Nuclear Plants

Nuclear Plants:

Summary: 

A nuclear power plant is a facility that converts atomic energy into usable power. In a nuclear electric power plant, the heat produced by a reactor is generally used to drive a turbine which in turn drives an electric generator. There are many types of reactors, however the most commonly used is the light water reactor 

How it Works: 

there are four main parts to a light-water nuclear power plant: 
1. Nuclear Reactor

2. Heat Exchanger

3. Turbine

4. Pump 

Nuclear Reactor: 

A Nuclear Reactor is where fission takes place. It is the source of the whole plant. It is the most essential section of the plant. However, it is also one of the most dangerous sections of the plant. It consists of 4 main parts: 

The Fuel Elements: 

The fuel elements, or "Reactor Core"  is composed of Fissionable Material, such as U-235 or U-238. They usually are in thin rods about the size of 1cm. The Number Varies depending on the Size of the Core, with some containing thousands of rods. 

Moderator: 

The Moderators Purpose is to slow down the neutrons to hit the Fuel Elements and cause fission. The Water molecules repel and slow down the neutrons because of the collision, which decreases the KE of the neutrons. The Moderator is normally composed of water or heavy water, a denser compound of water. It makes neutrons 500 times more likely to hit the fuel elements than without Moderator. 

Control Rods: 

Control Rods are the most essential part of the Nuclear Reactor. Their purpose is to "control" the number of reactions in the reactor to prevent the chain reaction from spiraling out of control. Control Rods are normally made from a material that absorbs neutrons, such as Cadmium and Boron. They could be removed and inserted to keep the number of reactions in check so that nothing bad happens.

Containment building: 

The Containment building is one of the most crucial parts of the nuclear power plant. Mostly made from concrete and steel, the containment building is used if nuclear reactions spiral out of control, and the reactor container breaks. It's the job of the Containment building to keep the nuclear matter/waste inside it to prevent nuclear matter/waste from spreading into the environment.

Heat Exchanger: 

the heat exchanger is yet another essential part of the light water reactor. Its job is to cool off the moderator water in the nuclear reactor and transfer the water in it to turn into steam. It consists of water and a container.

Pump: 

the pump is another crucial part of the nuclear power plant. its job is to continuously pump cooled water back into the nuclear reactor after being cooled in the heat exchanger. If there is no pump, there will be no circulation in the reactor, and the fuel elements would have nothing to radiate on. because of this, they would melt, causing a meltdown.

other parts include the turbine, which converts the nuclear-generated steam into energy, which is then transferred into a power grid, which is then transferred to your home. Horray for electricity!