Nuclear

Abstract

With the exception of nuclear submarines and some military applications, nuclear energy is only used to generate electricity. In the United States, uranium and plutonium are the fuels of choice, while some other countries, notably India, are developing thorium as the nuclear fuel. There are two main types of nuclear reactors—the pressurized water reactor (PWR) and the boiling water reactor (BWR). The PWR is the more common design, where the water used to generate steam and drive the turbine is isolated from the reactor core. In contrast, the water that moderates reactor heat in the BWR is also used to generate the steam, so this water must be contained to prevent radioactive contamination. In the United States, nuclear energy accounts for about 20% of electricity generation. Worldwide uranium reserves are about 6 million tonnes based on a price of $130/kg, but if this price constraint is relaxed, the supply of uranium is virtually unlimited since it is present in seawater at parts per billion levels.