Eli5: How are Nuclear Weapons different from Nuclear Power Plants?
In: Physics
They differ in (i) the amount of power produced and (ii) the speed at which it is produced (I am using the word power in a general way).
I am really making it sound easy and simple here, risking to sound wrong even. The attempt is to point to the process not explain it faithfully….
When a nuclear reaction begins, each neutron from an atom knocks three more neutrons from other three atoms, releasing heat in the process. Each of these three neutrons knock 3 new ones each releasing three times more heat. And those 9 neutrons then end up knocking 27 neutrons, releasing even more heat. Thus, it becomes an ever-intensifying chain reaction releasing catastrophic amounts of heat. That’s nuclear bomb (based on fission). Since the release happens VERY fast and a tremendous amount of heat escapes, the result is devastation.
In nuclear power plants, the same principle applies. One neutron knocks out three more, releasing heat in the process. However, this time control rods are interspersed that absorb 2-3 excess neutrons, thus leaving only 1-2 more neutrons to go their merry way knocking out more neutrons. Heat does get released, but it is less in amount, and it is produced slowly, in a controlled fashion. So this is a controlled chain reaction. And it can be controlled depending on how many free neutrons you want knocking around. This is how nuclear power plants generate heat.
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