Prepared and Presented by Mauricio Campuzano GK-12 Fellow Stevens Institute of Technology 1

Nuclear Fission Profit! Nuclear Fission 2

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 Nuclear Fission is the process by which a nucleus splits into smaller nuclei, while also releasing gamma rays and free neutrons  Most naturally occurring Uranium is 238 U, while 235 U composes only 0.71% 235 U 1 Neutron 2 Neutrons 92 Kr 142 Ba Energy 4

 1932: James Chadwick discovers Neutron  1934: Enrico Fermi Bombards Uranium with Neutrons 1938: Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann show that Barium is produced after Neutron bombardment. 5

 To sustain continuous fission, a chain- reaction is necessary  Uranium needs to be enriched to contain 2- 3% of 235 U for the chain reaction to take place 6

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 Depends on who you ask!  In 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl plant, in the Ukraine, experienced a series of power surges which results in a rupture in the reactor vessel and a plume of radioactive debris and fallout; 28 persons died on site, and another 4,000 deaths appear to be attributable to the accident.  The accident was a symptom of the lack of a “culture of safety” within the USSR 8

 Actually, disasters such as the Chernobyl catastrophe have led to changes in design, making modern Nuclear plants much safer.  Within the US, there are over 100 nuclear reactors  These supply about 20% of our electricity 9

  power.htm power.htm  r_plants.shtm r_plants.shtm  n/fission.html n/fission.html  mines.html mines.html  12.htm 12.htm 10