NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. This energy is used at the power plant to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity. Nuclear energy was first discovered accidentally by French physicist Henri Becquerel in 1896, when he found that photographic plates stored in the dark near uranium were blackened in a manner similar to that due to X-Rays which had been just discovered at that time.

SOURCE NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy is energy released from the nucleus of an atom by conversion of its mass energy consistent with Albert Einstein's formula; Nuclear energy is released by one of three nuclear reactions: Fission, Fusion, Radioactive decay,

NUCLEAR FISSION Nuclear fission is the splitting of heavy unstable nuclei into smaller and stable nuclei and energy. This process can occur spontaneously or it can be induced. In both the spontaneous nuclear fission and induced fission reaction the fuel used is uranium isotopes.

NUCLEAR FISSION CONT.

NUCLEAR FISSION CONT. The reaction is self-sustaining since two or three high-energy neutrons are produced by each fission, each may cause the fission of two or three additional atoms.

NUCLEAR FUSION In the nuclear fusion reaction, two light atomic nuclei are fused together to form a heavier nucleus and release energy. In fact fusion reaction is the main source energy from the sun, which is the fusion hydrogen atoms to form a heavy hydrogen atom with release of energy. Most design studies for fusion power plants consists of using the fusion reaction to create heat, which is then used to operate a steam turbine, similar to most coal-fired power plants as well as fission driven nuclear power plants.

NUCLEAR REACTORS A nuclear reactor is a device in which a nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled and sustained at a steady rate unlike the nuclear bomb in which reactions occur at each second and it is uncontrollable.