AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 6.6 Flashcards
Master key terms and definitions for Topic 6.6 of AP Environmental Science – Nuclear Power to help you prep for quizzes and the AP exam.
Nuclear Power
Electricity generation in which controlled U-235 fission releases heat, heat produces steam, and steam turns a turbine connected to a generator; it is nonrenewable because uranium is finite
Electricity generation in which controlled U-235 fission releases heat, heat produces steam, and steam turns a turbine connected to a generator; it is nonrenewable because uranium is finite
Splitting a large atomic nucleus such as U-235 into smaller nuclei, releasing heat, ionizing radiation, and additional neutrons
The fissile uranium isotope used as reactor fuel; it has a half-life of about 704 million years
Processing natural uranium to increase its concentration of U-235 for use as reactor fuel
A long metal tube containing uranium fuel pellets; multiple rods are grouped in the reactor core
A self-sustaining sequence in which neutrons released by fission cause additional nuclei to undergo fission
A neutron-absorbing rod inserted to slow a reactor’s chain reaction or withdrawn to increase its rate
A material, commonly water, that slows neutrons so they are more likely to cause additional fission
A fluid that carries thermal energy away from a reactor core
A protective structure surrounding a reactor to limit the escape of radioactive material during an accident
A structure that transfers waste heat from cooling water to the atmosphere, releasing water vapor rather than combustion smoke
An isotope with an unstable nucleus that spontaneously emits radiation as it loses energy
The spontaneous loss of energy from an unstable nucleus through the emission of particles or electromagnetic radiation
The time required for half of the radioactive nuclei currently present in a sample to decay
Find n = t/T₁/₂, then calculate the amount remaining with N = N₀(1/2)ⁿ or A = A₀(1/2)ⁿ.
A radioactive isotope’s fractional decay rate, related to half-life by λ = ln 2/T₁/₂.
Heat produced by the continuing radioactive decay of fission products after a reactor’s chain reaction is reduced or stopped
Human-caused warming of natural water, which lowers dissolved oxygen and can stress or kill aquatic organisms
Hazardous solid material containing unstable isotopes that must be isolated from organisms and the environment while it remains radioactive
Used reactor fuel that remains intensely radioactive and continues producing heat after removal from the reactor
A reinforced underwater storage pool in which water cools freshly removed spent fuel and shields its radiation
Interim storage of cooled spent nuclear fuel in sealed steel-and-concrete containers that provide shielding and protection
Proposed long-term disposal in which sealed radioactive waste is placed deep underground in stable rock with little groundwater movement
Recovering usable materials from spent fuel; it may reduce some waste volume but creates additional waste and security concerns
Overheating and melting of reactor fuel after adequate cooling is lost; it can damage containment and release radioactive material
Dismantling or sealing a retired nuclear facility and safely managing its contaminated materials
A 1979 Pennsylvania accident in which equipment and human failures caused a partial meltdown, but containment limited the radioactive release
A 1986 reactor explosion and fire caused by design flaws and unsafe testing, producing a massive uncontained radioactive release and lasting contamination
A 2011 earthquake-and-tsunami disaster that disabled power and cooling, causing multiple meltdowns, hydrogen explosions, and land and ocean contamination
