Nuclear Fusion by Peter Bursztyn The 2nd type of nuclear energy is fusion. Two light nuclei, usually hydrogen, deuterium (heavy hydrogen), or tritium (heavy, radioactive hydrogen), are forced to combine at very high temperature to form helium. A small amount
Fast Breeders
Fast Breeders by Peter Bursztyn Certain types of reactors are called “fast breeders”. These use plutonium 239 (239Pu) as a primary fuel. They then add 238U rods into the core, or surround it with a “blanket” of 238U. (The plutonium
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Fission by Peter Bursztyn Atomic power was “predicted” by Albert Einstein in his 1905 paper on the Theory of Relativity. This postulated that mass and energy are related to each other. This relationship is described by the world’s best
Nulear Energy General
Nuclear Energy In a nuclear power plant nothing “burns”, although fuel (uranium or plutonium) is consumed. Nuclear reactors are thermal (“thermonuclear”) power plants where heat is used to raise steam to drive a turbine. The heat comes from a nuclear