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Which four fluids are used to classify the main types of turbines?

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Rows of white wind turbines with spinning blades stand on a dry, grassy landscape at a wind farm near Tehachapi, California. — turbine Wind turbines near Tehachapi, California.

Turbines are devices that convert the energy in a stream of fluid into mechanical energy. According to their design and the specific fluid utilized, they are classified into four primary types:

Water: Uses the potential energy from a difference in elevation to generate power.1
Steam: Driven by steam produced in fossil-fuel-fired or nuclear-powered generators.1
Gas: Utilizes air mixed with gaseous combustion products as the working fluid.1
Wind: Extracts energy from the wind to produce electricity or perform mechanical work.1

While these categories share fundamental principles of operation, their specific designs differ to accommodate the unique properties of each fluid.1