Pressurized water reactor

A pressurized water reactor is a type of power plant that makes electricity by using heat from boiling water to create steam.

In the reactor, tiny particles called neutrons are used to collide with the atoms of certain materials, such as uranium or plutonium. When these atoms are hit, they split into smaller particles, which releases a lot of energy in the form of heat.

This heat is used to turn the water inside the reactor into steam. But, one important thing to remember is that the water inside the reactor is under very high pressure, just like a balloon that has been blown up really big. This pressure makes the water much hotter than it would be at normal air pressure, allowing it to create more steam and more energy.

The steam then travels through pipes to a turbine, which is a big spinning wheel with blades. The steam pushes against the blades, making them turn, which in turn makes a generator spin. The generator takes this spinning motion and turns it into electricity, which can then be used to power homes and businesses.

Finally, the steam, after losing its heat energy to the turbines, is cooled down and turned back into liquid water, which is then sent back into the reactor to be heated up again.

So, essentially a pressurized water reactor is a big machine that turns the heat from splitting atoms into electricity using a lot of pressure and hot water.