How Do Nuclear Reactors Work

Chemistry makes connections among the composition, structure, and behavior of matter. As you study chemistry, you will learn how the chemical and physical properties of matter are important clues to its submicro-scopic structure and behavior. You U see how knowing the structure of an atom of an element can enable you to predict the chemical behavior of that element. You U learn how the state of a substance at room temperature provides clues to the way its atoms are arranged. You ll find out why some things dissolve in water but others do not, how metals corrode, how batteries work, why compounds containing carbon are important to life, and how a nuclear reactor works. 

Physical science is the study of matter and energy. Chemistry is one of the physical sciences.- It teaches us much about the different kinds of matter and how they behave. It teaches how different chemicals react with each other, so that you can tell in advance what will happen when you mix certain chemicals together. This knowledge has helped chemists decide what fuels to use to propel rockets and push satellites into space. But you cannot work with nuclear reactors or rocket fuels until you first learn the fundamental facts of chemistry. This book will help you to do just that. 

Storability is another important attribute of the chemical fuel hydrogen. Hydrogen makes it possible to economically store over time—for the winter season, for example—energy derived from intermittent sources such as solar power. Hydrocarbons (natural gas, petroleum, coal) obviously are easy to store. But how do you store sunlight or the heat from a nuclear reactor Storage works very well in solar power tower plants, where heat is stored very efficiently in 24-hour, day-and-night cycles in molten salt storage tanks.2... 

Explain the purpose of the control rods in a nuclear reactor core. How do they work ... 

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