Discover Nuclear Power
How does it work?
A nuclear reactor produces electricity in much the same way other power plants do. The chain reaction produces the energy, which turns water into steam. The pressure of the steam turns a generator, which produces electricity.
The difference is in how the heat is created. Power plants that run on fossil fuels burn coal, oil or natural gas to generate heat. In a nuclear energy plant, heat is produced from splitting atoms – a process called nuclear fission.
- Nuclear reactor creates heat that is used to make steam
- The steam turns a turbine connected to an electromagnet, called a generator
- The generator produces electricity
History of Nuclear Energy
1951: The first experimental reactor successfully produced electrical energy, lighting a string of four light bulbs in the United States.
1954: The first nuclear reactor to generate electricity for commercial purposes with a capacity of 5 megawatts was established in Obninsk, Russia.
The individuals who witnessed the first generation of electricity from nuclear energy celebrated the event by marking it with chalk on the concrete wall of the reactor.
It is noteworthy that the reactor was initially built to validate the concept of a breeder reactor.
The reactor operated for 15 years under Argonne National Laboratory, achieving several historical milestones.
On the day following its first operation, the reactor's output capacity was increased to 100 kilowatts, enough to power all its electrical equipment.
The first reactor for electricity production was established in 1951 in Idaho, USA, with an initial capacity of 100 watts, sufficient to light four light bulbs.