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It is different for all reactor types, but I'll tell you about the CANDU, as it is widely used, and I know the most about it. Each CANDU reactor holds 4500-6500 fuel bundles at one time, each 50cm long and 10cm in diameter, each weighing about 20kg. Each produces roughly 1GWh (gigawatt hour) of power during its time in the reactor.
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How are nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are the same?
They are similar only in that they are nuclear reactions. In nuclear fission involves the splitting of an atomic nucleus, whereas nuclear fusion involves the joining together of atomic nuclei.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear fission?
The positive aspects of nuclear fission are: it is an energy source which uses fuels which will last for a long time. It can produce a large amount of energy from a small energy input. It produces very little carbon emissions. It is often considered to be better for the environment than coal power plants. It produces more energy than coal power plants and most other energy sources.
What food products contain mendelevium?
None. Mendelevium is synthetic; it cannot be created in nature, and requires large energy input (such as those from an artificial nuclear reactor). The majority of its isotopes have halflives measured in hours and minutes; they degrade during processing and shipping long before they could be consumed.
Is an input of energy required in order for nuclear decay to happen in an atom?
no, its a purely statistical quantum process that occurs spontaneously.
How is nuclear energy is generated during nuclear fusion?
Nuclear fusion involves the joining together of two atomic nuclei, fusing them into a single nucleus. When you join two nuclei together (usually light nuclei with only a few protons and/or neutrons), a tremendous amount of energy is released. Just as it takes a tremendous amount of energy to pull apart the pieces of a nucleus, when you put two pieces together, a lot of energy is released. Fusion is often confused with nuclear fission, but they are very different. Fission involves the breaking apart of a single nucleus into two smaller nuclei. Fusion is joining nuclei. Fission is breaking apart a nucleus. A tremendous amount of energy is released upon joining two nuclei together (it is this reaction that is happening inside the sun). It also takes a huge amount of energy to get this reaction to occur. The only way we currently know how to start a nuclear fusion reaction efficiently is to use an atomic bomb to get it started! This is how much energy you need to start the reaction! There are several other ways that we know of to start fusion reactions, but they all require more energy input than you get as energy output. There is a tremendous amount of research currently on so-called "cold fusion" or a way to do fusion without this huge amount of energy input. Currently all known methods involve putting in MORE energy than you get out! That's not a good design for a power plant, to say the least (nor is having atomic bombs going off inside to keep the reactors going!).
What are nuclear power reactors and reprocessing plants?
In simple terms:Nuclear power reactor is an installation where nuclear fuel undergoes nuclear fission process resulting in thermal energy production. this thermal energy is transferred to reactor coolant system. Then the thermal energy converted into mechanical energy through turbines. The mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy through electric generators.Reprocessing plant is an installation where its feed (or input) is the irradiated nuclear fuel (called used fuel or spent fuel) that is discharged from the nuclear reactor. This fuel after successive mechanical and chemical processes is separated into uranium and plutonium (for reuse again) and radioactive waste to be disposed of using specific techniques according to their physical form and radioactivity level.
Does nuclear energy stand alone or does it work with other sources?
Nuclear energy from fission is determined by the behaviour of the nucleus and is not affected by external conditions, except in so far as to affect the neutron spectrum and hence the efficiency of a nuclear reactor assembly. A nuclear chain reaction depends only on the enrichment of the nuclear fuel, the lattice arrangement of the fuel, and the moderator, and to a smaller extent the temperature of the moderator, it does not require any other energy input to make it start, because it relies on a small rate of spontaneous fissions in the fuel to provide a small starting neutron flux.
What is the principle of a nuclear reactor?
how the nuclear reactor can work? A nuclear reactor is a system which generates a nuclear fission reaction. A nuclear reaction is a self-sustaining reaction where the output of one stage is the input of the next stage. Therefore, if there is enough fuel, the reaction will continue indefinitely. The most common type of fission reaction is a Uranium 236 reaction. Nuclear fission involves splitting an atom into smaller atom(s). In a U236 reaction, Uranium 235 is the fuel. A neutron is propelled, which strikes the nucleus of a Uranium 235 atom, creating a U236 atom. U236 is highly unstable, and undergoes radioactive decay. This means the U235 atom turns into a Krypton atom, and a Barium atom, plus 2 extra neutrons and some energy. This energy is generally heat, and is absorbed by nearby water, which boils and turns a turbine. The two neutrons continue the reaction by hitting another U235 atom (each). There are other types of nuclear reactions as well, but the principle is the same. The output is generally atoms of different atomic mass, energy, and some other byproduct which will continue the reaction (e.g. an alpha particle - a Helium nucleus, or a neutron). In nuclear fission, the atom byproducts have a lower atomic mass. In nuclear fusion, the atom byproducts have a higher atomic mass (since multiple atoms are fused together). Nuclear fusion is the basic power plant in the core of the sun (combining Hydrogen atoms into Helium, or Helium into Carbon, etc.). The byproduct here is the energy that we see as light. Slow neutron fission chain reaction.
Why do scientist use uranium to produce nuclear energy?
These days, after 50 years of nuclear power, it is pretty routine, the scientific input is not much. Scientists are still involved in experimenting with different types of reactor and with nuclear fusion, to some extent with extending the life of plants and fuel used in them, and with waste from spent fuel.
How are nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are the same?
They are similar only in that they are nuclear reactions. In nuclear fission involves the splitting of an atomic nucleus, whereas nuclear fusion involves the joining together of atomic nuclei.
Why do hydrogen bombs produce radioactive waste?
Although the name suggests that the bomb solely uses nuclear fusion to create mass destruction, a Hydrogen bomb actually contains both fission and fusion fuels. Since fusion requires such a high energy input to initiate, a fission bomb is required to detonate the fusion component of the Hydrogen bomb, thereby releasing nuclear waste and radiation.
Why do you use fission reactors not fusion reactors?
No way has yet been found to reach break-even in a controlled fusion reaction and get as much energy out as was needed to put in to start the reaction. To make a reactor you need to go past break-even and release extra energy.
What is the difference between a nuclear power plant and a thermoelectric power plant?
A nuclear power plant uses thermal energy from a nuclear reactor to produce steam and drive a turbine/generator, and often has a capacity of more than 1000MWe from one reactor. I don't think there are any thermoelectric power plants, but small arrays of thermocouple devices are sometimes used to produce small amounts of power for instruments, usually in space vehicles with a radioactive source providing the thermal input.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear fission?
The positive aspects of nuclear fission are: it is an energy source which uses fuels which will last for a long time. It can produce a large amount of energy from a small energy input. It produces very little carbon emissions. It is often considered to be better for the environment than coal power plants. It produces more energy than coal power plants and most other energy sources.
What food products contain mendelevium?
None. Mendelevium is synthetic; it cannot be created in nature, and requires large energy input (such as those from an artificial nuclear reactor). The majority of its isotopes have halflives measured in hours and minutes; they degrade during processing and shipping long before they could be consumed.
Is an input of energy required in order for nuclear decay to happen in an atom?
no, its a purely statistical quantum process that occurs spontaneously.
Which cell is the energy output of a star?
The energy output of a star is from nuclear fusion. The particles involved with both input and output are atomic (and sub-atomic) in nature not cellular.
