Here is a video about convection, conduction and radiation.

 Alvaro

How does a heating plant works

A thermal station is the one that transforms the heat energy of the coal or gases in electric energy.  We can also consider the nuclear station as thermal. All thermal station must follow a cycle of production of steam destined to the preparing of the turbines that moves the alternator rotor:

-1 The water is heatten that have been pumped to a cooling coil (that is a pipe system) .The water heating its produce because a boiler that obtains energy of the combustion of the combustible (pulverized coal).

-2 The liquid water goes to transform in steam; this steam is wetter and low energetic.

-3 The steam over heat it self that turn dry, to higher temperature and pressure.

-4Thre overheating steam goes trough a conduction system and it set free it self to a turbine.

-5The turbine is connected to an alternator, finally, it produce the electric energy.

-6In this last stage, the steam goes colder it also condenses and returns to the liquid status. The liquid water take art in a close circuit and it will return to the boiler again, with the previous heating. The electrical current generates more less 20.000 volts of tension and it goes to the transformers  to elevate the tension up to 400.000 volt, to transport it to the shop point.

Alvaro