NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN MALAYSIA

NURUL AQILAH BT MUSTAFA KAMAL

ED12014
2014/2015(SECTION 03)
Abstract-Nuclear Power is a one of the best
option can be consider as one of solution
for our future energy development.
However, many aspect need to be
considered to make it as one of future
energy supply such as sites, cost and etc.
The purpose of this paper to discuss on
Nuclear Power Plant in Malaysia.

1. Introduction
In this new era, all the country has
been use and identify the new future energy
for future development. One of the country
that have seen the useful of the nuclear
energy is Malaysia.
Nuclear energy is use to generate the
energy and heat using the exothermic
nuclear processes. This energy actually
through the process of splitting the nucleus
of atom into two part which is Neutrons and
Proton.

Figure 1: Nucleus atom split into atom and nucleus.

Nuclear Power Plant is a station

where the heat source is generate and source
come from the nuclear reactor. The proses of
producing electricity is same as the
typically process from the convential
thermal power station where the steam is
generate using the heat to animate the steam
turbine which connected to generator.

Based on newspaper article,

government has made a decision to build the
nuclear power plant as a backup energy for
future energy with considering some aspect.
The main aspect need to be consider is site,
safety and external event such as flooding,
earthquakes, tornadoes and etc.
2. Aspect
The most important thing on selection
site is stages during the life time of nuclear
power plant. The stages is sitting, design
construction and de-commissioning.

Figure 2: Different phase of activities related to siting

nuclear power plant.

Figure 2 show the stages that related

on the selection of site for the nuclear power
plant. This phase need to take very serious
matter. This is because this phase will help
to decide whether the location can be use
and accepted by NPPs.
Besides that, the other important
aspect must be consider is safety. In safety
there 2 event has been categorized which is
External and Induced Event.
Basically External event, is the event
happen in geological condition such as
Earthquakes and surface faulting, lightning,

tropical cyclones, floods and etc. While for

the induced event is a event that create by
human itself from the technology such as
aircraft crash and leakage of Nuclear gas. If
this event happen, it will cause harm to
humankind and it also could loss of function
of system and required a long-term removal
of heat from the core. In the NPPs also has
state about this matter where they have it
criteria to avoid from this external and
induced event happen.

Table 1: Criteria set up by NPPs.

Figure 3: Example process of External event.

3. Block diagram

In the figure4 above, there are 5 stages

involve in the power plant system which is
Nuclear Reactor, Heat Exchange, Steam
Turbine and Alternator
Nuclear Reactor is an equipment
where use nuclear fuel as a subject to
nuclear fission.. It also control the chain
reaction once it has start when the fusion is
done. Besides that, once the chain reaction is
uncontrolled, it will cause the explosion due
to the energy release is uncontrollable.
Inside the nuclear reactor there are
nuclear fuel which is the uranium use as
the nuclear fuel which contain 2.5% to 3%
of uranium-235,reactor core where the
nuclear fission takes place, moderator which
used to slow down the speed of neutrons,
control rods where to control the rate of
fission and made up by the cadmium or
boron.
Besides, it use the coolant which
used to cool down the heat produce inside
the reactor. Protective screen is used for
protection to avoid from the heat from
escaped and the radiation emitted from the
process of nuclear fusion.
Heat exchanger is used to utilize in
raising the steam when the coolant has given
up the heat to it. While for steam turbine, the
steam produce by the heat exchanger will
animate the steam turbine though the valve.
When the steam turbine has been animate
the steam will drives the alternator to
convert the energy to electrical energy and
the output will delivered to the bus bars
through the transformers, circuit breakers
and isolators.

Figure 4: show the block diagram of the nuclear.

4. Operations

reactor and stop the fission process, cool

down reactor process and the system to
prevent it from escape into the environment.

Figure 6 ; Flow of nuclear power plant

operation.
Figure 5; Comparisons operation between
fossil power plant and nuclear power plant.

Compare to the conventional power

generation in the operation, in the nuclear
power plant there are factor must been
considered which is
1) Control
2) Safety
3) Refueling
4) Waste production
5) Efficiency
The important factor to a design is a
control, where the function of the control is
to keep the nuclear reaction from dying out
or explode. The uranium will fission into
two smaller atom and release one to three
neutrons when the atom of nuclear fuel is
absorbing a neutrons. The water heated for
steam turbine by using the kinetic energy of
the waste (two smaller atoms).
The next lot of uranium atoms
fission using the neutron then the process is
continues. When there is no neutrons
absorbed by another uranium the reaction of
it dies out but if too many of absorbing it
will cause of explosion and the reaction will
rapidly increases.
Since the radioactive material are
potentially harmful, there are many
precaution system are make to protect
workers, the public and environment. This
system including the shutting down the

5. Advantages
The advantages of using nuclear power
plant is essentially no greenhouse gas
emission compared to the conventional
power. Example in the coal combustion
there are generally about 75% of CO2
emission compare to the nuclear power
energy that only using uranium as nuclear
fuel.
Another advantages is nuclear
energy is more concentrated in form of
energy compared to the conventional power
generation. It also can produce in a large
quantity in a short time. Besides that, the
nuclear power plant also low fuel cost
compare to the others power which need
higher cost in operation.
In a term of waste we can see that,
the nuclear power plant is less waste
compared to the other. This is because the
waste has been use to drives the steam
turbine.
6. Disadvantages
For the disadvantages, we can see that
the waste of nuclear is more dangerous for a
thousand of year. This because The radiation
of the nuclear which can be harmful or fatal
to infected people. Besides that, When the
power plant is shutdown the power will
takes a long time to ben maintenance and
higher cost will needed.

Another disadvantages is waste of

nuclear will combustion without any notice.
The combustion usually will exploded
without any warning when the fission
nuclear has been done. Usually for workers
in this section, there must be more
precaution to take to avoid from any
accident from the waste reactions.
7. Conclusion
In a conclusion, using the power plant
for the future energy in Malaysia is the best
option. This is because by using the
conventional energy, the energy will take a
lot of time to produces a large quantity to
support the population and industrial request
compared to the nuclear energy power.

8. Reference
1. Nuclear power plant ( energy
system) by Shailesh B. Patel

2. Journal of Nuclear and related

Technologist, Volume 9.No1 June
2012.
3. MOSTI ,Regulatory requirement for
site evaluation of Nuclear Power
Plant
4. Www.nuclear-energy.net/hownuclear-power-plant-work
5. www.howstuffworks.com/nuclearpower2.