Nuclear power reactors work on the principle of

We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Article Summary & FAQs What is a nuclear reactor? Generally, a nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a self-sustained nuclear chain reaction. Since nuclear reactors are used in nuclear power plants, research facilities, or nuclear-propelled ships, their output is thermal energy, or they can be used as a source of neutron radiation. Key Facts • The key component of nuclear reactors is a reactor core. The reactor core is a bounded region where chain reactions occur. The reactor core contains the nuclear fuel (fuel assemblies), the • The main product of research reactors is usually a • Nuclear reactors in steam turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity. • The most co...

Show Less nuclear power, electricity generated by World nuclear power Nuclear power provides almost 15 percent of the world’s The nuclear power industry went through a period of remarkable growth until about 1990, when the portion of electricity generated by nuclear power reached a high of 17 percent. That percentage remained stable through the 1990s and began to decline slowly around the turn of the 21st century, primarily because of the fact that total electricity generation grew faster than electricity from nuclear power while other sources of energy (particularly In 2012 more than 400 nuclear reactors were in operation in 30 countries around the world, and more than 60 were under construction. The A typical nuclear power plant has a generating capacity of approximately one gigawatt (GW; one billion watts) of electricity. At this capacity, a power plant that operates about 90 percent of the time (the U.S. industry average) will generate about eight terawatt-hours of electricity per year. The predominant types of power reactors are Issues affecting nuclear power Countries may have a number of motives for Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Safety The safety of nuclear reactors has become paramount since the The four reactors involved in the passive safety designs (i.e., directing cooling water by gravity rather than moving it by pumps) in order to keep the plants safe in the event of a severe accident or station blackout. For insta...

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Nuclear plants split atoms to heat water into steam. The steam turns a turbine to generate electricity. It takes sophisticated equipment and a highly trained workforceto make it happen, but it’s that simple. How Is Nuclear Energy Used to Produce Electricity? In most power plants, you need to spin a turbine to generate electricity. Coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear energy use their fuel to turn water into steam and use that steam to turn the turbine. • Nuclear plants are different because they do not burn anything to create steam. Instead, they split uranium atoms in a process called fission. As a result, unlike other energy sources, nuclear power plants do not release carbon or pollutants like nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the air. • Nuclear reactors are designed to sustain an ongoing chain reaction of fission; the reactors operating in the U.S. today are filled with a specially designed, • This heat is used to create the steam that will spin a turbine, which powers a generator to make electricity. Two Types of Reactors in the United States The nuclear reactors currently operating in the United States are either boiling water reactors or pressurized water reactors. The names can be a bit misleading: Both use steam to power a generator, but the difference is how they create it. • A boiling water reactor heats up the water in the reactor until it boils into steam and spins the turbine New Nuclear Reactor Technology • Advanced reactors include many types of reactors, inclu...

Nuclear Power Reactors (Updated May 2023) • Nuclear reactors work by using the heat energy released from splitting atoms of certain elements to generate electricity. • Most nuclear electricity is generated using just two kinds of reactor which were developed in the 1950s and improved since. • The first generation of these reactors have all been retired, and most of those operating are second-generation. • New designs are coming forward, both large and small. • About 10% of the world's electricity is produced from nuclear energy. This page is about the main conventional types of nuclear reactor. For more advanced types, see pages on How does a nuclear reactor work? A nuclear reactor produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of certain elements. In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make steam to generate electricity. (In a research reactor the main purpose is to utilise the actual neutrons produced in the core. In most naval reactors, steam drives a turbine directly for propulsion.) The principles for using nuclear power to produce electricity are the same for most types of reactor. The energy released from continuous fission of the atoms of the fuel is harnessed as heat in either a gas or water, and is used to produce steam. The steam is used to drive the turbines which produce electricity (as in most fossil fuel plants). The world's first nuclear reactors 'operated' naturally in a uranium deposit about two billion ye...

In the 1970s and 80s, more than a hundred nuclear reactors were built in the United States. They promised abundant, safe, “clean” energy, free from the pollution associated with coal and other fossil fuels. Today, most of those reactors remain in operation, in varying states of condition. Many operate on very thin margins as they compete with cheaper electricity from natural gas and renewable energy. Some have experienced costly safety- and age-related problems. All of them face unresolved questions around nuclear waste. But the low-carbon electricity provided by existing nuclear power plants is increasingly valuable in the fight against climate change. Understanding these dynamics—and weighing the benefits of nuclear power against its shortcomings and risks—is essential as we make decisions about the future of US electricity. To help prevent the worst consequences of climate change, the United States must achieve economy-wide net-zero emissions by or before mid-century. This requires swiftly decarbonizing the electric sector, one of the largest sources of US carbon emission. But deep decarbonization isn’t easy. Difficult decisions need to be made around whether aging, unprofitable nuclear reactors should be kept online or replaced—and what should replace them. Policymakers facing these issues should consider the climate impacts, costs, safety, and public health implications. They should also strengthen policies that support other low-carbon technologies. The Fukushima dis...