nuclear power

Examples of nuclear power in the following topics:

• Present Sources of Energy

  • Present sources of energy include fossil fuels, various types of renewable energy, and nuclear power.
  • Nowadays, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power are the most popular fuels for electricity generation.
  • Since commercial nuclear energy began in the mid 1950's, 2008 was the first year that no new nuclear power plant was connected to the grid, although two were connected in 2009.
  • Annual generation of nuclear power has been on a slight downward trend since 2007, decreasing 1.8% in 2009 with nuclear power still meeting 13–14% of the world's electricity demand.
  • Nuclear (fission) power stations, excluding the contribution from naval nuclear fission reactors, provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity in 2012.

• Nuclear Reactors

  • In many countries, nuclear power is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, which are non-renewable and release large amounts of greenhouse gases.
  • However, nuclear reactors produce nuclear waste containing radioactive elements.
  • When the reactor's neutron production exceeds losses, characterized by increasing power level, it is considered "supercritical."
  • When losses dominate, it is considered "subcritical" and exhibits decreasing power.
  • Just as many conventional thermal power stations generate electricity by harnessing the thermal energy released from burning fossil fuels, nuclear power plants convert the energy released from nuclear fission.

• Nuclear Binding Energy and Mass Defect

  • Once mass defect is known, nuclear binding energy can be calculated by converting that mass to energy by using E=mc2.
  • This energy—available as nuclear energy—can be used to produce nuclear power or build nuclear weapons.
  • Nuclear binding energy is also used to determine whether fission or fusion will be a favorable process.
  • As such, there is a peak at iron-56 on the nuclear binding energy curve.
  • Calculate the mass defect and nuclear binding energy of an atom

• Fusion Reactors

  • A fusion reactor is designed to use the thermal energy from nuclear fusion to produce electricity.
  • Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion processes.
  • The term "fusion power" is commonly used to refer to potential commercial production of net usable power from a fusion source, similar to the usage of the term "steam power."
  • This is similar to the process used in fossil fuel and nuclear fission power stations.
  • According to the Lawson criterion, the easiest and most immediately promising nuclear reaction for fusion power is:

• The Hydrogen Bomb

  • The hydrogen bomb is a nuclear weapon that uses a mixture of fission and fusion to produce a massive explosion.
  • A thermonuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon designed to use the heat generated by a fission bomb to compress a nuclear fusion stage.
  • This indirectly results in a greatly increased energy yield, i.e., the bomb's "power."
  • First, the stages of the weapon are separated into a triggering, primary explosive and a much more powerful secondary explosive.
  • The only two nuclear weapons that have been used were both fission-based.

• The Atomic Bomb

  • Atomic bombs are nuclear weapons that use the energetic output of nuclear fission to produce massive explosions.
  • Atomic bombs are nuclear weapons that use the energetic output of nuclear fission to produce massive explosions.
  • These bombs are in contrast to hydrogen bombs, which use both fission and fusion to power their greater explosive potential.
  • Only two nuclear weapons have been used in the course of warfare, both by the United States near the end of World War II.
  • This X-ray energy produces the blast and fire which are normally the purpose of a nuclear explosion.

• Modes of Radioactive Decay

  • Some isotopes of a given element are more unstable than others, causing a nuclear reaction which releases energy to achieve a more stable nuclear configuration.
  • The three types of radiation have different levels of penetrating power.
  • Penetrating power refers to the energy with which the radiation particles are ejected from the atom.
  • Penetration power describes how easily the particles can pass through another material.
  • Compare the relative penetrating power of the three types of nuclear radiation

• Nuclear Fission

  • Nuclear fission occurs when an atom splits into two or more smaller atoms, most often the as the result of neutron bombardment.
  • The strong nuclear force is the force between two or more nucleons.
  • This force binds protons and neutrons together inside the nucleus, and it is most powerful when the nucleus is small and the nucleons are close together.
  • In atoms with small nuclei, the strong nuclear force overpowers the electromagnetic force.
  • As the nucleus gets bigger, the electromagnetic force becomes greater than the strong nuclear force.

• Nuclear Fusion

  • Fusion is the process that powers active stars, releasing large quantities of energy.
  • This force, called the strong nuclear force, overcomes electric repulsion in a very close range.
  • Fusion reactions of light elements power the stars and produce virtually all elements in a process called nucleosynthesis.
  • At nucleus radii distances, the attractive nuclear force is stronger than the repulsive electrostatic force.
  • Describe the electrostatic and strong nuclear forces and how they act to oppose or promote a fusion reaction

• Isotopes in Medicine

  • Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that involves the application of radioactive substances to diagnose or treat disease.
  • In nuclear medicine procedures, radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds.
  • This property of radiopharmaceuticals allows nuclear medicine the ability to image the extent of a disease process in the body.
  • In nuclear medical imaging, radiopharmaceuticals are taken internally, either intravenously or orally.
  • The radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine therapy emit ionizing radiation that travels only a short distance.