Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plants
Plants
Macalin Cawsey
Like a fossil-fueled plant, a nuclear
power plant boils water to produce
electricity. Unlike a fossil-fueled plant,
the nuclear plant’s energy does not
come from the combustion of fuel, but
from the fissioning (splitting) of fuel
atoms.
Nuclear energy, it is the
energy released during
nuclear reactions like
nuclear fission or nuclear
fusion.
Nuclear fission, subdivision of a
heavy atomic nucleus, such as that
of uranium or plutonium, into two
fragments of roughly equal mass.
The process is accompanied by the
release of a large amount of energy.
In nuclear fission the nucleus of an atom
breaks up into two lighter nuclei. The
process may take place spontaneously in
some cases or may be induced by the
excitation of the nucleus with a variety of
particles (e.g., neutrons, protons, deuterons,
or alpha particles) or with
electromagnetic radiation in the form of
gamma rays. In the fission process, a large
quantity of energy is released, radioactive
products are formed, and several neutrons
are emitted.
These neutrons can induce fission in a
nearby nucleus of fissionable material and
release more neutrons that can repeat the
sequence, causing a chain reaction in which
a large number of nuclei undergo fission and
an enormous amount of energy is released.
If controlled in a nuclear reactor, such a
chain reaction can provide power for
society’s benefit. If uncontrolled, as in the
case of the so-called atomic bomb, it can
lead to an explosion of awesome destructive
force.
Xe – Xenon
Sr – Strontium
Zr- Zirconium
Life Cycle of a Neutron
The pellets are stacked into 12-foot long, slender metal tubes, generally
helium gas, and plugs are installed and welded to seal the tube. The
filled rod is called a “fuel rod.” The fuel rods are bundled together into
now ready to be shipped to the plant for installation into the reactor
vessel.
There are two basic types of reactor plants being
used in the United States to produce electricity,
the boiling water reactor (BWR) and the
pressurized water reactor (PWR). The boiling
water reactor operates in essentially the same
way as a fossil-fueled generating plant. Inside
the reactor vessel, a steam/water mixture is
produced when very pure water (reactor coolant)
moves upward through the core absorbing heat.
The major difference in the operation of a
boiling water reactor as compared to other
nuclear systems is the steam void formation in
the core. The steam/water mixture leaves the top
of the core and enters two stages of moisture
separation, where water droplets are removed
before the steam is allowed to enter the steam
line. The steam line, in turn, directs the steam to
the main turbine, causing it to turn the turbine
and the attached electrical generator.
The unused steam is exhausted to the
condenser where it is condensed into water.
The resulting water (condensate) is pumped
out of the condenser with a series of pumps
and back to the reactor vessel. The
recirculation pumps and the jet pumps
allow the operator to vary coolant flow
through the core and to change reactor
power.
The pressurized water reactor (PWR) differs
from the boiling water reactor in that steam is
produced in the steam generator rather than in
the reactor vessel. The pressurizer keeps the
water that is flowing through the reactor vessel
under very high pressure (more than 2,200
pounds per square inch) to prevent it from
boiling, even at operating temperatures of more
than 600 degree F. Pressurized water reactors
make
up about two-thirds of the power reactors in the
United States.
Boiling water reactors are manufactured in the
United States by the General Electric Company, San
Jose, California. Boiling water reactors comprise
about one-third of the power reactors in the United
States.
i) Moderators
2. A nuclear power plant consumes very small quantity of fuel. Thus fuel
transportation cost is less and large fuel storage facilities are not needed
Further the nuclear power plants will
conserve the fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas etc.) for other energy need.
5. Nuclear power plants are well suited to meet large power demands.
They give better performance at higher load factors (80 to 90%).
6. Materials
expenditure on metal structures, piping, storage
mechanisms are much lower for a
nuclear power plant than a coal burning power plant.
2. Nuclear power plants are not well suited for varying load conditions.