ABSTRACT
Nuclear power has only been a commercial reality since the early 1950s. Out of all the possible elements in the universe, four isotopes of Uranium and Plutonium, such as Uranium 233, Uranium-235, Uranium-238, and Plutonium-239 exist in sufficient quantities to produce nuclear energy on a commercial scale. Nuclear fission is based on the concept of inducing a heavy element to split apart into two or more parts. Most commercial nuclear power plants use enriched uranium to create a sustained nuclear chain reaction. There are two types of chain reactions that can occur in nuclear systems. These include: a controlled chain reaction and an uncontrolled chain reaction. In a controlled chain reaction, the number of neutrons that are produced by the fission process are balanced by the number of neutrons that are destroyed due to leakage and absorption. In an uncontrolled chain reaction, the goal is to have as many neutrons as possible produced in the shortest possible time.
