Nuclear Fission Research Paper
A nuclear power reactor uses a reaction called nuclear fission to produce a large amount of energy in the plant. The nuclear reactor produces electrical energy the same way in which other power plants do. The only difference is how heat is created. Power plant that run on fossil fuel burn coal, oil or natural gas to generate heat. In nuclear energy, heat is produced through nuclear fission. Nuclear Fission is a process where a large atom such as Uranium or Plutonium splits into two smaller atoms, known as fission products and some product particles. Uranium or plutonium isotopes are used as a fuel in the nuclear reactor. The amount of energy released from the nuclear bonds is much larger than the amount of energy in a chemical bond. For example,
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Uranium is a naturally element found in most rocks but also in soil, river and ocean. Uranium comes in slightly various forms known as isotopes. Some of these isotopes are radioactive and differ from each other based on the number of neutrons (different atomic number) in the nucleus. Uranium that is naturally occurring on earth is largely a mixture between two following isotopes. Uranium-238 accounts for 99.3% while uranium-235 accounts for 0.7% of uranium on earth. Uranium-235 is the fuel that is usually used in nuclear power plant. Uranium-235 is ideal for nuclear power because it can decay naturally by alpha radiation and release alpha particles. (Two protons and two neutrons). Also, Uranium-235 can undergo induced fission. This means when a free neutron collides with a U-235 nucleus, the nucleus will obtain the neutron and split it very quickly. The protons and neutrons in the nucleus of a uranium atom are split by the energy known as nuclear binding energy. Protons and neutrons binding energies are the energies required to release them from the nucleus. In binding energy, the mass the actual mass is always less than the mass of the nucleons (Protons + Neutrons) combined due to the energy released when the nucleus is formed. This is known as mass defect. So in this case, it release energy in the form of heat in nuclear fission to heat up
Uranium is a naturally element found in most rocks but also in soil, river and ocean. Uranium comes in slightly various forms known as isotopes. Some of these isotopes are radioactive and differ from each other based on the number of neutrons (different atomic number) in the nucleus. Uranium that is naturally occurring on earth is largely a mixture between two following isotopes. Uranium-238 accounts for 99.3% while uranium-235 accounts for 0.7% of uranium on earth. Uranium-235 is the fuel that is usually used in nuclear power plant. Uranium-235 is ideal for nuclear power because it can decay naturally by alpha radiation and release alpha particles. (Two protons and two neutrons). Also, Uranium-235 can undergo induced fission. This means when a free neutron collides with a U-235 nucleus, the nucleus will obtain the neutron and split it very quickly. The protons and neutrons in the nucleus of a uranium atom are split by the energy known as nuclear binding energy. Protons and neutrons binding energies are the energies required to release them from the nucleus. In binding energy, the mass the actual mass is always less than the mass of the nucleons (Protons + Neutrons) combined due to the energy released when the nucleus is formed. This is known as mass defect. So in this case, it release energy in the form of heat in nuclear fission to heat up