Nuclear Reactors are Just Fancy Boilers

Question 1

What does nuclear fission produce and why?

Answer 1

Heat to make steam to drive turbines etc, rather than burning

Question 2

What happens during the process in terms of energy?

Answer 2

Energy is transferred from nuclear energy stores to thermal energy stores by heating, then mechanically to kinetic energy stores, and finally transferred electrically through the national grid

Question 3

What is bad about nuclear reactors?

Answer 3

They are expensive to build and maintain, and take longer to start up than fossil fuel ones

Question 4

What is the problem with processing the uranium before you use it?

Answer 4

It causes pollution, and there’s always a risk of leaks of radioactive material, or even a major catastrophe like at Chernobyl

Question 5

What is a big problem with nuclear power?

Answer 5

The radioactive waste you always get

Question 6

Why do nuclear power stations have to be decommissioned?

Answer 6

They get too old and inefficient - also very expensive

Question 7

What are the advantages of nuclear power?

Answer 7

• doesn’t produce any greenhouse gases (no global warming)

- still plenty of uranium left