the alternating voltage flows through a series of s.
transformers and switching zone at the main substation and its branches before
distributing to consumers, for example, from 132 kv to 33 kv.
8. The 33 kv is mainly distributed to the h.. industries. The voltage are further
stepped down to 11 kv for l. industries.
9. Local transformer substations finally reduce the voltage to 450 V for use in
s and o. and 240 V for use in h..

8.4

Electrical Supply and Wiring System at Home

Electrical energy supply at home

1. Alternating current (AC) with a voltage 240 V is supplied to our homes by l.
w.. The current is returned to the substation by n w...
The electrical wiring system at home
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Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

2. The live wire and neutral wire are connected to a main fuse, an electricity meter, a
main switch, a circuit breaker and then to a distribution box.
3. The distribution box contains switches and fuses which lead to different circuits in the
house.
4. The functions of the parts in an electrical wiring system are shown in the table below.

Part
Live wire
Neutral wire
Earth wire
Electricity meter
Main switch
Fuse

Circuit breaker

Function
It carries AC electricity into the house from the local substation. This
wire is dangerous as it carries h. voltage (240 V).
It completes the electrical circuit from the house back to the local
substation when the switches are on. This wire is usually at z volt.
Connects an appliance directly to earth as a s
m.
It measures how much electricity u. in house.
Controls the a of current which flows through the circuit
into the house.
A safety device used to protect equipment or wiring from
e.. amount. It cuts off the circuit if too great a current
passes through it.
A safety device which used to t. o the electricity
automatically if too much current flows or short circuit occurs in a
circuit.

5. Types of electrical wiring system:

a) S.-. wiring
- Used in houses and it has the main voltage (230 V AC) between two wires, live
and neutral. It is commonly used in all typical home electrical appliances.
b) T..-p.. wiring
- Commonly used in multi-stories office buildings and large industrial buildings
because these buildings use high voltage value.
- All light and heavy industries use the three-phase wiring because all
machinery and large electrical motors require voltage higher than 415 V.

Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

6. Most appliance s used today come with a moulded .. It provides

a safe and convenient way of connecting the appliances to the main circuit via a
power socket.
7. The colour code of the wire in the 3-pin plug follow the international colour code.
a) Earth wire (yellow and green stripes): connected to pin
b) Live wire (brown): connected to pin .. via a fuse.
c) Neutral wire (blue): connected to pin

8.5

The Cost of Electrical Energy

1. Power is the rate of using energy. The S.I. unit for power is w. (W) or
j.. (J s-1).

Electrical power ( W )=

electrical energy used ( J )

time taken ( s )

2. Electrical appliances are normally marked with the power and voltage rating.

power ( W )=voltage ( V ) current (i )

/ P = VI

3. The unit commonly used for electrical energy is the kilowatt hour (kWh).

electrical energy ( kWh )= power ( kW ) t ime ( h )

4. The cost of electrical energy used per month can be determined as follows:

cost of electrical energy consumption=total domestic units tariff rate

Questions:
1. A toaster operating at 240 V has a power rating of 550 W. What is the operating
current of the toaster?

2. A bulb is rated 240 V, 40 W. Calculate the electrical energy used in 1 minute.

3. Calculate the electrical energy consumed by switching on a refrigerator (rated as 240

V, 500 W) for 12 hours in kWh.

Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

4. The tariff rate of domestic consumption is shown in table below. Joule per meter
readings for a home are recorded below:
Domestic tariff (per Cost
per
Before
month)
unit
After
First 100 units
RM 0.20
Usage
Subsequent 900 units
RM 0.23
Additional units
RM 0.26
Calculate the cost of electrical energy consumption.

Meter
reading
41 242
41 766
524 kWh

5. An electrical appliance labelled 240 V, 1500 W, is used for 50 hours. What is the cost
of electrical energy used if the cost per unit is 30 sen?

6. State the unit for the electrical energy and electrical power.

7. A given bulb is labelled 2.5 V, 0.3 A.

a) What is the power of the bulb?

b) Calculate the total electrical energy consumed by the bulb in 2 minutes.

8. An electrical kettle is labelled 240 V, 1500 W.

a) What is the maximum current that can flow through the electrical kettle?

b) The cost of electricity per unit is given as RM 0.25. What is the cost of electricity if
the electric kettle is used for 4 hours?

Form 3 Science
8.6

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

The Functions of Fuse and Earth Wire

Fuses
1. A fuse is made up of a tin-coated c wire. When the current exceeds its
rating value, it will overheat and melt.
2. In an electrical wiring system, the fuse is fixed at the live wire before the
a
3. When the circuit is loaded with excessive current, the fuse will b. and
b. the current. This will prevent the cable from overheating and causing fire
or damaging the appliances used.
4. There are two types of fuse:
a) R.. fuses
- Usually placed in the d. b.. of a house wiring system.
These fuses are normally rated at 5 A, 10 A, 15 A and 30 A.
b) C. fuses
- Usually fixed in and some other electrical devices.
Cartridge fuses are normally rated at 1 A, 2 A, 5 A, 10 A and 13 A.
Earth Wire
1. Many electrical appliances have m c.., including cookers, washing
machines and refrigerators.
2. The earth wire creates a safe route for the current to flow through if the live wire
touches the casing. You will get an e.. s if the live wire inside
an appliance, such as a cooker, comes loose and touches the metal casing.
3. However, the earth terminal is connected to metal casing so that the current goes
through the earth wire instead of causing an electric shock. A strong current
s through the earth wire because it has very l.. r.. This
breaks the fuse and disconnects the appliance.

8.7

The Importance of Safety Precautions in the Use of Electricity

Safety precautions in the use of electrical energy

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Do not o. electrical sockets.

R. old wires with worn our insulations with new wire.
Do not touch electrical appliances or switches with w h..
Do not p. anything into an electric socket
In case of an electric fire
- S o the main switch
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Form 3 Science

Chapter 8 Generation of Electricity

- Use a powder fire extinguisher to put out the fire

- Call the fire brigade
6. In case of a person getting an electric shock
- S.. o the main switch
- Use an insulator such as wood, rubber or plastic to s. the person
from the source of electric shock
- N touch the person with your bare hands
- Give first aid to the victim
- Send the victim to hospital

8.8

The Importance of Conserving Electricity

1. Steps to conserve electricity energy

a) Turns off the lights that are not in use
b) Use fluorescent lamps which are more efficient in lightning
c) Iron all your clothes at one time
d) Keep the refrigerator away from heating appliances such as ovens and do not
open refrigerator door often
e) Use energy-efficient electric appliances in homes and offices
2. Reasons why we need to conserve the electricity
a) Saving money
b) Saving energy resources
c) Saving the environment from the production of electricity in power stations and
the transmission of electricity through distances can be very harmful to the
environment

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