![]() The water evaporates into steam which turns a turbine, which in turn drives a generator to produce electricity. The kinetic energy of the neutrons is harnessed by the nuclear reactor and used to heat water. The reactor is covered with a thick concrete shield to ensure that no radiation is able to penetrate through and escape the reactor. To stop this happening, the reactor contains control rods, usually made of boron, which absorb some of the extra neutrons so that only a single neutrons is released per fission event. It is important that the chain reaction doesn’t get out of hand, otherwise the reactor could explode. These neutrons hit other nuclei in a chain reaction. This nucleus splits into two medium-mass nuclei while also emitting more neutrons. Hence, the possibility exists for creating a chain reaction. When a uranium nucleus is hit by a neutron, it splits to form two smaller nuclei. The nuclear fuel contains unstable uranium isotopes. Each time a U-235 nucleus splits, it releases two or three neutrons. Explosive fission reaction (or uncontrolled fission reaction): When a slow moving neutron hits the nucleus of a uranium235 atom, then the nucleus of uranium. Nucleus fission is used in nuclear reactors. This process is known as fission (see diagram below). When uranium-235 is hit with a slow-moving neutron, it absorbs it and temporarily becomes the very unstable uranium-236. When a U-235 nucleus absorbs an extra neutron, it quickly breaks into two parts. When a neutron is absorbed by a nucleus, it undergoes a fission event, breaking apart into two nuclei and two or three neutrons. Nuclear fission may occur spontaneously or may occur as a result of bombardment. Fission only works if the neutron is moving slowly enough to be absorbed by a nucleus so nuclear reactors contain something called a moderator, usually made of graphite, which reduces the speed of the neutrons, making them more likely to be absorbed by a nucleus. ![]() ![]() Fission is used in nuclear reactors to produce energy. For nuclear fission to occur, the nucleus of a uranium atom has to be split somehow. ![]()
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