How Nuclear Energy Works?

Nuclear Energy is a type of energy that originates from the splitting of uranium atoms. This process is called fission. It generates heat to produce steam to make the turbine turn and generate electricity. It was discovered in the 1930s by an Italian Physicist Enrico Fermi. In 1942, the first nuclear chain reaction was achieved by his team at the University of Chicago.

The water in the nuclear power plant is heated through an atomic reaction, unlike the fossil fuel plant which is heating the water by burning fuel.

In this type of energy, there are 2 basic types of mechanisms that are being used today, the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) which is the most common one, and the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR).

How does the Pressurized Water Reactor work?

1. The water is held under pressure and not allowed to boil.
2. The heat will be transferred to water in a steam generator.
3. The boiling water will generate steam that makes the turbine turn.
4. The turbine which is connected to the generator will generate electricity and will be provided to the consumers.
5. The water will go back to the reactor vessel to be reheated and the process is repeated.

How does the Boiling Water Reactor work?

1. The water is boiled in a containment.
2. The boiling water will generate steam that makes the turbine turn.
3. The turbine which is connected to the generator will generate electricity and will be provided to the consumers.
4. The water will go back to the reactor vessel to be reheated and the process is repeated.

What are the countries that use nuclear energy?

There are many countries that use nuclear energy as their source of power such as the United States of America (USA), France, China, Russia, Canada, Belgium, Ukraine, Germany, South Korea, United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Japan, India, and a lot more.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy? Here are some of them.

The advantages are the following:

1. It doesn’t produce huge pollution and no greenhouse gases.
2. It has very low fuel costs.
3. This is very reliable because it doesn’t depend on weather conditions like solar power that depends on sunlight and wind power that depends on the wind.
4. Sufficient energy for every house because uranium is abundant as the main source of this type of energy.

The disadvantages are the following:

1. A nuclear power plant is very expensive to build.
2. It releases toxic pollutants which are dangerous for the health of people, animals, plants, or aquatic life if it is mixed and not properly disposed of.
3. It is hazardous. As like what happen to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant way back April 26, 1986, which was exploded and created terrible radiation.
4. It damages the environment through mining. The uranium should be extracted underground.

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Source: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works