Nuclear energy is a fairly complex process, involving many detailed scientific processes Although nuclear energy can be confusing, understanding what nuclear energy is and the basic elements of nuclear energy is vital to understanding nuclear energy’s advantages and disadvantages. Nuclear energy begins with an element: uranium. While the use of other elements such as thorium in nuclear reactors have been hypothesized on, uranium is the main fuel used in the nuclear energy field. Uranium is a metallic element that is solid at room temperature and is naturally radioactive. (Gagnon, “The Element Uranium”) Uranium has several isotopes, but the isotope uranium-235 is the most notable isotope of uranium in the field of nuclear energy. It is highly fissionable and although it is …show more content…
Nuclear fission splits atoms, providing the huge burst of energy necessary to produce power. Nuclear fission occurs when a neutron strikes a large, unstable nucleus and the nucleus breaks down into 2 different atomic nuclei, more neutrons, and a large burst of energy. (Brünglinghaus) These stray neutrons then hit more unstable nuclei and the reactions continue, causing a chain reaction to occur. The enriched uranium fuel is highly unstable. When nuclear fission occurs inside the nuclear reactor, the uranium-235 atoms present in the enriched uranium split into smaller atoms and more neutrons, exerting vast amount of kinetic energy, which is translated into heat which powers the reactor. (“How Does Nuclear Energy Work?”). However, neutrons often move far too quickly to effectively split a nucleus, so the neutrons must be slowed to ensure effective fission. Moderators are used to slow down neutrons; moderators include graphite, heavy water—an isotope of normal water—, and normal water. (Gagnon, “The Element Uranium”) Enriched uranium atoms are split, with the assistance of moderators, deep in the heart of the nuclear
Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power plants are unable to explode. Power plants use fuel that is thirty to ninety times too diluted to explode.
How the bomb works? Within a nucleus there are different forces the act between the particles. Between two or more nucleons (neutrons & protons when dealing with nuclear chemistry) a very strong force is present that binds together the protons and neutrons inside the nucleus. When this force is at its strongest is when the nucleus is minute and close together.
Facts, data, expert opinion: a) Low Pollution such as air pollution, water pollution - Nuclear power also has a lot fewer greenhouse emissions. It has been determined that the amount of greenhouse gases have decreased by almost half because of the prevalence in the utilization of nuclear power. Nuclear energy has the least effect on nature since it doesn’t discharge any gasses like methane and carbon dioxide b) Low Operating Costs - The cost of the uranium, which is utilized as a fuel in this process, is low. Also, even though the expense of setting up nuclear power plants is moderately high, the expense of running them is quite low. The normal life of nuclear reactor is anywhere from 40-60 years, depending on how often it is used and how it is being
Conversely, fission occurs when a neutron collides with an isotope like uranium-235 (U-235). Which, creates heat, breaks U-235 down into smaller isotopes, and allows another neutron to collides with another U-235 molecule to start the chain reaction (Duke Energy, 2013). Therefore, fission is what currently fuels nuclear energy, with U-235 being the most common isotope (Duke Energy, 2013). Subsequently, there is a misconception on how nuclear fuel is used to generate electricity.
Nuclear fission can be similar to nuclear fusion for example they both release heat energy. However, in nuclear fusion: • two nuclei must join together • Extremely high temperatures are needed. To develop further: Nuclear fusion is the joining of smaller nuclei to make larger ones. For example; Deuterium and Tritium form to make a bigger and heavier nucleus and Helium releases a lot of energy. Nuclear fusion also happens in stars..
Fission is the process of splitting an atom in half with a neutron. In order to split an atom the nucleus has to be large. When an atom is split it releases massive amounts of energy. Fission splits an atom into to smaller identical atoms with a neutron. Fission, also being a part of the atomic structure, plays a big role because it changes the normalcy of a regular atom causing it to also release massive amounts of energy and pressure.
Inside of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan nuclear fission was occurring. The fission of atoms inside the bomb was started when someone inside the plane carefully placed dynamite inside the back of the bomb. Right before it is dropped the dynamite is lit. This explosion pushed a metal pole of sorts toward the front of the bomb. The pole rapidly pushed the molecules causing them to “split”.
Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy results from mass-to-energy conversions that occur in the separation of atoms larger than Iron or combining atoms smaller than Iron. The slight amount of mass that is lost from either the separation or combination follows the Einstein’s mass energy relation E= mc2 where m is defined as the mass and c is the speed of light. How is Nuclear Energy Created? Nuclear energy is created either from the Fusion or Fission of atoms.
In this diagram, a neutron is absorbed by a uranium-235 nucleus, as a result, it turns of a small period of time to an excited uranium-236 nucleus, with the excitation energy provided by the kinetic energy of the neutron plus the forces that bind to the neutron. The uranium-236 then splits into two, smaller, lighter, fast-moving elements (these are known as fission products) and releases three free neutrons as well as gamma rays. Fusion and fission are nuclear reactions. Fusion is the binding of two atoms to produce a heavier atom while fission is splitting of an atom. Fusion releases more energy than fission and powers the stars.
Nuclear energy is one of the several alternative energy sources that have been introduced ever since. Nuclear energy’s various advantages entice many countries to start practicing it. One must consider the amount of energy generated by nuclear fuels, as they are highly-concentrated energy sources. Small uranium pellets, which are the most common form of fuel in generating nuclear energy, can generate as much electricity as a trainload full of coal does. In addition, nuclear power plants do not produce green house gases as byproducts.
It has 143 neutron and 92 protons. Its atomic mass number is in its name which is 235. Its atomic number is 92. Uranium gives a lot of energy which then can be used for electricity. In the us(United States of America) there are a lot of nuclear plants, so a lot of electricity is needed, so that’s where uranium 235's role comes in handy.
Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).
Fusion and fission power differ in a number of significant ways, despite both being based on the concept of nuclear binding energy. Binding energy
3, the thorium itself must become uranium-233 by absorbing neutrons, as the thorium is not fissile itself. The equation for this fuel cycle is given as: 23290Th + 10n --> 23390Th + β- --> 23391Pa + β- --> 23392U This uranium-233 undergoes the process of nuclear fission, where a large nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei and releases an amount of energy. This release of energy is known as the mass defect or the binding energy, which is the energy required to keep the nucleus intact. The products of nuclear fission vary depending on the isotope of the element, and in the case of uranium-233, the most common products are strontium and xenon.
Are nuclear power plants the most viable source of energy? Nuclear power is a highly useful source of energy. In our world, technology is on the increase and as a result many people have been searching for the most effective way to produce energy. We will need electricity to power a significant number of these new and improved technologies.