They contain and control nuclear chain reactions that produce heat through a physical process called fission. That heat is used to make steam that spins a turbine to create electricity.
With more than commercial reactors worldwide , including 94 in the United States, nuclear power continues to be one of the largest sources of reliable carbon-free electricity available. The main job of a reactor is to house and control nuclear fission —a process where atoms split and release energy.
Reactors use uranium for nuclear fuel. The uranium is processed into small ceramic pellets and stacked together into sealed metal tubes called fuel rods. Typically more than of these rods are bundled together to form a fuel assembly.
A reactor core is typically made up of a couple hundred assemblies, depending on power level. Nuclear power plants use heat produced during nuclear fission to heat water. In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. Fission takes place inside the reactor of a nuclear power plant. At the center of the reactor is the core, which contains uranium fuel.
The uranium fuel is formed into ceramic pellets. Each ceramic pellet produces about the same amount of energy as gallons of oil. These energy-rich pellets are stacked end-to-end in foot metal fuel rods. A bundle of fuel rods, some with hundreds of rods, is called a fuel assembly. A reactor core contains many fuel assemblies.
The heat produced during nuclear fission in the reactor core is used to boil water into steam, which turns the blades of a steam turbine. As the turbine blades turn, they drive generators that make electricity. Nuclear plants cool the steam back into water in a separate structure at the power plant called a cooling tower, or they use water from ponds, rivers, or the ocean.
The cooled water is then reused to produce steam. Nuclear reactors in the United States may have large concrete domes covering the reactors, which are required to contain accidental releases of radiation. Not all nuclear power plants have cooling towers. Some nuclear power plants use water from lakes, rivers, or the ocean for cooling. In order to ensure the nuclear reaction takes place at the right speed, reactors have systems that accelerate, slow or shut down the nuclear reaction, and the heat it produces.
This is normally done with control rods, which typically are made out of neutron-absorbing materials such as silver and boron. Two examples of nuclear fissioning of uranium, the most commonly used fuel in nuclear reactors. Nuclear reactors come in many different shapes and sizes — some use water to cool their cores, whilst others use gas or liquid metal.
Further information on the many different types of reactor around the world can be found in the Nuclear Power Reactors section of the Information Library. Nuclear reactors are very reliable at generating electricity, capable of running for 24 hours a day for many months, if not years, without interruption, whatever the weather or season. Additionally, most nuclear reactors can operate for very long periods of time — over 60 years in many cases. Electric Vehicles. Infrastructure services.
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Local community. Jobs and training. Sizewell C. Our proposals. Jobs and careers. Young SZC. News and media. Here are the 8 steps involved in generating nuclear energy. The reaction is triggered The reactor vessel is a tough steel capsule that houses fuel elements — sealed metal cylinders containing uranium.
Hot water is circulated A coolant pump then circulates the hot, pressurised water from the reactor vessel through to a steam generator. Steam is created This hot, pressurised water flows through thousands of looped pipes while a second stream of water flows around the outside of the pipes. Steam energy is converted to electrical energy The steam passes through a series of turbines, and causes them to spin. Electrical energy is passed to national grid A transformer converts the electrical energy to the high voltage needed by the national grid.
Electricity is sent through power lines to homes The national grid uses high voltages to transmit electricity efficiently through the power lines.
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