How nuclear works
Steam power plants, whether they are coal or nuclear, use heat to make electricity. They operate like a giant tea kettle, turning water into steam which is then used to turn a generator to make electricity. The only difference between coal and nuclear power plants is that nuclear plants use uranium as the fuel to produce the heat instead of coal.
In a nuclear power plant reactor, water is heated by a process called nuclear fission.
- Uranium atoms are split when they are struck by neutrons.
- When the atoms split, they release heat, along with two or three more neutrons.
- These neutrons then strike other uranium atoms, again causing the atoms to split, release heat and again, two or three more neutrons. This is called a chain reaction.
The steam then spins the turbines, which are tied to the generators. The generators then produce electricity.