ABSTRACT
Gamma rays also deposit some of thermal energy in the pressure vessel wall. Alpha particles are ionized helium nuclei with their electrons removed, beta rays are high-energy electrons or positrons, and gamma rays are high-energy photons. Nuclear energy is measured in electron volts, and most of the time, it is expressed in millions of electron volts or MeV. Thermal energy is deposited at a faster rate by alpha particles and beta particles than it is by gamma rays. There are several ways in which their kinetic energy is transferred to ordinary matter. The kinetic energy of fission neutrons is deposited in the core through a different set of nuclear processes than those used to describe the energy loss of photons. The goal of nuclear fuel management is to maximize the amount of energy that can be extracted from the fuel and to keep the average fuel temperature as high as possible.
