Electricity Generation from Nuclear Power Reactors

April 20, 2017
World Cafe Live

3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

6:00pm

Harold Gray
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
“Electricity Generation from Nuclear Power Reactors”
 

Nuclear heat generates about 20% of the electricity used in the USA. In this region that percent is higher with 7 nuclear generating stations within 50 miles of northern Delaware. The USA, through the NRC, issues a license for each plant to operate and also owns the fuel. The NRC’s role is to promote safety by monitoring plant operation through inspection and analysis.

This talk includes how nuclear plant systems generate steam to drive the turbines that produce electricity. This will cover large plants that produce 1200 MW or more from either Pressurized Water Reactors, PWRs, or Boiling Water Reactors, BWRs, to innovative small modular reactors, SMRs, producing up to 50 MW per segment, as future, stand-alone units that can power a small town and which could be bundled, if necessary, to produce up to 300 MW.