Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

What is Decay Heat?

Posted on March 16, 2011 7:01 am UTC by mitnse

Explanation of Nuclear Reactor Decay Heat

Nuclear reactors produce electricity in a similar way to conventional coal plants in that they heat steam to drive a turbine that spins an electric generator.  However, they differ on how that heat is produced.   Coal plants burn coal to heat a boiler that produces the steam while nuclear reactors use nuclear fission to create the heat.  The Fukushima reactors are boiling water reactors (BWRs) that produce the steam directly in the reactor core, which then drives the turbines.