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nuclear energy
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nuclear fission and nuclear fusion Large nuclear power plant with four cooling towers emitting steam and several striped smokestacks, located behind residential buildings in Lianyungang, China. Nuclear power station Diagram showing three types of power cycles in nuclear power plants: a single-loop cycle with one closed water circuit from reactor to turbine, a two-loop cycle with separate primary and secondary loops connected by a steam generator, and a three-loop cycle adding a tertiary loop and heat exchanger for extra separation between the reactor and turbine systems.
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nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
nuclear fission and nuclear fusion Diagram showing the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is used in nuclear reactors to produce energy for electrical power and similar applications. It also was used to create the atomic bomb. Fusion is used to create thermonuclear weapons and holds promise for the production of electricity.

nuclear energy

physics
Also known as: atomic energy, atomic power
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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nuclear energy, energy that is released in significant amounts in processes that affect atomic nuclei, the dense cores of atoms. It is distinct from the energy of other atomic phenomena such as ordinary chemical reactions, which involve only the orbital electrons of atoms. One method of releasing nuclear energy is by controlled nuclear fission in devices called reactors, which now operate in many parts of the world for the production of electricity. Another method for...

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