nuclear power plant - Core questions in focus
When the spirits and reactor pressure vessels boil over, it is good to know what to bring up (or ignore) in order for your own following to reach a "critical mass". Which physical process takes place in a nuclear power plant? One kilogram of uranium contains two million times more energy than one kilogram of coal. In nuclear power plants, just like in coal-fired power plants, the energy is released as heat. The huge difference in energy density is due to the fact that the chemical energy of coal is used, but the nuclear (Greek nucleus = core) energy of uranium. This energy is released during nuclear fission (also nuclear fission, from the Latin fissio = fission): if the nucleus of a uranium atom is hit by a slow neutron, it absorbs the neutron and, shortly afterwards, decays into two parts (fission products) and two new ones, giving off strong energy Neutrons. These two neutrons can in turn split one uranium atom each, so that four neutrons are produced in the next generatio