fizzics » Energy Matters

nuclear fission

mrmackenzie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:41:21 +0000

We looked at generating electricity using hydroelectric and nuclear power stations today. Click on this image of a hydroelectric station to see how they work.

Nuclear fission occurs when a large nucleus splits into 2 or more smaller nuclei. In nuclear reactors, splitting of the large uranium nucleus is achieved by adding a neutron to make the large nucleus unstable.

The animation above shows a (blue) neutron destabilising a large (red) uranium nucleus to cause fission. When the 2 smaller nuclei (also red) are released, notice that three (blue) neutrons are produced as part of the fission process. These new neutrons can proceed to interact with other uranium nuclei and cause further fission to occur. If the reaction continues to take place, we have a chain reaction.

This youtube video uses mousetraps and table tennis balls to demonstrate a chain reaction. Notice how the reaction keeps going after the first ball is added and only stops when all the mousetraps have sprung.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjqIJW_Qr3c

S4 extra materials for Energy Matters unit

mrmackenzie — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:25:53 +0000

I have added extra materials for your revision of Unit 6 on Energy. Use the S4 link at the top of the screen to access the revision page, Energy Matters links and close to the bottom of that page.

S4 – combined heat & power

mrmackenzie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:55:16 +0000

We started looking at the Energy Matters topic this week with a focus on energy efficiency. One of the newer ideas we discussed was combined heat and power, where energy normally wasted in an industrial setting finds an application in heating a residential area. A similar scheme called Caithness Heat and Power was installed in Wick last year.

S4 – latent heat

mrmackenzie — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:18:18 +0000

We’ve covered latent heat in class and I have posted the extra notes I gave you today as a pdf file in case you lose them between now and revision time.Â Â When you are reading them, remember that the worked examples on the last 3 pages are credit level work.

revision notes on latent heat (+worked examples)

Generating Electricity

mrmackenzie — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:16:00 +0000

Someone asked me about the animation I used last week when we were looking at the generation of electricity. The file is a java applet, this means you will need to install java on your computer if you do not have it already. You can view the animation here.Â If it won’t run for you, try downloading the free java software.