0
Uranium, especially the isotope U235, has a large, unstable nucleus. It's unstable because all the positively charged protons in the nucleus are trying to repel each other. They are being held together by the strong nuclear force. Since strong force can only act over very short distances and the U235 nucleus is so large the nucleus is unstable. It tends to want to split into two smaller and thus more stable elements. When this happens it is called nuclear fission. In nuclear power plants we can split the U235 atom on purpose by hitting it with something. This something is a neutron. The neutron has no charge so it can smash into the nucleus and not just bounce off like proton would. Strangely it all works best if we use a slow moving neutron instead of a fast one. A fast neutron, because of quantum smearing, isn't in one place long enough to have any effect. A slow one, though, can be captured briefly by the U235 nucleus. Once the neutron is captured the nucleus is too large to hold together any longer splits apart. The really neat part is that the mass of the nucleus before it split and the mass of all the pieces afterward are different. Something has gone missing. A very small bit of mass has disappeared. Only Albert Einstein can tell us where it went. His famous equation e=mc^2 tells us that a small amount of mass can become a large amount of energy, and that is just what happens in nuclear fission. The missing mass becomes energy, in this case heat energy. The heat boils water. The steam turns a turbine which spins a generator, making electricity.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Can uranium be used to generate electricity?
A neutron is shot into a uranium atom, which splits, releasing heat and a few other neutrons, which trigger other uranium atoms. The heat is captured by water, which is turned into steam, and ran through a turbine, generating electricity.
What does a nuclear power plant need to produce electricity?
Through machinesMy answer is short and simple, although not as much as the first one, lol. Nuclear power plants create electricity much the same as any other power plant the difference is the fuel used. The nuclear fission is the energy used to heat water that creates steam to turn a turbine which generates electricity.
How does nuclear power work explained simply?
Radioactive decay generates heat. The heat is used in a reactor to boil water. The steam of the boiling water is used to drive a turbine which runs a generator to produce electricity.
Can infrared light produce enough heat to boil water?
Yes
How you make electricity by heat?
The heat is usually used to turn water into steam. That steam then powers turbines which, turning coils inside magnets, produce electricity. good answer ; and u can turn Waste Heat Into Electricity
Can fossil fuels be burned to produce thermal energy that can boil water and produce steam?
Yes, that is how they are used to generate electricity.
How does coal assist in making electricity?
You burn coal to boil water into steam which drives turbines that spin dynamos that produce electricity.
What type of nuclear reaction produce electricity in a nuclear reaction?
Fission of Uranium-235 nuclei produces heat in the plant. The heat is used to boil water, and the steam blows through a steam turbine which turns an electric generator.
How we turn uranium into energy?
Use it to boil water, the rising steam turns a turbine that creates electricity thanks to electromagnetic induction ( creating electricity using magnets and coils of wire
What exactly is nuclear energy?
Certain elements such as Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 give off neutrons. When a neutron hits them, they split into two or more elements and give off more neutrons. They also give off a lot of heat. That heat can be used to boil water. The steam produced can be used to spin turbines. The turbines can spin generators and produce electricity. Burning coal, oil, or gas, can be used to produce the heat to boil water to produce the steam to spin the turbines to spin the generators to produce the electricity. The advantage of nuclear energy is that it does not produce a waste material that is released into the atmosphere.
Can uranium be used to generate electricity?
A neutron is shot into a uranium atom, which splits, releasing heat and a few other neutrons, which trigger other uranium atoms. The heat is captured by water, which is turned into steam, and ran through a turbine, generating electricity.
How do you generate electricity from Ipomoea?
Ipomoea, like other plants, has to be harvested and dried. It can then be burnt in an ordinary power station to boil water. The steam turns a generator to produce electricity.
How does a coal power plant work?
Coal is burnt to produce heat to make water boil. The steam drives a turbine which turns a generator to make electricity.
How do you produce water gas?
boil some water and you would be produce water vapour or water gas as it evaporates
How does a coal-fired power plant work?
Coal is burnt to produce heat to make water boil. The steam drives a turbine which turns a generator to make electricity.
What does a nuclear power plant need to produce electricity?
Through machinesMy answer is short and simple, although not as much as the first one, lol. Nuclear power plants create electricity much the same as any other power plant the difference is the fuel used. The nuclear fission is the energy used to heat water that creates steam to turn a turbine which generates electricity.
What is nuclear plant?
A nuclear plant is a building where nuclear material is used to produce electricity. The simplest explanation I can come up with is this: nuclear material (uranium or whatever) puts off alot of energy. This energy is enough to boil water very easily. The boiling water turns into steam, which goes through a tube to a turbine, which is like a fan that is turned by the wind of the steam (rather than the fan causing the wind, the wind turns the fan). This spinning fan/turbine turns a generator, which produces electricity. The water naturally cools and is returned to the nuclear pool to boil again.
