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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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fission
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nuclear energy comes from a fission of nuclei from radioactive elements such as U-235
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three mile island
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nuclear power plant near Middletown, PA, serious accident in US commercial nuclear power plant in 1979
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fusion
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fusion of lighter nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing large amounts of energy, occurs naturally in stars, product is non-toxic, can use water
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isotope
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element with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
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uranium
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enriched through gaseous diffusion and gas centrifuge to increase concentration on U-235
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"yellow cake"
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after a production of yellow cake, U3O8 is converted into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) a gas
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plutonium
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radioactive, metallic, and toxic chemical element, can be made form uranium, fissile element used in many nuclear weapons
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cold fusion
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nuclear reaction at room temp and atmospheric pressure
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chain reaction
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to artificially induce decay, we bombard 235U nuclei with neutrons, this sets off a chain reaction and more neutrons are generated, if chain is controlled we can harness heat to generate electricity , if it is not controlled, we could release huge and dangerous amounts of energy
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burner reactor vs. breeder reactor
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fast breeder reactor can turn non fissionable U-238 into fissionable PU-239
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meltdown
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severe nuclear reactor accident, can occur due to component failure, uranium, plutonium, and other fissionable products begin to overheat and melt
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radioactive decay
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induce radioactive elements to get nuclear energy
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half-life
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interval of time required for the quantity to decay to half of its initial value
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high level vs. low level waste
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high level is nuclear waste that arises from the use of uranium fuel in a nuclear reactor, it is very radioactive and requires special shielding during handling and transport, it is stored on-site where it is produced, low level is less radioactive
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Yucca Mountain
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located within the Nevada test site, 100 miles from Las Vegas, composed of young volcanic rock, features strong rock in a dry climate
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chernobyl
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worst nuclear accident in the history on nuclear power, april 1986, steam explosion resulting in a fire, additional explosions and a meltdown, result of flawed reactor design, inexperienced workers, and a power surge
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solar energy
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can be converted to electricity or heat in using a variety of technologies, renewable and does not pollute
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active vs passive solar heating
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passive solar heating uses no moving parts, relies on materials and design to maximize solar heating, active solar heating uses moving parts, need pumps to circulate hot water from collectors to storage tanks
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photovoltaic
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cells convert sunlight directly into electricity, made of two layers of silicon between glass and metal plates, silicon passes through glass, hits the silicon and liberates electrons, electrical current can be stored in batteries
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wind energy
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kinetic energy can be changed into mechanical or electrical energy
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wind turbine/wind mill
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blowing wind spins the blades on a wind turbine, blades of turbine are attached to a hub that is mounted on a turning shaft, the shaft goes through a gear transmission box where the turning speed is increased, *increase in power is proportional to the cube of the wind velocity
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wind farm
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group of wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power, need to be spaced out or they will block wind flow
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hydropower
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uses the energy of falling water to turn a turbine, works well in places with high discharge rivers
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general solid waste
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US produces 4 billion tons per year, most comes from paper, greatest contributer is agriculture
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municipal solid waste
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predominantly household waste
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open dump/landfill
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site for disposal of waste
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municipal landfill
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receive household waste
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leachate
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liquid that drains form a landfill, caused by precipitation percolating through the waste deposited in a landfill
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"bath tub effect"
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buildup of water in burial trenches, water in trench can corrode waster containers and carry away radioactive material
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"NIMBY"
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not in my back yard
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reducing, reusing, recycling waste
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three key words for plastics
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incineration
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reduces the volume of materials in landfills and produces energy
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secure landfill
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used for hazardous waste
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