BRAINCAKENuclear Reactors
The thermonuclear reactor in a nuclear power station contains uranium-235 fuel rods in a steel vessel called the reactor core. The fuel rods are surrounded by a moderator (water) to slow down the neutrons. Control rods made of boron or cadmium absorb any spare neutrons and slow the reaction down. Water is pumped into the reactor at high pressure where it is used as a coolant. The water is heated and then passed through a heat exchanger where it is used to produce steam that can turn a steam turbine and generate electricity.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Nuclear fission
- The splitting of a large, unstable nucleus into two smaller nuclei, plus neutrons, releasing energy because the products are more tightly bound than the original nucleus.
More in Nuclear Energy
- Mass-Energy Equivalence
- Strong Nuclear Force
- Binding Energy and Nuclear Stability
- Quantum Tunnelling
- Nuclear Fission
- Nuclear Fusion
- Safety
All 8 lessons in Nuclear Energy · All AQA A-level Physics topics