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A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion.
Nuclear reactors are the heart of a nuclear power plant. 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.
How does a nuclear reactor generate electricity? Let's begin at the end and see how it all fits together. We begin by looking at an electric motor. A motor consists primarily of two major components: a stator, which stands still, and a rotor, which rotates within the stator.
The flow path for the reactor coolant through the reactor vessel would be: The coolant enters the reactor vessel at the inlet nozzle and hits against the core barrel. The core barrel forces the water to flow downward in the space between the reactor vessel wall and the core barrel.
This diagram shows all the parts of a nuclear reactor. © 2011 HowStuffWorks.com. In order to turn nuclear fission into electrical energy, nuclear power plant operators have to control the energy given off by the enriched uranium and allow it to heat water into steam.
These reactor designs, which we will examine more closely in an upcoming article, share the goal of making nuclear power plants inherently safer, cheaper, more efficient, faster to build, and ...
In this article, we'll explain how nuclear reactors work, what happens when they malfunction, and the risks they pose to our health and the environment compared to other energy sources. We'll also take a look at what technological advances could make the nuclear reactors of the future safer.
How a Nuclear Reactor Works. Nuclear plants split atoms to heat water into steam. The steam turns a turbine to generate electricity. It takes sophisticated equipment and a highly trained workforce to make it happen, but it’s that simple.
In a fossil-fueled power plant, heat, from the burning of coal, oil, or natural gas, converts (boils) water into steam (A), which is piped to the turbine (B). In the turbine, the steam passes through the blades, which spins the electrical generator (C), resulting in a flow of electricity.
A nuclear reactor is a system that contains and controls sustained nuclear chain reactions. Reactors are used for generating electricity, moving aircraft carriers and submarines, producing medical isotopes for imaging and cancer treatment, and for conducting research.