NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Nuclear Power
Plant
◦ is a thermal power station in
which the heat source is
a nuclear reactor. As it is typical of
thermal power stations, heat is
used to generate steam that drives a
steam turbine connected to a
generator that produces electricity.

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Who discovered Nuclear Power?
◦ in 1935 Enrico Fermi discovered that when a radioactive substance
such as Uranium is bombarded by neutrons, it produces by-products
that are not Uranium and are lighter than the original sample. It
wasn't until 1938 that fission was discovered by Otto Han and Fritz
Strassman.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

In nuclear fission, atoms are split
apart, which releases energy. All
nuclear power plants use nuclear
fission, and most nuclear power
plants use uranium atoms. During
nuclear fission, a neutron collides
with a uranium atom and splits it,
releasing a large amount of
energy in the form of heat and
radiation. More neutrons are also
released when a uranium atom
splits. These neutrons continue to
collide with other uranium atoms,
and the process repeats itself over
and over again. This process is
called a nuclear chain reaction.
Types of Nuclear Power Plant

◦ Pressurized Water Reactors

Pressurized water reactors are the most common reactor in use today. Pressurized reactors contain enriched
uranium fuel sources that are used to heat highly pressurized water that generates steam. This steam is used to
turn a turbine that generates electricity collected and used in the power grid. Pressurized water reactors also use
water as a cooling device. Secondary cooling measures to prevent overheating (meltdown) include adding boron
to the system.
◦ Boiling Water Reactors
Boiling water reactors are similar to pressurized water reactors. Boiling water reactors are simpler in design and
less expensive but the required maintenance makes up for this initial cost savings. The steam in boiling water
reactors is irradiated, thus radiological protection is needed for the electric turbine and any maintenance within
the reactor. Luckily, the water radioactivity is short lived.
PRESSURIZED
WATER
REACTORS
a nuclear reactor in which the
fuel is uranium oxide clad in
zircaloy and the coolant and
moderator is water maintained at
high pressure so that it does not
boil at the operating temperature
of the reactor.
Boiling Water
Reactor
A boiling water reactor (BWR)
uses demineralized water as a
coolant and neutron moderator.
Heat is produced by nuclear
fission in the reactor core, and
this causes the cooling water to
boil, producing steam.
 Energy can an Nuclear
Power Plant can produce
and its advantages
◦ The US generates more power
using Nuclear power than any other
country in the world but Nuclear
power is only 19% of the USA
sources… 1,280,000,000W/1200W
= 1,066,667 approximately 1
million home

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◦ Advantages:
-Emits relatively low amount of carbon dioxide
-Technology is readily available
-Can produce great amount of energy

Disadvantages:
-Radioactive waste which is extremely dangerous
-High risk , an errors or failure can do lots of damage and may cause
to death to all its surroundings.
-The Fuel it used is scarce.
-Planning and Building The Power Plant Requires 20-30 in the western
democracies
How it works
◦ Nuclear energy originates from
the splitting of uranium atoms – a
process called fission.
This generates heat to produce
steam, which is used by a turbine
generator to generate
electricity. Because nuclear power
plants do not burn fuel, they
do not produce greenhouse
gas emissions.
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT GENERATES 500MW AND HAS 300 KW
POWER NEEDED FOR AUXILIARIES. IF THE HEAT GENERATED BY
THE NUCLEAR REACTOR IS 1300MJ PER SECOND, WHAT IS THE NET
EFFICIENCY OF THE POWERPLANT?
AN IDEAL RANKINE CYCLE IS USED IN A NUCLEAR POWERPLANT. THE POWERPLANT HAS
A NET POWERT OUTPUT OF 30MW. THE ENERGY NEEDED BY THE PUMP IS 300KJ PER
KILOGRAM. WITH A NET EFFICIENCY OF 70%, BRAKE EFFICIENCY OF 90% AND THE
CHANGE IN ENTHALPY IN THE CONDENSER IS 400 KJ PER KILOGRAM, FIND THE MASS OF
COOLING WATER REQUIRED IF THE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE IS 30 DEGREES CELSIUS.
IN A NUCLEAR POWERPLANT, WATER IS HEATED FROM 25 DEGREES CELCIUS TO PRODUCE
STEAM AT 120 DEGREES CELSIUS TO GENERATE 30MW OF POWER. A 3000 KW IS NEEDED
FOR ITS AUXILIARIES. THE LEAVES THE TURBINE TO THE CONDENSER AT 1300 KJ PER
KILOGRAM. FIND THE NET BOILER EFFIENCY IF THE HEAT GENERATED BY THE REACTOR
IS 100MW.
A BOILER OF A NUCLEAR POWERPLANT HAS A HEATING SURFACE OF 35 SQ. METERS. IF
THE POWERPLANT HAS A NET POWER OF 400KW AND HAS A EFFICIENCY OF 60
PERCENT, WHAT IS THE BOILER EFFICIENCY IF THE PERCENT RATING OF THE BOILER
IS 150 PERCENT?
A NUCLEAR POWERPLANT HAS A RESERVE OVER PEAK OF 80KW AND A LOAD FACTOR
OF 0.9 AND CAPACITY FACTOR 0.8. THE PLANT HAS AN EFFICIENCY OF 75 PERCENT.
FIND THE PERCENT RATING OF THE BOILER IF THE HEATING AREA OF THE BOILER IS
30 SQ METERS AND AN EFFICIENCY OF 60 PERCENT.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.