Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants. Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2. Generating electricity from fusion power remains the focus of international research.
Civilian nuclear power supplied 2,586 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2019, equivalent to about 10% of global electricity generation, and was the second-largest low-carbon power source after hydroelectricity. As of January 2021, there are 442 civilian fission reactors in the world, with a combined electrical capacity of 392 gigawatt (GW). There are also 53 nuclear power reactors under construction and 98 reactors planned, with a combined capacity of 60 GW and 103 GW, respectively. The United States has the largest fleet of nuclear reactors, generating over 800 TWh zero-emissions electricity per year with an average capacity factor of 92%. Most reactors under construction are generation III reactors in Asia.
Nuclear power has one of the lowest levels of fatalities per unit of energy generated compared to other energy sources. Coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydroelectricity each have caused more fatalities per unit of energy due to air pollution and accidents. Since its commercialization in the 1970s, nuclear power has prevented about 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths and the emission of about 64 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent that would have otherwise resulted from the burning of fossil fuels.
Accidents in nuclear power plants include the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union in 1986, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and the more contained Three Mile Island accident in the United States in 1979.
There is a debate about nuclear power. Proponents, such as the World Nuclear Association and Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy, contend that nuclear power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions. Nuclear power opponents, such as Greenpeace and NIRS, contend that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment.
Hi, everyone.
I am a student studying physics in one of colleges in Wisconsin, and this school has a program called Dual Engineering. Through this program, I will get a physics BS degree and study one type of engineering in UW-Madison for another BS.
I really debate myself these days...
Homework Statement
What is the cross section if the density of atoms in a material is 10^26 metres-3, and 0.04% of a beam of neutrons is stopped in a 2 cm slab of the material ?
Homework Equations
Sigma = event rate per nuclei / incident flux
The Attempt at a Solution
I have...
Hello everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum, and i hope to be posting this thread in the right section. If not, my apologies. :)
What I've been doing so far for me it's kind of "abstract"; I love physics, but i love as well to be able to do something with it, to apply it. I've read a...
I'm currently writing a book about a nuclear epidemic and it came to my attention that I know nothing about nuclear...
Let's say radiation existed as a mere 2% of the atmosphere in a certain location, would it be possible to say all those 'infected' with the radiation in the atmosphere would...
Although I am a newer publishing thread here,
I notice this forums for a long time.
And I hope someone could help me.
I am doing some nuclear reaction research
and want to shift myself to the nuclear structure area.
I can find some references for some special topic.
While I think I...
My real passion lies in nuclear medicine, which of course, contains physics albeit NOT straight physics in the sense of physics COURSES on offer - the degree offers ONE straight physics course in first year.
The problem is, I was a high school drop out, have never learned physics, and only...
Hey everybody, so I've been going through a bit of a dilemma and have done a kind of ridiculous amount of personal research on this including talking to people and looking at jobs/programs etc. I'm looking for another opinion, hopefully unbiased (disappointingly difficult for me on this it...
Hey guys,
So, I'm writing a screenplay about space travel. I've been thinking of using nuclear fusion as the method of space travel. I've read it's a viable option. But, I don't know much about nuclear fusion.
I know cold fusion is, at this point, a near-impossible option. But is it true...
Question: "Given an electrostatic potential energy of -6.16x10^-18 J and a distance of 1.12x10^-10m, what is the nuclear charge if there is a single electron interacting with the nucleus?"
Okay, Equation:
PE = [K*Q1*Q2]/d
Where K is a constant of 8.99*10^9 J*m/c
d is giving at 1.12*10^-10m
PE...
For example tritium has a half life of of 12.3 years. So if you had 2 atoms of tritium then after 12.3 year you would expect to have 1 atom of tritium and 1 atom of h-3. My question is, is it possible that tritium could decay in 1 second? Or how about 1 eon? I know its not probable but is it...
I was thinking there might be some clever but not well known ideas for nuclear technology being applied to an orbital telescope. Perhaps a different type of material would make an excellent sensor etc. Any ideas?
I am an electrical engineering student doing my third year. I am interested in doing research in making fusion energy a commercial energy source by doing research in current techniques and also interested in creating new techniques for making fusion process continuous and efficient than current...
Homework Statement
I have been able to complete all questions apart from part e)
Homework Equations
Beta minus decay involves electron emission
Beta plus decay involves positron emission
Electron capture takes in an electronThe Attempt at a Solution
I believe that because there is an...
I am an electrical engineering student doing my third year. I am interested in doing research in making fusion energy a commercial energy source by doing research in current techniques and also interested in creating new techniques for making fusion process continuous and efficient than...
If Q=e[I+0.5Y] and Y=B+S. What is the Q/e and S value for ρ and k mesons, Ω and Δ baryons?
I means third component of isospin and Y,B,S,Q,e have usual meanings?
This is the question. I don't even know what these symbol means. Can someone please explain the symbols and solve this problem.
If Q=e[I+0.5Y] and Y=B+S. What is the Q/e and S value for ρ and k mesons, Ω and Δ baryons?
I means third component of isospin and Y,B,S,Q,e have usual meanings?
This is the question. I don't even know what these symbol means. Can someone please explain the symbols and solve this problem.
Hi All,
I want to run some small nuclear transmutation experiments for a nuclear battery project. However, my knowledge of nuclear physics is very theoretical and I was looking to get mentored by a physicist or nuclear engineer who has experience with working with radiation sources. Here is...
The answer is not provided by AAPT.
Homework Statement
A mixture of ^{32}P and ^{35}S (two beta emitters widely used in biochemical research) is placed next to a detector and allowed to decay, resulting in the data (attached) below. The detector has equal sensitivity to the beta particles...
Both sons were offered a full-tuition scholarship at UAH and at the University of Alabama. Son 2 is going to accept at UAH and wants to do a double major in Aerospace and Mechanical.
Here's the dilemma: Son 1 really wants to major in nuclear engineering, which would require him turning...
Hi people.
I just read this somewhere
and I can't get my head around it.
How is the Uncertainty Relation uncompatible with the idea of a proton-electron nucleus?
And can you explain why this model predicted those values for the nuclear spin?
Thank you.
Hi.
This may be a trivial question, but I'm unable to find a definitve answer.
How is the mass on a atomic nucleus distributed?
I read somewhere that it was uniformly distributed, and somewhere else that it resembled a normal distribution. Can you help me out?
Thank you.
Are there any other measurable danger other than the following
Short term (short half life)
I -131
Do not react with air
Forms aqueous solution with water
Long term (long half life)
Cs -137
Forms cesium oxide with air, can be carried away by air
Forms aqueous solution with...
Homework Statement
If all of the energy from decay of the 40-K in one banana could be captured and converted into electrical energy, how many bananas would be needed to power a 100 W light bulb?
There is 358 mg potassium-K per 100 grams of banana
half life of potassium-40 is...
How many steps of Bank D rod motion will be required to change power level from 5% to 18%? Assume that the full power Delta T from primary to secondary is 50 degrees F. Assume the moderator temperature coefficient is -5 pcm/degree F. Assume the Bank D rod worth is 5 pcm/step. Neglect fuel...
Hello to all, i need some books, papers, related to nuclear reactors for research (e.g, classification , applications, spread worlwide, etc). Any sugestions are welcome. Thank for help!
Hello! I apologize in advance if this has been asked before, or if it more properly belongs in the career section - I wasn't sure since I'm still at university.
I'm currently in the middle of my undergrad studies in physics with an astronomy focus. My plan has been to go on to grad school to...
Hi guys,
I am currently trying to figure out the best way to create a target of deuterated polyethylene for neutron detection. I have ~30g of this very expensive powder and need to determine the best way to create a thick target (thick as in ~5cm, not a thin film like is used for proton...
I have a problem reconciling something. According to Newton's shell theorem, at any point within a solid sphere, for the purposes of calculating the gravitational force exerted on you, the mass that is outside your own radius to the center can be ignored since it cancels out, and the net force...
Say a uranium-238 nucleus with angular momentum II decays to thorium-234 plus an alpha particle. Will the sum of the angular momenta of the thorium-234 nucleus and the alpha particle equal II? What if a photon was emitted during this process, would Ithorium+Iα+hbar=II?
thanks
I've read about why it would be nearly impossible for an individual to construct a working home built nuclear reactor (of any variety), but I've never understood why a home built nuclear battery couldn't be constructed (think Henry Moseley's work). The size and power output would be impractical...
This is a total newb question but please explain. If nuclear fusion is occurring during a hydrogen bomb explosion, then why is it said that more energy is needed catalyze fusion than will be produced during the reaction - H-bombs seem to blow that theory out of the water. (no pun intended) :-p
I'm slightly confused as to how we discuss centre of mass frames in nuclear reactions.
We have the reaction a(A,B)b. Before the reaction we can transfer to the centre of mass frame
v_c = \frac{\sum m_i v_i}{\sum m_i}
and note that the total energy before the reaction is
E_{CM} =...
we know that an electron rotates about its own axis.similarly does the electron too rotates about its own axis? and does nucleus and electron vibrate in an atom?
Homework Statement
I have a question asking me to find the expectation value of S_{12} for a system of two nucleons in a state with total spin S = 1 and M_s = +1 , where S_{12} is the tensor operator inside the one-pion exchange nuclear potential operator, equal to
S_{12} =...
I'm looking for some input on this. Wisconsin has the better programs for MHD theory, CFD, and my undergrad advisor told me IHO it has the best plasma physics program period. However Michigan offers more options in applied plasmas in areas other than fusion energy. Honestly, I don't know if...
Hi all, no idea if this is the correct place to ask this but I'll just put it here anyway.
I chose to take Physics at university because I find the breadth of it so interesting. However in terms of applying my knowledge, I think it's generally accepted that as a physicist I'll need to branch...
Homework Statement
To activate the reaction ##(n,\alpha)## with stationary ##B^{11}## nuclei, neutrons must have the activation kinetic energy ##T_{th}=4\,MeV##. ##(n,\alpha)## means that ##n## is bombarded to obtain ##\alpha##. Find the energy of this reaction.
(Ans: ##Q=-11/12 T_{th}##)...
Have any of you worked as a high school math or physics teacher or nuclear engineer?
If so do you like your job? Is your job stressful. Would you do it again? What other jobs in math or science have you had that you liked?
Homework Statement
Investigate
The number of atoms splitting up in a nuclear reaction
and
Bacterial growth
Your investigation should use appropriate formulae and graphs and include information from records of real events. You should aim to show how good the mathematical models are in...
Homework Statement
A nucleus of mass m initially at rest absorbs a gamma ray (photon) and is excited to a higher energy state such that its mass is now 1.01 m.
Find the energy of the incoming photon needed to carry out this excitation.
Homework Equations
m^{2} = E^{2}-P^{2} possibly...
I am currently studying A level Physics. I understand that, in a nuclear fusion reaction, the mass of the nucleus we end up with is smaller than that of its constituent nuclei, so Δm is negative and so energy is lost in huge amounts. But what about a nuclear fission reaction? The mass of the...
The nuclear explosion occurs when the nucleus of atom of Uranium (of Plutonium) are split in two pieces by neutrons. These two pieces are repelled from each other due to (the same) positive charge; these pieces are moving quickly between other Uranium atoms, colliding with them. These collisions...
In 2005 the American Nuclear Society endorsed the use of nuclear energy for desalinisation -- see http://www.ans.org/pi/ps/docs/ps62.pdf
Would there be any advantages in terms of safety and / or cost to using nuclear fission to desalinate seawater (or perform some other...