Nuclear Fission

Question 1

How does nuclear fission work?

Answer 1

1. Neutron splits atom
   2.atom splits into 2 daughter nuclei
2. The neutron and daughter cells have kinetic energy
3. The split atom sends out 2 or 3 neutrons
4. This is called a nuclear chain reaction

Question 2

What do fuel rods do

Answer 2

1.the fuel in reactor is made of fuel rods
2.as fission happens neutrons leave rod quick
3. The reaction is happening fast and needs to be slowed down
4. The reaction is slowed down by a moderator(like water) as the atom can’t absorb the neutron if its too quick

Question 3

What do control rods do?

Answer 3

1.The chain reaction is controlled by control rods
2.the rods absorb neutrons
3. These rods are placed between the fuel rods
4 . If fission needs to be increased , the control rods are moved further out the core so less neutrons are absorbed
5. When the control rods are fully in the core , the chain reaction stops and the reactor shuts down

Question 4

How do you generate electricity

Answer 4

1. Energy released from core is sent to coolant
   2.coolant can be in any state
   3.the now hot coolant is sent to a heat exchanger which makes steam
   4.the steam spins a turbine
   5 the turbine turns a generator
2. The generator makes electricity

Question 5

Disadvantages of nuclear fission

Answer 5

1.The daughter nuclei produced when an atom is split is very radioactive
This causes radioactive waste which has a long half life
2. Nuclear power stations are very expensive to build
3. Decommissioning costs are expensive

Question 6

Advantages of nuclear fission

Answer 6

1. Not burning fossil fuels, which means we aren’t increasing carbon dioxide
2. Nuclear fission is much more efficient than other methods such as coal or solar
   3 . More reliable