Nuclear power technology

F. J. Rahn and co-workers, M Guide to Nuclear Power Technology A Resource for Decision Making, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1984. 

The aclinide elements are a group of chemically similar elements with atomic numbers 89 through 103, and their names, symbols, and atomic numbers are given in Table 1, see also Radioactivity Nuclear Power Technology Plutonium Thorium and Uranium. Each of the elements has a number of isotopes, all radioactive and some of which can be obtained in isotopically pure form. 

CONVERSION RATIO. I. The ratio of the number of internal conversion elections to the number of gamma rays emitted in a given time interval hy a single nuclidic species during the de-excitation of one of ns excited energy states. Sometimes known as the imemal-coitcersion inefficient. 2. In a nuclear reactor, the number of fissionable atoms produced per fissionable atom destroyed. See also Nuclear Power Technology. 

CRITICAL MASS. The amount of concentrated fissionable material that can just support a self-sustaining fission reaction. See also Nuclear Power Technology. 

Fusion reactions can take place only if the reacting nuclei possess sufficiently high energies to overcome their mutual Coulomb repulsion and to approach within the range of nuclear forces, hence they are favored by high temperatures. See also Nuclear Power Technology. 

HEAVY WATER. Winer in which the hydrogen of the water molecule consists entirely of the heavy hydrogen isotope of muse 2 (deuterium I. Wrinen D>0 Density, 1.1076 at 20 degrees C. It is used us a moderator in certain types of nuclear reactors. The term is someiiines applied to water whose deuterium content is greater than natural water See uko Nuclear Power Technology. 

In nuclear power technology, ordinary water, in contrast with heavy water, is termed light water. 

Jerome, F. Yo-Yo Journalism and Nuclear Power, Technology Review (MIT), 73 (Apnl 1989). 

Processes for the isolation and purification of plutonium, including the enrichment of spent nuclear reactor fuels, arc described in the entry on Nuclear Power Technology. These processes take advantage of Pu s several oxidation states, each of which has different chemical properties. The processes may involve carrier precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion exchange. 

NOTE References pertaining to plutonium in nuclear reactors and nuclear wastes are listed at end of entry on Nuclear Power Technology. 

Numerous other entries 111 this volume take the energy /pollution interface into consideration. These include Air Catalytic Converter (Internal Combustion Engine) Combustion (Fuels) Energy Fuel Hydrogen (Fuel) Natural Gas Nuclear Power Technology Oil Shale and Tar Sands. 

Reactant. Steam can behave as an oxidant Steam reacts with salts so that the salts dissociate into the respective hydroxide and acid. For sodium salts, the sodium hydroxide is largely in a liquid solution and the acid is volatile. See also Coal Conversion (Clean Coal) Processes Nuclear Power Technology and Petroleum Refining... 

THERMONUCLEAR FUSION REACTORS. See Lithium Nuclear Power Technology. 

TRITIUM. The radioactive isotope of hydrogen, with a mass number 3, is termed tntnim. it is one form of heavy hydrogen, the other form being deuterium. See also Nuclear Power Technology. 

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