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The fission process in a nuclear reactor which produces the thermal energy used in the steam cycle, is called a chain reaction because nuclei of U-235 and Pu-239 fission on absorbing a neutron, and the fission causes further neutrons to be released, thus a self sustaining reaction is started which is controlled to run at a steady power level.
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The two processes which produce nuclear changes are?
The two processes that produce nuclear changes are nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion involves combining two atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, while nuclear fission involves splitting a heavy nucleus into smaller ones. Both processes release a large amount of energy.
What are two types of nuclear energy?
Two types of nuclear energy are fission and fusion. Fission is the splitting of atoms to release energy, used in current nuclear power plants. Fusion is the merging of atoms to release energy, a process being researched for its potential as a cleaner and safer form of nuclear energy.
How does nuclear fusion different to nuclear fission?
Fastern your seatbelt. We've got some ground to cover. But it won't be too difficult to grasp the fundamentals. In either fission or fussion, we are taking about nuclear processes, i.e., the physics of nuclear structure and construction/destruction of that nucleus. The big difference is fusion is the "building" of atomic nuclei, and fission is the "breaking" or "splitting" of atomic nuclei. Fusion is the bonding of atomic nuclei or nuclear particles (nucleons - protons and neutrons) to make "bigger" or "heavier" atomic nuclei. Fission, on the other hand is the splitting of the atom. As the atoms fuse or split they release energy. Lots of it. And most of it is heat energy. In nuclear weapons, the energy is released "all at once" to create a blast. If the energy is released in a "controlled" way, we can release heat at a "useable" rate and apply it to boiling water to make steam. In fusion, protons or neutrons or the nuclei of atoms are forced together and are fused to make a new atomic nucleus. The release of lots and lots of energy accompanies this reaction. That's what powers stars. Currently we can't really do any fusion reactions to make useful power. There are a few agencies working on fusion devices, but the high temperatures required to attain fusion require very special materials and controls. The current "state of the art" fusion facility is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (and a link is provided). Fusion is unlikely to become a useful source of power for many years. But what about fission? Nuclear fission involves the splitting of large atoms, usually uranium (or sometimes plutonium). When large atoms fission they produce two smaller atoms or fission fragments (and a couple of neutrons and lots of energy). The total mass of the products is less than the mass of the original atom. This mass difference is turned into energy in accordance with the Einstein equation E=mc2. Most of the energy appears in the recoil of the fission fragments, and the heat that is generated is considerable. It is that heat that we capture to turn water into steam to generate electricity. Nuclear Fission: Basics When a nucleus fissions, it splits into several smaller fragments. These fragments, or fission products, are about equal to half the original mass. Two or three neutrons are also emitted. Nuclear Fission The sum of the masses of these fragments is less than the original mass. This 'missing' mass (about 0.1 percent of the original mass) has been converted into energy according to Einstein's equation. Fission can occur when a nucleus of a heavy atom captures a neutron, or it can happen spontaneously. = Nuclear Fusion = Nuclear Fusion Nuclear energy can also be released by fusion of two light elements (elements with low atomic numbers). The power that fuels the sun and the stars is nuclear fusion. In a hydrogen bomb, two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium are fused to form a nucleus of helium and a neutron. This fusion releases 17.6 MeV of energy. Unlike nuclear fission, there is no limit on the amount of the fusion that can occur. Nuclear fusion is taking two different atoms and combining them in to one atom, while nuclear fission takes one atom and seperates it into two atoms. Fission and fusion Fission is splitting the atom, and fusion is combining two or more atoms into one atom.
How much energy does nuclear fission produce in a certain amount of time?
It depends how big you build the reactors, there is no definite limit. The size of PWR's has now got up to roughly 4500 Megawatts thermal.
Compare and contrast nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?
The process of combining two nuclei to form a heavier nucleus and thereby releasing energy is nuclear fusion. When a neutron strikes an atom of uranium-235, the atom captures the neutron, becoming an atom of uranium-236 with an excited nucleus. The U-236 nucleus vibrates rapidly and cannot hold itself together; it splits into several pieces (smaller atoms, free neutrons, etc.) in a process called nuclear fission (fission means "division"), releasing an enormous amount of heat energy and gamma rays.
What is a radioactive decay series and when does it end?
Usually called a 'decay chain', there is a series of radioactive decays which end with a stable isotope. Ex: uranium undergoes about 14 steps in the decay chain that ends with the formation of a stable isotope of Lead.
Has David got a big chain?
yes. david has got a big chain.
What is another word for the word binary fission?
That is a pretty specific word you got there, and there is no "real" synonym for it. You could explain the process of binary fission or you could compare it with multiple fission.
Can nuclear FUSION be controlled like FISSION is using a reactor?
Fission more or less just happens. We can speed it up by increasing neutron flux, and even control the amount of speed-up by controlling the neutron flux using neutron absorbing materials. However, fusion doesn't occur at anything resembling normal conditions on Earth. We've got to produce tremendous temperatures and pressures to overcome the electrostatic repulsion between hydrogen nuclei and get them close enough together for the residual strong force to take over. When they do, it releases a large amount of energy, and it's hard to confine that. Currently the best I'm aware of that we've managed to do while still controlling the reaction is about 65% of input power (that is: for every 100 watts used heating and pressurizing and containing the thing, 65 watts of power were generated) and that only for an instant, but research is continuing and some people think it's possible.
Has a 130bhp mondeo 05 got a timing belt or chain?
chain
Which atom bomb got dropped first?
The uranium fission bomb over Hiroshima.
Has the Vw 1.6 fsi engine got a cam belt or chain?
It has a chain.
