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Physics Lesson 20.4.7 - Nuclear Power Plants and Energy Production
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Welcome to our Physics lesson on Nuclear Power Plants and Energy Production, this is the seventh lesson of our suite of physics lessons covering the topic of Nuclear Reactions, you can find links to the other lessons within this tutorial and access additional physics learning resources below this lesson.
Nuclear Power Plants and Energy Production
The main mechanism of nuclear power plants is nuclear reactor, formerly known as an atomic pile, which is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions.
A fission nuclear reactor consists on a fissile nuclear material enclosed within a protective (and insulating) case and equipped with mechanisms that regulate the fission rate as well as a heat exchange mechanism to remove the excessive heat produced during the operating process. The nuclear material used in such reactors is either uranium or plutonium whose percentage of fissile material has been increased artificially to ensure a higher efficiency. In this case, we say that we the nuclear material has experienced an enrichment process. For example, the percentage of enriched uranium (U-235) isotopes which make only 0.7% of natural uranium (U-238) is increased artificially to ensure a better fission process, as U-235 is more fissile than U-238.
Giving that the neutrons obtained through fission process are fast (they have a high kinetic energy), we have two options to decrease the risk for anomalies in the process:
- Relying on the low fissile ability of fast neutrons in order to produce only a small number of neutrons (in fast reactors)
- Making them slower by using a moderator to increase the probability of neutrons capture (in thermal reactors).
In thermal reactors, we must add substances that slow down quickly the neutrons produced during fission. Low atomic number elements are perfect for this goal. Some of these materials include graphite, beryllium, heavy water (H3O), etc. They either surround or mix with the fissile material. Thermal energy produced during this process heats some (uncontaminated) water producing steam, which is then used to rotate any turbine after flowing very fast through narrow tubes in order to generate electricity.
You have reached the end of Physics lesson 20.4.7 Nuclear Power Plants and Energy Production. There are 11 lessons in this physics tutorial covering Nuclear Reactions, you can access all the lessons from this tutorial below.
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