How Nuclear Power Works
 
For many people, nuclear power may seem like a mystery. But the basics of producing electricity are not hard to understand.
 
Nuclear power plants generate heat. That heat is used to boil water, which produces steam that powers turbines which produce electricity. Coal-fired power plants work the same way, but the difference between nuclear and coal plants is the fuel source. Coal plants burn coal while nuclear plants run on Uranium-235.

Here’s how it works: 

-  An atom has a large amount of energy tied up in holding its nucleus together. Some isotopes, or types, of certain elements can be split apart by a process called fission. Uranium-235 is one of those isotopes used to create energy.

-  When fission occurs, Uranium-235 splits into two lighter atoms. The combined mass of the two atoms is less than the original atom of U-235. The missing mass is accounted for by the fact that some matter has been changed into energy. This energy is released as heat, which powers a turbine.

-  It takes breakups of many atoms to produce a useful amount of nuclear power. This is accomplished through a chain reaction, in which neutrons released from U-235 through fission slam into other atoms of U-235, breaking them apart. Under the right conditions, this chain reaction can be self-sustaining, creating a lot of heat, which, in turn, creates a lot of energy.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy