Nuclear Science (Part:8).

in #steemstem6 years ago (edited)

INTRODUCTION:

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Source

Nuclear Science is the study of the world of atoms, the term "nuclear" meaning ‘of or relating to or constituting the nucleus of an atom’. The field of particle physics evolved out of nuclear physics. Nuclear science studies how energy is released by the nuclei of atoms when they undergo certain changes, and nuclear technology is concerned with the applications of the findings to various fields— such as agriculture, industry, medicine, etc.

NUCLEAR REACTOR:

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Image Source-Wikipedia by Rama License under-Creative Commons.
A nuclear reactor is the central component of a nuclear power station that generates nuclear energy under controlled conditions for use as a source of electrical power.
Power reactors generally consists of three main parts. They are:

  • the reactor or pressure vessel

  • the core

  • control rods.

  • 1: The Reactor vessel holds the other reactor parts. It is installed near the base of the reactor building. The vessel has steel walls at least 15 centimeters thick. Steel pipes lead into and out of the vessel to carry water and steam.

  • 2: The Core contains the nuclear fuel and so is the part of the reactor where fission occurs. The core is near the bottom of the reactor vessel. It consists mainly of the nuclear fuel held in the place between an upper and a lower support plate.

  • 3: Control rods are long metal rods that contain such elements as Boron or Cadmium. These elements absorb free neutrons and thus help control a chain reaction. The control rods are inserted into the core or withdraw to slow down or speed up a chain reaction.

Moderators and Coolants: Reactor operations also depend on the substance called moderators and coolants. A moderator is a substance, such as water or carbon,that slows down neutrons ehich pass through it. Reactors require a moderator because the neutrons released by fission are are fast neutrons. But slow neutrons are needed to cause a chain reaction in the mixture of U-238 and U-235 that reactors use as fuel. A coolant is a substance, such as water or carbon dioxide, that conducts heat well but does not easily absorb free neutrons. The coolant carries heat from the chain reaction. By doing so, the coolant servers both to prevent the reactor core from melting and to produce steam.
Many power reactors are light water reactors,which use lighy (ordinary) water as both the moderator and the coolant. Heavy Water Reactors use Deuterium oxide, or heavy water, as both the moderator and the coolant. Graphite is another moderator. Indian reactors (except the one at Tarapur) use heavy water.

Fuel Preparation: The Uranium used in light water reactors must be enriched—that is, the percentage of U-235 must be increased. Free neutrons then have a better chance of striking a U-235 nucleus.

Steam Production: The reactor achieves critically when a chain reaction in the fuel has been interesting oduced to provide, on an average ,one more reaction for every fission reaction.
The lighy water reactors are of two main types. On type, the pressurised water reactor produces steam outside the reactor vessel. The other type, boiling water reactor,makes steam inside the vessel.
Most nuclear plants use pressurised water reactors. These reactors heat the moderator-water in the core under extremely high pressure. The pressure allows the water to heat past its normal boiling point of 100 °C without actually boiling. The chain reaction heats the water to about 320 °C. Pipes carry this extremely hot, though not boiling, water to steam generators outside the reactors. Heat from the pressurised water boils water in the steam generator and so produces steam.
In a boiling water reactor, the chain reaction boils the moderator-water in the core. Pipes carry the steam produced from the reactor to the plants turbines.
The fuel rods have to be removed and reprocessed from time to time separate radioactive waste products and small amounts of Plutonium-239 from used Uranium. Plutonium-239 is produced in the reactor when Uranium-235 absorbs fast fission neutrons; like Uranium-235, it undergoes fission and is used in fast-breeder reactors and to make nuclear weapons.

Experimental Breeder Reactors: The most important type of experimental breeder uses the plentiful Uranium isotope-U-238 as its basic fuel. The reactor changes the U-238 into the isotope Plutonium-239 (Pu-239) by radioactive decay. Like U-235, Pu-239 can creatr a chain reaction and so can be used for energy production. Another breeder uses the natural element Thorium as its basic fuel. It changes the Thorium into the isotope U-233, which can also produce a chain reaction.

References:

1:Wikipedia
2:Nuclear reactor
3:World Nuclear
4:Nuclear Reactor-Britannica technology
5:Nuclear reactor-Energy education
6:Nuclear Reactor- Science_How



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