Section 17.5- Nuclear Fission and Fusion Flashcards
coined the term fission
Lise Meitner
the process of splitting an atom into two smaller atoms
nuclear fission
the process in which fission will cause at least one additional fission, so that enough neutrons will be released to keep the reaction going
nuclear chain reaction
the amount and density of 235U present that makes a chain reaction self-sustaining
critical mass
a nuclear plant produces heat using __________________
a device for safely initiating and controlling a fission chain reaction
nuclear reactor
the most important part of a nuclear reactor is the
fissionable material used to produce energy
a process which increases the content percentage in order to make a critical mass possible to achieve
enrichment
key component of the reactor which slow neutrons for easier capture
water or graphite moderator
part of the reactor which carries heat out of the core
coolant
movable component of the reactor which control the reaction rate by absorbing some of the neutrons
control rods
the entire reactor is contained in a heavy steel and concrete dome designed to prevent emission of radioactive material into the environment in the event of a serious accident
containment vessel
an important principle to keep in mind is that a nuclear reactor cannot
explode like a bomb
*the chief danger that must be guarded against in a nuclear reactor is a
when a pipe rupture, pump failure, or other breakdown deprives the core of coolant, possibly causing the core to overheat
loss of coolant accident
worst case scenario in which in which the core overheats so badly that fuel melts right through the bottom of the pressure vessel
a meltdown
the worst ever nuclear power plant accident
Chernobyl
nuclear reactor cannot explode like a bomb because
reactor has barely critical mass whereas an atomic bomb must have supercritical mass
control rods determine rate of reaction in a nuclear reactor; if removed the reaction would
speed up
fuel used in nuclear reactor
uranium or plutonium
one of the most common objections against nuclear power is the
radioactive waste products that are produced
coal produces significantly ______________ waste than nuclear reactors due
LESS
nuclear fuel recycling that greatly simplifies the disposal of nuclear waste products
reprocessing
a reactor that produces more fissionable fuel than it uses
breeder reactor
breeder technology makes nuclear power a
practically UNLIMITED resource
special applications of Nuclear power
- submarines and aircraft carriers
- space probes
- nuclear-fueled rockets
for light elements such as H or He, the binding energy per nucleon can be increased by combining light nuclei into heavier ones in
the melding of atoms (smaller become larger)
nuclear FUSION
for a given mass of reactants, more energy can be obtained from ______________ than from _______________ because a greater proportion of mass in converted into energy
FUSION
fission
atoms must be in the ________________ state in order for fusion to occur
plasma
high temperature nuclear reactions are called
thermonuclear reactions
a fusion reaction is also called a
thermonuclear reaction
the first successful use of thermonuclear reactions was for their
explosive effect
the efforts of Edward Teller to keep the US superior to the Soviet Union in nuclear arms lead to the development of the world’s first
thermonuclear weapon or HYDROGEN BOMB
stronger than the atomic bomb
hydrogen bomb
two things needed in order to get fusion reaction started
- high temperatures
- high pressures
achieve high temp and high pressure by placing
atomic bomb on top of hydrogen bomb
used to create high temp and pressure in H bomb
atomic bomb
you need a _____________ before you have a _______________ in a hydrogen bomb
fission reaction
fusion reaction
