Nuclear fuels and how nuclear energy is generated
Nuclear energy is released by nuclear fission or nuclear fusion from nuclear fuels.
- In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms combine or fuse to form a larger atom. Solar energy is generated by this process where the nuclei of hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium atoms
- Nuclear fission is where the nucleus of a heavy element is split into two lighter nuclei, generally accompanied by the release of one or more neutrons and energy
- Isotopes of uranium and plutonium are typical atoms that undergo fission in power plants * MOX (mixed oxide fuel) is made from recycled uranium and thorium
- Thorium's involvement in the generation of nuclear power in its own right is by absorbing slow neutrons to form uranium-233. The waste from this is much less radioactive, making it both easier and safer to dispose of. It is also much more plentiful than uranium and has a half-life of only 500 years rather than tens of thousands
Exclusive to RSC members - access via the Virtual Library to:
- Referex Chem full-text e-books including:
- Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry
- Nuclear Energy: An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes
Downloadable Files
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
No. 7 in a series of essays on Radioactivity produced by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Radiochemistry Group
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Related Links
Solar energy as an example of nuclear fusion
A succinct description of the generation of solar power and the physics behind it provided by NASA
The generation of nuclear power
The generation of electricity from nuclear power generators is described with the help of a diagram from The World Nuclear Association
Nuclear fission reactors
Descriptions of the basic components of a nuclear fission reactor and six different fission reactor types from the EU energy research department
Thorium as a fuel
A detailed description of thorium from the World Nuclear Association including resources , the development of a fuel cycle and its advantages over MOX
Viability of the thorium fuel cycle
The benefits and challenges of the thorium fuel cycle are presented by the (International Atomic energy Association) IAEA. One of the advantages is that it is not subject to proliferation and thus cannot be diverted to weapons use.
MOX - mixed oxide fuel
Usage statistics and production of MOX from Earth Encyclopedia
Plutonium
From the Uranium Information Centre of the Australian Uranium Association, plutonium as a fission energy source, reactions in MOX fuel, resources, involvement in weapons,
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