Introducing How Nuclear Power Work
nuclear power works
How Nuclear Power Works. The nuclear energy can be produced from a natural material which is can found in some place in the world known as uranium. The nuclear reactor use nuclear fission in order to produce power. In nuclear fission uranium nucleus is split by neutron and will produce two new atoms that have different composition and multiple free neutrons next the neutron will hit another uranium nucleus and split it.
This process (split the uranium nucleus) will release a great amount of energy as heat. The heat from radioactive nuclear process safely transfer to water that will convert water into steam. The steam energy will force turbine-finally the turbines operate generator which is produce electricity. So, both of nuclear energy plant and fossil fuel plant use the energy source to generate heat to drive turbine which generate electricity.
During fission process, energy released in a form of gamma rays which are same with X-rays and can cause burn and in living things can cause cancer and genetic mutation. With thick walls of concrete, packet dirt or lead these rays can be slowed or stopped.
The uranium is produced into inch-long pellets. The pellets are arranged into rods. And the rods then collected together called bundles. Inside a pressure vessel, the bundle are submerged in water that act as a coolant.
In order to prevent overheating, control rods made of a material that absorbs neutrons are inserted into uranium bundle that can raise and lower them. The rate of nuclear reaction can be controlled by the mechanism of raising and lowering the control rods. The control rods are lifted out of the uranium bundle to absorbing fewer neutrons and finally will produce more heat. When operator wants to reduce the heat, it is lowered into uranium bundle. To shut the reactor down, the control rods can also be lowered completely into the uranium bundle.
