A Nuclear Reactor
..."fission ! fragments" as well as less massive particles as the Neutrons). In the Nuclear Reactors this splitting is induced by the interaction of a neutron with a fissionable nucleus. Under suitable conditions, a "chain" reaction of fission in which events may be sustained. The energy released from the fission reactions provide heat, part of which is ultimately converted into electricity. In the present day Nuclear power plants, this heat is removed from the Nuclear fuel by water that is pumped past rods containing fuel. The basic feature of the nuclear reactor is the release of a large amount of energy from each fission event that occurs in the nuclear reactors core. On the average, a fission event releases about 200 million electron volts of energy. a typical chemical reaction, on the other hand releases about one electron volt. The difference, roughly a factor of 100 million electron volts. The complete fission of one pound of uranium would release roughly the same amount of energy as! the combination of 6000 barrels of oil or 1000 tons of high quality oil. The reactor cooling fluid serves a dual purpose. Its most urgent function is to remove from the core the heat that results when the energy released from the Nuclear reactions is transformed by the collisions into the random nuclear motion. An associated function is to transfer this heat into an outside core, typically for the production of electricity. The designer provides for a nuclear core in a container through which a cooling fluid is pumped. This fluid may be used directly to drive a turbine generator. alternately, it may be used to heat a secondary fluid which drives the turbine. In most all the commercial systems that fluid is vaporized water. Fission is the term used to describe the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two or more smaller nuclei. Slow moving neutrons are more easily captured by the nucleus. A moderator is a medium which causes neutrons to trave...