A nuclear power plant generates 3000 MW of heat energy from nuclear reactions in the reactor’s core. This energy is used to boil water and produce high-pressure steam at 300°C. The steam spins a turbine, which produces 1000 MW of electric power, then the steam is condensed and the water is cooled to 25°C before starting the cycle again.
a. What is the maximum possible thermal efficiency of the power plant?
b. What is the plant’s actual efficiency?
c. Cooling water from a river flows through the condenser (the low-temperature heat exchanger) at the rate of 1.2 × 10⁸ L/h (≈30 million gallons per hour). If the river water enters the condenser at 18°C, what is its exit temperature?