MASINDE MULIRO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

COURSE CODE: ECE 213

COURSE TITLE: POWER SYSTEMS 1

GROUP 3
TASK: GROUP ASSIGNMENT
STUDENT NAME REGISTRATION NUMBER SIGN
1 Mathew Mutunga ECE/B/01-02668/2020
2 Daniel Okumu ECE/B/01-03121/2020
3 Ocholla Michael ECE/B/01-01618/2020
4 Mudenyo Shadrack ECE/B/01-55269/2020
5 Maxmillan Okoth ECE/B/01-01834/2020
6 Bivon Mokua ECE/B/01-04529/2020
7 Fredrick Okuku ECE/B/01-01862/2020
8 Joab Opilo ECE/B/01-01857/2020
9 Erick Kimathi ECE/B/01-01725/2020
10 Emmanuel Kipngetich ECE/B/01-04624/2020

Discuss nuclear energy as a source of electricity

Introduction
A nuclear power plant is a generating station in which nuclear energy is converted into electrical
energy.
History of nuclear energy.
The idea of nuclear power began in 1930s, when physicist Enrizo Fermi first showed that
neutrons could split atom. Electricity was generated by a nuclear reactor for the first time ever on
September 3rd 1948 and the X- 10 graphite reactor in Oak Bridge Tennessee US which was the
first nuclear power station to power a light bulb.
The second rather larger experiment occured in December 20 1951, at the end of EBR-1 one
experimental station near arco, Idaho.

On June 27th 1954 the world’s first nuclear power station to generate electricity for power grid ,
the urbanisk nuclear power plant started operating in urbanisk in the Soviet Union.The world
first full scale power station called a Hall in the United Kingdom opened on October 17 ,1952.
Basic components.
Condenser
Cooling tower
Electrical generator
steam turbine
Summary of what occurs in a nuclear power plant
In nuclear power stations heavy elements such as uranium or thorium are subjected to nuclear
fission in a special apparatus known as a reactor. Energy is released during the process which is
utilized in raising steam at high temperature and pressure. This steam runs the steam turbine
which converts steam energy into mechanical energy. The turbine drives the alternator which
converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
In nuclear power stations huge amount of electrical energy can be produced from relatively small
amounts of nuclear fuels as compared to other conventional types of power stations for example
complete fission of 1 KG of uranium can produce as much energy as can be produced by burning
4500 tons of highgrade coal.

The schematic arrangement of a nuclear power plant is illustrated below

 Source: www.theengineerspost.com
1.Nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor is an apparatus where nuclear fission occurs. It controls the chain reaction which
starts once fission is done. Chain reaction is a continuous reaction which occurs in nuclear
fission when bombarding uranium nuclei with slow moving neutrons, this results in splitting
uranium nuclei with release of huge amount of energy and emission of neutrons called fission
neutrons, Fission neutrons cause further fission.
If chain reaction is not controlled, there will be an explosion due to the fast increase in energy
released.
Nuclear reactor is a cylindrical stout pressure which houses nuclear fuel rods, control roads and
the moderator. The fuel roads constitutes fission material which release large amount of energy
when bombarded with slow moving neutrons. The moderator consists of graphite rods which
encloses fuel rods. The moderator slows down neutrons before they bombard with fuel rods.
Control rods consist of cadmium metal. Cadmium metal is a good neutron absorber and regulates
the supply of neutrons for fission i.e when control roads are pushed in deep enough, they absorb
most neutrons leaving a few for fission which stops, when they are withdrawn, more and more
fission neutrons cause fission which in turn increase the intensity of chain reaction
In actual practice, lowering and raising of control road is done automatically according to the
requirement of the Load.
Heat produced in the nuclear reactor is removed by coolant (sodium metal) to the heat exchange
 Source:principles of power systems by v.k.mehta

2.Heat exchanger
Heat exchangers are systems that use fluid to absorb heat from a hot outside source without the
fluid and hot source mixing together. Therefore the fluid that entered hot leaves cold and the
initially cold fuid leaves hot.
Vessel construction
A heat exchanger consists of two liquids that are separated by a wall . The wall is thermally
conductive there is provision to transfer the heat of the hot object to one of the liquids. The
liquids are in constant rotation, which allows effective heat transfer.
How heat exchangers work in a nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor consists of uranium among other materials
Thermal energy is a byproduct of most of the reactions taking place in the reactor. The heat from
the reactor is first transferred to the water. Due to the large amount of heat transferred, the water
turns to steam.
The steam is then transferred via a pump to a heat exchanger. Steam generators are heat
exchangers used to convert water into steam from heat produced in a nuclear reactor core. They
are used in pressurized water reactor (PWR) between the primary and secondary coolant loops.
In a PWR the steam generator separates the activated primary coolant water from the secondary
coolant which passes through the steam turbine.
In commercial power plants, there are two to four steam generators per reactor ;each steam
generator can measure up to 70 feet in height and weight as much as 800 tons.Each steam
generator can contain anywhere from 3000 to 16,000 tubes each about 0.75 inches in diameter.
The coolant which is maintained at high pressure to prevent boiling, is pumped through the
nuclear reactor core. Heat transfer takes place between the reactor core and the circulating water
and the coolant is then pumped through the primary tube side of the system generator by coolant
pumps before returning to the reactor core. This is referred to as primary loop. That water
flowing through the steam generator boils water on the shell side, which is kept at a lower
pressure then the primary side to produce steam. This is referred to as secondary loop.
The secondary side steam is delivered to the turbines to make electricity. This steam is
subsequently condensed via cool water from tertiary loop and returned to the steam generator to
be heated once again.
The tertiary cooling water may be recirculated where it sheds waste heat before returning to
condense more steam.
Once through tertiary cooling may otherwise be provided by a river, lake or ocean.
This primary, secondary, tertiary cooling scheme is the basis of the pressurized water reactor,
which is the most common nuclear power plant design worldwide.
3.Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to
do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. The capacity of a steam turbine can range from
20 kilowatts to 700 megawatts for large drivers.
The steam produced in the heat exchanger is led to the steam turbine through a valve, as that
steam flows past the turbine's spinning blades, this steam expands and cools. The potential
energy of the steam is thus turned into kinetic energy in the rotating turbine’s blades. The
turbines are connected to the alternator with an axle which in turn produces energy via a
magnetic field that produces an electric current.
4.Alternator
An alternator is a device that produces electricity inviting mechanical rotation energy into
electrical energy. In the nuclear power plant, the steam turbine drives the alternator which
converts mechanical rotation energy into electricity. The output from the alternator is delivered
in two bus-bars through transformer, circuit Breakers and isolators
An alternator in a nuclear power plant consist of;
4- pole hydrogen cooled rotor
The rotor winding is made up of hollow conductors through which the hydrogen gas flows. The
hydrogen is cooled in the hydrogen/water exchanger
Stator
The stationary part of alternator which surrounds the rotor. The stator has a wire winding in
which the changing field induces an electric current.
Brushless excitation system
The excitor keeps current going through the wire of the rotor when this rotor turns, it induces a
voltage in the stator.
Selection of Site for Nuclear Power Station

Factors influencing choice of site

1. Availability of water. As sufficient water is required for cooling purposes, therefore, the
plant site should be located where ample quantity of water is available, e.g., across a river or by
sea-side.
2.Disposal of waste. The waste produced by fission in a nuclear power station is generally
radioactive which must be disposed off properly to avoid health hazards. The waste should either
be buried in a deep trench or disposed off in sea quite away from the sea shore.Therefore, the site
selected for such a plant should have adequate arrangement for the disposal of radioactive waste.
3.Distance from populated areas. The site selected for a nuclear power station should be quite
away from the populated areas as there is a danger of presence of radioactivity in the atmosphere
near the plant. However, as a precautionary measure, a dome is used in the plant which does not
allow the radioactivity to spread by wind or underground waterways.
4.Transportation facilities. The site selected for a nuclear power station should have adequate
facilities in order to transport the heavy equipment during erection and to facilitate the movement
of the workers employed in the plant.

Solved mathematical problems

1]An atomic power reactor can deliver 300 MW. If due to fission of each atom of 92U235 , the
energy released is 200 MeV, calculate the mass of uranium fissioned per hour.
Solution.
Energy received from the reactor= 300 MW = 3 × 10^8 W (or Js−1)
Energy received/hour = (3 × 10^8) × 3600 = 10^8 × 10^10 J
Energy released/fission = 200 MeV = 200 × 10^6 × 1·6 × 10^−19 J = 3·2 × 10^−11J
Number of atoms fissioned per hour
= 108 ×10^10
3.2×10^-11
= 33·75 × 10^21
Now 1 gram-atom (i.e., 235g) has 6·023 × 1023 atoms.
Mass of Uranium fissioned per hour

= 235 ×33.75×10^21
6.023× 10^23
=13.17g

2What is the power output of a 92U235 reactor if it takes 30 days to use up 2 kg of Fuel? Given
that energy released per fission is 200 MeV and Avogadro’s number = 6·023 × 10^26 Per Kilo
mole.
Solution
Number of atoms in 2kg fuel= 2. × 6.023× 10^26 = 5.12×10^24
235
These atoms fission in 30 days. Therefore the fission rate ( number of fissions per second)
= 5.12 × 10^24 = 1.975× 10^18
30×24×60×60
Energy released per fission= 200 MeV = (200× 10^6) × 1.6. × 10 ^-19J
Energy released per second i.e power output P is
P= (3.2 × 10^-11) ×( 1.975 × 10^ 18) W
= 63.2× 10^6 W
= 63.2MW
Examples of power stations worldwide
Nuclear Power plant Country
1. Kashiwazaki Japan
2. Hanul South Korea
3. Zaporizhzhia Ukraine
 4. Gravelines France
5. Palvei France
6. Yangjiam China
7. Bruce nuclear generating Canada
Station

Advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy

Advantages
• It has low cost of fuel transportation as small quantity of fuel is required
• It requires a smaller geographic space to establish a nuclear power station
• There are large deposits of nuclear fuel available readily all over the world therefore
ensuring continuous electrical energy supply over thousands of years
• It is economical that’s producing bulky electric power since low amount of oil is
consumed to produce large amount of electric power
• It does not require large quantity of water therefore can be located near the load center
thus reduced cost of primary distribution • It ensures reliability of generation
Disadvantages

• It uses very expensive fuel which is difficult to recover

• Erection and commissioning of the plant requires greater technical know how
• The capital cost of the nuclear plant is high as compared to other the types of plants
• The Fission byproducts are radioactive hence posing danger to the community due to
radioactive pollution.
• Maintenance charges are high due to lack of standardization and high salaries of specially
trained employees.
• Nuclear power is not well suited for varying loads as the reactor doesn’t respond to the
load fluctuation efficiency
References;

1. W.M. Stacey, Nuclear Reactor Physics, John Wiley& sons, 2001

2. Robert Reed Burn, Introduction To Nuclear Reactor Operation, 1998
3. V.K.Mehta, Principles of power systems
4. www.researchgate.net