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Nuclear reactors are the heart of a nuclear power plant. They contain and control nuclear chain reactions that produce heat through a physical process called fission. That heat is used to make steam that spins a turbine to create electricity.
The arrangement of particles within uranium-235 is somewhat unstable and the nucleus can disintegrate if it is excited by an outside source. When a U-235 nucleus absorbs an extra neutron, it quickly breaks into two parts. This process is known as fission (see diagram below).
Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay.
Nuclear fission reactors act as a key power source for many parts of the world and worldwide power capacity is expected to nearly double by 2050. One issue, however, is the difficulty of ...
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion.
Nuclear fission, subdivision of a heavy atomic nucleus, such as that of uranium or plutonium, into two fragments of roughly equal mass. The process is accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy. Nuclear fission may take place spontaneously or may be induced by the excitation of the nucleus.
Nuclear fission is the process of splitting a large atom into two smaller atoms and releasing a LOT of heat. That heat is used to boil water, make steam, turn a turbine and generator, and produce electricity. Most nuclear power plants today are fueled by enriched uranium 235 to produce non-renewable, carbon-free, 24/7 electricity.
Nuclear reactors operate on the principle of nuclear fission, the process in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into two smaller fragments. The nuclear fragments are in very excited states and emit neutron s, other subatomic particle s, and photon s.
A nuclear fission reaction is a process that begins when a neutron or other particle strikes a nucleus. This creates fragments of the original nucleus. It also creates new neutrons that can then collide with other nuclei to cause more nuclear reactions.
Inside nuclear power plants, nuclear reactors and their equipment contain and control the chain reactions, most commonly fuelled by uranium-235, to produce heat through fission. The heat warms the reactor’s cooling agent, typically water, to produce steam.