While the energy produced in a nuclear reactor could also be used in other industrial and chemical processes, these other uses have not been adopted (except in some isolated cases), due to concerns over safety, security, and cost. One-fifth of the country’s electricity comes from nuclear power. The United States is the world’s largest producer of nuclear energy, accounting for more than 30 percent of global nuclear electricity generation. We use nuclear power mainly for electricity generation. It’s the same basic principle used in coal or gas plants. The steam goes on to spin turbines, which then drive generators. The energy released from the fission of uranium atoms heats water, which produces steam. That’s why power plants use “control rods” that absorb some of the released neutrons, preventing them from causing further fissions.
If uncontrolled, that chain reaction could produce so much heat that the nuclear reactor core itself could actually melt and release dangerous radiation. The neutrons that are released by one atomic fission go on to fission other nuclei, triggering a chain reaction that produces heat, radiation, and radioactive waste products. In fission, the nuclear fuel is placed in a nuclear reactor core and the atoms making up the fuel are broken into pieces, releasing energy. Its atoms are more easily split apart in nuclear reactors. This fuel contains greater amounts of a certain kind (or isotope) of uranium known as U-235. Most nuclear power plants use enriched uranium as their fuel to produce electricity. Nuclear power comes from the energy that is released in the process of nuclear fission. But when a neutron strikes the nucleus of certain atoms-uranium, for example-this atomic center can break into pieces in a process called nuclear fission, releasing enormous energy in the form of heat and radiation. And within each atom is a nucleus, a tightly packed core that holds protons and neutrons bound together by what’s known as the strong nuclear force. Atoms make up all matter: the device you’re reading this on, the surface it’s resting on, and the air you’re breathing. Nuclear energy comes from the core of an atom. Nuclear Power Plants in the United States.
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