How a light-water reactor works
Vogtle Unit 3, AP1000: 3,400 MWt · 1,117 MWe · 157 assemblies · 15.5 MPa · 280 → 321 °C
Water under high pressure carries heat from the fuel to two steam generators; the steam spins a turbine and comes back as water. Start the reactor from cold, raise power, then trip it and watch the passive cooling take over. Every number comes from one model.
Sources: Westinghouse AP1000 Design Control Document (NRC), core and reactor coolant system parameters; NEI Magazine, AP1000 parameter comparison (3,400 MWt, >1,117 MWe, 157 17×17 assemblies, 14 ft active fuel); Georgia Power, Vogtle Units 3 and 4 commercial operation (July 2023, April 2024). Start-up pacing and decay-heat curve are simplified. Others on this approach: Constellation Energy, NuScale Power, Holtec.