Fossil fuel plants, power plant, emissions and processes, electricity generation

Question

Could someone please describe what happens to the emissions of a fossil fuels plant (why you only see steam but no emissions from the burning of the fuel). Could someone please describe the processes of turning the energy of the burning of the fossil fuels into electricity (how it is burned, how water is boiled, is pressure built up to turn turbines). Thanks for all of your time.

Answer 1

This is how it happens:

Fuel get into the power plant

It (usually) get burned, than the heat is transmitted to water, which then evaporate and make the turbine rotate.

This make the generator, which is connected to the turbine, produce electricity

The emissions is cool by water and discharge into the air

The "white stream" you see coming from the cooling towers is water vapor, carbon dioxide and other hazardous gas..