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Nuclear fission is easy to start when you have enough fissionable material assembled. The smallest amount would be in the form of a sphere. U-235 and Pu-239 are the most common ways of getting a critical amount. "Critical" means the state when enough neutrons from fission are produced so that a chain reaction proceeds, Both the above materials have a small number of spontaneous fissions occurring all the time, just because of the inherent unstable nature of their nuclei, so all you have to do is get a critical assembly and the chain reaction will start very quickly. In a nuclear reactor the excess neutron production is carefully managed so that the neutron population will increase only slowly and can be adjusted by use of neutron absorbing control rods. In a nuclear weapon it is designed to happen very quickly to produce an explosion.
Nuclear fusion is a different matter altogether, and it has proved very difficult to make fusion work at all, even with the most favourable combination of deuterium and tritium. Obvously it happens in the universe in millions of stars, just with protons as the starting point, but this cannot be reproduced on earth as we are too small scale to produce the conditions at the star's centre.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIt's more difficult to initiate and control, yes.
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Which type of nuclear reaction is used in modern-day nuclear reactors?
Nuclear fission is used in nuclear weapons to create what some might call an atomic blast (nuclear blast). Nuclear fission used this way can also be applied in special complex designs to generate enough thermal energy (heat) to initiate a fusion reaction. This creates an even bigger nuclear blast.
Nuclear energy is an alternate energy source produced from atomic reactions?
There are two: Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion. Fission is when a neutron is fired at an element with a high atomic number (usually Uranium) which then splits, releasing energy and more neutrons. this produces a chain reaction, which continues until all nuclei have been split. Fusion occurs in stars and a few experimental reactors, and happens when two forms of Hydrogen nuclei (Deuterium and Tritium) fuse into an unstable nucleus, which in turn splits again into Helium and a spare neutron. Fission can start at any temperature, but Fusion only when Hydrogen is in a plasma state.
Is nuclear fission happening on the sun or nuclear fusion?
Fusion. Fusion requires very high temperature and pressure. So on earth we usea critical mass of weapons grade uranium to start a fission chain reaction whichenables a fusion reaction in hydrogen. Fusion is of course more powerful than fission
How do you compare fission and fussion?
With nuclear fission, a large atomic nucleus (such as a uranium nucleus) breaks apart into smaller nuclei, and energy is released. With nuclear fusion, small atomic nuclei (such as hydrogen) join to become larger nuclei, and energy is released. Fusion of hydrogen releases much more energy than any other type of either fusion or fission. Note that the dividing line between heavy nuclei and light nuclei is the iron nucleus, which is at the perfect point of nuclear stability, so that neither fusion nor fission of iron nuclei would release any energy.
What particle is used to start nuclear fission?
In actuality, a spontaneous fission event begins a nuclear chain reaction. It kick starts a nuclear chain reaction. And a neutron from that fission will initiate another fission to continue and rev up that nuclear chain reaction.
Maximam dengrus bomb between nuclear bomb or hydrogen bomb?
If you are asking which has the maximum danger, a hydrogen bomb is one type of nuclear bomb. In general, nuclear bombs can be fission (called atomic) or fusion (hydrogen) A fusion bomb is larger than an fission bomb, and actually uses a fission bomb to start the fusion reaction.
How is a star is made?
Collapsing matter and gasses get denser and denser until nuclear fusion and fission start.
Which type of nuclear reaction is used in modern-day nuclear reactors?
Nuclear fission is used in nuclear weapons to create what some might call an atomic blast (nuclear blast). Nuclear fission used this way can also be applied in special complex designs to generate enough thermal energy (heat) to initiate a fusion reaction. This creates an even bigger nuclear blast.
Nuclear energy is an alternate energy source produced from atomic reactions?
There are two: Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion. Fission is when a neutron is fired at an element with a high atomic number (usually Uranium) which then splits, releasing energy and more neutrons. this produces a chain reaction, which continues until all nuclei have been split. Fusion occurs in stars and a few experimental reactors, and happens when two forms of Hydrogen nuclei (Deuterium and Tritium) fuse into an unstable nucleus, which in turn splits again into Helium and a spare neutron. Fission can start at any temperature, but Fusion only when Hydrogen is in a plasma state.
Is nuclear fission happening on the sun or nuclear fusion?
Fusion. Fusion requires very high temperature and pressure. So on earth we usea critical mass of weapons grade uranium to start a fission chain reaction whichenables a fusion reaction in hydrogen. Fusion is of course more powerful than fission
How do you compare fission and fussion?
With nuclear fission, a large atomic nucleus (such as a uranium nucleus) breaks apart into smaller nuclei, and energy is released. With nuclear fusion, small atomic nuclei (such as hydrogen) join to become larger nuclei, and energy is released. Fusion of hydrogen releases much more energy than any other type of either fusion or fission. Note that the dividing line between heavy nuclei and light nuclei is the iron nucleus, which is at the perfect point of nuclear stability, so that neither fusion nor fission of iron nuclei would release any energy.
What particle is used to start nuclear fission?
In actuality, a spontaneous fission event begins a nuclear chain reaction. It kick starts a nuclear chain reaction. And a neutron from that fission will initiate another fission to continue and rev up that nuclear chain reaction.
Why are fusion reactors not yet present day reality like fission reactors?
Only beacuse of starting trouble. Any way we need billion kelvin temperature to start with for which we have to rely on fission reaction. One more important point we cannot have a controlled fusion reaction as we do so in fission ie nuclear reactor using control rods.
Why is it more difficult to start a fusion reaction than fission?
Fission reactions start naturally if the proportion of U-235 is high enough; there is evidence this has happened in places in Africa in the distant past of Earth's history. Fusion reactions require more heat and pressure than we really know how to provide so as to keep a reaction going.
What makes up a nuclear bomb?
Depends on the type of bomb. The first nuclear weapons were fission weapons- they used a heavy metal such as Uranium or Plutonium. These metals, when compressed by explosives, would undergo nuclear fission, and break into lighter elements, releasing heat and radiation. Later, larger bombs were fusion bombs. They used a fission bomb to start the nuclear reaction, but then used that energy to FUSE light elements, such as Deuterium and Tritium into heavier elements, releasing LARGE amounts of heat and radiation.
How much energy is needed to start nuclear fission reaction?
Incomplete question
What layer of the sun does nuclear fusion occur?
It has to be at hundreds of millions of degrees kelvin, before a fusion reaction between deuterium and tritium will start
