Nuclear fuel cycle

From WikiMD.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Nuclear fuel cycle

The Nuclear fuel cycle (pronunciation: /ˈnjuː.kli.ər fjuːl ˈsaɪ.kəl/), also known as the nuclear fuel chain, is a series of industrial processes which involve the production of electricity from uranium in nuclear power reactors. The cycle starts with the mining of uranium and ends with the disposal of nuclear waste.

Etymology

The term "nuclear fuel cycle" is derived from the series of steps involved in supplying fuel to a nuclear power plant. The word "nuclear" comes from the Latin nucleus, meaning "core", and refers to the process of nuclear fission that occurs in the reactor core. The word "fuel" comes from the Old French feuaile, meaning "bundle of firewood", and in this context refers to the uranium or other material that is used to produce nuclear energy. The word "cycle" comes from the Greek kyklos, meaning "circle", and refers to the cyclical nature of the process.

Related terms

  • Uranium: A heavy metal that is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.
  • Nuclear fission: The process by which the nucleus of an atom is split into two or more smaller nuclei, along with the release of a large amount of energy.
  • Nuclear power plant: A facility that uses nuclear fission to generate electricity.
  • Nuclear waste: The radioactive material that is left over after the nuclear fuel has been used in a reactor.
  • Nuclear reactor: A device used to initiate and control a self-sustained nuclear chain reaction.

See also

External links

Esculaap.svg

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.


Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski