![]() by splitting heavy nuclei apart in fission reactions,.In general, there are two ways you can release energy through a nuclear reaction: And yet, it’s true while electron transitions in atoms or molecules typically release energy on the order of ~1 electron-Volt, nuclear transitions between different configurations release energies a million times as great, on the order of ~1 Mega-electron-Volt. It’s a strange idea to consider: that a tiny building block of matter, the atomic nucleus, holds the greatest potential for energy release. Elements lighter than that release energy when they are fused together elements heavier than that release energy when they are split apart in a fission reaction. ![]() The peak, which corresponds to the most stable elements, is right around elements like iron, cobalt, and nickel. This graph shows the binding energy-per-nucleon as a function of the type of element we’re looking at. Chemical reactions are leveraged by all forms of life, including photosynthesis in plants and metabolic pathways in animals, but as a fuel source, combustion reactions are a finite, limited resource with significant consequences for pollution. While mechanical work freely takes advantage of already-existing environmental resources, like hydroelectric and wind power, it also has reliability and scalability issues, as well as its own environmental impacts. And finally, there are nuclear reactions, where the bonds between neutrons and protons inside an atomic nucleus are either broken apart or forged together to release energy, and then that energy is put to work. There are chemical reactions as well, reliant on electron transitions in how atoms and molecules are bound together: where some sort of fuel is metabolized or combusted to generate energy, and that energy is then harnessed and similarly put to work. That motion is then used to generate electrical energy or other forms of power. With simple mechanics, the energy of an object’s motion is put to work: using weights under the influence of gravity, flowing water, or moving air to turn a wheel or turbine. When it comes to generating power and energy, physics gives us plenty of options. ![]() An uncontrolled fission reaction is the basis of an atomic bomb. Many of the features of the reactor are designed to control the speed of the reaction and the temperature inside the shielding. Concrete shield - the daughter products of the fission reaction are radioactive and can be a hazard.Coolant - this is heated up by the energy released from the fission reactions and is used through heat exchangers to boil water to drive turbines in the power station.They can also be used to stop the reaction. Control rods - these can absorb neutrons so that for every 2 or 3 neutrons that are released from a fission reaction, only 1 goes on to produce further fission.A graphite core moderator - slows the neutrons down so that they are more likely to be absorbed by the U-235 nuclei in the fuel rods.The fuel is held in rods so that the neutrons released will fly out and cause nuclear fission in other rods. Nuclear fuel - the uranium isotope that will split when triggered by an incoming neutron.A fission reactor contains a number of different parts:
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