Usina is a concept that derives from usine, a term of the French language. The notion is used in several South American countries with reference to a industrial plant which produces, on a large scale, electricity, gas, drinking water or another element of social importance.
A power plant, therefore, is a factory type With a certain specialization. According to the context, a steel plant , a hydroelectric power station , a refinery from Petroleum and other sites can be named as plants.
For example: "The authorities promised to carry out a thorough investigation of the pollution around the power plant", "We must position the region as a dairy plant", “I worked for more than a decade in a plant chemistry ”.
The energy generation It is the activity most related to the concept of plant, and consists of the transformation into Energy electric of a different type, such as thermal, chemical, nuclear, solar or kinetic. To carry out this process it is necessary to resort to power plants , where some of these transformations are carried out, which are essential for electricity supply networks.
The fundamental component for power generation is the so-called Electric generator , a device used to ensure that a potential difference is maintained between two poles (also known as terminals or terminals), so that the mechanical energy becomes electrical.
Another field in which the term plant is used to refer to an industrial site is the mining , the economic activity that consists of exploiting or extracting minerals from Deposit , areas of the soil and subsoil in which they have accumulated.
Mining can metallic (when gold, copper, silver, lead, aluminum, mercury or iron are extracted, among others) or not metallic (If you are looking for sapphire, granite, clay, mica, marble, emerald or quartz, among others). Metal mining focuses on the production of industrial items, while the other, also called quarry and construction, points to the raw material of ornamentation and jewelry, in addition to building materials.
In the plants of iron and steel industry On the other hand, iron ore is treated to generate other types of it or some of its alloys. The extraction in the mines is the first step for this process, since iron is found in nature as carbonates, hydroxides, oxides, sulphides and silicates.
Another industrial platform commonly known as a plant is the oil refinery , where a process is carried out to obtain several fossil fuels that can then be used on asphalts, oils minerals and combustion engines (such as gasoline and gas oil).
In everyday speech, on the other hand, many people use the term plant to refer to the room of a rural house in which they are, for example, the water pump and the light engine.
The idea of a plant is also used to mention the environment, physical or symbolic, that contributes to the generation of ideas or non-material issues. A political analyst can claim that a particular library is a "Neoliberal power plant" since, in that place, intellectuals meet who spread the precepts of neoliberalism.
In a similar sense, a neighborhood can be named as a “Cultural plant” if in its streets it houses cultural centers, theaters and exhibition halls. This causes multiple artistic expressions to emerge from this area.
The Buenos aires city (Argentina ), finally, it has a state space called Usina del Arte , composed of a symphony hall, a chamber hall and a micro-cinema, among other facilities for the realization of cultural events, such as concerts , movie screenings, conferences and others.
