They explained how a power plant works in the Chernobyl mini-series. One part that got me thinking is how they use the energy from the fission to heat up that generate the steam which in turn run the turbin and give electricity (Correct me if i’m wrong).
What I don’t understand is why can’t the raw energy from the fission directly be used instead of going the whole cycle? What kind of energy is released from the fission and why can’t it be stored in a battery or capacitor-like thing?
In: Physics
Energy comes in many forms. Heat, radiation, chemical, kinetic, potential and electrical are all forms of energy. You can convert one to another, but there’s no such thing as pure energy.
Your understanding of how nuclear power works is correct. However moving heat a long way is expensive and inefficient. Moving electricity a long way can be efficient and cost effective. That’s why the heat is converted to electricity.
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