ABSTRACT
All commercial nuclear power plants use a nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) to convert the heat produced in the core into useful work and power. This chapter explores how the process works and discusses how the NSSS functions thermodynamically. It explores power plant thermal cycles, which determine the efficiency with which the thermal energy produced in the core is converted into useful work and power. The NSSS takes heat that is produced by the fuel rods in the core, and converts this heat into steam to produce electrical energy. An electrical generator is a ubiquitous device that takes the mechanical energy from a rotating shaft and converts it into electrical energy. The mass flow rates are adjusted between the streams to transfer as much thermal energy as possible. The thermal cycle for a nuclear power plant is no different than the thermal cycle for most coal-fired power plants or even those that burn natural gas.
