How does a nuclear power plant work?
I'll give a short, basic answer because this question has been asked on Quora several times and there are full answers to the question already. Basically, a nuclear fission power plant operates much like a coal-fired power plant. You heat water in a boiler, it turns to steam, and the steam is used to drive turbine generators that generate electricity.The main difference then, is how the heat is generated. Nuclear fission gives off this heat primarily through the fission of Uranium-235 nuclei. When there are enough U-235 nuclei close to each other, and you have a substance (such as water) that can thermalize neutrons (slow them down), then a high probability exists for U-235 nuclei to absorb one of these neutrons, fission, and give off neutrons to also be thermalized, absorbed in other nuclei and continue the chain reaction. The net effect of this is heat is produced and transferred to the coolant. Not all reactor designs use water as coolant, but most do.The heated water either boils directly in the reactor vessel (Boiling Water Reactor or BWR), or it is kept under pressure and transfers heat to a separate system in a steam generator (Pressurized Water Reactor or PWR). Either way, the steam is then used to run turbine generators and produce electricity.The fission reaction is controlled through various means. The most direct control is either positioning fuel rods at various levels in the reactor core, or by withdrawing and inserting control rods. Control rods are made of neutron-absorbing materials that effectively interrupt the fission chain reaction. Reactivity in the reactor is also controlled by added "poisons" (which absorb neutrons, such as boron), and by the moderator itself. Most moderators have what is called a negative temperature coefficient for reactivity. Using water as an example (since that is what most reactors use as a moderator/coolant), as water gets hotter, it becomes more likely that a neutron zooming into it will just pass through and not be slowed down. Less neutrons being slowed down means less fissions, so reactor power decreases. As water cools, you then get more neutrons thermalized, and thus more fissions and power goes up.Anyway, that is a basic explanation. Years ago, I studied from books on the subject so thick, if you dropped one on your foot you'd probably end up with a broken foot. So it's safe to say, there is a lot more to discuss on the matter!
How does a nuclear power plant work?
Nuclear reactors of the plant produces electricity using heat form a controlled chain reaction in a nuclear fission(the process in which heavy nucleus divides to form smaller nuclei of intermediate mass and one or more neutrons). Most of the nuclear power plants use uranium, usually in the form of its oxide (U3O8), as the raw material. In a nuclear chain reaction, the neutrons generated during the initial stages of fission of uranium-235 can induce fission in other uranium-235, which in turn produce more neutrons, and so on. In less than a second, the reaction can become uncontrollable, liberating tremendous amount of heat in the surroundings. Consequently, radioactive wastes are by-products of nuclear fission. The most common nuclear reactor is the light water reactor where light water, H20, is used as a moderator(substances that reduces the kinetic energy of neutrons).Moderators are needed because nuclear fission is highly exothermic, the neutrons produced usually move at high velocities. To increase the efficiency neutrons must be slowed down before they can be used to induce nuclear disintegration. Researchers found out that nuclear fusion can produce higher energy, more efficient and with lesser nuclear waste than nuclear fission reaction. But nuclear fusion reactors does not exist yet because these reactions take place at extremely high temperature. In nuclear fusion small nuclei combines into larger ones. this occurs constantly at the sun.
How does a Nuclear Power Plant work?!?
I need this for my test tomorrow and we never learned it...- (How it generates electricity- 3 water system) Please answer in short answer (no need for big paragraphs!!) POINTS! THANKS If you can also tell me in short answer how a hydrogen bomb works or describe what is going on in Japan right now that would be amazing! But if not, thanks for the help!!
How much does a nuclear power plant worker get paid?
It depends on where you work and more importantly what are you qualified to do. Generally speaking “rad workers” at a power plant get paid well though. Rad workers being someone qualified to perform their trade or perform radiation and contamination surveys in an area with expected exposure to radiation. Of course what people fail to realize is that these workers are only employed until they receive their exposure for the year. For example you may make $30 to $40 an hour but once you have received your yearly limit of 5Rem (or whatever the local exposure limits allow) you're usually “let go” until the next calendar year. In the nuke world we call these people sponges, they are there to soak up the radiation essentially.
How much power does a nuclear power plant produce?
In any nuclear plant,( as with nearly any power plant, actually), you have the total heat output in megawatts, expressed as MWt (thermal). This is a calculated value of the total heat output of that particular installation. But this is not equal to the actual total electrical power that a reactor or plant can generate.This is because of thermodynamics- it is not possible to turn all that heat into electricity- because of the inherent efficiency of steam turbines- no matter what engineers try, the process of converting all that heat energy into electricity is only about 40% efficient- the remaining energy is lost to the environment.As such, all nuclear power plants will both a power capacity in thermal units AND electrical.For example, the new reactors at Hinkley point C, will have a thermal power rating of around 4500 MW thermal each. They will produce around 1600 MW electrical, making them, I believe, the most powerful reactors operating in the UK by some margin.How much is a Megawatt (MW) though? It’s a lot. 1000 kilowatts, to be precise. Produce (or consume) 1000 kilowatts in one hour and that is about £90 of electricity. Enough power to boil a 1000 kettles continuously for a whole hour.The Watts Bar power plant, in the USA however, has been operating for a lot longer, and has a solid information on it’s typical generation, which amounts to about 10500 Gigawatt hours per day. That is A LOT of Kilowatt hours. If you do the required math, you will be able to work out the financial value of 1 typical days worth of electricity, that is generated by Watts Bar.
What is a nuclear power plant? How does it work? Is it good to use?
Nuclear Power Plant: Nuclear power plants heat water to produce steam. The steam is used to spin large turbines that generate electricity. Lutech Engineering nuclear power plant use heat produced during nuclear fission to heat water.The economics of new nuclear power stations is a controversial subject, and multibillion-dollar investments ride on the choice of an energy source. Nuclear power stations typically have high capital costs, but low direct fuel costs, with the costs of fuel extraction and processing.It Works As:Following steps are:Splitting Of Atoms: Uranium atoms, in the form of ceramic-coated pellets, are placed in a reactor core.Absorption: Control rods are used to absorb the free floating neurons released during the fission process.Heat: The heat and radiation produced by the fission begin to heat the water, or the coolant that surrounds the reactor.Water And Piping: Water is continuously flowing through and around the reactor and serves as a coolant. Two sets of pipes carry this coolant in and out of the chamber.Is It Good To Use Nuclear Power Plant: Nuclear Power Plant have some of the advantages are as follows:Expense: Less Uranium is needed to produce the same amount of energy as coal or oil, which lowers the cost of producing the same amount of energy. Uranium is also less expensive to procure and transport, which further lowers the cost.Reliability: When a nuclear power plant is functioning properly, it can run uninterrupted for up to 540 days. This results in fewer brownouts or other power interruptions. The running of the plant is also not contingent of weather or foreign suppliers, which makes it more stable than other forms of energy.No Greenhouse Gases: While nuclear energy does have some emissions, the plant itself does not give off greenhouse gasses. This lack of greenhouse gases can be very attractive to some consumers.
How do nuclear power plants work ?
The same as any other electric generating plant works. They all make steam to drive the turbine generators that make the electricity. In a nuclear plant the heat from the fission is used to heat the water into steam instead of using coal or natural gas.
How much money does a nuclear power plant make per day?
Let's consider France here, since it's what I know. If you take a 1300 MWe nuclear reactor (several reactors per plants), it produces 1300 * 24 = 31200 MWh of electricity per day.Factor in the cost of electricity, roughly 80 euros per MWh today in France, one day represents 2.5 millions euros.So, one day of operating a nuclear reactor brings in 2.5 millions, from which you have to subtract the cost of operating it (engineering, repairs, fuel assemblies, etc). A rough estimate would be a gain of 1 million euro a day.