Power Generation Codexery

Nuclear power

Nuclear reactions produce electricity via fission, decay, or fusion.

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Nuclear decay processes power some space probes, while controlled fusion has not yet generated net power.[1] Electricity can be generated through nuclear reactions, a process known as nuclear power.[1] In current power plants, the majority of nuclear-generated electricity is derived from the fission of uranium and plutonium.[1]

Quick Facts

Average global capacity factor
89%

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 after decades of research on radioactivity.[2] The first human-made nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, achieved criticality on December 2, 1942.[3] Electricity was first generated by a nuclear reactor on December 20, 1951, at the EBR-I station near Arco, Idaho.[4] The world's first nuclear power plant to supply a grid, Obninsk in the USSR, began operation on June 27, 1954.[5]

In 2023, nuclear power plants supplied 2,602 TWh, about 9% of global electricity, with 416 civilian reactors worldwide.[6] On August 27, 1956, the Calder Hall facility in England became the first commercial nuclear power station to be connected to the grid.[5] By the late 1970s, worldwide nuclear capacity had reached 100 GW, and it expanded to 300 GW by 1990.[6][7] Public opposition and stricter regulations were spurred by the 1979 incident at Three Mile Island and the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl.[6]

What the cited sources add

The same source notes that used fuel still contains about 96% of its original uranium, with the fissionable U-235 content reduced to less than 1%.[8] NASA uses radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power spacecraft by converting heat from plutonium-238 decay into electricity.[9] The Scientific American article by Spyrou reports that the first controlled nuclear chain reaction was obtained on December 2, 1942, at Chicago Pile-1.[10] That article also states that 30 countries include nuclear reactors in their power portfolio, with nuclear energy contributing on average 24% of their total electrical power.[10]

The World Nuclear Association reports that about 400,000 tonnes of used fuel have been discharged from commercial power reactors, of which about 30% has been reprocessed.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Power: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators - NASA Science", science.nasa.gov, 8 February 2024; Moynihan, "Fusion's Promise: How Technological Breakthroughs in Nuclear Fusion Can Conquer Climate Change on Earth (And Carry Humans To Mars, Too)", Springer International Publishing, 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wellerstein, "Inside the atomic patent office", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 2008, p. 26–31; "The Einstein Letter", Atomicarchive.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Timeline - Nuclear Museum", ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wendt, "The Atomic Age Opens", Pocket Books, 1945; "Reactors Designed by Argonne National Laboratory: Fast Reactor Technology", U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, 2012; "Reactor Makes Electricity", Hearst Magazines, March 1952, p. 105 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "From Obninsk Beyond: Nuclear Power Conference Looks to Future", International Atomic Energy Agency, 2004-06-23 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "World Nuclear Performance Report 2024", World Nuclear Association, 2024, p. 3–5; "Power Reactor Information System", International Atomic Energy Agency; "World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements", World Nuclear Association (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Nuclear power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thorpe, "AP Environmental Science, 6th ed.", Barrons Educational Series, 2015; "PRIS - Trend reports - Unit Capability", pris.iaea.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Nuclear Fuel Cycle Overview", www.world-nuclear.org. facts only, no text reused. world-nuclear.org
  9. "Power: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators - NASA Science", science.nasa.gov, 8 February 2024. facts only, no text reused. science.nasa.gov
  10. Spyrou, "Atomic age began 75 years ago with the first controlled nuclear chain reaction", Scientific American, 2017-12-03. facts only, no text reused. scientificamerican.com
  11. "Processing of Used Nuclear Fuel", World Nuclear Association, 2024-08-23. facts only, no text reused. world-nuclear.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Nuclear power (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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