Nuclear Energy

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

up the first
operating nuclear reactor outside the USA. Of course, the output was
minuscule, but the significance was immense; the principal of getting
energy from splitting atoms in a controlled chain reaction (fission) was
established beyond doubt. It was now the job of the scientists and
engineers to put it to a practical use.

Nuclear Reactors

A nuclear reactor is a device which produces heat. In a nuclear power
station, the reactor performs the same function as a boiler in a
conventional coal, gas or oil-fired station. Whether from a conventional
boiler or a nuclear reactor, heat is required to turn water into steam. The
steam is used to spin large turbines which in turn drive generators that
produce electricity. A reactor creates heat by splitting uranium atoms.
This is called 'Nuclear reaction' or 'Fission'.

When the nucleus of an uranium atom is stuck by a neutron travelling at
the right speed, it splits into fragments which separate rapidly and
generate ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

to conventional turbines and generators
that produce electricity. In this way the nuclear reactor is separate from
the equipment used to produce electricity.

Viable solutions for Energy needs

Annually, the demand for energy in Ontario increases by 5%. In response
to this increase, Hydro companies around Canada facing similar situations
have the responsibility of meeting the increase, usually by adding to their
arsenal of generators. The question which is brought up at this point is
how to do this most effectively in terms of impact on the environment, cost,
efficiency and several other aspects. In the case of Ontario Hydro, they
have chosen to expand on the method which appears to ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: