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Under what circumstances would a nuclear power plant use seawater to cool its reactors? Using unpurified water is not a normal practice—it's never done. Plants don't take water from the river or the sea to supplement their own internal water, which is in completely closed-loop systems.Mar 15, 2011

Do nuclear reactors use seawater?

Small and medium sized nuclear reactors are suitable for desalination, often with cogeneration of electricity using low-pressure steam from the turbine and hot seawater feed from the final cooling system.

What type of water is used in nuclear reactors?

All commercial nuclear reactors in the United States are light-water reactors. This means they use normal water as both a coolant and neutron moderator.

Do nuclear reactors need freshwater?

Without sufficient water for the cooling process, nuclear power plants have high discharge temperatures at times, and are often forced to shut down or to reduce their output.

Why are nuclear reactors by the sea?

The answer to this question is actually very simple: because they need cooling-water. Not only nuclear power plants need cooling-water for that matter.

Is uranium found in ocean water?

Gill notes that seawater contains about three parts per billion of uranium. It's estimated that there is at least four billion tons of uranium in seawater, which is about 500 times the amount of uranium known to exist in land-based ores, which must be mined.

Why does seawater have uranium?

Scientists have long known that uranium dissolved in seawater combines chemically with oxygen to form uranyl ions with a positive charge. Extracting these uranyl ions involves dipping plastic fibers containing a compound called amidoxime into seawater. The uranyl ions essentially stick to the amidoxime.

Why did Chernobyl explode?

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe.

Does water cool nuclear reactor?

Water cooled reactors have played a significant role in the commercial nuclear industry since its beginnings and currently account for more than 95 per cent of all operating civilian power reactors in the world. In addition, the majority of nuclear reactors under development and construction are water-cooled.

How much water is used in a nuclear reactor?

Electricity generation

Oct 5, 2010