Nuclear Power — Fission, Reactors, and Their Components

Nuclear power exploits the enormous energy stored within atomic nuclei rather than in chemical bonds. Because nuclear binding energies are millions of times larger than chemical bond energies, the energy density of nuclear fuel is staggering: fissioning one kilogram of uranium-235 releases roughly the same energy as burning several thousand tonnes of coal. This extraordinary concentration of energy, combined with the fact that fission produces no carbon dioxide, makes nuclear power an attractive low-carbon option, though it brings its own distinctive challenges.

The energy is released by nuclear fission, the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter fragments. When a nucleus of uranium-235 absorbs a slow-moving neutron, it becomes unstable and splits into two smaller daughter nuclei, r