December 2, 1942: Enrico Fermi acquired a controlled nuclear chain reaction with a demo reactor called the Chicago

Pile 1.
October 6, 1947: the US Atomic Energy Commission looked into possible peaceful uses of atomic energy. December 20, 1951: an experimental reactor produced enough nuclear energy to

light four light bulbs. January, 1955: Atomic Energy Commission began program to fund nuclear power plants between government and industry. 1956: First nuclear power station was built, which used uranium as its fuel. Stations name was Calder Hall Power Station and was built on the coast of Cumberland. December 2, 1957: First full scale nuclear power plant goes into service in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. April 3, 1965: First nuclear reactor is operated from outer space.

 1973: American utilities buy 41 nuclear power plants.

March 28, 1979: Major nuclear accident occurs at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. No one is hurt. January, 1983: U.S. President Reagan signs the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. December, 1993: total number of nuclear power plants in the U.S. is 109,

producing 610 billion kWs of electricity.

 Main Core

Where nuclear reactions take place Inside Fuel Rods Assemblies Control Rods Moderator Coolant Outside Turbines Heat Exchanger Cooling System

 Fuel Assemblies

Collections of about a couple hundred fuel rods About 3.5m (11.48 ft) long About 1 cm in diameter Placed inside reactor core Fuel Rod Inside Hundreds of pellets of Uranium fuel stacked end to end Control Rods Inside Pellets made of efficient neutron capturers Connected to machines that can raise or lower them in the core.

Fission cannot occur when fully lowered because they catch free neutrons. When pulled out of the reactor, fission can start again anytime a stray neutron strikes a 235U atom. Moderator Serves to slow down the high speed neutrons flying all around the reactor core Most common moderator is water, but sometimes it can be another material Coolant Job is to absorb heat from the reaction. Most common is water Moderator and coolant are most of the time the same.

 Reactor Protection System (RPS)

Control Rods Series of metal rods that can be quickly inserted into the core to rapidly terminate the nuclear reaction by absorbing neutrons. Safety Injection/Standby Liquid Control Solution that consists of boron that can be injected into the core to displace the water.

 The three-phase power leaves the generator and enters a transmission substation at the power plant
For power to be useful in a home or business, it comes off the transmission grid and is stepped-down to the distribution grid. The place where the conversion from transmission to distribution occurs is in a power substation.

The power now goes through the distribution bus from the transformer.
The power then goes along the power lines to the regulator banks. Then it enters the transformer drums that you see on the telephone poles. Finally, it enters your house through your circuit breaker.

 Pressurizer
Areva

Pumps and Water Loops

Areva

Steam Generator
Babcock & Wilcox

Core
Lehigh Heavy Forge

Heat Exchanger
Shaw Group

Turbine
Shaw Group

 17% of the worlds electricity came from 442 nuclear power plants in 1996. Nuclear energy accounted for 77% of Frances electricity,52% of Swedens, and 22% of the United States Radiation from nuclear plants has not caused a single known death worldwide, except at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. The known death toll from the Chernobyl accident is less than 50. Nuclear power plants emit no carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming and the greenhouse effect, nor sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain. Less radiation is given off by a nuclear power plant than a coal-burning plant. Chernobyl-type plants can not be built or operated in the United States. This is because the Chernobyl-type plants had poor containment facilities. 36 nuclear power plants are currently under construction in 14 countries. Five plants began commercial operation last year, including one at the Tennessee Valley Authority.

 Nuclear power plants can use something known as heavy water. Heavy water is water that contains heavy hydrogen or deuterium.