Boiling Water in 5 Easy Steps

Boiling Water

5Easy Stepsin

Vanessa Holfeltzhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/o2ma/287058391/

Step 1: Get Some Uranium

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/132312723/

Step 2: Enrich that Uranium

99.27% 238U

0.72% 235U

have need

4% 235U

Uranium “flavors”

doe.gov

Step 3: Make Reactor Fuel

238UO2

235UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

UO2

1/2 inch

3/8 inch

UO2

nrc.gov, doe.gov

Step 4: Build a NuclearPower Reactor

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsnet/2346674/

Step 5: Fission

Chain Reaction

= neutron

= fission eventnrc.gov

nrc.gov

Results

• ≈ 200 MeV is released per fission• Most of this becomes kinetic energy of fission

fragments• A room temperature atom has about 1/40 eV

kinetic energy -- fission fragments have400,000,000 times that energy!

• Punchline: fission fragments are hot

http://flickr.com/photos/alternatewords/2186936047/

Bonus Step: Make electricity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dampfturbine_Laeufer01.jpg

water in ≈ 290ºC

water out ≈ 325ºC

fuel

nrc. gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation/images.html

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/reactors.html

In the US, 1 in 5 slices of toast ismade with nuclear power.

amazon.com

http://flickr.com/photos/blmurch/495781095/

What’s in spent fuel?

• Something that is radioactiveemits radiation

• Radiation is energy travelingtrough space (light,microwaves, x-rays, gammarays, etc.)

• Radioactive materials decayinto non-radioactive materials

• Spent nuclear fuel becomesless radioactive over time

doe.gov

Cooling Tower Reactor ContainmentBuilding

http://flickr.com/photos/thespeak/150544424/