Nuclear power generation has been very controversial.?
Nuclear power generation has been very controversial. Cite the advantages of using nuclear power plants. Research the use of nuclear power for electricity production in the rest of the worl. Compare this to the situation in the USA. Based on what you learn in your research, predict whether nuclear power will made a "comeback" in the USA.
What is breeding in a nuclear reactor?
Breeding in a nuclear reactor is like breeding anywhere else - a system for making fertile offspring to keep the basic process alive. When people or animals breed, they produce babies, who will eventually make more babies and so on, keeping the species alive.In nuclear reactors this may or may not happen. Conventional nuclear fission reactors are not designed to breed - that is, they require new fuel to keep going. The French developed a system (called “Phoenix”) which created plutonium (Pu) as a by-product of the fission process, and which could be used as fuel in the same or similar reactor. A “breeding factor” (BF) of over 1.0 means that more Pu was generated than is consumed; the initial Phoenix reactor had a BF of 1.16.Breeding is really a very good thing - indeed it can also be used to convert part of the radioactive waste from fission reactors to usable fuel, thereby relieving some of the waste problem.In fusion, breeding is a major factor. The raw materials for fusion are two hydrogen isotopes - deuterium (D) and tritium (T). D is widely available if needed, but T isn’t. However, T can be a by-product of the fusion reaction itself and thus T breeding is an integral part of any serious fusion power plant design. Indeed, T is very expensive, and if a BF > 1.0 can be generated, excess T can be sold, which will ease the economics of a fusion power plant.
Why are nuclear weapons so destructive?
E=MC2 The amount of energy released is equal to the mass times the constant speed of light squared. The power of the sun is released when an atomic particle is split (fission). The elements of our universe were forged in the heart of suns with tremendous heat and pressure (fusion). That energy is released when atomic particles are torn apart.