Nuclear power

Question 1

What is a nuclear reactor?

Answer 1

Part of a power station fuelled by uranium that transfers nuclear energy to heat energy

Question 2

What is nuclear fission?

Answer 2

The collision of two nuclei to make one larger nucleus, often with a large transfer of energy from mass to radiation

Question 3

What happens inside a nuclear reactor?

Answer 3

Inside a nuclear reactor, atoms of uranium or plutonium undergo nuclear fission. This releases a great amount of energy in the form of heat. The heat is used to turn water to steam as in other thermal power plants. The steam drives turbines.

Question 4

Fuel used inside nuclear reactors?

Answer 4

Uranium or plutonium

Question 5

What is radioactive waste?

Answer 5

By-product of nuclear reactors that contains a high concentration of radioactive atoms

Question 6

How is radioactive waste stored?

Answer 6

To store it safely it is usually encased in glass and buried deep underground, away from any water sources.

Question 7

For nuclear power

Answer 7

• Large amounts of electricity can be generated for each kg of fuel used
• The fuel is readily available and, unlike fossil fuels, it wont run out for thousands of years
• No polluting gases such as carbon dioxide are produced, so there is no contribution to global warming or acid rain

Question 8

Against nuclear power

Answer 8

• High cost for building power plant and taking it down, meaning electricity generated can be very expensive
• Nuclear fuel has to reprocessed before it can be used
• Slow start up time
• Very expensive to process
• Stored waste could be targeted in future terrorist attacks
• Risk of accidents that could release waste to environment