The Niagara river, separating the United States from Canada,flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. These lakes
Question:
The Niagara river, separating the United States from Canada,flows from Lake Erie to Lake
Ontario. These lakes differ in elevation by about 100 m. Most ofthis drop occurs over Niagara
Falls and in the rapids just above and below the falls, creatinga natural opportunity for
hydroelectric power generation. The Robert Moses hydroelectricpower plant draws water from
the river well above the falls and discharges it well belowthem.
It has a peak capacity of 2,300,000 kW at a maximum water flowof 3,100,000 kg s
In the following, take 1 kg of water as the system.
(a) What is the potential energy of the water flowing out ofLake Erie, relative to the surface of
Lake Ontario?
(b) At peak capacity, what fraction of this potential energy isconverted to electrical energy in the
Robert Moses Power plant?
(c) If the temperature of the water is unchanged in the overallprocess, how much heat flows to or
from it?
Expert Answer:
a The potential energy of the water flowing out of Lake Erie relative to the surface of Lake ... View the full answer
