Introduction to how a nuclear reactor works

Many times, if you’re below the age of 13, you might have only heard the term ‘nuclear reactor’ in movies such as the Iron Man trilogy, The Avengers, etc. (yes, I’m a Marvel geek). But read on to know in brief how it works.

A nuclear reactor is a device that initiates and somewhat controls a self-sustained nuclear chain reaction. If you’re a fellow avengers fan you must recall the scene in which Tony Stark tells Pepper Potts how the arc reactor will be powering his Stark Tower and how Stark Tower “Is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy” but a nuclear reactor is very different as compared to it.

A nuclear reactor is fueled by the nuclei of an element (let’s take uranium for instance). The atoms of a certain type of Uranium are split in order to release a large amount of energy. This process of splitting is called Fission. This entire process gives out a massive amount of heat which indirectly helps to run generators.

How it works (in short) – Heat Energy produced in reactors by the fission of uranium is used for converting Water (H2O) into steam which rotates turbine shafts which in turn powers a generator to generate electricity.

Generators= millions of megawatts of electric power

The major negative of using this method for producing power is that the elements (example: uranium, plutonium, thorium, etc.) after being used are left out, these elements are highly radioactive which has many negative impacts on living things and our environment.

This can be one of the shortest explanations of how a nuclear reactor works. Hope you found it useful.

( all info is taken via various textbooks and encyclopedias)