Earth Science 6 Nuclear Energy

Wouldn’t it be great if people could use the same method as the sun to produce energy? The kind of reactions that power the sun involve the central cores of atoms. The central core of an atom that contains the protons and neutrons is called the NUCLEUS. Reactions that involve nuclei, called nuclear reactions, result in tremendous amounts of energy. Two types of nuclear reactions are:

1. Nuclear Fission: The splitting of an atom’s nucleus into two smaller nuclei.

2. Nuclear Fusion: The combining of two atomic nuclei to produce a single larger nucleus.

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Nuclear reactions convert matter into energy. As part of his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein developed a formula that described the relationship between energy and matter. You have probably seen this famous equation: E = mc2. In the equation, the E represents energy and the m represents mass. The c, which represents the speed of light, is a very large number. This equation states that when matter is changed into energy, an enormous amount of energy is released.​

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Nuclear Fission

Fission Reactions

Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom's nucleus into two smaller nuclei. The nucleus splits apart into two smaller nuclei and two or more neutrons, so the fission reaction has produced more neutrons. If any of these neutrons strikes another nucleus, the fission reaction is repeated. More neutrons and more energy are released. If there are enough nuclei nearby, the process repeats in a chain reaction, just like a row of dominoes falling. In a nuclear chain reaction, the amount of energy released increases rapidly with each step in the chain. 

What happens to all the energy released by these fission reactions? If a nuclear chain reaction is not controlled, the released energy causes a huge explosion. The explosion of an atomic bomb is an uncontrolled nuclear fission reaction. A few kilograms of matter explode with more force than several thousand tons of dynamite. However, if the chain reaction is controlled in a power plant, the energy is released as heat, which can then be used to generate electricity.​

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Nuclear Fission Reactions in Nature

• This process causes convection currents

  • moves Earth​'s tectonic plates

• Generates:

  • Earthquakes

  • Volcanic eruptions​

• Produces vast quantities of energy.

• Involves the splitting of harmful radioactive elements.

• Loss of control leads to harm​ful radiation exposure.

In a nuclear power plant, the heat released from fission is used to change water into steam. The steam then turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity.

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Nuclear Power Plants

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​Nuclear fusion is the combining of two atomic nuclei to produce a single larger nucleus. In nuclear fusion, two hydrogen nuclei combine to create a helium nucleus, which has slightly less mass than the two hydrogen nuclei. The lost mass is converted to large amounts of energy. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the sun produces energy. On Earth, fusion is a promising future energy source. Fusion fuels are readily available-water contains a form of hydrogen that could be used. Since its fuel can be found in water, fusion is considered a renewable energy source. Fusion would not produce air pollution. And unlike fission, fusion would not produce long-lived radioactive wastes. However, fusion can take place only at extremely high pressures and temperatures.

Nuclear Fusion

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