Nuclear power plants can often be found located near coastlines like the Fukushima power plant. Considering that the latter suffered the after-effects of a tsunami one has to wonder: Why do we build nuclear plants so close to the water?

The answer is really a rather simple one: As nuclear power plants generate massive amounts of energy, they also generate enormous amounts of heat and they need a lot of cooling to keep their equipment operational.
Seawater works as a wonderful coolant and it is abundant, free, and, in the right weather, very cold. Nuclear reactors create, moderate, and control a series of nuclear reactions where they use water as both a moderator and a coolant.

First, water acts as a moderator to slow down the neutrons produced by a reactor’s fission process so a chain reaction can be sustained. How does this process work exactly?

What does water do to operate as a coolant? How does water service to ensure that nuclear reactions take place at the right speed? What other benefits does water bring to a nuclear power plant? We answer all these questions and more and bring you a behind-the-scenes look at the science, technology, and engineering of using water in nuclear power plants.

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