NUCLEAR ENERGY

CHEMISTRY PROJECT

Yash Gourav Roll no.-1202127 Section- A14 Branch- Mech (4 yrs) Date: 27.11.2012

Contents:
TOPICS
1. Introduction 2. Working Principle 3. Parts of Nuclear Reactor 4. Principle of reactor control 5. Advantages 6. Disadvantages 7. Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION
Conventional thermal power stations use oil or coal as the source as the source of energy. The reserves of these fuels are becoming depleted in many countries and thus there is a tendency to seek alternative sources of energy. Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 1314% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity. In 2007, the IAEA reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries. Also, more than 150 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion have been built.

Nuclear power station in India:

In India, it was Dr. H. J. Bhabha who put India on the road to nuclear research, more than two decades ago. At present India have four nuclear power plants. 1. Tarapur 2. Rana Pratap Sagar 3. Kalpakkam 4. Narora Tarapur: This is the first power plant of India. It has two boiling water reactors each of 200 Me W capacity and each uses enriched U as fuel. Rana Pratap Sagar: It is situated at Rajasthan. Kalpakkam: It is situated at Tamil Nadu. Narora: It is at U. P.

Main parts of a nuclear power station:

The main parts of a nuclear power station are 1. Nuclear reactor 2. Heat exchanger 3. Steam turbine 4. Condenser 5. Generator

WORKING PRINCIPLE
In a reactor heat is produced by the fissioning or splitting of uranium atoms. A cooling medium takes up this heat and delivers it to the heat exchanger, where steam for the turbine is raised. When the uranium atoms split, there is radiation as well; the reactor and its cooling circuit must be heavily shielded against radiation hazards. Large electrical generating plants which provide most of our electricity all work on the same principle - they are giant steam engines. Power plants use heat supplied by a fuel to boil water and make steam, which drives a generator to make electricity. A generating plant's fuel, whether it is coal, gas, oil or uranium, heats water and turns it into steam. The pressure of the steam spins the blades of a giant rotating metal fan called a turbine. That turbine turns the shaft of a huge generator. Inside the generator, coils of wire and magnetic fields interact - and electricity is produced.

PARTS OF NUCLEAR REACTOR

1. Nuclear fuel 2. Reactor core 3. Moderator 4. Control rods

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5. Reflector 6. Reactor vessel 7. Biological shielding 8. Coolant

Nuclear fuel: Fuel of a reactor should be fissionable material which can be defined as a fissionable material which can be defined as an element or isotope whose nuclei can be caused to undergo nuclear fission nuclear bombardment and to produce a fission chain reaction. The fuels used are: U238, U235, U 234, UO2 Fertile materials, those which can be transformed into fissile materials, cannot sustain chain reactions. When a fertile material is hit by neutrons and absorbs some of them, it is converted to fissile material.U238 and Th232 are examples of fertile materials used for reactor purposes. Reactor core: This contains a number of fuel rods made of fissile material. Moderator: This material in the reactor core is used to moderate or to reduce the neutron speeds to a value that increases the probability of fission occurring. Control rods: The energy inside the reactor is controlled by the control rod. These are in cylindrical or sheet form made of boron or cadmium. These rods can be moved in and out of the holes in the reactor core assembly. Reflector: This completely surrounds the reactor core within the thermal shielding arrangement and helps to bounce escaping neutrons back into the core. This conserves the nuclear fuel. Reactor vessel: It is a strong walled container housing the core of the power reactor. It contains moderate, reflector, thermal shielding and control rods.

Biological shielding: Shielding helps in giving protection from the deadly - and -particle radiations and -rays as well as neutrons given off by the process of fission within the reactor.

Coolant: This removes heat from the core produced by nuclear reaction. The types of coolants used are carbon dioxide, air, hydrogen, helium, sodium or sodium potassium.

PRINCIPLE OF REACTOR CONTROL

Nuclear fission is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei), often producing free neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma rays), and releasing a very large amount of energy, even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay. Fissile isotopes are isotopes of an element that can be split through fission. Only certain isotopes of certain elements are fissile. For example, one isotope of uranium, 235U, is fissile, while another isotope, 238U, is not. Other examples of fissile elements are 239Pu and 232Th. Uranium is the principle element used in nuclear reactors and in certain types of atomic bombs. The specific isotope used is 235U. When a stray neutron strikes a 235U nucleus, it is at first absorbed into it. This creates 236U. 236U is unstable and this causes the atom to fission. The fissioning of 236U can produce over twenty different products. However, the products' masses always add up to 236. The following two equations are examples of the different products that can be produced when 235U fissions:

235U

+ 1 neutron 235U + 1 neutron

2 neutrons + 92Kr + 142Ba + ENERGY 2 neutrons + 92Sr + 140Xe + ENERGY

PWR Power Plant Schematic

ADVANTAGES
1. Space requirement of a nuclear power plant is less as compared to other conventional power plants of equal size. 2. A nuclear power plant consumes very small quantity of fuel. Thus fuel transportation cost is less and large fuel storage facility is not needed. 3. There is increased reliability of operation. 4. Nuclear power plants are not affected by adverse weather conditions.
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5. Nuclear power plants are well suited to meet large power demands. They give better performance at higher load factors (8090%). 6. Materials expenditure on metal structures, piping, storage mechanisms are much lower for a nuclear power plant than a coal burning power plant. 7. It does not require large quantity of water.

DISADVANTAGES
1. Initial cost of nuclear power plant is higher as compared to hydro or steam power plant. 2. Nuclear power plants are not well suited for varying load conditions. 3. Radioactive wastes if not disposed carefully may have bad effect on the health of workers and other population 4. Maintenance cost of the plant is high. 5. It requires trained personnel to handle nuclear power plants.

CONCLUSION
Widely used nuclear energy can be of great benefit for mankind. It can bridge the gap caused by inadequate coal and oil supply. It should be used to as much extent as possible to solve power problem. With further developments, it is likely that the cost of nuclear power stations will be lowered and that they will soon be competitive. With the depletion of fuel reserves and the question of transporting fuel over long distances, nuclear power stations are taking an important place in the development of the power potentials of the nations of the world today in the context of the changing pattern of power.