Pehea e hana ai ka mana Nukelea

Ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, ʻelua hapakolu o nā reactors he pressurized water reactors (PWR) a ʻo ke koena he mau reactors wai paila (BWR). I loko o kahi reactor wai paila, i hōʻike ʻia ma luna, ua ʻae ʻia ka wai e paila i ka mahu, a laila hoʻouna ʻia ma o ka turbine e hana i ka uila.

I loko o nā reactors wai kaomi, paʻa ka wai kumu ma lalo o ke kaomi a ʻaʻole ʻae ʻia e paila. Hoʻololi ʻia ka wela i ka wai ma waho o ke kumu me kahi mea hoʻololi wela (i kapa ʻia hoʻi he mea hana mahu), e hoʻolapalapa i ka wai o waho, e hoʻohua ai i ka mahu, a me ka mana o ka turbine. I loko o nā reactors wai kaomi, ua kaʻawale ka wai i hoʻolapalapa ʻia mai ke kaʻina hana fission, a no laila ʻaʻole lilo i radioactive.

Ma hope o ka hoʻohana ʻia ʻana o ka mahu no ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ka turbine, hoʻomaʻalili ʻia e hoʻihoʻi hou i ka wai. Hoʻohana kekahi mau mea kanu i ka wai mai nā muliwai, nā loko a i ʻole ke kai e hoʻomāalili i ka mahu, a ʻo kekahi e hoʻohana i nā hale kiaʻi kiʻekiʻe. ʻO nā hale kiaʻi hoʻoluʻu ʻano hola aniani ka ʻāina i ʻike ʻia o nā mea kanu nuklea he nui. No kēlā me kēia ʻāpana uila i hana ʻia e kahi mea kanu nuklea, ma kahi o ʻelua ʻāpana o ka wela ʻōpala i hōʻole ʻia i ke kaiapuni.

ʻO ka nui o nā mea kanu nuklea pāʻoihana mai kahi o 60 megawatts no ka hanauna mua o nā mea kanu i nā makahiki 1960 mua, a ʻoi aku ma mua o 1000 megawatts. Nui nā mea kanu i ʻoi aku ma mua o hoʻokahi reactor. ʻO ka mea kanu Palo Verde ma Arizona, no ka laʻana, aia i ʻekolu mau reactors kaʻawale, kēlā me kēia me ka mana o 1,334 megawatts.

Hoʻohana kekahi mau mea hoʻolālā reactor haole i nā mea hoʻoluʻu ʻē aʻe ma mua o ka wai e lawe i ka wela o ka fission mai ke kumu. Hoʻohana nā reactors Kanada i ka wai i hoʻopiha ʻia me ka deuterium (i kapa ʻia ʻo "wai kaumaha"), a ʻo nā mea ʻē aʻe he kinoea. Hoʻokahi mea kanu ma Colorado, ua pani paʻa ʻia i kēia manawa, hoʻohana i ke kinoea helium ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻomaha (i kapa ʻia ʻo High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor). Hoʻohana kekahi mau mea kanu i ka metala wai a i ʻole ka sodium.