Nuclear Power Part I: The Science
I’ve written quite a few columns about electricity generation, but until this week have left nuclear power out of the conversation. Given that nuclear power currently generates 14% of the world’s electricity, I thought it was about time for a Common Science review of this fascinating, yet controversial, technology.
With the exception of solar power, electricity is generated through the use of various methods to spin a turbine. (For an explanation of why spinning a turbine generates electricity, see my previous column Electricity Generation 101.) The turbine can be spun directly, with wind or falling water, or indirectly, by directing steam from boiling water through it. Traditional power plants burn coal or natural gas to make steam, while nuclear power plants use the heat from the fission of uranium atoms.
Before exploring fission, let’s start with a quick review of atomic structure. Atoms are made of an equal number of positively-charged protons and negatively-charged electrons, as well as a number of neutrons. Neutrons serve as spacers in the nucleus to keep the protons from getting too close to each other. If protons get too close together, they repel each other in a manner analogous to placing the positive ends of two magnets near one another.http://inpowano.blogspot.com/2012/09/nuclear-power-part-i-science.html
No comments:
Post a Comment