Sentences with phrase «uranium dioxide»
"Uranium dioxide" refers to a chemical compound made up of uranium and oxygen. It is a solid material that is commonly used as fuel in nuclear reactors to generate electricity. Full definition
The potassium - atom mouth of an organic molecule grabs one of the oxygen atoms (red) in uranium dioxide.
sciencemag.org
The fuel rods in most cases consist of uranium dioxide pellets encased in zirconium alloy tubes or cladding.
The reactor uses uranium dioxide fuel particles that are also coated with graphite so they will not crack and release fission products even in extreme heat.
Nuclear Electric expects to finish loading uranium dioxide fuel into Britain's first commercial pressurised - water reactor this week.
«We've now proven that it is possible to distinguish between uranium dioxide and uranium hydroxide, and to resolve the size and shape of the materials inside the package with phenomenal precision,» Scott said.
Methods: When uranium dioxide is exposed to oxygen, the classical diffusion model shows the oxygen randomly moving into the uranium.
Rejecting random diffusion, oxygen atoms create detailed architectures in uranium dioxide, radically altering our understanding of corrosion
At left (a) is the uranium rod (in red) with a mixture of uranium dioxide and uranium hydride growing on the surface (yellow and orange).
During a nuclear meltdown, uranium dioxide fuel, fuel rod components and even the reactor become superheated — as much as 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit — and melt together to form corium, which can eat through containment systems.
If chemicals were people, uranium dioxide would be the guy standing alone with his drink at a party.
After testing many alternatives, the chemists found an organic molecule that clamps down — like Pac - Man — on one of uranium dioxide's oxygen atoms.
Results: Corrosion follows a different path when it comes to uranium dioxide, the primary component of the rods that power nuclear reactors, according to a new study by scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Chicago, and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.
In uranium dioxide, the oxygen atoms - key corrosion creators - do not diffuse randomly through the material.
Now, the scientists are seeing if this result is unique to uranium dioxide or it applies more broadly to other metal oxides, such as ceramics and semiconductors important in the energy landscape.