answersLogoWhite

0

Basically, radioactive fuel, such as uranium is loaded into a reactor. Heat is generated by atoms splitting apart and generating heat energy; a chain reaction causes other atoms to split and generate more heat. Control rods are used to control the speed of the reaction. Water collects the heat energy and releases it to cooler water in a heat exchanger. The water is turned into steam, which turns a turbine that is connected to an electricity generator. The generator produces electricity which provides energy for homes, business, etc.

For more details, please visit the Related Link.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Music & Radio

Where has nuclear fission been used?

Nuclear fission has been used in nuclear bombs and is currently being used in every nuclear power plant on the earth.


What was chernobyl before the accident?

The Chernobyl Power Complex refers to the nuclear power plant that used to be in Chernobyl, Ukraine. It operated with four nuclear reactors to supply power to the region.


What is the average cost to dismantle a nuclear power plant?

I think only a company that owns a plant being de-commissioned could answer this.


How is nuclear power dangerous?

Nuclear energy as it is used to generate power can be dangerous. The nuclear reactors used to heat water to generate steam to spin turbines to generate electricity must be operated by individuals who know what they are doing. If something goes wrong, the duty crew must make all the right decisions and make them first time, every time. Failure to do so can cause structural elements of the core to fail and release both nuclear fuel and waste into the coolant passages in the core. (The fuel rods are designed to hold everything inside throughout the life of the fuel bundle.) This is what happened at Three Mile Island. Both mechanical failure and the failure of the duty crew to react correctly caused a meltdown. Spent fuel presents its own special problems. Fuel bundles must be recovered from the reactor and taken away and stored for an extremely long period of time before radiation levels are low enough to try to do anything with them. Fission byproducts are highly radioactive, and remain so for tens of thousands of years. Links are provided for further reading.


Why is Chernobyl forbidden?

The area where the city of Chernobyl is, is highly radioactive after the nuclear disaster at the nearby power plant in 1986. A few people still live in the city, but the power plant is abandoned as is the nearby city Pripyat.

Related Questions

What are the example of nuclear force?

The energy released when a nuclear power plant generates heat to generate steam to generate electricity. The energy released when a nuclear weapon detonates.


What type of reaction is used to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant?

Nuclear fission, the splitting apart of the atom, is used to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. Nuclear fusion, the joining together of two atoms to create electricity, has been tried, but, it only works for a few seconds at best, and it will not be a source of power until sometime in the distant future.


How does a nuclear power plant power homes?

In a nuclear power plant, nuclear reactions generate heat, which is used to produce steam. The steam drives turbines connected to generators that produce electricity. This electricity is then transmitted through power lines to homes and businesses for use.


Is a power plant an example of nuclear energy?

Yes, a power plant can be an example of nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants generate electricity through the controlled fission of uranium atoms, which releases energy in the form of heat. This heat is then used to generate steam that drives turbines to produce electricity.


What is the difference between nuclear reactor and nuclearpower plant?

a nuclear reactor converts binding energy into heat. a nuclear power plant uses a nuclear reactor to generate electricity.


What is power plant nuclear power used for?

Nuclear power from a power plant is used to generate electricity. The heat produced by nuclear reactions is used to produce steam, which drives turbines connected to generators that produce electricity. This electricity is then distributed to homes, businesses, and industries for various uses.


What is the difference in a nuclear power plant and a nuclear bomb?

A nuclear power plant uses a slow, controlled nuclear chain reaction to heat water and generate electricity. A nuclear bomb uses a very rapid uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction in order to generate a massive explosion.


What nuclear reaction is used to the Bataan power plant?

The Bataan nuclear power plant uses nuclear fission as the nuclear reaction to generate electricity. In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy, which is harnessed to produce electricity.


When was nuclear power first used?

It was first used in Obninsk in former Soviet Union.The world's first nuclear power plant was commissioned on June 27, 1954 in Obninsk.The Obninsk nuclear power plant featured one 5 mWt AM-1 (Atom Mirny or Peaceful Atom) reactor to generate electricity and facilitate experimental nuclear research.


What energy conversion is happening in a nuclear power plant?

In a nuclear power plant, nuclear energy is converted into heat through nuclear fission reactions. This heat is used to generate steam, which drives turbines to produce electricity.


How electricity is produced in a power plant?

In a nuclear power plant, the heat energy released from fission is used to change water into steam. the steam then turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity.


What country which is committed to using nuclear power to generate electricity and which has the majority of its electricity needs provided by nuclear power is?

France is the country that is committed to using nuclear power to generate electricity and has the majority of its electricity needs provided by nuclear power. Nuclear power accounts for around 70% of the electricity generated in France.