Browse terms related to these fuel groups:alternative fuels|coal|electricity|natural gas|nuclear|petroleum|renewable
Therm: One hundred thousand (100,000) Btu.
Thermal conversion factor: A factor for converting data between physical units of measure (such as barrels, cubic feet, or short tons) and thermal units of measure (such as British thermal units, calories, or joules); or for converting data between different thermal units of measure. See Btu conversion factor.
Thermal cracking: A refining process in which heat and pressure are used to break down, rearrange, or combine hydrocarbon molecules. Thermal-cracking includes gas oil, visbreaking, fluid coking, delayed coking, and other thermal cracking processes (e.g., flexicoking).
Thermal efficiency: A measure of the efficiency of converting a fuel to energy and useful work; useful work and energy output divided by higher heating value of input fuel times 100 (for percent).
Thermal energy storage: The storage of heat energy during utility off-peak times at night, for use during the next day without incurring daytime peak electric rates.
Thermal limit: The maximum amount of power a transmission line can carry without suffering heat-related deterioration of line equipment, particularly conductors.
Thermal maturity: The degree of heating of a source rock over geologic time that generates oil and natural gas from organic matter present in the rock. Thermal maturity is commonly evaluated by measuring vitrinite reflectance.
Thermal rating (electric): The maximum amount of electrical current that a transmission line or electrical facility can conduct over a specified time period before it sustains permanent damage by overheating or before it sags to the point that it violates public safety requirements. NERC definition
Thermal resistance (R-Value): This designates the resistance of a material to heat conduction. The greater the R-value the larger the number.
Thermal storage: Storage of heat or heat sinks (coldness) for later heating or cooling. Examples are the storage of solar energy for night heating; the storage of summer heat for winter use; the storage of winter ice for space cooling in the summer; and the storage of electrically-generated heat or coolness when electricity is less expensive, to be released in order to avoid using electricity when the rates are higher. There are four basic types of thermal storage systems: ice storage; water storage; storage in rock, soil or other types of solid thermal mass; and storage in other materials, such as glycol (antifreeze).
Thermocouple: A device consisting of two dissimilar conductors with their ends connected together. When the two junctions are at different temperatures, a small voltage is generated.
Thermodynamics: A study of the transformation of energy from one form to another, and its practical application.
Thermophotovoltaic cell: A device where sunlight concentrated onto a absorber heats it to a high temperature, and the thermal radiation emitted by the absorber is used as the energy source for a photovoltaic cell that is designed to maximize conversion efficiency at the wavelength of the thermal radiation.
Thermosiphon system: A solar collector system for water heating in which circulation of the collection fluid through the storage loop is provided solely by the temperature and density difference between the hot and cold fluids.
Thermostat: A device that adjusts the amount of heating and cooling produced and/or distributed by automatically responding to the temperature in the environment.