Oskarshamn nuclear power plant - OKG (to the startpage)
Oskarshamn nuclear power plant - OKG (to the startpage)
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How we make electricity by splitting atoms

In a nuclear power plant, enriched uranium is used as fuel. The uranium is placed in four-meter-long fuel elements surrounded by water inside the reactor vessel. When uranium atoms split, heat is generated. This heat causes the water in the reactor vessel to boil.

Published March 6, 2023

In simple terms

  1. Splitting atoms

    When uranium atoms split, heat is generated. This heat causes the water in the reactor vessel to boil.

  2. Heat becomes steam

    The boiling water in the reactor vessel becomes steam, which is piped to the turbine plant. The steam drives the turbine, which is connected to a generator.

  3. Movement becomes electric current

    The generator in turn converts the movement into electric current. The current is transformed and sent to the grid.

The boiling water in the reactor vessel turns into steam, which is fed to the turbine plant. The steam drives the turbine, which is connected to a generator, which in turn converts the motion into electricity. The electricity is transformed and sent to the grid via 400 kV lines.

The process in a nuclear power plant

After the turbines, the steam is led into a condenser (cooler). Separate pipes with cooling water from the Baltic Sea pass through the condenser and when the steam hits the cold pipes it turns back into water. The process water is purified and preheated before being pumped back into the reactor vessel. As the cooling water is never in direct contact with the steam or water in the process, the only difference between the water entering and leaving is the temperature. The cooling water is heated to about ten degrees.

The water in the reactor vessel has three tasks. In addition to cooling the fuel and transporting the energy to the turbine, it is also the water that makes nuclear fission possible. If the water from the core disappears, fission stops. What remains is to take care of the residual power. This can be done by showering fuel elements with water from built-in nozzles in the reactor vessel.

The fission process is controlled by means of control rods placed between the fuel elements. When the control rods are fully inserted into the core, fission stops. When the rods are pulled down to the bottom position, the plant runs at full power and the water in the reactor vessel boils. The control rods contain boron carbide, a substance that absorbs neutrons and thus prevents nuclear fission. The control rods can be automatically inserted into the fuel core in seconds using hydraulic power. They can also be pushed in by electric motors.

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