1. Nuclear Power

2. How does nuclear power work? Fission produces heat Heat boils water making steam Steam turns a turbine Turbine produces electricity

3. What is fission? Fission occurs when a neutron splits an atom releasing energy (heat) and more neutrons

4. A chain reaction! If the released additional neutrons split other atoms it creates what is called a “chain reaction.” https://youtu.be/Ezbyg2iNdQs

5. Controlled chain reaction In a nuclear reactor, the fission chain reaction is controlled using “control rods” to absorb some of the additional neutrons. In an ordinary commercial electricity-producing nuclear reactor the fuel does not contain enough U-235 to produce a nuclear explosion.

6. Uranium Uranium is a very slightly radioactive naturally-occurring element with atomic number 92.

7. Isotopes Different isotopes of an element have different amounts of neutrons and thus different atomic numbers.

8. Atomic numbers The atomic number of an element is the sum of the particles in its nucleus: protons and neutrons. The isotope of uranium that has 92 protons and 146 neutrons is called U-238.

9. The importance of neutrons The protons in the nucleus all are positively charged and hence repel each other. The neutrons separate the protons from each other and help all the protons to co-exist in the nucleus. We should try to be neutrons in the world around us, helping all of our planetary humans to co-exist together.

10. U-238 More than 99% of the Uranium in the ground is U-238. U-238 doesn’t fission.

11. U-235 Less than 1% of the Uranium in the ground is U-235. U-235 fissions!

12. Reactor basics

13. Three water systems

14. A video explanation of a nuclear reactor