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Not really. It depends on what you are trying to do. A nuclear power plant is a power plant that uses a nuclear reactor as its source of energy. A nuclear reactor, on the other hand, is a more generalized term for a device that uses nuclear energy (specifically the release of binding energy from the Strong Atomic Force) to do something.

In the general case, we use the reactor to generate energy for the power plant to use in generating electricity. Sometimes, we use the reactor for other, research type things, such as generating a neutron flux to study the physics of nuclide activation.

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Is nuclear power linked to the atomic bomb?

Only in that to make plutonium or tritium for nuclear bombs you need a reactor. While the reactors that make these materials can also be used to generate electricity, they usually don't. Also the types of reactors usually used to generate electricity are not usually designed to efficiently make these materials.


Is electricity from nuclear power the same as more powerful or radioactive compared to electrical energy from other power plants?

Electricity from nuclear power plants is generated using the heat produced by nuclear reactions, which is the same form of energy used in other power plants but the process of generation is different. This does not make electricity from nuclear power more powerful or radioactive compared to electricity from other sources; the radioactivity of electricity is not influenced by the source of generation.


Is nuclear power explosive?

Nuclear power plants use controlled nuclear reactions to generate electricity and are not explosive in the same way as nuclear weapons or chemical explosives. While accidents at nuclear power plants can release harmful radiation, the likelihood of a nuclear explosion is extremely low due to safety measures in place.


Where is nuclear energy being used now?

All around the world! In the United States alone there are 104 nuclear reactors producing around 20% of our electricity. Large power reactors are used to produce electricity for the public. Smaller reactors are used to make radioisotopes for medical treatments and for research into physics. Naval reactors provide propulsion for submarines and ships.


How many nuclear plants would be needed to power the US?

Most nuclear power stations in the U.Ss. are the Pressurised Water type (PWR) which were developed by General Electric and by Westinghouse. The same type of reactor, on a smaller scale, is used in submarines and some large surface naval vessels. There are a number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile.

Related Questions

Are nuclear power plants and nuclear medicine plants in the same building?

I don't know of any such arrangement. Medical isotopes are produced in small research type reactors where samples can be introduced into the neutron flux in reentrant tubes (commonly called thimbles) and irradiated, then quickly removed and used. Large commercial power reactors don't have these facilities.


Is a nuclear power plant same as nuclear power station?

Yes, it generally is but a nuclear plant could refer to nuclear reactors which are basically the things that produce the power. So in essence, yes, a nuclear plant is the same thing as a nuclear power station


How do nuclear power plant owners generate revenue from their reactors?

By selling the electricity generated from the heat of the reactor. Same as fossil fuel power plants do, sell electricity generated from the heat of burning.


Is nuclear power same as uranium?

No, nuclear power and uranium are not the same. Nuclear power is a form of energy that is generated through nuclear reactions, while uranium is a radioactive element that is commonly used as fuel in nuclear power plants. Uranium is not the only fuel source for nuclear power, but it is the most commonly used.


What is the same between nuclear and breeder reactors?

They all use nuclear fission


Is nuclear reactors and nuclear energy the same thing?

Nuclear energy is released when U-235 undergoes fission, and that takes place in nuclear reactors (or nuclear weapons). So a reactor is a thing constructed to produce nuclear energy.


Is nuclear power linked to the atomic bomb?

Only in that to make plutonium or tritium for nuclear bombs you need a reactor. While the reactors that make these materials can also be used to generate electricity, they usually don't. Also the types of reactors usually used to generate electricity are not usually designed to efficiently make these materials.


Are nuclear reactors and atomic reactors the same thing?

yes. If they ever perfect hydrogen fusion reactors, then maybe someone will have to come up with a clearer description, but until now, they are the same.


Does nuclear reactors and breeder reactors have any similarities?

They're mostly the same, except that nuclear reactors aimed at breeding more fissile material use expensive primary coolant instead of cheap water.


Is electricity from nuclear power the same as more powerful or radioactive compared to electrical energy from other power plants?

Electricity from nuclear power plants is generated using the heat produced by nuclear reactions, which is the same form of energy used in other power plants but the process of generation is different. This does not make electricity from nuclear power more powerful or radioactive compared to electricity from other sources; the radioactivity of electricity is not influenced by the source of generation.


Is nuclear power explosive?

Nuclear power plants use controlled nuclear reactions to generate electricity and are not explosive in the same way as nuclear weapons or chemical explosives. While accidents at nuclear power plants can release harmful radiation, the likelihood of a nuclear explosion is extremely low due to safety measures in place.


Does Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun?

No, nuclear power plants get their energy from fissionof the heavy element uranium, the sun gets its energy from fusion of the light element hydrogen.