What device in a nuclear power plant creats nuclear energy?

Answer 1

The origin of the energy is the reactor core. Control rods are pulled out of the core to start the reactor, and a controlled chain reaction begins and is maintained. Neutrons released in fissions create other fissions to keep the chain alive. The fissions release energy, much of which is heat energy. The heat is transferred out of the core into the reactor coolant. The coolant transfers the heat into steam generators, and the heat creates steam which is then piped to steam turbines. The turbines drive generators to create electricity, which is then put on the power grid.

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Answer 2

A nuclear power plant, is a system which converts energy from one form to another, involving many steps. The fuel is radioactive isotopes, in the more common boiling water reactors in the USA, the materials used are often uranium 235 and plutonium 239. When a radioactive isotope undergoes fission, it splits into two smaller atoms, releases neutrons and a large amount of thermal energy or heat. Neutrons are important because they carry the energy which split the atoms. That is, a fast moving neutron collides with the atom of uranium 235 and splits it in two, releasing more neutrons, which then collide with another uranium atom creating a chain reaction. Materials which absorb neutrons are used within the reactor core to control the nuclear chain reaction. This keeps thermal output stable, preventing damage to the core and regulating the thermal output of the reactor. The thermal output can not easily be used without transferring the heat and converting to another form. As in other power plants, the heat is transferred using a closed system of piping and heat exchangers containing water. The water is sent to the reactor under pressure and is converted to steam as it absorbs the energy generated by the nuclear reaction. In this step thermal energy of the reactor is converted to high pressure in the steam. The high pressure steam then flows to a turbine, which spins as the high pressure stream of steam is passed through it's vanes. As the steam flows thru the turbine vanes, the energy is transferred from the pressurized steam to the rotation of the turbine shaft. The shaft is connected to an electrical generator, where the energy is again transferred from rotational to electrical energy.

Answer 3

The reactor core has fuel bundles in which the nuclear fuel is fissioning and creating heat.