AWR 930 Unit1 Lesson4

AWR-930W
Unit 1 Lesson 4
Operating Principles of Nuclear Power Plants

A nuclear power plant is a facility where energy is released by the fissioning of
atoms. The energy released is converted to heat and then electrical energy under
strictly regulated operating conditions. The major processes are the same as those
in non-nuclear (conventional) power plants except that the coal or oil-fired boiler is
replaced by a nuclear reactor. Knowing the basics of how a nuclear power plant
operates can help you better understand the nature of any incidents.
Basic Components to Nuclear Power Plants

Every power plant has these basic components:
Heat source: Provides heat to generate steam. In a nuclear power plant, the heat
source is the nuclear reactor, often referred to as the reactor core where the fission
occurs.
Turbine/generator: Uses the energy of the steam to turn a turbine/generator that
produces electricity.
Condenser: Condenses the steam back to water so that it can be returned to the
heat source to be heated again.
Pump: Provides the force to circulate the water through the system.
Role of Cooling Water

Just as water vapor condenses on a cool drinking glass on a warm day, a power
plant’s condenser uses a cool surface to condense the steam from the turbine. This
cool surface is provided by cool water pumped from a nearby water supply, such as
a river, lake, or ocean.
Cooling Towers Exchange Heat

The water used to cool the condenser is slightly warmer after use. For this reason, a
cooling tower is sometimes used to prevent a harmful temperature rise in the
water supply. A cooling tower is a large heat exchanger. This heat is carried up the
stack and is visible as water vapor. Cooling towers are used at many large nuclear
power plants as well as non-nuclear power plants. Because cooling towers are
completely separate from the radioactive system, no radioactive material can be
released from them.
Power Plant Safety Goals
The heat source, or the reactor core, is where the radioactive materials exist.
Therefore, nuclear power plants are designed to protect the public and prevent the
release of radioactive material into the environment from the reactor core. The
design of nuclear power plants does this in large part by instituting safety measures
that focus on:
• Shutting down operating reactors.

• Cooling down reactors to remove heat from the nuclear fuel.
• Containing radioactive material.
Each of these safety measures is discussed next.
Shutting Down Operating Reactors

Remember that an atom is unstable when it has an excess of protons or neutrons.
Some elements have an affinity to capture neutrons. Therefore, control rods are
made of these elements, so they can readily absorb neutrons.
The control rods are inserted into a nuclear reactor to reduce the number of free
neutrons available to cause unstable atoms to fission. When all the control rods are
inserted into the reactor, it is called a reactor shutdown or scram.
A scram is the sudden shutting down of a nuclear reactor, usually by rapid insertion
of control rods, either automatically or manually by the reactor operator.
Sometimes all the control rods will be inserted quickly due to a safety or emergency
condition.
Cooling Down Reactors

As we discussed earlier, excess heat is normally removed from the reactor by cool
water. If the cool water flow cannot be maintained, the control rods are
automatically inserted into the core to stop the fission process and shut down the
reactor. However, the radioactive materials in the reactor core will continue to
produce radiation and heat even though fissioning has stopped. This heat must be
removed, even after shutdown.
Numerous systems and back-up emergency core cooling systems are provided to
ensure that reactor cooling water continues to flow through the reactor core to
remove heat, even after the reactor has been shut down and the fission process
has stopped. These systems are designed to maintain cooling even under severe
accident conditions such as a total break in the largest pipe in the system.
Containing Radioactive Material

There are three barriers that serve to contain the radioactive material. Select each
barrier below to learn how it helps to contain radioactive material.
• Fuel Cladding
• Reactor Coolant Loop
• Containment Building

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AWR-930W

Operating Principles of Nuclear Power Plants

Basic Components to Nuclear Power Plants

Role of Cooling Water

Cooling Towers Exchange Heat

• Shutting down operating reactors.

Each of these safety measures is discussed next.

Shutting Down Operating Reactors

Cooling Down Reactors

Containing Radioactive Material

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