NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

NUCLEAR FUEL
Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consu
med to derive nuclear energy. The most commo
n type of nuclear fuel is fissile elements that can
be made to undergo nuclear fission chain reacti
ons in a nuclear reactor

The most common nuclear fuels are 235U and

239Pu.
 NUCLEAR FISSION
When a neutron strikes an atom of uranium, the uran
ium splits ingto two lighter atoms and releases heat si
multaneously.

Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction

which can release large amounts of energy both as ele
ctromagnetic radiation and as kinetic energy of the frag
ments
 NUCLEAR CHAIN REACTIONS
A chain reaction refers to a process in which neutrons relea
sed in fission produce an additional fission in at least one fur
ther nucleus. This nucleus in turn produces neutrons, and the
process repeats. If the process is controlled it is used for nu
clear power or if uncontrolled it is used for nuclear weapons
 NUCLEAR REACTOR
A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain re
actions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a stea
dy rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the cha
in reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncon
trolled causing an explotion.
 CONTROL RODS
Control rods made of a material that absorbs neutrton
s are inserted into the bundle using a mechanism that c
an rise or lower the control rods.

. The control rods essentially contain neutron absorbe

rs like, boron, cadmium or indium.
 STEAM GENERATORS
Steam generators are heat exchangers used to conve
rt water into steam from heat produced in a nuclear rea
ctor core.

Either ordinary water or heavy water is used as the co

olant.
 STEAM TURBINE
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts t
hermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it i
nto useful mechanical

 Various high-performance alloys and superalloys hav

e been used for steam generator tubing.
 COOLANT PUMP
The coolant pump pressurizes the coolant to pressure
s of the orderof 155bar.

The pressue of the coolant loop is maintained almost

constant with the help of the pump and a pressurizer un

it.
 CONDENSER
Condenser is a device or unit which is used to conde
nse vapor into liquid.

The objective of the condenser are to reduce the turbi

ne exhaust pressure to increase the efficiency and to re
cover high qyuality feed water in the form of condensate
& feed back it to the steam generator without any furthe
r treatment.
 ADVANTAGES
Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts
of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases
and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to globa
l warming is therefore relatively little.

This technology is readily available, it does not have to be d

eveloped first.

It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy i

n one single plant
 DISADVANTAGES
The problem of radioactive waste is still an unsolved one.

High risks: It is technically impossible to build a plant with 10

0% security.

The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium i

s a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the
next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand.
 DISADVANTAGES
Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could
be preferred targets for terrorist attacks..

During the operation of nuclear power plants, radioact

ive waste is produced, which in turn can be used for the

production of nuclear weapons.

Thank you.