Nuclear Power Station 2

Nuclear Reactor
Inside a Nuclear Reactor
• Steam outlet 
• Fuel Rods 
• Control Rods 
Reactor Core
Moderator
Nuclear Fission from Slow Neutrons and Water Moderator
Thermal Shielding
Reflector
Reactor Vessel or Reactor Tank
Coolant Flow
Control Rods
Biological Shield
Reactor Operation
• 1 ton of natural or slightly enriched Uranium can produce 240,000,000 kWhr energy.
• When 1 lb U-235 fissions, 0.00091 lb of its mass only converts to energy, which is only
1.2 percent of the total fissionable and fertile material.
Types of Reactor
There are two most commonly used reactors:
1.Pressurized Water Reactor
2.Boiling Water Reactor

Pressurized Water Reactor
• This is the most common type of commercial reactor and was originally
developed in the USA for submarine propulsion.
• Nearly 60% of the world's commercial reactors are PWRs
• The fuel is uranium dioxide enriched to about 4%, contained in
zirconium alloy tubes.
• Pressurized water acts as both moderator and coolant and heats water in
a secondary circuit via a steam generator to produce steam.
• The reactor is encased in a concrete biological shield within a
secondary containment.
• The design is very compact because water is a more effective
moderator than graphite.
• A PWR’s thermal efficiency is about 32%.
• PWRs keep water under pressure so that it is heated, but does not boil.
Water from the reactor and the water in the steam generator that is turned
into steam never mix. In this way, most of the radioactivity stays in the
reactor area.
In a typical commercial pressurized light-water
reactor(1) the core inside the reactor vessel creates
heat, (2) pressurized water in the primary coolant
loop carries the heat to the steam generator, (3)
inside the steam generator steam is generated, and
(4) the steam line directs the steam to the main
turbine, causing it to turn the turbine generator,
which produces electricity. The unused steam is
exhausted in to the condenser where it condensed
into water. The resulting water is pumped out of the
condenser with a series of pumps, reheated and
pumped back to the steam generators. The reactor's
core contains fuel assemblies that are cooled by
water circulated using electrically powered pumps.
These pumps and other operating systems in the
plant receive their power from the electrical grid. If
offsite power is lost emergency cooling water is
supplied by other pumps, which can be powered by
onsite diesel generators. Other safety systems, such
as the containment cooling system, also need power.
Pressurized-water reactors contain between 150-200
fuel assemblies
Boiling Water Reactor
• A BWR is effectively a PWR without the steam generator.
• Water is pumped through the core, again acting as both moderator
and coolant, inside a pressure vessel.
• About 10% of the water is converted to steam and passed to steam
turbines.
• The fuel is similar to that of a PWR, but the power density (power
produced per unit volume of core) is about half, with lower
pressures and temperatures.
• The cost advantage of not having steam generators is offset by the
disadvantages of a single cooling system, which can potentially
cause contamination throughout the steam plant if fuel can failures
occur.
• A BWR’s thermal efficiency is again about 32%
In a typical commercial boiling-water reactor, (1) the
core inside the reactor vessel creates heat, (2) a steam-
water mixture is produced when very pure water
(reactor coolant) moves upward through the core,
absorbing heat, (3) the steam-water mixture leaves the
top of the core and enters the two stages of moisture
separation where water droplets are removed before the
steam is allowed to enter the steam line, and (4) the
steam line directs the steam to the main turbine, causing
it to turn the turbine generator, which produces
electricity. The unused steam is exhausted into the
condenser where it is condensed into water. The
resulting water is pumped out of the condenser with a
series of pumps, reheated and pumped back to the
reactor vessel. The reactor's core contains fuel
assemblies that are cooled by water circulated using
electrically powered pumps. These pumps and other
operating systems in the plant receive their power from
the electrical grid. If offsite power is lost emergency
cooling water is supplied by other pumps, which can be
powered by onsite diesel generators. Other safety
systems, such as the containment cooling system, also
need electric power. Boiling-water reactors contain
between 370-800 fuel assemblies

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Nuclear Reactor

Inside a Nuclear Reactor

There are two most commonly used reactors:

1.Pressurized Water Reactor

2.Boiling Water Reactor

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