How Do They Make Nuclear Energy?

When you say nuclear energy, many people have some interesting ideas about how it works. Some people think you can just put wires into the fuel and get electricity. Others think it’s like magic. Some have no idea at all how it works. So today I’m going to try to simplify the process for you.

 Except for solar and bioluminescence, power plants uses turning magnets and coils of wire to create an electrical current. Wind power and Hydroelectric (water) plants use motion to move the magnets and coils. For everything else we use steam. Normally we just burn something to heat up water. The water turns to steam and expands. This turns a set of blades called turbine blades. The blades are connected to a shaft that turns the magnetic coils inside a machine called an alternator or generator. This produces the  electricity we use every day. We can burn oil, gas, coal, wood, or even trash. Geothermal power uses steam from the hot areas inside the crust of the Earth to run a turbine but we don’t have to burn anything.

For nuclear power, the heat source is made from an element called uranium. The fuel is made into pellets or rods, usually made of uranium oxide. The uranium atoms naturally fall apart in a process called fission (think division) and create a lot of heat. This heat finally gets transferred to water and creates lots of steam. The steam is what turns the turbine generator. The power plants have tall things that look like smoke stacks that are used to cool the water down before it leaves the plant. The white “smoke” is really just water vapor called steam. Because they use so much water, many nuclear power plants are built by rivers or by the ocean.

Nuclear power plants can run for many years using a small amount of fuel. The tough part is what to do with the fuel rods when they wear out. They are still radioactive (giving off lots of radiation) and can be very dangerous. Usually, the old fuel rods are sealed in watertight, very strong containers and taken to a special place to be buried.

Nuclear reactors are also used in aircraft carriers, submarines, and even satellites. They allow the ships, subs, or satellites to run for a long time without refueling. Here is a picture of a typical nuclear reactor.

 

I hope you learned something today. See you next time!

Love, Papaw.