Nuclear Power
...energy. This splitting is often triggered by the absorption of a neutron travelling at high speed. The atoms used are Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 both, radio active isotopes; a species of atom having the same atomic number, being the same element but having different mass having an atomic number greater than 783. These elements are heavy metals that have the potential ability to release a lot of energy. Upon being split the Uranium atom loses mass, the difference in which the mass is converted into energy is governed by the equation E=mc˛. When they are split they release more neutrons, a property that allows for neutron chain reactions. These chain reactions are necessary to produce enough power for nuclear power plants. As the neutrons produced from fission cause more atoms to continue to go into fission and so on. The energy released by the neutron chain reaction comes in the form on heat and gamma radiation. This is absorbed into a liquid coolant, usually just heavy water. This causes the coolant to heat up and produce very hot steam. This steam circulates and drives a turbine which...