Trans Alaska PipelineNo stop to Fairbanks would be complete without viewing the Trans Alaska Pipeline which was installed and maintained by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The pipeline runs 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in Alaska. About 420 miles of the pipeline is above ground so it doesn't warm up the permafrost which could melt making the land around it unstable. The pipeline can be seen from the road while driving north on Steese Highway/Rt 2 - where groups often stop to check it out. Gold Dredge 8
Chena Hot Springs - Geothermal Power
Geothermal Power - How it WorksElectricity is the flow of electrons and one way to start the flow of electrons is to move magnets around a metal wire. The movement of the polar magnets causes movement of the negatively charged electrons through a wire. Large scale energy production depends on turning turbines to turn generators with magnets to make electricity. Wind energy and hydroelectric (water) energy turn turbines directly while coal and nuclear energy plants heat water to produce steam which turns the turbine. Geothermal power is similar to many power plants that generate electricity by turning a turbine with steam from hot water. However at Chena Hot Springs, warm water from the springs isn't hot enough to produce steam to turn a turbine and produce electricity. Instead the warm water heats freon, which has a lower boiling point. The freon gas then turns the turbine. The gas then condenses into liquid where it can be heated again to turn the turbine.
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Cindy BenedekSharing a little bit of science in our everyday world . Previous Posts
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Hampshire Museums, shawncampbell, jfingas