Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy

Nuclear binding energy is the energy required to split a nucleus of an atom into its component parts. The component parts are neutrons and protons, which are collectively called nucleons. The binding energy of nuclei is always a positive number, since all nuclei require net energy to separate them into individual protons and neutrons.

Industry: Energy

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Nuclear energy

byproduct material

Energy; Nuclear energy

As defined by NRC regulations includes any radioactive material (except enriched uranium or plutonium) produced by a nuclear reactor. It also includes the tailings or wastes produced by the ...

british thermal unit (BTU)

Energy; Nuclear energy

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at sea level.

breeder

Energy; Nuclear energy

A reactor that produces more nuclear fuel than it consumes. A fertile material, such as uranium-238, when bombarded by neutrons, is transformed into a fissile material, such as plutonium-239, which ...

brachytherapy

Energy; Nuclear energy

A nuclear medicine procedure during which a sealed radioactive source is implanted directly into a person being treated for cancer (usually of the mouth, breast, lung, prostate, ovaries, or uterus). ...

bone seeker

Energy; Nuclear energy

A radioisotope that tends to accumulate in the bones when it is introduced into the body. An example is strontium-90, which behaves chemically like calcium.

boiling-water reactor (BWR)

Energy; Nuclear energy

A common nuclear power reactor design in which water flows upward through the core, where it is heated by fission and allowed to boil in the reactor vessel. The resulting steam then drives turbines, ...