Learn about nuclear power technology

Vietnam will start the first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan 1 next year. Russia pledged that Ninh Thuan 1 will use the safest technology.

>>>Methods to extend the life of nuclear power plants

Although everyone knows that developing nuclear power must go hand in hand with the ultimate safety requirement, nuclear power is still new and strange to most Vietnamese people. Within the scope of this article, we introduce the basics of Union of Concerned Scientists' nuclear power technology, an independent US-based organization that allies scientists to solve problems. Global urgent issue.

The basic principle behind a nuclear reactor is actually very simple: the heat produced by a controlled nuclear fission reaction chain is used to boil water and create steam pressure to spin the turbine generator.

But the technology needed to ensure this principle works efficiently and safely is complex.

The fission reaction must be maintained at the correct rate, and adjusted or stopped as needed as quickly as possible. Water temperature and steam pressure must be carefully controlled. Besides, in the construction of a nuclear power plant, the backup cooling system is essential to protect against the possibility that nuclear fuel rods will overheat and start melting. Different reactor designs will need to follow different technical safety requirements.

Types of current reactors

About two-thirds of the active reactors in the United States and around the world are pressure water reactors (PWRs), the rest are boiling water reactors (BWR) . Each has different advantages and disadvantages.

Both types of BWR and PWR use ordinary ("light") water to transfer the heat energy from nuclear fuel that rotates turbine blades for electricity generation, so they are sometimes referred to as water reactors. Light (LWR). The most important difference between the two is that the heat transfer method of the water used in the furnace.

Boiling Water Reactors-BWR (Boiling Water Reactors)

A BWR furnace uses only a single cooling water cycle: the amount of water surrounding the fuel rods placed inside the pressure reactor (RPV) after being boiled into hot steam will be followed. Pipes to turbines. Next, this amount of steam is cooled to return to the liquid state and continues to be used in this cycle.

Describe the operating principle of a boiling water reactor

Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs)

In a PWR, in contrast to the BWR furnace, there are two separate pipelines. The first is the amount of water in the main circulation cycle, moving around the fuel rods in the reactor, heated to high temperatures but kept under high pressure so that the water does not boil. However, the amount of water in the main circulation cycle is still very high and is directed into a heat exchange pipe system located inside the secondary pipeline. Water from secondary pipes quickly boils to form steam and continues a cycle like in the BWR furnace.

Describe the principle of operation of a pressure water reactor

Design alternative reactors

Baby capacity oven according to the module

Besides the main reactors, several alternative reactor designs have also been proposed. The designs that have received the most attention in recent years are collectively referred to as modular modular power reactors (SMR). Current SMR furnaces produce about one-third of the energy of all reactors in the world combined. Due to its smaller size, the kiln is built into each module right at the factory, not built right at the power plant and can be transported directly to the field by car or train, with very high passive safety so it is difficult to melt fuel, but if it happens, the level of radioactivity is very limited (less radioactive furnace, built underground).

Proponents argue that SMR will be a preeminent design while ensuring safety and efficiency over traditional kilns, allowing them to be more widely distributed and located in more densely populated areas. . However, UCS analysis still questioned the claims and warnings against stretching security and safety standards for this SMR.

Thorium reactor

The thorium reactor is a type of re-heat reactor. The thorium reactor uses thorium fuel cycles on fluoride, melting to fuel, which was first developed in the last decade at the US National Oak Ridge Laboratory. In recent years, there have been some who have supported this reactor as a safer alternative to current reactor designs. However, this reactor does not provide any clear overall advantage compared to uranium-based reactors.