ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses each of the forms of heat transfer and explores when they become important to the operation of a nuclear power plant. Heat transfer in nuclear power plants is the combination of three distinct processes called conduction, convection, and radiation. In the core, heat is produced by the fission of uranium and plutonium atoms in nuclear fuel rods. In nuclear heat transfer, one worries about the flow of heat, and in electrical circuits, one worries about the flow of current. The temperature profile in a nuclear fuel rod depends on its geometry as well as its material composition. The bulk temperature of the coolant temperature tends to average about 300°C between the top and the bottom of the core. The amount of heat hot materials radiate can be correlated to their absolute temperature. The actual temperature profiles then depend on the boundary conditions that are used.
