What does a nuclear power reactor operator do?

What does a nuclear power reactor operator do?

Nuclear power reactor operators control nuclear reactors. They adjust control rods, which affect how much electricity a reactor generates. They monitor reactors, turbines, generators, and cooling systems, adjusting controls as necessary. Operators start and stop equipment and record the data produced.

Where are reactors used?

Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid (water or gas), which in turn runs through steam turbines. These either drive a ship’s propellers or turn electrical generators’ shafts.

What happens if you go inside a nuclear reactor?

No immediate health effects would be expected in the general public from a nuclear power plant accident. That is because the amount of radiation present would be too small to cause immediate injury or illness. However, there is a risk of long-term health effects. Cancer may develop many years after the exposure.

How does a nuclear reactor work for dummies?

Nuclear power plants rely on the chain reaction of fission to create nuclear power. Nuclear power plants are very similar to conventional fossil fuel plants, in which a fossil fuel (coal, oil, natural gas) is burned, and the heat is used to boil water, which, in turn makes steam.

What do you need to work in a nuclear reactor?

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers typically need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. However, employers may prefer workers who have a college or vocational school degree. Power plant operators and dispatchers undergo rigorous, long-term on-the-job training and technical instruction.

Where do nuclear power reactor operators work?

Nuclear power plant operators begin working in nuclear power plants, typically as nonlicensed operators. After in-plant training and passing the NRC licensing exam, they become licensed reactor operators.

What is a nuclear reactor easy definition?

nuclear reactor. A device used to generate power, in which nuclear fission takes place as a controlled chain reaction, producing heat energy that is generally used to drive turbines and provide electric power. Nuclear reactors are used as a source of power in large power grids and in submarines.

What are the three main parts of a nuclear reactor?

Components of a nuclear reactor

• Fuel.
• Moderator.
• Control rods or blades.
• Coolant.
• Pressure vessel or pressure tubes.
• Steam generator.
• Containment.

Why can’t a nuclear reactor explode?

Fortunately, the reactor cannot explode. A nuclear explosion cannot occur because the fuel is not compact enough to allow an uncontrolled chain reaction. The MIT reactor has a lot of water and core structural materials that slow the neutrons down before they reach other fissile atoms.

What happens if a nuclear reactor melts down?

A meltdown is considered very serious because of the potential for radioactive materials to breach all containment and escape (or be released) into the environment, resulting in radioactive contamination and fallout, and potentially leading to radiation poisoning of people and animals nearby.

Why did Chernobyl explode?

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe.

What is a nuclear reactor in layman’s terms?

A nuclear reactor is a machine that uses fission to generate heat. There are different designs which use different fuels. Most often, uranium-235 or plutonium-239 are the main components of these fuels. Most nuclear reactors are used to make electricity. Some reactors are used for other purposes.

What materials are needed to build a nuclear reactor?

Nuclear Fuels. Nuclear fuel is generally any material that can be ‘burned’ by nuclear fission to derive nuclear energy.

What countries have nuclear reactors?

Countries with only a handful of nuclear power reactors include Pakistan, Romania, and Mexico. Slovenia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Spain, as well as Taiwan, South Africa, and Argentina also have a few among them.

What is used as fuel in a nuclear reactor?

Used nuclear fuel is a complex mixture of the fission products, uranium, plutonium, and the transplutonium metals. In fuel which has been used at high temperature in power reactors it is common for the fuel to be heterogeneous; often the fuel will contain nanoparticles of platinum group metals such as palladium .

What are the necessary components for a nuclear reactor?

Components Core. The core in the reactor includes nuclear fuel to generate the heat. Reflector. The reflector is arranged around the core to replicate the back of the neutrons that overflow from the surface of the core. Control Rods. Nuclear reactor control rods are designed with heavy mass elements. Moderator. Coolant. Turbine. Containment. Cooling Tower. Shielding.