Energy efficiency of nuclear and fossil fuel

[Ranku]

Can anyone give a percentage comparision of efficiency of energy conversion in nuclear fuel and fossil fuels like oil and coal?

 

[berkeman]

Can anyone give a percentage comparision of efficiency of energy conversion in nuclear fuel and fossil fuels like oil and coal?

What is your background so far in thermodynamics? Do you understand the efficiencies of different heat cycles?

 

[Ranku]

What is your background so far in thermodynamics? Do you understand the efficiencies of different heat cycles?

I do not really have a background in thermodynamics. I guess I'm trying to get a general sense of how efficient is nuclear energy compared to fossil fuels.

 

[berkeman]

I do not really have a background in thermodynamics. I guess I'm trying to get a general sense of how efficient is nuclear energy compared to fossil fuels.

If you are using their heat to drive steam turbines, then their thermal conversion efficiency should be similar, I would think. If you are burning the fossil fuel in an internal combustion engine or a turbine engine, that will have a slightly different efficiency. So the decision on what to use to generate power comes down to many other issues, right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_efficiency
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_efficiency

 

[Ranku]

If you are using their heat to drive steam turbines, then their thermal conversion efficiency should be similar, I would think. If you are burning the fossil fuel in an internal combustion engine or a turbine engine, that will have a slightly different efficiency. So the decision on what to use to generate power comes down to many other issues, right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_efficiency
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_efficiency

Hmm...do we have some numbers in terms of the basic mass-energy conversion, like how much of 1 kg of mass would get converted into energy in a nuclear reaction or reactor, and what is the comparative mass-energy conversion for the combustion of say 1 kg of fossil fuel like coal?