Nuclear Power

What is nuclear energy?

Power plants use heat to produce electricity.
Nuclear energy produces electricity from heat
through a process called fission. Nuclear power
plants use the heat produced by fission of certain
atoms.

1. Nuclear fission
nucleus of atom is split into parts,
produces free neutrons and
energy

Nuclear Fuel: Uranium

92

U
Uranium

http://www.ecolo.org/photos/uranium/uranium-black.jpg

The fuel used in

nuclear power
plants is an
isotope of the
radioactive
element uranium

2. Uranium-235
Fission of U-235 splits nucleus
in two pieces

releases neutrons for chain

reaction
Nuclear fission chain
reaction releases energy in
the form of heat

Nuclear Reactors
3. Nuclear Reactor device built
to sustain a controlled nuclear
fission chain reaction
Main Components of Nuclear
Reactor:
- reactor vessel
- tubes of uranium
- control rods
- containment structure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Crocus-p1020491.jpg

control rods control

Containment
structure
radioactivity,
absorbs
contains
the reaction
neutrons
in
at least 3 feet of
concrete!
www.pbase.com/pbrakke/image/44279993

The Nuclear Power Plant

Fission occurs
in the reactor
vessel. Heat is
produced.

The steam is
cooled in the
condenser to
return to the
liquid phase.

4. Nuclear power plant

consists of all the
parts needed to create
electricity by using
The heat is used nuclear energy
to heat water to
create steam

The steam is
used to turn the
turbine in the
generator to
produce
electricity

Video: How a pressurized water nuclear

reactor (pwr) works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0VjHg0juz4

Key Components of
2. Uranium-235
1. nuclear fission

3. nuclear
reactor
4. nuclear power
plant

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Power Production in Wisconsin

- U.S. produces about 31%
of worlds nuclear power
- consumes about 22%

WI - 2 nuclear power
plants, Kewaunee and
Point Beach

20% of WIs energy is from nuclear power

Kewaunee Power
Plant

Point Beach Nuclear

Power Plant

Carlton, WI

Two Rivers, WI

Three Mile Island

Pennsylvania, USA

The American Experiences

Meltdown at Three Mile Island

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBNM3GLzvzo