Environmental Science
Name: ______________________________
Energy
Goal: The student will describe nuclear fission, describe how a nuclear power plant works and list three
advantages of nuclear energy.
Vocabulary:
1. Nuclear energy
2. Nuclear fission
3. Nuclear fusion
Chapter 11.3: Nuclear Energy
 In the 1950’s and 1960’s, __________________ power plants were seen as the power source of the
future (______________________ and plentiful); predicted to provided electricity “too cheap to meter”
 In 1970’s and 1980’s, almost 120 of the planned nuclear power plants were ______________________;
40 partially constructed plants were _____________________________________
 ___________% of world’s electricity comes from nuclear power
Fission: Splitting Atoms
 Nuclear power plants get their __________________________ from nuclear energy (energy within the
nucleus of an atom); force that holds together the nucleus of an atom are more than 1 _______________
times stronger than the _______________________________ bonds between atoms
 ___________________________ of the element uranium are used as fuel in nuclear power plants
 Nuclei of ___________________________ are bombarded with atomic particles (neutrons) which cause
the nuclei to split (nuclear fission) releasing a tremendous amount of _____________________ and
more neutrons, which in turn _____________________________ with more uranium nuclei
 If allowed to ____________________________, the chain reaction will escalate quickly; ex: an atomic
bomb is an example of an ______________________________________ fission reaction
 __________________________ power stations are designed so that the chain reaction produces a
controllable level of energy
How Nuclear Energy Works
 A nuclear _______________________ is surrounded by a thick pressure vessel that is filled with a
cooling fluid; designed to contain the fission products in case of an ________________________; thick
concrete walls also surround reactors
 _______________________ a reactor, metal fuel rods that contain solid ____________________ pellets
are bombarded with neutrons; the reactor ___________________ contains control rods (made from
boron or cadmium that __________________________ the neutrons to prevent uncontrolled chain
reactions); lowered between the fuel rods to ___________________ the fission reactions; when lowered
completely, fission stops and reactor _________________________ down
 ___________________ released is used to generate electricity in the same way power plants burn fossil
fuels to generate electricity; nuclear power plants heat a _______________________ loop of water
which heats another body of water, it produces _______________________ that drive the turbine
The Advantages of Nuclear Energy
 Nuclear energy has many __________________________: very concentrated and does not produce air
polluting gases
 Nuclear energy releases ____________ radioactivity and does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
 ________________ gram of uranium can supply the same amount of energy as about 7000 lbs. of coal
 Well designed reactors can run for _________________ without having to be shut down or refueled

Nations who do not have access to _____________________ fuels to produce electricity can use nuclear
power instead (ex: France produces less than 1/5th of the __________ pollutants per person than the US
Why Aren’t We Using More Nuclear Energy
 Building and maintaining a ______________ reactor is very expensive (last 20 reactors built in US cost
more that $3000 per kilowatt of electrical capacity); they are very ________________ and complex; and
there is a fear of nuclear accidents
 In contrast, ________________ power costs less than $1000 per kilowatt; ________________________
can cost less than $600 per kilowatt
Storing Waste
 One of the most serious _____________________________ of nuclear energy is that it produces
____________________________ waste; fuel cycle of uranium produces fission products than can
remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years; uranium mining and ___________ development
produce radioactive waste
 U.S. has ___________ facility for the permanent disposal of its commercial nuclear waste; each has its
own _____________________________________ storage facility
 Storage sites must be located in areas that are geographically ________________________ for tens of
thousands of years (a study of the Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada is a possible site that has been
under study for about _______ decades)
 There is a relatively ______________________ supply of nuclear fuel
 Scientists are studying __________________________________ as a means of disposal (recycling
radioactive elements in nuclear fuel)
Safety Concerns
 ________________________ reaction creates radioactive products which are highly dangerous; if it
gets out of control, enormous amounts of heat created will ______________________ reactors, spewing
radioactive materials into the air, ex: Chernobyl (1986 – engineers turned _____________ most of the
reactor’s ________________________ devices to conduct an unauthorized test), Ural Mountains (1957)
 Many ________________________ died or were seriously injured; others contracted cancers as a result
of their exposure to the _____________________ levels of radiation: areas of northern Europe and the
Ukraine are still contaminated from the Chernobyl accident
 U.S. suffered a serious ______________________________ accident in 1979 at the Three Mile Island
nuclear power plant; __________________________ error, blocked valves and broken pumps lead to
the accident; lead to over ______________ safely improvements to nuclear power plants.
The Future of Nuclear Power
 One possible future energy source is _________________________________; occurs when lightweight
atomic nuclei _________________ to form a heavier nucleus and release tremendous amounts of energy
 Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the ________________, including our sun; potentially safer
than fission because it creates __________________ dangerous radioactive byproducts
 Technically ____________________________ to achieve even though the potential for great amounts
of energy; needs extremely ____________________ temperatures to combine the atomic nuclei
(100,000,000 degrees C), must have the ability to ________________________ those high temperatures
and must be able to properly _________________________ it.
 Achieving all _________ simultaneously is extremely difficult; building a nuclear fusion plant may take
________________________________ to achieve or it may never happen at all.
Lesson Reflection:
- Use page 283 to complete the handout Fission & Fusion
- Use page 284 to complete the handout How a Nuclear Power Plant Works
Assessment:
1. Compare a power plant that burns fossil fuels with a nuclear power plant.
2. Describe two advantages and two disadvantages of nuclear power plants.
3. Explain the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
Active Reading: Nuclear Energy
Lesson Extension (Technology/Application/Connection to Real World):

NOVA: Power Surge (53 min video)