Chapter 12 Module 36

What are the six steps in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle?

1. mining 2. milling 3. conversion 4. enrichment 5. fuel fabrication 6. electricity generation

How much more energy does nuclear energy have than coal?

1.5 to 2 times

What awards did Marie Curie win?

A Nobel prize in physics and chemistry

What is a becquerel?

A becquerel (Bq) is a unit that measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays.

What is a containment structure?

A containment structure is a gas-tight shell or other enclosure around a nuclear reactor to confine fission products that otherwise might be released to the atmosphere in the event of an accident.

Explain the role of the control rods in a nuclear reactor.

A control rod controls the power of a nuclear reactor and prevents neutron from causing further fission.

What is a control rod?

A control rod is a cylindrical device inserted between fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop fission.

What is a curie?

A cure is a unit of measurement foe radiation.

What is fuel rod?

A fuel rod is a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor.

What is a cooling tower?

A heat exchanger designed to aid in the cooling of water that was used to cool exhaust steam exiting the turbines of a power plant.

What is a steam generator?

A steam generator are heat exchangers where the heat produced in the reactor core is transferred to the steam system.

For a sample of Ti-44 with a half-life of 63 years, how long until 1/16 of the original amount is left? A. 252 years B. 126 years C. 189 years D. 315 years

A. 252 years

Interest in nuclear power has recently increased because of A. low carbon dioxide emissions. B. lack of significant accidents. C. new solutions for waste disposal. D. low energy costs.

A. low carbon dioxide emissions.

The process of fusion A. splits atoms. B. requires extremely high temperatures. C. requires several radioactive elements. D. uses plutonium instead of uranium.

B. requires extremely high temperatures.

Compare and contrast nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.

Both fission and fusion are nuclear processes by which atoms are altered to create energy. Fission is the division of one atom into two, and fusion is the combination of two lighter atoms into a larger one.

One g of 235u produces approximately how much more energy than 1 g of coal? A. 19,000 times B. 400,000 times C. 2,000,000 times D. 80,000 times

C. 2,000,000 times

Control rods slow nuclear reactions by A. absorbing the heat produced. B. reducing the amount of fuel available. C. absorbing excess neutrons. D. increasing the rate heat transfers to the water.

C. absorbing excess neutrons.

What is fission?

Fission is a nuclear reaction in which neutrons strike a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat.

What awards did Henri Becquerel win?

Nobel prize in physics and the Rumford medal.

What is nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion is is a reaction when lighter nuclei are forced together and produce heavier nuclei.

What is radioactive waste?

Radioactive waste is nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to omit radioactivity.

What was Marie Curie best known for?

The discovery of radium and polonium

What is a turbine and generator?

The heat produced during nuclear fission in the reactor core is used to boil water into steam, which turns the blades of a steam turbine. As the turbine blades turn, they drive generators that make electricity.

What is a steam line?

The heat produced in the reactor core is transferred to the steam generator.

What was Henri Becquerel best known for?

discovered radioactivity through his investigations of uranium and other substances