Nuclear Fission versus Nuclear Fusionnuclearconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Fission-vs... ·...
Transcript of Nuclear Fission versus Nuclear Fusionnuclearconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Fission-vs... ·...
Nuclear Fission Nuclear Fusion
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Fission is the release of energy by splitting heavy nuclei such as Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 Fusion is the release of energy by combining two light nuclei such as deuterium and tritium
How does a nuclear plant work?• Each fission releases 2 or 3 neutrons
• These neutrons are slowed down with a moderator to initiate more fission events
• Control rods absorb neutrons to keep the chain reaction in check
Nuclear Power produces no greenhouse gas emissions; each year U.S. nuclear plants prevent atmospheric emissions totaling:• 5.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide
• 2.4 million tons of nitrogen oxide
• 164 million tons of carbon
The energy from the reaction drives a steam cycle to produce electricity
Moderator
Uranium-235
Uranium-235
Slow Neutron
Fission
Fission Control Rods
Moderator
Neutron Neutron
Neutron
Neutron
Target Nucleus
Fission Product
Fission Product
Control Rods
Reactor Vessel
Steam Line
Generator
Containment Structure
Pump
Pump
Cooling Water
CondenserControl Rods
Reactor Vessel
Steam Line
Gene
Pump
Turbine
Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Reaction• The goal of fusion research is to confine fusion ions
at high enough temperatures and pressures, and for a long enough time to fuse
Tritium (H-3)Deuterium (H-2)
3.5 MeVAlpha Particle
(He-4)
14.1 MeVNeutron
There are two main confinement approaches• Magnetic Confinement uses strong
magnetic fields to confine the plasma
• The photo above is a cross-section of the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Tokamak which is being built in France1
• Inertial Confinement uses powerful lasers or ion beams to compress a pellet of fusion fuel to the right temperatures and pressures
• The photo to the left is a view of the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab2
Sources: 1. http://www.iter.org/album/media/7%20-%20technical#797 2. https://lasers.llnl.gov/multimedia/photo_gallery/target_area/?id=7&category=target_areaAmerican Nuclear Society www.NuclearConnect.org