Nuclear Fission and Fusion Flashcards
What is fusion?
When small nuclei combine to form larger ones.
What 2 nuclei were used in nuclear fusion research?
Deuterium and Tritium.
What causes nuclear fusion to be so difficult?
Electrostatic repulsion.
What’s meant by electrostatic repulsion?
When nuclei have the same charge and repel one another.
How close do the nuclei in fusion have to get before they fuse?
A million millionth of a millimetre of each other.
Nuclei are more likely to collide if their density is ______.
High.
How hot are the temperatures in a fusion reactor?
150 million degrees celsius.
Why must the fusion reactor be so hot?
To make the nuclei travel fast enough to overcome the electrostatic repulsion.
Why have many fusion reactors failed?
It’s difficult to create these conditions on earth and so far none of the experimental reactors have produced more energy than has been put in.
Where does fusion occur naturally?
Stars.
What fusion reaction takes place to form the energy source for stars?
Hydrogen nuclei combining to form helium is the energy source for stars.
Who investigated how uranium emits light after being exposed to sunlight?
Henri Becquerel.
How long does HLW produce ionising radiation for?
50 years.
How is HLW transported?
In thick concrete and steel containers until the waste is less radioactive.
How is ILW stored?
In concrete and steel containers.
