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How is nuclear reactor similar to a conventional fossil fuel power plant?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
The useful product of both nuclear fission and of the combustion of fossil fuels is heat. That makes both types of power plants the same. We'll see both a nuclear plant and a fossil fuel plant using heat to turn water to steam. Then we'll see the steam used to drive a generator to make electricity.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThey both produce steam to drive turbines which in turn produce electricity.
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What does a transformer do in a nuclear reactor?
The same thing as in a fossil fueled or hydroelectric power plant.
How are nuclear power plants different from other plants?
The source of the energy is the nuclear reactor, rather than a furnace for burning fossil fuels.
What is a way to produce heat energy?
Burn a fossil fuel like coal or oil, or use uranium in a nuclear reactor
What do nuclear plants use instead of fossil fuels?
Nuclear plants use fissionable material to generate heat instead of burning fossil fuel for the same purpose. The fissionable fuel is in the core of a nuclear reactor, and this core and the associated elements of the nuclear plant allow us to tap nuclear energy via nuclear fission.
Do fossil fuels have a higher or lower energy content than a similar mass of nuclear fuel?
Total energy as expressed in Einsteins equation E=mc2 reveals that they are identical because the masses are identical and c is a constant. With present technology you can extract more energy from a given mass of nuclear fuels (in a nuclear reactor) than the same mass of fossil fuel in a thermoelectric generating plant.
How can nuclear energy generate electricity for the home and industry?
This is done in nuclear power plants, the heart of which is a nuclear reactor which produces heat from nuclear fission, this heat then produces steam and hence electricity in a similar way to a fossil fired plant. there are over 100 such reactors in the US, and others in Canada, UK, France, Russia, Japan, and other countries.
How a nuclear power plant generates electricity?
A nuclear power plant generates electricity by turning turbines that turn generators. This is no different than fossil fueled plants. The difference in nuclear power is the source of the steam. Instead of a fossil fuel boiler, there is a nuclear reactor that uses the power of the release of binding energy (Strong Atomic Force) from the fissioning of (generally) Uranium-235. There are several designs. The two primary designs are the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The BWR forms steam in the reactor vessel which is transported to the turbines. The spent steam is condensed, reheated, treated, and returned to the reactor. The PWR forms heated water in the reactor vessel which generates steam in a separate steam generator (heat exchanger) which then is transported to the turbines. The rest of the cycle is similar to the BWR, but the return water goes to the steam generators instead of the reactor.
How does nuclear energy differ from fossil fuels?
With fossil fuels we burn them to produce heat. With nuclear fuel we produce a nuclear chain reaction in a reactor which produces heat. Using the heat to produce electricity is the same for both types of fuel.
What is conventional fuel?
; Conventional Fuel : traditional energy sources or fossil fuels (petroleum, oil, coal, propane, and natural gas); in some cases nuclear materials such as uranium are also included.
What are reactor and uranium are used in the production of?
A nuclear reactor is a facility which produce electricity and heat from the fission of uranium or plutonium.The energy released by fission of uranium-235 (or other isotopes) is immense compared to the energy content of fossil fuels.
Why is uranium a nonrenewable resource but not a fossil fuel?
1. Uranium is "burned" in a nuclear power reactor and slowly consumed. 2. Petroleum and methane are of organic origin; uranium not.
What does a reactor do in a nuclear power plant?
The reactor in a nuclear power plant generates heat to flash water to steam, which spins turbines that generate electricity. This is not really any different, in terms of steam cycle1, than a fossil plant. Its just that the source of heat is nuclear fission of (usually) uranium-235 instead of the burning of coal, oil, or natural gas. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1Well, its a little bit different because the nuclear steam supply cycle runs best on a slightly lower pressure and temperature than a fossil fuel plant steam cycle does. Other than that, the steam and generating parts of a nuclear plant are very comparable to a fossil plant.
