A subsea tidal stream turbine is deployed to generate renewable electricity from marine currents.
At a particular tidal flow speed, a volume of 1.5 × 102 m3 of seawater passes the turbine blades each second. The density of seawater is 1.02 × 103 kg/m3. Calculate the mass of seawater passing the blades per second.
The power output of the tidal turbine is directly proportional to the kinetic energy of the seawater passing the blades each second. Describe and explain the effect on the power output when the tidal flow speed is tripled.
At a different tidal flow speed, the turbine has a power output of 360 kW. The mass of seawater passing the turbine each second is 80,000 kg80,000 \text{ kg}80,000 kg. Calculate the speed of the seawater passing the blades. Assume that the process is 100% efficient.
Practise AQA GCSE Physics Energy transfers with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 5 questions covering Power, Energy transfers in everyday appliances, and The National Grid, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.