History and Status of Nuclear Power Generation
Presented by Peter Sweeney, PE and Peter Totten, PE
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 6PM
Farmingdale State College
Free of charge, registration required (See here for additional info)
This presentation will explain how nuclear reactors are used to generate
commercial electric power. It will show the evolution from weapons to conventional
reactors and highlight the safe use of nuclear fission. The status of nuclear power
plants in the USA including location, owner, type of steam supply system, date of
commissioning, and operating license extensions will be summarized. The two
predominant types of nuclear steam supplies currently in commercial use:
pressurized and boiling water reactors, will be explained. The different requirements
for permitting, construction, and commissioning for nuclear versus fossil-fueled
power plants will be briefly described. Finally, some of the evolutionary technologies
being considered for future nuclear power plants such as small modular reactors and
alternative reactor coolants like sodium or salt will be introduced.