1. 2011 EdExcel Unit 1 W Richards
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2011 EdExcel Unit 1
This PowerPoint supports Topic 5 (Generating and transmitting electricity) from the 2011 EdExcel Physics Unit 1 module
W Richards

2. Topic 5 – Generation and Transmission of Electricity
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Topic 5 – Generation and Transmission of Electricity

3. Electric Current Electric current is a flow of charge around a circuit
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Electric current is a flow of charge around a circuit
Note that electrons go from negative to positive and are “pushed” by the voltage - + e-
By definition, current is “the rate of flow of charge” e-

4. Words: volts, amps, ohms, voltage, ammeter, voltmeter
Basic ideas…
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Electric current is when electrons start to flow around a circuit. We use an _________ to measure it and it is measured in ____.
Potential difference (also called _______) is how big the push on the electrons is. We use a ________ to measure it and it is measured in ______, a unit named after Volta.
Resistance is anything that resists an electric current. It is measured in _____.
Words: volts, amps, ohms, voltage, ammeter, voltmeter

5. More basic ideas…
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If a battery is added the current will ________ because there is a greater _____ on the electrons
If a bulb is added the current will _______ because there is greater ________ in the circuit

6. Electrical Power
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Power is defined as “the rate of transferring energy” and is measured in units called “Watts” (W). P I V
The amount of power being transferred in an electrical device is given by:
Power = voltage x current
in W in V in A
How much power is transferred by a 230V fire that runs on a current of 10A?
An electric motor has a power rating of 24W. If it runs on a 12V battery what current does it draw?
An average light bulb in a home has a power rating of 60W and works on 230V. What current does it draw?

7. Fuels
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A “fuel” is something that can be burned to release heat and light energy. The main examples are:
Coal, oil and gas are called “fossil fuels”. In other words, they were made from fossils.

8. Some definitions…
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A renewable energy source is clearly one that can be _______ (“renew = make again”), e.g. _____, solar power etc.
A ___________ energy source is one that when it has been used it is gone forever. The main examples are ____, oil and gas (which are called ______ ____, as they are made from fossils), and nuclear fuel, which is non-renewable but NOT a fossil fuel.
Words – non-renewable, coal, fossil fuels, wood, renewed

9. Using non-renewable fuels in power stations
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1) A fossil fuel is burned in the boiler
2) Water turns to steam and the steam drives a turbine
3) The turbine turns a generator
4) The output of the generator is connected to a transformer
5) The steam is cooled down in a cooling tower and reused

10. Efficiency of Power Stations
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Heat
Heat
Heat
15J
Boiler
Turbine
Generator
100J
50J 5J
85J
35J
30J
Heat
Kinetic
Electrical

11. Pollution
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When a fuel is burned the two main waste products are _____ dioxide and ________ dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a _________ ___ and helps cause _______ _________. This is produced when any fossil fuels are burned.
Sulphur dioxide, when dissolved in ________, causes ______ _____. This is mainly a problem for ___ power stations.
Nuclear power stations do not produce these pollutants because they don’t ____ fossil fuels.
Words – sulphur, coal, global warming, carbon, acid rain, greenhouse gas, rainwater, burn

12. Nuclear power stations
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These work in a similar way to normal power stations:
The main difference is that the nuclear fuel is NOT burnt – it is used to boil water in a “heat exchanger”

13. Start up times Different power stations have different start up times:
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Different power stations have different start up times:
Gas
Oil
Coal
Nuclear
Quick
Slow

14. Non-renewable energy sources
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Advantages
Disadvantages
Pollution – CO2 leads to global warming and SO2 leads to acid rain
Cheap fuel costs
Coal, oil, gas and nuclear
Generate a lot of energy
Fuel will run out
Easy to use

15. Renewable energy sources
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Advantages
Disadvantages
Often depend on the weather – is it sunny???
Clean
Wind, tidal, solar etc
Won’t run out
Look ugly
Energy is “dilute” – in other words, it’s very spread out
Easily accessible

16. Other ways of generating electricity
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Can we drive the turbine directly without burning any fossil fuels?

17. 20/04/2017
Wind Power

18. Tidal Power
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High tide
Low tide

19. Wave Power
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20. Hydroelectric Power
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21. 20/04/2017
Biomass

22. Words – alcohols, cleaner, burnt, renewable, methane, carbon dioxide
Biofuels
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Biomass can be used as a fuel in a number of ways:
Fast-growing trees that can be ____
Manure or other waste that can be used to release _______ (biogas)
Corn or sugar cane that can be broken down in a fermenter to produce ______ like bio-ethanol.
Biofuels have two main advantages over traditional fuels – they are ______ and ________. However, they still release ______ _______.
Words – alcohols, cleaner, burnt, renewable, methane, carbon dioxide

23. Solar Energy
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Solar panels – convert sunlight directly into electricity. Sunlight knocks electrons loose from the crystal structure and the loose electrons form an electric current. The amount of power depends on the area of the panel and the light intensity.
Heating for homes – these pipes carry water that absorbs heat energy and transfers it to the house.

24. 20/04/2017
Geothermal Energy

25. Words – steam, Iceland, volcanic, turbines, hot rocks
Geothermal Energy
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Geothermal energy can be used in _______ areas such as ______. In a geothermal source cold water is pumped down towards ____ _____. The water turns to steam and the steam can be used to turn ______. In some areas the _____ rising at the surface can be captured and used directly.
Words – steam, Iceland, volcanic, turbines, hot rocks

26. Solar Panels and Thermal Towers
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Solar Panels and Thermal Towers

27. Using Solar Energy in remote places
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Using Solar Energy in remote places

28. Electromagnetic Induction
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The direction of the induced current is reversed if…
The wire is moved in the opposite direction
The field is reversed
The size of the induced current can be increased by:
Increasing the speed of movement
Increasing the magnet strength

29. Electromagnetic induction
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Electromagnetic induction
The direction of the induced current is reversed if…
The magnet is moved in the opposite direction
The other pole is inserted first
The size of the induced current can be increased by:
Increasing the speed of movement
Increasing the magnet strength
Increasing the number of turns on the coil

30. AC Generators
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Voltage
Time

31. Other generators A dynamo works by the same principle.
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A dynamo works by the same principle.
1) How can you make its output bigger?
2) How can you reverse the direction of its output current?

32. Large-scale production of Electricity
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A generator at Drax power station in England

33. DC and AC
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DC stands for “Direct Current” – the current only flows in one direction:
Time
1/50th s
AC stands for “Alternating Current” – the current changes direction 50 times every second (frequency = 50Hz)
230V T V

34. Words – step down, high, power, low, high
The National Grid
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Electricity reaches our homes from power stations through the National Grid:
Power station
Step up transformer
Step down transformer
Homes
If electricity companies transmitted electricity at 240 volts through overhead power lines there would be too much ______ loss by the time electricity reaches our homes. This is because the current is ___. To overcome this they use devices called transformers to “step up” the voltage onto the power lines. They then “____ ____” the voltage at the end of the power lines before it reaches our homes. This way the voltage is _____ and the current and power loss are both ____.
Words – step down, high, power, low, high

35. Power Lines
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Here’s my new shed. I want to connect it to the electricity I my house. Should I use an overhead cable or bury the cable underground?

36. Transformers
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Transformers are used to _____ __ or step down _______. They only work on AC because an ________ current in the primary coil causes a constantly alternating _______ ______. This will “_____” an alternating current in the secondary coil.
Words – alternating, magnetic field, induce, step up, voltage
We can work out how much a transformer will step up or step down a voltage:
Voltage across primary (Vp)
No. of turns on secondary (Ns)
Voltage across secondary (Vs)
No. of turns on primary (Np)

37. Some transformer questions
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Primary voltage Vp
Secondary voltage Vs
No. of turns on primary Np
No. of turns on secondary Ns
Step up or step down?
12V
24V
100 ?
400V
200V 20
25,000V
50,000V
1,000
23V
230V
150

38. Some example questions
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Primary voltage Vp
Secondary voltage Vs
No. of turns on primary Np
No. of turns on secondary Ns
Step up or step down? 6V
24V
100 ?
400,000V
200V
1,000
25,000V
20,000 20
230V
150
1,500
A transformer increases voltage from 10V to 30V. What is the ratio of the number of turns on the primary coil to the number of turns on the secondary coil?
A step-down transformer has twice as many turns on the primary coil than on the secondary coil. What will be the output (secondary) voltage if the input voltage is 50V?

39. The Cost of Electricity
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Electricity is measured in units called “kilowatt hours” (kWh). For example…
A 3kW fire left on for 1 hour uses 3kWh of energy
A 1kW toaster left on for 2 hours uses 2kWh
A 0.5kW hoover left on for 4 hours uses __kWh
A 200W TV left on for 5 hours uses __kWh
A 2kW kettle left on for 15 minutes uses __kWh

40. The Cost of Electricity
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To work out how much a device costs we do the following:
Cost of electricity = Power (kW) x time (h) x cost per kWh (p)
For example, if electricity costs 8p per unit calculate the cost of the following…
A 2kW fire left on for 3 hours
A 0.2kW TV left on for 5 hours
A 0.1kW light bulb left on for 10 hours
A 0.5kW hoover left on for 1 hour
48p 8p 8p 4p

41. Reducing Energy Consumption
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60W older bulb, roughly 70p, to be banned in the EU from 2012.
25W “energy efficient” light bulb, £7.30 on Amazon
Which one is more cost-effective?
Jane wants to replace all the bulbs in her house with energy-efficient ones. If she has 10 light bulbs in her house calculate the following:
How much will it cost her to buy the bulbs?
What will the total power consumption be reduced by?
If she uses the bulbs for 5 hours per day and electricity costs 10p per unit how much money will she save?
How long will it take her to repay the cost of the bulbs?

42. In other words, 1 Watt = 1 Joule per second
Energy and Power
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The POWER RATING of an appliance is simply how much energy it uses every second.
In other words, 1 Watt = 1 Joule per second E T P
E = Energy (in joules)
P = Power (in watts)
T = Time (in seconds)

43. Some example questions
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What is the power rating of a light bulb that transfers 120 joules of energy in 2 seconds?
What is the power of an electric fire that transfers 10,000J of energy in 5 seconds?
Farhun runs up the stairs in 5 seconds. If he transfers 1,000,000J of energy in this time what is his power rating?
How much energy does a 150W light bulb transfer in a) one second, b) one minute?
Shaun’s brain needs energy supplied to it at a rate of 40W. How much energy does it need during a physics lesson?
Damien’s brain, being more intelligent, only needs energy at a rate of about 20W. How much energy would his brain use in a normal day?

44. This slideshow has been made freely available on the TES Resources website.
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