Acentral power plant, whether the energy source is nuclear or fossil fuel, is a heat engine operating between the temperatures of the reactor or furnace and the surroundings, usually represented by a river or other body of water. consider a modern nuclear power plant generating 750,000 kw with reactor temperature 600 f (1059.67 r) next to a river at temperature 70°f (529.67°r). a. what is the maximum possible thermal efficiency of the plant and what is the minimum amount of heat (btu/s) that must be discarded to the river? actua b. if the actual thermal efficiency, atn, of the plant is 60% of the maximum, 1 actual how much heat (btu/s) must be discarded into the river and what will the temperature rise of the river be if the river flows at a rate of 5800 ft/s? useful data: c h20 1 btu/ibm f and ph20 62.4 lbm/ft comments: your answer to part (b) is the temperature rise of an entire river of moderate size and is the most commonly mentioned form of thermal pollution. one useful conversion is 1kw 0.948 btu/s.