NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

By :
Bryan Jonathan ( 02111640000020 )
Ni Putu Indira Melila ( 02111640000065 )
Adrian Pamungkas ( 02111640000097 )
Ines Ayu Ambarwati ( 02111640000144 )
DEFINITION
 Nuclear Power is the use of nuclear energy to generate heat, which
is then most frequently used in steam turbines to produce
electricity in a nuclear power plant.
 Nuclear Power can be obtained by from nuclear fission, nuclear
decay, and nuclear fusion reactions.
 Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is
produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium.
FISSION AND FUSSION
 The word fission means "a splitting or breaking up into parts"
Nuclear fission releases heat energy by splitting atoms.
 Nuclear fusion refers to the "union of atomic nuclei to form heavier
nuclei resulting in the release of enormous amounts of energy"
Fusion takes place when two low-mass isotopes, typically isotopes
of hydrogen, unite under conditions of extreme pressure and
temperature.
FUSION
 The word fusion means "a merging of separate elements into a
unified whole".
 Fusion is what powers the sun. Atoms of Tritium and Deuterium
(isotopes of hydrogen, Hydrogen-3 and Hydrogen-2, respectively)
unite under extreme pressure and temperature to produce a
neutron and a helium isotope. Along with this,
an enormous amount of energy is released, which is several times
the amount produced from fission.
FUSION
FISSION
 Nuclear fission takes place when a large, somewhat unstable
isotope (atoms with the same number of protons but different
number of neutrons) is bombarded by high-speed particles, usually
neutrons.
 A neutron is accelerated and strikes the target nucleus, which in
the majority of nuclear power reactors today is Uranium-235. This
splits the target nucleus and breaks it down into two smaller
isotopes (the fission products), three high-speed neutrons, and a
large amount of energy.
 The resulting energy is then used to heat water in nuclear reactors
and ultimately produces electricity. The high-speed neutrons that
are ejected become projectiles that initiate other fission reactions,
or chain reactions.
 Fission is used in nuclear power reactors since it can be controlled,
while fusion is not utilized to produce power since the reaction is not
easily controlled and is expensive to create the needed conditions for a
fusion reaction.
URANIUM

 Uranium is present in most rocks and soils as well as

in many rivers and in sea water
 Although uranium is about 100 times more common
than silver, U-235 is relatively rare.
 1 kg of uranium U235 can produce as much energy
as the burning of 4500 tons of high grade variety of
coal or 2000 tons of oil.
NUCLEAR REACTOR
 An apparatus in which heat is produced due to nuclear fission
chain reaction, to produce electricity
NUCLEAR REACTOR
MAIN COMPONENTS OF NUCLEAR REACTOR
 Core : Where the nuclear fission process takes place. Its shape is
usually cylinder ranging from 0.15 to 15 meters of diameter. A
reactor core consists of fuel elements, control rods, coolant,
moderator, and pressure vessels
 Fuel elements : The U-235 isotope

 Coolant : Used to remove the intensive heat produced in the

reactor. The heat then can be transferred to water in separate
vessel which will be converted into steam that runs the turbine
 Control Rods : Limits the number of fuel atoms that can split.
Made of heavy mass element such as Boron or Cadmium which
absorbs neutrons
 Moderator : Reduces the speed of fast moving neutrons. This is
because it can can cause high energy level which they have on
beginning released from fission process. Most moderators are
graphite, water, or heavy water.
 Radiation shield : To protect people from radiation and radiation
fragments.
HOW DOES A NUCLEAR REACTOR WORKS ?
 The main job of a reactor is to house and control nuclear fission—a
process where atoms split and release energy.
 Reactors use uranium for nuclear fuel. The uranium is processed into
small ceramic pellets and stacked together into sealed metal tubes called
fuel rods. Typically more than 200 of these rods are bundled together to
form a fuel assembly. A reactor core is typically made up of a couple
hundred assemblies, depending on power level.
 Inside the reactor vessel, the fuel rods are immersed in water which acts
as both a coolant and moderator. The moderator helps slow down the
neutrons produced by fission to sustain the chain reaction.
 Control rods can then be inserted into the reactor core to reduce the
reaction rate or withdrawn to increase it.
 The heat created by fission turns the water into steam, which spins a
turbine to produce carbon-free electricity.
COMMON TYPES OF REACTORS
 Boiling Water Reactor
 Pressurized Water Reactor

 Super-Critical Water Reactor

 Liquid Metal Fast Breeding Reactor

 High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

BOILING WATER REACTOR
SCHEMATICS BOILING WATER REACTOR

285 ⁰C
PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR
318 ⁰C

289 ⁰C
SUPER-CRITICAL WATER REACTOR
SUPER-CRITICAL WATER REACTOR
 The supercritical water reactor (SCWR) is a concept Generation IV
reactor, mostly designed as light water reactor (LWR) that operates
at supercritical pressure (i.e. greater than 22.1 MPa).
 The water heated in the reactor core becomes a supercritical fluid above
the critical temperature of 374 °C, transitioning from a fluid more
resembling liquid water to a fluid more resembling saturated
steam (which can be used in a steam turbine), without going through the
distinct phase transition of boiling.
 The supercritical steam generator is a proven technology. The
development of SCWR systems is considered a promising advancement
for nuclear power plants because of its high thermal efficiency (~45 % vs.
~33 % for current LWRs) and simpler design. As of 2012 the concept was
being investigated by 32 organizations in 13 countries.
LIQUID METAL FAST BREEDING REACTOR
LIQUID METAL FAST BREEDER REACTOR
In a Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor, the reactor coolant is liqid
metals, such as Sodium. And to avoid a nuclear radiation, a
number of loops of heat exchanger are used. The primary and the
intermediete loop uses liquid Sodium as a supplier of heat for the
steam generation that happens in the next loop.
HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS COOLED REACTOR
HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS COOLED REACTOR
 High Temperatur Gas Cooled Reactor uses a gas coolant
which is Helium. Helium is used because it has a low
thermal conductivity, low density, and low heat volume
capacity. It also has a low atom mass and good thermal
characteristic and not corrosive
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ADVANTAGES
 Space required is less when compared with other plants
 Nuclear power plant is the only one source which can meet the
increasing demand of electricity at a reasonable cost.
 A nuclear power plant uses much less fuel than a fossil fuel plant.
1 metric tonne of uranium fuel= 3 million metric tones of coal =12
millions barrels of oil
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DISADVANTAGES
 Radioactive wastes must be disposed carefully, otherwise it will
adversely affect the health of workers and the environment as a
whole
 Maintenance cost of the plant is high
 Some types of power plants are prone to meltdown
CORE MELTDOWN
 A nuclear meltdown (core meltdown, core melt
accident, meltdown or partial core melt) is a severe nuclear
reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating.
 A core meltdown accident occurs when the heat generated by a
nuclear reactor exceeds the heat removed by the cooling systems to
the point where at least one nuclear fuel element exceeds
its melting point. A meltdown may be caused by a loss of coolant,
loss of coolant pressure, or low coolant flow rate or be the result of
a criticality excursion in which the reactor is operated at a power
level that exceeds its design limits.
CORE MELTDOWN
 NUCLEAR WASTE
 They are highly radioactive
 Many of them have a very long half-lives
 Must be stored carefully
THANK YOU