Nuclear Fission

We don't know much about fusion as it is still very experimental. It will not produce the dangerous fission products that fission does, but it may have other dangers unknown as yet.

Nuclear fusion has more destructive potential than fission. Fusion is the principle powering the H-bomb developed in the Cold War. Just to put the power of a Fusion bomb in perspective, it is detonated by a fission bomb half the size of the one dropped on Japan. THAT'S JUST THE DETONATOR.

Energy is released during nuclear fission or fusion. The mass deficit (apparent loss of mass resulting from the reaction) is represented by a related (e = mc2) release of energy. Note, however, that neither mass nor energy is created or destroyed - it is simply moved from one frame of reference to another.

Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239 are commonly used in nuclear fission reactions. When hit by a neutron, these particles can split into smaller fragments, releasing more neutrons and a large amount of energy.

Nuclear fission is the power source used by nuclear reactors. Nuclear fuel creates a chain reaction in the fuel after control rods are pulled, and the heat generated is carried off by a coolant, which is usually water. The water carries the heat to a heat exchange device, like a steam generator, and the water boils turning to steam. This steam is used to drive turbines that are linked to generators, and the generators create the electricity that we built the plant to provide.

Currently, it can't. May be it could be in future.

Nuclear fusion is when two nuclei join together and another different nucleus results. For example deuterium plus tritium (both hydrogen isotopes) fuse to give helium. The D nucleus is one proton and one neutron, the T nucleus is one proton and two neutrons. When they join the result is the He nucleus which has two protons and two neutrons, and so there is also a spare neutron ejected.

Fission occurs with large nuclei like U-235 and Pu-239, the nucleus just splits apart forming the nuclei of two lighter elements (the total number of protons has to equate before and after), and also releasing spare neutrons. One or more of these spare neutrons can then be captured by another U-235 or Pu-239 nucleus, so that a chain reaction can proceed.

You can find diagrams in Wikipedia

The most likely nuclear fusion reaction to be successful in power production is between deuterium and tritium, which are both isotopes of hydrogen. The element formed in this fusion reaction is helium. So the only two elements involved are hydrogen and helium.

Fission is the splitting of the nucleus of a large heavy atom such as uranium into two smaller parts. Fusion is the sticking together of two light nuclei to make a heavier one, as occurs in the stars. Both processes release energy.

No, it is not safe to dispose of nuclear fission waste products in rivers and streams. These waste products can be radioactive and hazardous to human health and the environment. Proper disposal methods such as deep geological repositories are necessary to ensure long-term safety and containment.

The solar energy of the sun is actually from a nuclear reaction, hydrogen is fused into helium liberating a HUGE amount of energy, so YES, the sun's energy is ATOMIC energy, AND the primary source of all the energy we use on Earth today, from oil to hydroelectric, to atomic and geothermal, the Sun is the real source of all these forms of power.

After nuclear fission occurs in fuel rods in a nuclear reactor, the next step is to control the reaction by regulating the rate of fission through control rods. These control rods absorb neutrons to maintain a steady and safe level of nuclear chain reactions in the reactor core.

Conventional nuclear fission refers to the splitting of heavy atomic nuclei, such as uranium or plutonium, into smaller fragments. This process releases a large amount of energy in the form of heat, which can be harnessed to generate electricity in nuclear power plants.

The binding energy (Strong Atomic Force) released is much greater when fusion occurs than when fission occurs. As an example, that is why fission bombs typically have yields around 100 to 500 kilotons of equivalent TNT, while fusion bombs typically have yields in the 25 to 50 megaton range. The problem is that fusion requires a lot of energy to initiate - in fact, most fusion bombs use a fission bomb to set them off.

Photofission is a process in which a nucleus is splitting into two or more smaller nuclei when struck by a high-energy photon (gamma ray). This phenomenon is not as common as nuclear fission reactions induced by neutron bombardment. Photofission has been studied for its potential applications in nuclear physics research and nuclear energy development.

The first thing that comes to mind about uranium is that it used in nuclear power plants as fuel. Also, it is used in nuclear explosives. It is interesting to note that earlier it was used as a colouring agent in pottery, tiles, and glassware (including a bit of uranium salts makes glass a pale yellow-to-green color, depending on the concentration and exact oxidation state of the uranium) and to make false teeth brighter.

Depleted uranium (uranium that contains a lower-than-normal percentage of 235U) is sometimes used to make projectiles; it's very dense, which gives it superior penetrating power.

Physicists working on the Manhattan Project, notably Enrico Fermi and his team at the University of Chicago, were the first to successfully split the atom during World War II. This breakthrough paved the way for the development of atomic bombs.

Simply put, nuclear fission is the splitting of an atomic nucleus. It relates to radioactivity in that some isotopes of some elements (and not very many) naturally decay by spontaneous fission. There is a separate question about what spontaneous fission is, and it is linked below.

It depends what you mean by "renewable". Radioactive materials do not "grow" the way trees grow. There are naturally-occurring radioactive elements. Elements can also be made radioactive by various means that involve atomic collisions, and this may occur in nature or as a result of human direction.

It is true that the majority of the fuel used in a reactor eventually becomes "spent". That is, it gets to a point where it stops producing useful power. It is still, however, radioactive. Spent nuclear fuel can be recycled and reused in some cases, depending on the isotope and the form of the fuel. We will probably become more successful in recycling spent fuel as our technology advances.

There is no reason to suppose that nuclear fuel could not be effectively infinite, particularly as compared to resources like petroleum and coal. The amount of nuclear fuel require to produce an equivalent amount of electricity to other energy sources is a very small fraction. It is extremely efficient in terms of energy yield per kilogram of raw material.

The controlled nuclear reaction takes place in the "core", which for the type of plant can mean a few different things. The core is made up of the fuel, supporting structure, and a moderator.

In the United States all plants are of two types (Boiling Water Reactors and Pressurized Water Reactors), both of which use a pressure vessel filled with water to contain the core. The pressure vessel is then places inside a steel and concrete containment structure, which from the outside looks like a cylindrical building, a dome, or a large cube. The containment structure is designed to prevent the release of radioactive material to the environment in the case of a "worst case scenario" accident.

In Canada the core is contained within a much larger structure known as the calandria, which is then inside a similar containment to the U.S. style. Reactors in Europe are much like those in the United States, except for eastern Europe (the former Soviet bloc). In all cases there are multiple layers of containment between the radioactive fuel and the environment.

This is an extensive subject, I cannot summarise all the isotopes formed into one answer. I suggest you go to the Wikipedia link given below, if that is not detailed enough there are other tables and charts available, an internet search should find several.

The fission of uranium 235 gives on average 2.5 neutrons per fission. Now you may think it an odd figure, surely it must be a whole number? But in fact not all U235 nuclei follow the same route, a range of different fission products is formed, and when the yield of fission products is analysed, the graph of yield against atomic weight shows two peaks, one around AW 90 and one around 135, so a range of different elemental nuclei results. As well as the neutrons, there is a gamma ray release from the fission. The fission releases about 200 Mev, of which about 160 goes into the fission fragments, 30 into the gamma ray, and the rest into the neutrons. Therefore most of this energy release goes into the fission fragments which recoil and give up their kinetic energy as heat within the fuel elements. Many of the fission products go through subsequent decay with beta release, and once the reactor has operated for a few days and the population of fission products has settled down, these decays add appreciably to the heat generated, and when the reactor is shutdown for maintenance or refuelling this decay heat has to continue to be removed. Some of the fission products act as strong neutron poisons, so this is another factor that has to be allowed for in designing the fuel cycle.

I should perhaps add that for the nuclear chain reaction to continue at a steady rate, one neutron from each fission has to enter another U235 nucleus, causing another fission, and so on. So the excess neutrons have to be controlled, or the power would go on rising. This can be done with control rods or soluble poisons, to augment the fission product poisoning mentioned. This is more important with new fuel loaded, as the fuel charge is used up the amount of poisoning needed reduces, and eventually if more new fuel is not loaded, the reactor will gradually shut itself down.

There is a good Wikipedia article on 'Nuclear Fission', and if you look at this and follow some of the links you will find out more. One of the articles even has an animated diagram showing the fission process.

The element most commonly used as a fuel in nuclear fission reactions is uranium-235. It is a naturally occurring isotope of uranium that can sustain a chain reaction under controlled conditions in nuclear reactors.

The main risk associated with using nuclear fission for energy production is the possibility of a nuclear meltdown, which can release harmful radiation into the environment. Additionally, there is a risk of accidents, such as human error or equipment failure, that can lead to serious consequences. Proper safety measures and regulations are necessary to mitigate these risks.

It breaks into two parts, which are the nuclei of two lighter elements. The total number of protons remains the same, so the two resulting nuclei are of two elements with a total atomic number equal to that of uranium, ie 92. The actual elements formed are not the same in every fission, there is a range of different ones formed. Plotting a graph of the yield against atomic number you get two broad peaks, as shown in the article linked below. The electrons in the uranium atom are distributed between the two products depending on their atomic numbers (ie number of protons). The number of neutrons in the products don't add up because some neutrons are released in the fission and become separate from the resulting nuclei, in fact this is how the chain reaction is sustained.