Abstract
Most of the energy released in fission or fusion appears as kinetic energy of a few high-speed particles. As these pass through matter, they slow down by multiple collisions and impart thermal energy to the medium. This chapter discusses the means by which this energy is transferred to a cooling agent and transported to devices that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. The principal modes by which fission energy is transferred in a reactor are conduction and convection. The radial temperature in a fuel pellet is approximately parabolic. The rate of heat transfer from fuel surface to coolant by convection is directly proportional to the temperature difference. The allowed power level of a reactor is governed by the temperatures at local “hot spots.” Coolant flow along channels extracts thermal energy and delivers it to an external circuit consisting of a heat exchanger (PWR), a steam turbine that drives an electrical generator, a steam condenser, and various pumps.
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