The most common power reactor types use water with more than 90 of the world s reactors being water based. Nuclear reactors come in many different shapes and sizes some use water to cool their cores whilst others use gas or liquid metal. Two examples of nuclear fissioning of uranium 235 the most commonly used fuel in nuclear reactors.
This water is then returned to the reactor core completing the loop. The steam is directly used to drive a turbine after which it is cooled in a condenser and converted back to liquid water. A boiling water reactor bwr uses demineralized water as a coolant and neutron moderator heat is produced by nuclear fission in the reactor core and this causes the cooling water to boil producing steam.
World nuclear association federation of. A reactor also has a moderator a substance that slows the neutrons and helps control the fission process most reactors in the united states use ordinary water but reactors in other countries sometimes use graphite or heavy water in which the hydrogen has been replaced with deuterium an isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron source. The emitted neutrons may then cause new fissions which in turn yield more neutrons and so forth.
The nuclear fragments are in very excited states and emit neutrons other subatomic particles and photons. Nuclear reactors operate on the principle of nuclear fission the process in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into two smaller fragments. Nuclear reactor fuel rods control rods cooling tower.
They will also color code the different water loops to show the areas of steam and liquid water. This worksheet has students label each of the major components of a pressurized water nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactor diagram worksheet.
The main nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium in a nuclear power station nuclear fuel undergoes a controlled chain reaction in the reactor to produce heat nuclear to. In a nuclear powered submarine reactor heat produces steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine s actual power. As uranium fissions the breaking apart of atoms releases energy much of it in the form of heat which can then be used to do work.
Nuclear reactors are basically heat engines.
Nuclear reactor diagram labelled. In order to turn nuclear fission into electrical energy nuclear power plant operators have to control the energy given off by the enriched uranium and allow it to heat water into steam. That steam then drives turbines to generate electricity source. Enriched uranium typically is formed into 1 inch long 2 5 centimeter long pellets each with approximately the same diameter as a dime. A blank diagram of a nuclear reactor for students to label and color based on whether liquid water or steam is present.
A nuclear reactor formerly known as an atomic pile is a device used to initiate and control a self sustained nuclear chain reaction nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid water or gas which in turn runs through steam turbines. Click on the diagram to see a bigger view.
Click on the diagram to see a bigger view. A nuclear reactor formerly known as an atomic pile is a device used to initiate and control a self sustained nuclear chain reaction nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid water or gas which in turn runs through steam turbines. A blank diagram of a nuclear reactor for students to label and color based on whether liquid water or steam is present.
Enriched uranium typically is formed into 1 inch long 2 5 centimeter long pellets each with approximately the same diameter as a dime. That steam then drives turbines to generate electricity source. In order to turn nuclear fission into electrical energy nuclear power plant operators have to control the energy given off by the enriched uranium and allow it to heat water into steam.
