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NUCLEAR POWER ENGINEERING
Fission Reaction
 A fission reaction is splitting up of a
large atom or a molecule into two or
more smaller ones.
Fusion Reaction
 Fusion is the process of combination of
two or more, lighter atoms or
molecules into larger ones.
Nuclear chain reaction
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PPE M4 PRAVEEN KP LR.IN.
 Nuclear chain reactions are reactions
where nuclear energy is obtained, by
nuclear fission.
 In these reactions, neutrons generated
by the fission process continue on to
initiate fission in other atoms.
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
 The heat energy in a nuclear power
plant is produced by fission reaction.
 Reactor is the principal part of a nuclear
power plant in which heat energy is
developed by the controlled fission
chain reaction of a radioactive element
such as uranium, plutonium etc.
 The primary coolant circulated through
the reactor using a circulating pump
absorbs this heat and is transferred to
water (secondary coolant) circulating
through the steam generator (boiler)
which is get evaporated as steam.
 This steam is passed through the
turbine where it expands and
mechanical energy is developed.
 The turbine runs at higher speed is
coupled to an electrical generator which
produces electric power.
 The exhaust steam from the turbine is
passed to a condenser where it is
condensed back to hot water.
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 This hot water is again fed to the steam 3) Radioactive emission is harmful to
generator using a feed pump. operating staff

4) It requires more cooling water

5) Danger of nuclear activity

NUCLEAR REACTOR

 Nuclear reactor is any of devices that

can initiate and control series of
nuclear fissions process and produces
heat.

Principal parts of a Nuclear Reactor

Advantages

1) Large amount of heat can be generated

2) It requires less space.

3) It produces valuable fissile materials.

4) The problems associated with

environmental pollution, mine safety and
fuel transportation etc. are less severe

5) The unit cost of power generation by

nuclear plant is lower

Disadvantages
 It is a plant in which nuclear chain
1) Radioactive waste disposal is a major reaction is sustained at a steady
problem controlled rate so that heat is

2) It is used only as a base load plant produced continuously.

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 The main function of the reactor is to
control the emission and absorption of
neutrons.
1. Active core
 It contains mainly the fissionable
material (nuclear fuel).
 For better control of reaction, the fuel
may be diluted with non-fissionable
material.
 The reactor fuel (U235. U233, Pu 239
etc.,) may be in solid form such as rods,
plates or spheres, or in liquid form as
slurry.
2. Moderator
 The function of moderator is to slow
down the fast fission neutrons
travelling at 4200 km/s to about |
5km/s before subsequent fission
occurs.
 The type of moderator used depends
upon the type of fuel used.
 For example, Heavy Water" is used as a
moderator in nuclear fuel is uranium.
3. Control rods
 These are used to absorb as many of
the neutrons striking upon them as
possible.
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PPE M4 PRAVEEN KP LR.IN.ME
 Rods made of boron-steel alloy and
cadmium is most commonly used as
control rods.
 Fission is built up by pulling the rods
up the reactor, and operation stops
when the rods are pushed down
4. Thermal shielding
 It surrounds the entire reactor core
and absorbs some of the radiations in
the form of x-rays and B-particles.
 It absorbs escaping neutrons produced
by fission. It is usually made of iron
5. Biological shield
 The whole of the reactor is enclosed in
a biological shield to prevent the
leakage of fast moving neutrons, slow
neutrons, α rays, β - particles etc.
 This shield is made of iron or built
with dense concrete.
Main Products of a Reactor
 Thermal energy (ie, heat)
 Neutrons
 Radioactive fission fragments
 Fissionable materials
 Gamma quantas and other radiation
 Radio isotopes which are used for
commercial purposes.
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TYPES OF REACTORS
1. Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
Power Plant.
2. Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Power
Plant.
3. Fast breeder reactor (FBR)
PWR Power Plant
 The coolant in the primary circuit gets
heated by absorbing the heat energy
liberated in the reactor core due to
nuclear fission.
 The hot liquid flows to the heat
exchanger via a 'pressurizer'.
"Pressurizer is located in the primary
circuit of the plant is a vessel with a
heater at its bottom and water spray at
its top.
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PPE M4 PRAVEEN KP LR.IN.ME
 The top of this vessel is filled with
steam at primary circuit pressure.
 In the heat exchanger the hot liquid of
primary circuit transfers heat to feed
water of secondary circuit.
 Feed water evaporates into steam and
passes into the turbine.
 Turbine being coupled to the
alternator helps generation of electric
power.
 Exhaust steam from the turbine is
condensed in the steam condenser and
the condensate is recirculates as feed
water.
Advantages of PWR
 It makes used of single fluid coolant
moderator
 Light water used in reactor is cheap
and available in plenty.
 More compact.
 Steam supplied to turbine is free from
contamination.
Disadvantages
 High primary loop pressure requires
strong, costly, leak proof vessel
 Low pressure and temperature in
secondary loop result in poor
thermodynamic efficiency.
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 Steam produced requires
superheating.
 Use of water under pressure at high
temperature creates corrosion
problem.
BWR Power Plant
 In this plant, steam is generated in the
reactor itself.
 The feed water acts both as coolant
and a moderator.
 Heat energy liberated during nuclear
fission in the reactor evaporates the
feed water into steam.
 The steam leaves the reactor and
enters a turbine through a throttle
valve.
 It does work in the turbine and
exhausts into a condenser.
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PPE M4 PRAVEEN KP LR.IN.ME
 Then it is cooled and the condensate
formed is pumped back to the reactor.
Advantages of BWR
 There is only one working loop.
 Pressure inside the vessel being not
very high thicker vessel is not
required.
 Metal temperature is low for a given
output.
 Thermal efficiency is about 30% as
compared to 20 to 22% in PWR.
 Preferred in 100 - 1000 MW plants.
Disadvantages
 Limited power density ie., 3 to 5% by
mass can be converted to steam per
pass through boiler.
 Turbines require shielding.
 Wastage of steam occurs in case of part
load operations.
FAST BREEDER REACTOR (FBR)
 Additional neutrons are produced
besides heat when U235 is fissioned.
 If some U238 is kept in the same
reactor, these additional neutrons
convert U238 into fissile plutonium
Pu239.
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 Producing fissile material than that

can be consumed is called breeding.
 It uses amount of U235 is used as a core.
No moderator is used.
 Liquid Sodium metal is used as a
coolant.
 The central U235 core is surrounded by
a blanket of U238 which absorbs the
excess of neutrons and converts Pu239.
CONTROLL RODS
 Part of the plutonium participates in
the chain reaction and fission to  Control rods in a reactor are used to
produce heat. start the nuclear chain reaction,
 The reactor core is cooled by liquid maintain the reaction and to shut
sodium metal. down the reactor.

Advantages REACTION CONTROLLED BY

 High breeding gain is possible.
 No moderator is required.
 High power density
 Absorption of neutrons is low.
Disadvantages
 Enriched fuel is required.
 Neutron flux is high at the Centre of
core.
 Liquid sodium is extremely corrosive.
 Handling of sodium is a major problem
as it becomes excessive hot and
radioactive.
CONTROLL RODS
 Each reactor is equipped with three
types of control rods.
1. Shim rods
2. Fine control rode
3. safety rods
 Shim rods absorb the excess reactivity
during normal operation of the
reactor.
 At the time of starting, the rods are
taken out of the reactor Afterwards
they are positioned in the reactor to
maintain the constant power level.

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 The fine control rods are designed to  Thus the solar energy is efficiently used
absorb small percentage of reactivity to heat the fluid.
caused due to changes in pressure,
temperature and density of fuel
material.
 The safety rods provide protection
against hazards like earthquake and
excessive power.

RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

SOLAR POWER BLANT Parabolic collector

Solar collectors  Parabolic reflectors are used in this type

 Solar collectors are used to collect and of collectors.

efficiently utilise the solar radiation  The solar radiation falling on the

from the sun. They are mainly of two reflecting parabolic surface is

types concentrated on its focus point.

 An absorber tube is fixed on the focus
i) Flat plate collector ii) Parabolic
point of the parabolic surface and heat
collector
energy is absorbed by the fluid flowing
 They are made of rectangular panels. through this tube.
 The solar radiation passes through the
transparent plates and falls on the
absorbing surface.
 This surface is usually made of
aluminum to which a black coating is
applied Heat energy from the solar
radiation is absorbed by the black
surface and, is transferred to the fluid
passing through the tube.
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Working of solar power plants
 There are mainly two different methods
employed to convert solar energy into
electricity. They are
i) Photovoltaic conversion method
ii) Solar thermal conversion method)
Photovoltaic conversion method
 This method uses photovoltaic cell for
the direct conversion of solar energy into
electricity. Semiconductors are used for
the construction of these cells.
 Silicon is the most commonly used
semiconductor for this purpose. A
photovoltaic cell consists of two types of
silicon semi-conductors, N-type and P-
type, which are stacked together.
 When they are exposed to sunlight,
electron flow takes place across the
circuit and electricity is produced.
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PPE M4 PRAVEEN KP LR.IN.ME
Application: Spacecraft, Domestic and
Street lights
SOLAR GRAIN DRYER
 Air is heated by solar radiation in an
air heater separately.
 Hot air is ducted to a chamber in which
the products to be dried are stored.
 Compared with natural sun drying
where the products are dried in open
sun light, solar drying generates higher
temperatures.
 It reduces the risk of spoilage and
provides protection against dust,
insects and other animals.
SOLAR COOKER
 It essentially consists of a rectangular
enclosure insulated on the bottom and
sides, having one or two glass covers
on the top.
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 Food to be cooked is placed in shallow
vessels
 Solar radiation enters through the top
and heats up the vessels. Temperature
around 100°C can be obtained in such
cookers on sunny days.
Drawbacks
 On cloudy days and nights food cannot
be cooked.
 They take relatively more time to cook.
 Dishes like chapati and puri cannot be
made because they require very high
temperatures items like meat cannot
be fried.
WIND POWER PLANTS
Wind mills
 Wind mills converts the kinetic energy
from the wind into mechanical energy
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There are mainly two types of wind mills
1) Horizontal axis wind mills: Axis of
rotation of wind mill is parallel to the
direction of wind
2) Vertical axis wind mills: Axis of
rotation of wind mill is perpendicular to
the direction of wind.
Working of wind power plant
 The rotor consists of blades of aerofoil
cross section.
 The blades are attached to the main
rotating shaft by means of a hub
assembly .The kinetic energy of the
wind causes the rotor blades to rotate.
 A step up gear is used for boosting the
low speed of the rotor to the required
high speed, the high speed shaft from
the gear assembly is attached to the
generator and electricity is produced.
 The casing that protects the generator
and the gear assembly is called nacelle.
 The tail vane helps to maintain proper
orientation of the wind mill with
respect to the direction of wind.
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Advantages
1) Wind energy is inexhaustible
2) These power plants are eco-friendly
3) Construction of wind power plant
requires less time and is simpler
4) Wind energy is free and does not need
transportation
Disadvantages
1) High initial cost
2) Wind power is not consistent and
steady
3) Cost per unit power production is high
compared to other major power plants.
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TIDAL POWER PLANTS
Tidal energy
 Tides can be defined as the periodic
rise and fall of water in the sea.
 The tidal energy can be extracted by
utilising the kinetic energy possessed
by the moving water from a higher
elevation to a lower elevation.
It mainly consist of
1) Dam: It act as a wall to form a reservoir
or basin
2) Power House: It includes generator,
turbine and control devices
3) Sluice way: It is gate controlled and is
used to adjust the rate of flow of water
from the sea to the basin during high tide
and from the basin to the sea during low
tide.
 A reversible hydraulic turbine coupled
to a generator is used in this type of
power plant.
 During the high tide, the water flows
from the sea to the basin through the
sluice way and drives the turbine. The
turbine is coupled to the generator and
electricity is produced.
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 During the low tide, the water flows Disadvantages

back from the basin to the sea, through
1) Tidal power plant affects the marine
the sluice way and again drives the
life and interrupts the natural movement
turbine.
of species.
 Thus electricity is produced while
2) Initial cost is higher
water flows in both directions
3) Tidal power plant can only be
constructed in few ocean shores and it
depends on the availability of tides

4) The power generation is not

continuous and it depends on the
occurrence of tides.

GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

 Hydrothermal system is the main

geothermal system utilised for power
generation. These are geothermal
resources containing fluids in the form
of hot water and steam.

 The energy from these sources is

Advantages extracted by drilling wells that

1) Renewable source of energy connects the fissures. Depth of the well

ranges1 km to 1.5 km.
2) Eco-friendly and inexhaustible
 Steam is extracted through these wells
3) Requires smaller area for construction
and the temperature ranges from
of the power plant
250°C to 300° C.
4) Operation cost is low compared to
 The hot steam extracted from the well
conventional power plant
may contain corrosive gases and
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impurities. For getting pure steam, the
steam extracted is passed through
steam separator.
 The pure steam obtained, flows
through the turbine thus producing
mechanical energy. The turbine is
coupled to the generator and power is
produced. The exhaust steam from the
turbine is allowed to condense inside
the direct contact condenser.
Advantages
1) Geothermal energy is a renewable
source of energy
2) Geothermal power plant will not cause
any pollution.
3) Geothermal power plant does not
require large areas of land and its
construction is simple
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4) Because of very few moving parts used,
the maintenance cost of the plant is very
low
Disadvantages
1) Initial investment is very high
2) This sources of energy can be utilised
only from the particular locations where
hot rocks are present inside the earth.
3) The sources of geothermal energy can
shut off without any reason
BIO GAS DIGESTER
 Bio - gas may be defined as the mixture
of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide
(CO2) with traces of hydrogen sulphide
(H2S).
 It is produced by anaerobic digestion
from animal dung, human excreta and
green plants.
Construction
 It contains a pit (15 to 1.6 m dia, and
4.0 to 6.0 m deep) excavated below the
ground level.
 It is lined with bricks. The partition
wall divides the space in pit into two
compartments.
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 The bottom of the pit is finished with

cement concrete basement:
 STwo slanting cement pipes reach the
stem at the pit on either side of the
partition. One pipe conveys slurry of
biomass from inlet into the pit and the
other pipe discharges the slurry (after
digestion) to the sludge outlet.
 The outlet pipe dips lower into the pit
than inlet pipe. The slurry may be
prepared from the cattle dung and
water in 4:5 ratio.
 Depending on the variation of
atmospheric temperature, decompo
sition of biomass slurry takes place.
 It is called digestion which liberates
methane.
 The optimum temperature for
methanogenic bacteria is 35°C,
Maintaining constant temperature is
essential for effective digestion.
 The retention period varies from 30 to
50 days depending on the temperature
variations.
 The biogas is collected by the dome
shaped gas holder located at the top of
digestion.
 The gas is tapped as and when
required from the gas holder.

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