Nuclear Power Stations Quiz

Overview of Nuclear Power Stations

• Nuclear power stations use heavy elements such as Uranium or Thorium for nuclear fission to produce a huge amount of electrical energy from a relatively small amount of nuclear fuel.
• The heat energy is used to raise steam at high temperature and pressure, which runs the steam turbine to convert steam energy into mechanical energy, and then into electrical energy via the alternator.
• Heat can be generated via nuclear fission or nuclear fusion, and nuclear fission is the process of splitting the nucleus of fissionable material such as Uranium, Thorium, or Plutonium.
• The main components of a Nuclear Power System include the Nuclear Reactor, Heat Exchanger, Steam Turbine, Condenser, and Alternator.
• The nuclear reactor consists of fuel (Uranium or Thorium), moderator (to reduce neutron speed), reflector (to cause neutrons to bounce back), control rods (to regulate fissioning), thermal shielding (to absorb radiation), coolant (to transfer heat), and structure.
• Heavy water is an ideal moderating material, and control rods are generally made of boron.
• The coolant gives up heat to the heat exchanger, which is utilized in raising steam, and after giving up heat, the coolant is fed back to the reactor.
• The criteria for selecting an appropriate site for a nuclear power plant include proximity to a river, lake, or sea, adequate space for disposal of radioactive waste, and sufficient supporting strength to carry reactors with high weights and densities.
• Advantages of nuclear power stations include requiring a small amount of fuel, producing valuable fissile material, and being most economical for large capacity.
• Disadvantages of nuclear power stations include high initial cost, requiring highly skilled technical labor, risk of radioactive pollution, unsuitability for varying loads, expensive fuel, high maintenance cost, and difficulty in disposing of radioactive waste.
• The energy obtained by fission of 1 kg of uranium is approximately equivalent to burning 2500 tonnes of coal (~6.5×10^6kWh).
• Nuclear power stations have the potential to run for thousands of years due to the large amount of nuclear fuels in the world.

Overview of Nuclear Power Stations

• Nuclear power stations use heavy elements such as Uranium or Thorium for nuclear fission to produce a huge amount of electrical energy from a relatively small amount of nuclear fuel.
• The heat energy is used to raise steam at high temperature and pressure, which runs the steam turbine to convert steam energy into mechanical energy, and then into electrical energy via the alternator.
• Heat can be generated via nuclear fission or nuclear fusion, and nuclear fission is the process of splitting the nucleus of fissionable material such as Uranium, Thorium, or Plutonium.
• The main components of a Nuclear Power System include the Nuclear Reactor, Heat Exchanger, Steam Turbine, Condenser, and Alternator.
• The nuclear reactor consists of fuel (Uranium or Thorium), moderator (to reduce neutron speed), reflector (to cause neutrons to bounce back), control rods (to regulate fissioning), thermal shielding (to absorb radiation), coolant (to transfer heat), and structure.
• Heavy water is an ideal moderating material, and control rods are generally made of boron.
• The coolant gives up heat to the heat exchanger, which is utilized in raising steam, and after giving up heat, the coolant is fed back to the reactor.
• The criteria for selecting an appropriate site for a nuclear power plant include proximity to a river, lake, or sea, adequate space for disposal of radioactive waste, and sufficient supporting strength to carry reactors with high weights and densities.
• Advantages of nuclear power stations include requiring a small amount of fuel, producing valuable fissile material, and being most economical for large capacity.
• Disadvantages of nuclear power stations include high initial cost, requiring highly skilled technical labor, risk of radioactive pollution, unsuitability for varying loads, expensive fuel, high maintenance cost, and difficulty in disposing of radioactive waste.
• The energy obtained by fission of 1 kg of uranium is approximately equivalent to burning 2500 tonnes of coal (~6.5×10^6kWh).
• Nuclear power stations have the potential to run for thousands of years due to the large amount of nuclear fuels in the world.