Nuclear

Plants
CARLOS
CAS T E L LAN O S
A nuclear power plant (sometimes abbreviated as NPP) is a thermal power station
in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. 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.
Nuclear power plants have generated about 20% of U.S. electricity since 1990
As of December 31, 2020, 94 nuclear reactors were operating at 56 nuclear power
plants in 28 states. Thirty-two of the plants have two reactors, and three plants
have three reactors. Nuclear power plants have supplied about 20% of total annual
U.S. electricity since 1990. Learn more about the U.S. nuclear energy industry.
The reactor is a key component of a power plant, as it contains the fuel and
its nuclear chain reaction, along with all of the nuclear waste products. The reactor
is the heat source for the power plant, just like the boiler is for a coal plant.
Uranium is the dominant nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors, and its fission
reactions are what produce the heat within a reactor. This heat is
then transferred to the reactor's coolant, which provides heat to other parts of the
nuclear power plant.
Besides their use in power generation, there are other types of nuclear reactors
that are used for plutonium manufacturing, the propulsion of ships, aircraft and
satellites, along with research and medical purposes. [4] The power plant
encompasses not just the reactor, but also cooling towers, turbines, generators,
and various safety systems. The reactor is what makes it differ from other  external
heat engines.
The efficiency of a nuclear power plant is determined similarly to other heat engines
—since technically the plant is a large heat engine. The amount of electric
power produced for each unit of thermal power gives the plant its thermal efficiency,
and due to the second law of thermodynamics there is an upper limit to how
efficient these plants can be.
The safety of nuclear reactors has become paramount since the Fukushima
accident of 2011. The lessons learned from that disaster included the need to adopt
risk-informed regulation, strengthen management systems so that decisions made
in the event of a severe accident are based on safety and not cost or
political repercussions, periodically assess new information on risks posed by
natural hazards such as earthquakes and associated tsunamis, and take steps
to mitigate the possible consequences of a station blackout.
Nuclear power is a major low carbon-emission energy source for generation of
electricity in the world, and it is expected to remain so in the foreseeable future.
However, the nuclear power must be safe, reliable and economic compared to the
other energy sources including hydro, wind, solar, natural gas, and even coal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant#:~:text=A%20nuclear%20power%20plant%20(sometimes,a
%20generator%20that%20produces%20electricity.

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/nuclear-power-plants.php

https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power_plant

https://www.britannica.com/technology/nuclear-power