Nuclear Power Plant

In nuclear power plant, nuclear energy released from radioactive materials due to fission reaction is utilized to heat the water and convert it into superheated steam. Rest of the electricity generation process is similar to steam power plant as discussed in Section 1.3. The main problem is careful handling of radioactive fuel used in nuclear reactor. Radiations from nuclear fuel are very harmful and dangerous for human beings. Therefore, complete shielding of nuclear reactor is required. After useful life of nuclear fuel, disposal of nuclear waste is second major problem in nuclear power plant. The installation cost of nuclear power plant is very high but the operational cost and production cost per unit of electricity is very economical. A self-explanatory block diagram of nuclear power plant is shown in Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.4 A Block Diagram for Nuclear Power Plant