![]() The energy produced by the Sun has this origin.įor nuclear fusion to occur, the cores of positive charge must be able to overcome the electrostatic forces of repulsion in their approach. This mass defect gives rise to a great release of energy. Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two atoms with two very light nucleus join together to form a atom with a more stable and heavier nucleus, with a mass slightly less than the sum of the masses of the initial nucleus. The results of this reaction are that, in just a fraction of the time, the fused nucleus release an energy which is a million times larger than that obtained through other means of energy production, such as combustion through fossil fuels.įissioned nucleus release energy one million times greater than that obtained. Fission could be generated spontaneously, but it requires the existence of a neutron capable of striking the necessary energy. On the one hand, the critical mass of the fissile material must exceed a certain threshold of quantity in this material for the reaction to take place and on the other hand, the geometry of that material must also be adequate. This is a multiplier effect often referred to as a chain reaction.įor this fission chain reaction to happen, certain conditions must be met. These neutrons, in turn, can cause further fission reactions by interacting with other fissionable nucleus that will emit new neutrons, and so on. In this process two or three neutrons and gamma rays are emitted, and causes the release of large amounts of energy. ![]() These lighter atoms are called fission products. By capturing an incident neutron, that nucleus becomes unstable and splits into two nucleus of lighter atoms. Nuclear fission is the reaction that occurs in the nucleus of a heavy atom. ![]() We will begin by explaining what nuclear fission consists of. To do this, we must familiarize ourselves with nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, with the differences between the two, and with the advantages and disadvantages of using one or the other system. This is how nuclear weapons work.To understand how nuclear energy works, the first thing we must know are its processes. If an uncontrolled chain reaction occurs, a huge amount of energy may be released in an explosion. Control rods, which absorb neutrons, are lowered into the nuclear reactor to slow down the chain reaction and then lifted out of the reactor to speed up the chain reaction. In nuclear power stations, the amount of energy produced is controlled by controlling how fast the chain reaction can occur. In a nuclear power station, these gamma rays can be used to heat water, producing steam to turn turbines and generate electricity. This is called a chain reaction.Įnergy that is not transferred to the smaller nuclei or the neutrons is released as gamma rays. If any of these neutrons are moving slow enough to be absorbed by another atom, they may cause that nucleus to undergo fission as well. Two or three neutronsare also produced when fission occurs. All of the fission products have kinetic energy. The new nuclei are also unlikely to be the same size as one another. These will be of a different elementsthan the original nucleus. When the nucleus splits, two smaller nuclei are produced. This makes the nucleus unstable and forces fission to occur. In order to force a nucleus to split up, we can make it absorb a neutron. Nuclear fission rarely occurs spontaneously. Nuclear fission occurs when an unstable nucleus splits into two or more pieces.
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