HOW NUCLEAR ENERGY IS PRODUCED

How Nuclear Energy is Produced

1. Uranium Pellet is inserted into a series of metal rods in the Nuclear Reactor Core. This fuel bundle of metal rods is submerged in water inside a pressurized vessel.

 2. Tiny particles are fired upon the Uranium atoms. This is where the nuclear fission process takes place. The atoms split and create energy and extreme heat in the process. The heat produced has a very high temperature.

3. The heat produced causes the water to boil producing steam that will drive the turbine.

 

4. This turbine will than generate energy thus creating electricity.

5. Finally, the steam will then condensed back to liquid form/water and the process is repeated.

Nuclear Fission

The commonly used element used in producing energy through a nuclear fission process is Uranium. In nuclear energy production, the Uranium is enriched and formed into small pellets that will be located at the core of the nuclear reactor.

            The more specific isotope of Uranium used is ₂₃₅U. Nuclear fission process started when a stray neutron is fired upon the uranium atoms. This causes the creation of ₂₃₆U. This isotope is unstable and causes the atom to fission or bombarded. When the atoms split, energy is produced. The equations shown below are examples of a nuclear fission reaction:

235U + 1 neutron 2 neutrons + 92Kr + 142Ba + ENERGY

235U + 1 neutron 2 neutrons + 92Sr + 140Xe + ENERGY

The products produced from the fissioning of the atom may vary up to twenty different products, but the final masses always add up to 236.

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