Radio Activity?

Question

Given that radio activity is energy why can we not use the energy given off by the spent rods (I think theyare called that) from a nuclear power station or a submarine

Answer 1

Because the energy emitted by spend rods is no longer "useful" energy. We don't have the technological means to harness and use the spent rods' radiation energy. Nuclear power plants extract power from the heat energy of the nuclear fission reactions from the rods, normally by using it to boil water and power turbines to convert it into electricity. Once their ability to produce fission is spent, the remaining heat and radiation energy can no longer be used. Much like the heat energy of your body is still energy, there is no way to usefully harness it to do work. If someone could invent a way to turn the deadly radiation energy into energy that can be used to do work, that would be pretty...useful!

Answer 2

If you put enough radioactive material close together, it gets hot. You can control the reaction by cooling it and using the heat to generate electricity. If it's not controlled, you've got a bomb.

Spent nuclear fuel has lost some of it's radioactivity so it will no longer power a reactor. It can be reprocessed so that the radioactive element is made into new fuel or bombs.

The biggest problem is that some of the radioactive material cannot be used for anything else, but it remains deadly for thousands of years. No-one has yet come up with a good way of disposing of it.

Answer 3

Radioactivity is a form of energy allright, but not all forms of energy are just as useful. in the case of spent rods, the are spent precisely because the amount of useful energy they contain is so low they can no longer be used. Of course, the usefulness of an energy source depends on the technology that is applied to it. For example one pound of, say, Methane is much more energetic than one pound of gasoline, yet you cannot start a car engine on just methane. That is because the engine technology is designed to use gasoline as a power source. Same applies to the technology used in power stations or nuclear ships

Answer 4

1. "Radio activity" is the turning of knobs, switches, transmitting, selling advertisements, etc. involved with the use of a "radio";
2. "Radioactivity" is the result of decay of radioactive particles which emit gamma rays, etc.
3. They are called "spent rods" because they have ALREADY used up their energy -- it is spent!
4. They do use things such as "spent uranium" to make armor piercing bullets and shells for the military.

Answer 5

Actually, you could.
Just grind the rod up into powder and use it to stuff a pillow. It would be nice and warm at night.