1. Boiling Water
in
5 Easy Steps
http://www.flickr.com/photos/o2ma/287058391/
Vanessa Holfeltz

2. Step 1: Get Some Uranium
http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/132312723/

3. Step 2: Enrich that Uranium
99.27% 238U
0.72% 235U 4% 235U
have need

4. Uranium “flavors”
doe.gov

5. Step 3: Make Reactor Fuel
UO2
UO2 UO2
UO2
UO2 UO2
UO2 UO2
UO2
UO2
UO2
UO2
UO2 2
UO UO2
UO2 UO2
1/2 inch UO
UO2 UO2 2
UO2
UO2
UO2 238UO
2
UO2
UO2 UO2 235UO
2
3/8 inch

6. nrc.gov, doe.gov

7. Step 4: Build a Nuclear
Power Reactor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsnet/2346674/

8. Step 5: Fission

9. Chain Reaction
= neutron
= fission event
nrc.gov

10. nrc.gov

11. Results
• ≈ 200 MeV is released per fission
• Most of this becomes kinetic energy of fission
fragments
• A room temperature atom has about 1/40 eV
kinetic energy -- fission fragments have
400,000,000 times that energy!
• Punchline: fission fragments are hot

12. http://flickr.com/photos/alternatewords/2186936047/

13. Bonus Step: Make electricity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dampfturbine_Laeufer01.jpg

14. water in ≈ 290ºC
water out ≈ 325ºC
fuel
nrc. gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation/images.html

15. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/reactors.html

16. In the US, 1 in 5 slices of toast is
made with nuclear power.
amazon.com

17. http://flickr.com/photos/blmurch/495781095/

18. What’s in spent fuel?

19. • Something that is radioactive
emits radiation
• Radiation is energy traveling
trough space (light,
microwaves, x-rays, gamma
rays, etc.)
• Radioactive materials decay
into non-radioactive materials
• Spent nuclear fuel becomes
less radioactive over time
doe.gov

20. Cooling Tower Reactor Containment
Building
http://flickr.com/photos/thespeak/150544424/