NukeInfo.net

NUCLEAR POWER

"Nuclear Power" says it all! Power is held inside the nucleus of an atom.

Power companies and governments make electricity with nuclear chain reactions.

It involves processing uranium rock to make the radiation very potent and hot. A strong building container (a nuclear reactor core) is used to contain the high energy uranium, usually in the form of rods. They are set close together so they react to each other, starting a chain reaction. Electrons zing out and away from the original nucleus, releasing heat energy each time they separate.

The chain reaction is slowed down by inserting carbon rods between the uranium ones--like adjusting the flu on a woodstove. The core is cooled with water in a closed loop, which passes it's heat to another loop of water. Then it turns to steam, the steam moves an electric generator. Inside the generator are windings of copper wire that turns past magnets, making electricity.

This system needs to be cooled down to crontrol it. Water is used for that--the ocean, a lake, or river.

The used rods of uranium are high level nuclear waste. It is still hot and still radioactive enough to damage life forms with high velocity atomic particles shooting out like arrows. It is "ionizing radiation". It tears apart and damages the DNA in cells of all living things. DNA is the part of the cell that holds the formula to direct it to reproduce itself.