Nuclear power generation
Resources to support the teaching of nuclear power generation.
- ALL
- Video
- Activity sheet
- External link
Video
Build Your Own Nuclear Reactor
From Teachers TV, this Inside Science video is an accessible and informative overview of nuclear fission and the economics behind building a new nuclear power. The video poses the mock challenge; to solve the world's energy needs, why not build your very own nuclear power plant?
Activity sheet
Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fuels
This resource from Defence Dynamics looks at the use of nuclear power in the context of a nuclear submarine. The file Nuclear fission and nuclear fuels contains materials that describe how nuclear fission takes place, before looking at the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear power for both civilian applications and in submarine power plants. Renewable energy sources are considered as part of the civilian energy mix by looking at a press release from Friends of the Earth and an article from the Government News Network. Included are worksheets for students to use. Supporting material is given in the additional files. The UK Nuclear Power Plants file contains details of the capacity and lifetime of the nuclear power plants in the UK. The Renewable Energy Statement gives press release about how a Planning Bill will accelerate the use of renewable energies. The video shows life on a nuclear submarine.
External link
How do nuclear power plants work?
Youtube video: "Our ability to mine great amounts of energy from uranium nuclei has led some to bill nuclear power as a plentiful, utopian source of electricity. But rather than dominate the global electricity market, nuclear power has declined from a high of 18% in 1996 to 11% today. What happened to the great promise of this technology?"
Inside a nuclear reactor core
Youtube video from the BBC: Bang Goes the Theory. "Jem Stansfield explores a never used reactor core at the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant in Austria, to explain how a nuclear power station works. Bang Goes The Theory, investigating the science behind the headlines and making sense of the everyday issues that matter to us all."
