NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

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. In a nuclear power station instead of a furnace there is a
nuclear reactor, in which heat is generated by splitting atoms of radioactive material under
suitable conditions. The conversion to electrical energy takes place indirectly, as in conventional
thermal power plants. The heat is produced by fission in a nuclear reactor. Directly or indirectly,
water vapor (steam) is produced. The pressurized steam is then usually fed to a multi-stage steam
turbine. For economical use in a power system a nuclear power station generally has to be large
and where large units are justifiable. As of 23 April 2014, the International Atomic Energy
Agency reports that there are 435 nuclear power reactors in operation operating in 31 countries.

History of Nuclear Energy and Power Generation

The neutron was discovered in 1932. The concept of a nuclear chain reaction brought about
by nuclear reactions mediated by neutrons was first realized shortly thereafter, by
Hungarian scientist Le Szilrd, in 1933. Inspiration for a new type of reactor using uranium
came from the discovery by Lise Meitner, Fritz Strassmann and Otto Hahn in 1938 that
bombardment of uranium with neutrons (provided by an alpha-on-beryllium fusion reaction, a
"neutron howitzer") produced a barium residue, which they reasoned was created by the
fissioning of the uranium nuclei. On June 27, 1954, the USSR's Obninsk Nuclear Power
Plant became the world's first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid, and
produced around 5 megawatts of electric power.The first commercial nuclear power
station, Calder Hall in Sellafield, England was opened in 1956 with an initial capacity of 50 MW
(later 200 MW).
India's first research nuclear reactor and its first nuclear power plant were built with assistance
from Canada. The 40 MW research reactor agreement was signed in 1956, and CIRUS achieved
first criticality in 1960. This reactor was supplied to India on the assurance that it would not be
used for military purposes, but without effective safeguards against such use. The technical and
design information were given free of charge by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to India. The

United States and Canada terminated their assistance after the detonation of India's first nuclear
explosion in 1974.
Tarapur Atomic Power Station located in Tarapur, Maharashtra is the first nuclear power reactor
of India. It was estabilished in October 28, 1969. It has a total capacity of 1,400MW.
Fig 2. The image is a view of the Tarapur Nuclear power plant.

Nuclear Reactions
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is semantically considered to be the
process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle (such as a
proton, neutron, or high energy electron) from outside the atom, collide to produce one or
more nuclides that are different from the nuclide(s) that began the process. Thus, a nuclear
reaction must cause a transformation of at least one nuclide to another. If a nucleus interacts with
another nucleus or particle and they then separate without changing the nature of any nuclide, the
process is simply referred to as a type of nuclear scattering, rather than a nuclear reaction.
There are two types of nuclear reactions
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fusion
In nuclear physics, nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction in which two or more atomic
nuclei collide at a very high speed and join to form a new type of atomic nucleus. During this
process, matter is not conserved because some of the matter of the fusing nuclei is converted
to photons (energy). Fusion is the process that powers active or "main sequence" stars.
Fusion power is the energy generated by nuclear fusion processes. The origin of the energy
released in fusion of light elements is due to interplay of two opposing forces, the nuclear
force which combines together protons and neutrons, and the Coulomb force which causes
protons to repel each other. The protons are
positively charged and repel each other but they
nonetheless stick together, demonstrating the
existence of another force referred to as nuclear
attraction. This force, called the nuclear force,
overcomes electric repulsion in a very close
range.

Most nuclear fusion reactions involve the fusion of two

hydrogen isotopes (Deuterium and Tritium) to form a
helium atom releasing huge amounts of energy and a
neutron.
Fig 3. A schematic representation of the equation of a
nuclear fusion reaction.
Nuclear fusion is currently in its experimental phases
and is not being utilized for commercial purposes due to
its requirements of high initial energy and pressure so as
to overcome the coulombic forces and bring the nuclei in close proximity.

Nuclear Fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is either a nuclear reaction or
radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts
(lighter nuclei). The fission process often produces
free neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma
rays), and releases a very large amount of energy even
by the energetic standards of radioactive decay.
Fig 4. A schematic representation of the equation of a
nuclear fission reaction.
Fission as encountered in the modern world is usually
deliberately

produced

man-made nuclear

reaction induced by a neutron. In an induced fission

reaction, a neutron is absorbed by uranium-235
nucleus turning it briefly into an excited uranium-236
nucleus, with the excitation energy provided by the
kinetic energy of the neutron plus the forces that bind
the neutron. The uranium236 in turn splits into fast moving lighter elements (fission products)
and releases three free neutrons at the same time, one or more prompt gamma rays are
produced as well.

The Various Components of a Nuclear Power Plant are:

Nuclear Reactor

Cooling System
Steam Generator/Boiler

Safety Valves

Nuclear Power in India

Nuclear power is the fourth largest source of electricity in India after thermal, hydroelectric and
renewable sources of electricity. As of 2013, India has 21 nuclear reactors in operation in 7
nuclear power plants, having an installed capacity of 5780MW and producing a total of
30,292.91 GWh of electricity while seven other reactors are under construction and are expected
to generate an additional 6,100 MW.
Power

Total capacity

Operator

State

Type

Units

Kaiga

NPCIL

Karnataka

PHWR

220 x 4

880

Kakrapar

NPCIL

Gujarat

PHWR

220 x 2

440

Madras

NPCIL

Tamil Nadu

PHWR

220 x 2

440

Narora

NPCIL

Uttar Pradesh

PHWR

220 x 2

440

station

(MW)

100 x 1
Rajasthan

NPCIL

Kota Rajasthan

PHWR

200 x 1

1180

220 x 4

Tarapur

NPCIL

Maharashtra

Kudankulam

NPCIL

Tamil Nadu

BWR

160 x 2

PHWR

540 x 2

VVER1000

1000 x 1

1440

1000

Advantages of Nuclear Power Plant

Space requirement of a nuclear power plant is less as compared to other conventional
power plants of equal size.
A nuclear power plant consumes very small quantity of fuel. Thus fuel transportation cost
is less and large fuel storage facility is not needed.
There is increased reliability of operation.
Nuclear power plants are not affected by adverse weather conditions.
Nuclear power plants are well suited to meet large power demands. They give
better performance at higher load factors (80-90%).
Materials expenditure on metal structures, piping, storage mechanisms are much lower for
a nuclear power plant than a coal burning power plant.
It does not require large quantity of water.
The generation of electricity through nuclear energy reduces the amount of energy generated from
fossil fuels (coal and oil). Less use of fossil fuels means lowering greenhouse gas emissions (CO2
and others).
Currently, fossil fuels are consumed faster than they are produced, so in the next future

these resources may be reduced or the price may increase becoming inaccessible for most
of the population.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power Plant

Initial cost of nuclear power plant is higher as compared to hydro or steam power plant.
Nuclear power plants are not well suited for varying load conditions.
Radioactive wastes if not disposed carefully may have bad effect on the health of workers
and other population.
Maintenance cost of the plant is high.

 It requires highly trained personnel to handle nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power plants generate external dependence. Not many countries have uranium

mines and not all the countries have nuclear technology, so they have to hire both things
overseas.
Nuclear power plants are objectives of terrorist organizations.
Decommissioning of nuclear power stations is expensive and takes a long time.

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.
Nuclear accidents can spread 'radiation producing particles' over a wide area, This
radiation harms the cells of the body which can make humans sick or even cause death.
Illness can appear or strike people years after they were exposed to nuclear radiation and
genetic problems can occur too. A possible type of reactor disaster is known as a
meltdown. In a meltdown, the fission reaction of an atom goes out of control, which leads
to a nuclear explosion releasing great amounts of radioactive particles into the
environment. Chernobyl and Fukushima are the worst nuclear accidents to date causing
many lives and leakage of radiation.