How does a nuclear power plant generate electricity? Where does the radiation come from when there are failures?
In: Chemistry
Electricity can be generated by having metal move inside of a magnetic field. This is how a turbine works, just spinning a metal rotor inside of a magnetic stator field.
Nuclear plant fuel is generally Uranium 235. This isotope is a little unstable, so neutrons are occasionally released from its atomic nucleus. The moderator of a reactor will slow these neutrons down enough by causing them to bounce around, losing energy and transferring it to the water coolant in the form of heat which causes the coolant to boil into steam which pushes the turbine to create electricity before it condenses back into water. When the neutron slows down enough from all its bouncing around, it can then smack into the Uranium 235 nucleus just right to cause it to split apart, releasing a lot more neutrons to help fuel the reactor, other types of radiation, and fission fragments which are also unstable and release radiation.
Normally, all the Uranium and fission fragments are contained in fuel cells and cannot escape. If the plant had a bad enough accident, the fuel cell walls could melt, releasing the radiation into the coolant. If the pressure builds enough in the coolant, the pipes could rupture and release that radioactive material into the containment building. If that pressure builds up enough, it would finally release into the public.
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