In its central part, the reactor's core produces heat due to nuclear fission. The nuclear reactor is the heart of the station. The water-steam cycle corresponds to the Rankine cycle.
Power plant generator#
The water is then pumped back into the steam generator and the cycle begins again. The condenser is a heat exchanger which is connected to a secondary side such as a river or a cooling tower. After the steam turbine has expanded and partially condensed the steam, the remaining vapor is condensed in a condenser. The pressurized steam is then usually fed to a multi-stage steam turbine. The reactor coolant then goes to a steam generator and heats water to produce steam. The coolant may be water or gas, or even liquid metal, depending on the type of reactor. The fission in a nuclear reactor heats the reactor coolant. The conversion to electrical energy takes place indirectly, as in conventional thermal power stations. Despite some spectacular catastrophes, nuclear power plants are the safest mode of electricity generation.
Nuclear power plants have a carbon footprint comparable to that of renewable energy such as solar farms and wind farms, and much lower than fossil fuels such as natural gas and brown coal. However, building a nuclear power plant often spans five to ten years, which can accrue to significant financial costs, depending on how the initial investments are financed. Nuclear plants are very often used for base load since their operations, maintenance, and fuel costs are at the lower end of the spectrum of costs. As of 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in 32 countries around the world. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity. Flanked by cooling towers, a nuclear reactor is contained inside a spherical containment buildingĪ nuclear power plant (sometimes abbreviated as NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor.