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NUCLEAR REACTORS
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How a Nuclear Power Plant Produces Electricity |
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A nuclear power plant produces electrical energy in a way that is animated below. |
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A pump circulates water from a reservoir into a heating chamber. |
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Energy released from the fission of Uranium-235 in the reactor core is used to heat the water. |
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Steam from the heated water turns a steam turbine. |
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The steam turbine turns an electric generator that produces electricity. |
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The electricity is fed into the national grid where it can be stored or used. |
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Condensed steam is recycled through the plant. |
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A nuclear power plant is basically a water heater. The advantage is that non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are not used up and that the water can be recycled. A disadvantage is that the decay fragments of the fission process are themselves radioactive and build up as nuclear waste. This is very difficult and expensive to get rid of. Another disadvantage is that if nuclear power plants break down (e.g. Chernobyl in Russia) the radioactive waste that escapes into the atmosphere can give serious environmental problems. |
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Power to the City |
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The animation below shows a nuclear power plant providing energy to an entire city. |
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A huge amount of energy is produced but it may not be safe if an accident occurred. |
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