Nuclear Energy:
Team,
Please make sure you can tell the difference between the two types of nuclear reactor:
PWR is a pressurized water reactor, with two loops one a PRIMARY (PRIMARY = PWR) and another a secondary loop. These are safer.
The other type is a BWR (boiling water reactor) where the water going over the core is the same water going through the turbine.
Make sure you can describe the process, with all elements:
Core
control rods
fuel rods
containment
turbine
generator
condenser
pump
moderator
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reactor
You might also look into the third type of reactor, a breeder reactor. These are really bomb factories, where the neutrons from either a PWR or BWR are used to enrich Uranium for use in nuclear weapons.
Make sure you understand the process of 1 neutron in, several neutrons out (depending on the reaction) and how the control rods capture the extra neutrons to make a sustaining nuclear reaction.
Look also into the use of water or graphite as a moderator, which slows the fast neutrons into slower "thermal" neutrons.
There is a chance that such a question could be the nuclear FR question, which could then tie into biomes with the thermal pollution aspect. They may also use it to bring in nuclear waste storage issues and the environmental impact of nuclear power plants, contrasting it with coal fired power plants. Make sure you can compare the benefits and drawbacks of each.
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