How is electricity generated in a nuclear power plant ? Name one nuclear power plant in Maharashtra.

Answer: In a nuclear power plant the heat released by nuclear fission is used to make steam, which runs a turbine and generator. Tarapur (Palghar district) is a nuclear power plant in Maharashtra.

1. In the nuclear reactor, nuclei of uranium-235 are bombarded with slow neutrons. Each nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei and releases two or three neutrons and a huge amount of energy (fission). The neutrons split more nuclei, so a controlled chain reaction goes on.
2. The heat produced is carried away by a coolant and is used in a heat exchanger to convert water into high-pressure steam.
3. The steam rotates the turbine. The turbine turns the shaft of the generator, which converts the kinetic energy into electrical energy.

Energy conversion: nuclear energy → heat energy → kinetic energy → electrical energy.