When will steam turbines be replaced to directly generate electricity?

[zheng89120]

this is like 1800s technology for most parts

 

[turbo]

this is like 1800s technology for most parts

Not really. Have you ever been in the control room of a large T-G generator set? The technology is pretty impressive.

Plus, exploiting the heat of vaporization through multiple stages (from feed-end to vacuum at the condenser end) let's you extract a lot of work out of that steam before returning the condensate to the feedwater cycle of the steam-generator (usually boilers of some description in industrial settings). I don't see steam going away any time soon. If you want more primitive technology, look no further than hydro-electric dams. They will still be around for a long time, barring smaller, less-efficient dams. Locally, some low-head dams are being slated for breaching and removal so that valuable fish-runs can be restored.

 

[HallsofIvy]

What, exactly do you mean by "be replaced"? If you mean "none used whatsoever", that probably will not happen, at least for the foreseeable future. If you mean replaced to some or a large extent, that has already happened and has been happening for some time. Much of the electricty in The United States, and, I am sure in the rest of the world, is produced by water turbines. A small amount, increasing all the time, is produced by wind turbines, solar panels, and nuclear power plants.

(Even with the problems at Chernyoble and now in Japan, far more people have been killed mining coal for power plants than in nuclear accidents.)

 

[zheng89120]

I meant steam turbines generating electricity from heat sources
what about MHD in the use of plasmas to extract electricity from heat, practical?

 

[DrBloke]

Modern steam turbines are quite different from the piston steam engines of James Watt. In modern power stations I believe they work with a thermodynamic efficiency of 80-90%. They do this whilst being relatively easy to maintain and being adaptable to varying amounts of heat energy being available. For small scale energy production you're probably correct since turbines are not very portable and require very high operating temperatures of over 500 deg C.

 

[Drakkith]

There are some basics to technology that will never go away completely. For example, the wheel was invented thousands of years ago as was the lever. Do we still use them? Of course we do! Why? Because they work! Would you say the automobile tires of today are exactly the same as a wagon wheel 1 thousand years ago? No! The materials and quality of manufacturing have improved enormously since then. A similar thing happened to the turbine.