CHEM 1106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Liquid Hydrogen, Compressed Hydrogen, Photosynthesis
3 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Fission is a process whereby nuclei of unstable chemical elements, such as. This is a very exothermic process. (at the current rate of use in the united states, the supply of uranium will only last roughly. Nuclear energy is an alternative to fossil fuels, but it is not renewable. ) Beneits: nuclear power plants produce minimal air pollution, Breeding (using breeder reactors) can produce fuel from the uranium decay process, thorium-232 can also be used. Thermal pollution is also a concern for all power plants (not only nuclear) that use cooling water. The solubility of oxygen in water decreases when temperature increases. Controlled fusion presents many advantages over ission reactors. Radioactive wastes would be minimized and it should supply practically unlimited energy. Major technical diiculties must be overcome for fusion reactors to be a reality on a large scale. So far it ahs only been used for nuclear weapon.
