How does a nuclear reactor work?（核反應(yīng)堆是如何工作的?）

Nuclear reactors are, fundamentally, large kettles, which are used to heat water to produce enormous amounts of low-carbon electricity. They come in different sizes and shapes, and can be powered by a variety of different fuels.（從根本上說，核反應(yīng)堆是一個(gè)大水壺，用來加熱水，產(chǎn)生大量的低碳電力。它們有不同的大小和形狀，可以由各種不同的燃料提供動力。）

The Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant, home to four reactors capable of generating 20% of Sweden’s electricity demand (Image: Vattenfall)（Ringhals核電站，擁有四個(gè)反應(yīng)堆，能夠產(chǎn)生瑞典20%的電力需求(圖片來源:Vattenfall)）

A nuclear reactor is driven by the splitting of atoms, a process called fission, where a particle (a ‘neutron’) is fired at an atom, which then fissions into two smaller atoms and some additional neutrons. Some of the neutrons that are released then hit other atoms, causing them to fission too and release more neutrons. This is called a chain reaction.（核反應(yīng)堆是由原子分裂驅(qū)動的，這個(gè)過程被稱為裂變，一個(gè)粒子(“中子”)向一個(gè)原子發(fā)射，然后原子分裂成兩個(gè)更小的原子和一些額外的中子。一些被釋放的中子撞擊其他原子，導(dǎo)致它們也發(fā)生裂變，釋放出更多的中子。這叫做鏈?zhǔn)椒磻?yīng)。）

The fissioning of atoms in the chain reaction also releases a large amount of energy as heat. The generated heat is removed from the reactor by a circulating fluid, typically water. This heat can then be used to generate steam, which drives turbines for electricity production. （鏈?zhǔn)椒磻?yīng)中的原子裂變也以熱的形式釋放出大量的能量。產(chǎn)生的熱量通過循環(huán)流體(通常是水)從反應(yīng)堆中除去。這些熱量可以用來產(chǎn)生蒸汽，從而驅(qū)動渦輪機(jī)發(fā)電。）

In order to ensure the nuclear reaction takes place at the right speed, reactors have systems that accelerate, slow or shut down the nuclear reaction, and the heat it produces. This is normally done with control rods, which typically are made out of neutron-absorbing materials such as silver and boron.（為了確保核反應(yīng)以正確的速度進(jìn)行，反應(yīng)堆有加速、減緩或關(guān)閉核反應(yīng)及其產(chǎn)生的熱量的系統(tǒng)。這通常是用控制棒來完成的，控制棒通常是由吸收中子的材料制成的，比如銀和硼。）

Two examples of nuclear fissioning of uranium-235, the most commonly used fuel in nuclear reactors.（鈾-235是核反應(yīng)堆中很常用的燃料，這是兩個(gè)核裂變的例子。）

Nuclear reactors come in many different shapes and sizes – some use water to cool their cores, whilst others use gas or liquid metal. The most common power reactor types use water, with more than 90% of the world’s reactors being water-based. Further information on the many different types of reactor around the world can be found in the Nuclear Power Reactors section of the Information Library.（核反應(yīng)堆有許多不同的形狀和大小——一些使用水來冷卻堆芯，而另一些則使用氣體或液態(tài)金屬。很常見的動力反應(yīng)堆類型使用水，世界上90%以上的反應(yīng)堆是水基的。關(guān)于世界上許多不同類型的反應(yīng)堆的進(jìn)一步信息可以在信息庫的核動力反應(yīng)堆部分找到。）

Nuclear reactors are very reliable at generating electricity, capable of running for 24 hours a day for many months, if not years, without interruption, whatever the weather or season. Additionally, most nuclear reactors can operate for very long periods of time – over 60 years in many cases. In 2019, units 3&4 at the Turkey Point plant in Florida were the first reactors in the world to be licensed for 80 years of operation.（核反應(yīng)堆在發(fā)電方面是非常可靠的，無論天氣或季節(jié)如何，它都能夠連續(xù)幾個(gè)月，甚至幾年，每天24小時(shí)不間斷地運(yùn)行。此外，大多數(shù)核反應(yīng)堆可以運(yùn)行很長一段時(shí)間——在許多情況下超過60年。2019年，佛羅里達(dá)州土耳其角核電站的3號和4號機(jī)組是世界上獲得80年運(yùn)營許可的反應(yīng)堆。）

A reactor being refuelled (Image: Vattenfall)（正在進(jìn)行燃料補(bǔ)充的反應(yīng)堆(圖片來源:Vattenfall)）

What fuels a reactor?（反應(yīng)堆的燃料是什么?）A number of different materials can be used to fuel a reactor, but most commonly uranium is used. Uranium is abundant, and can be found in many places around the world, including in the oceans. Other fuels, such as plutonium and thorium, can also be used. （許多不同的材料可以用來為反應(yīng)堆提供燃料，但很常用的是鈾。鈾儲量豐富，可以在世界上許多地方找到，包括在海洋中。其他燃料，如钚和釷，也可以使用。）

Most of today’s reactors contain several hundred fuel assemblies, each having thousands of small pellets of uranium fuel. A single pellet contains as much energy as there is in one tonne of coal. A typical reactor requires about 27 tonnes of fresh fuel each year. In contrast, a coal power station of a similar size would require more than two-and-a-half million tonnes of coal to produce as much electricity.（今天的大多數(shù)反應(yīng)堆都包含數(shù)百個(gè)燃料組件，每個(gè)組件都有數(shù)千個(gè)鈾燃料小球。一個(gè)顆粒所含的能量相當(dāng)于一噸煤所含的能量。一個(gè)典型的反應(yīng)堆每年需要大約27噸新燃料。相比之下，類似規(guī)模的燃煤發(fā)電站需要250多萬噸煤才能產(chǎn)生同樣多的電力。）

Nuclear fuel pellets are not much larger than a sugar cube (Image: Kazatomprom)（核燃料顆粒并不比方糖大多少(圖片來源:Kazatomprom)）

How about the waste?那浪費(fèi)呢？

Like any industry, the nuclear industry generates waste. However, unlike many industries, nuclear power generates very little of it – and fully contains and manages what it does produce. The vast majority of the waste from nuclear power plants is not very radioactive and for many decades has been responsibly managed and disposed of. If nuclear power was used to supply a person’s electricity needs for an entire year, only about 5 grams of highly-radioactive waste would be produced, which is the same weight as a sheet of paper.（像任何工業(yè)一樣，核工業(yè)也會產(chǎn)生廢物。然而，與許多工業(yè)不同的是，核能產(chǎn)生的放射性物質(zhì)很少，而且全部控制和管理它所產(chǎn)生的放射性物質(zhì)。來自核電站的絕大多數(shù)廢物的放射性不是很強(qiáng)，幾十年來一直得到負(fù)責(zé)任的管理和處置。如果使用核能為一個(gè)人提供一整年的電力需求，只會產(chǎn)生大約5克的高放射性廢物，相當(dāng)于一張紙的重量。）

The used fuel which comes out of the reactor can be managed in different ways, including recycling for energy production or direct disposal. As a matter of fact, many countries have been using recycled fuel for decades to partially fuel their reactors.（從反應(yīng)堆出來的用過的燃料可以用不同的方式管理，包括回收用于能源生產(chǎn)或直接處理。事實(shí)上，幾十年來，許多國家一直在使用再生燃料為反應(yīng)堆提供部分燃料。）

Used nuclear fuel awaiting recycling (Image: Rosatom)（等待回收的用過核燃料(圖片來源:俄羅斯國家原子能公司)）

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