A | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | Y
Aquifer- An underground water system.
- Atom
- The smallest unit of a chemical element made up of a
nucleus containing protons and neutrons, and electrons which orbit the
nucleus.
- Calcine
- To reduce a substance to a powder by means of heat.
- Chain Reaction
- A reaction which is able to sustain itself or continue.
- Conversion
- To chemically change solid uranium oxide (U305)
into uranium hexaflouride (UF6), which is a gas at low
temperature.
- Decay
- The breakdown of radioactive isotopes by the emission of alpha and
beta particles to a state of non-radioactivity.
- Ecosystem
- An interacting, interdependent community of living
organisms.
- Electromagnetic
- The interaction between electric and magnetic fields.
- Electron
- An indivisible, stable particle present in all atoms. Electrons
are negatively charged and orbit the positively charged nucleus of the atom.
- Energy
- The ability to do work. There are various forms of energy e.g. heat,
light, electrical etc., and energy may be changed from one form to another.
- Enrichment
- The process of increasing the concentration of the U235
isotope in a mixture of uranium isotopes.
- Fissile
- A nucleus of an isotope that can be easily split.
- Fission
- The splitting of an atom into two with the release of energy. It
can be spontaneous in nature. It is the process used in nuclear reactors.
- Fossil Fuel
- Substances used as fuel formed from the remains of
organisms in the earths crust, eg. oil, coal, natural gas.
- Generate
- To produce, or create (e.g. to generate electricity).
- Half Life
- the length of time that it takes for half of the nuclei in an element to decay.
- Irradiation
- The process of exposing something (e.g. foodstuffs) to
radiation.
- Isotope
- One or two or more atoms with the same atomic number (i.e. number of protons in their nuclei), but with different numbers of neutrons.
- Kinetic energy
- The energy possessed by a moving body by virtue of its mass
(weight) and velocity (speed).
- Leaching
- Extracting a mineral from an orebody by using a mixture of
chemicals and water.
- Mill
- A building fitted with machinery for processing materials, especially
by crushing and grinding.
- Millisieverts
- A measurement of radiation levels.
- Neutron
- An uncharged particle that is found in the nucleus of an atom.
- Non-renewable
- Resources which will eventually be exhausted and cannot be
replaced.
- Nuclear reactor
- A device in which a nuclear fission reaction is maintained
and controlled for the purpose of generating heat, which boils water, to spin a
turbine, to drive a generator, to produce electricity.
- Nucleus
- The centre core of an atom which is made up of positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons.
- Orebody
- Rock containing large enough quantities of one or more
useful minerals to make it profitable to mine.
- Oxide
- A chemical compound containing oxygen and, in most cases,
only one other element.
- Plutonium
- An artificially produced radioactive element formed from neptunium.
- Polonium
- A radioactive element that is formed as radium decays.
- Precipitate
- To separate a substance out of a solution in solid form by introducing another substance.
- Proton
- A positively-charged particle found in the nucleus of every atom.
- Radiation
- The emission or transfer of radiant energy as particles,
electromagnetic waves, sound etc.
- Radioactivity
- The emission of alpha and beta particles and gamma rays by
the atomic nuclei as they decay.
- Radioisotope
- An isotope that is radioactive.
- Radium
- A radioactive element that occurs naturally.
- Radon
- A gaseous element produced by the decay of radium.
- Renewable
- Resources which cannot be exhausted, eg. sun, wind, tide.
- Skip
- A large open container used to transport materials, often on construction or mining sites.
- Slurry
- A paste or mixture of a liquid and a solid substance.
- Stope
- A large opening in the ground made to remove ore in a mine.
- Sustainable
- Resources that are able to meet current needs and also can be managed to meet predicted future needs.
- Turbine
- A type of machine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid
(e.g. steam, water, air) is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed
rotor to spin. It is typically used to generate electricity.
- Uranium
- A radioactive, silvery-white metallic element.
- Vitrification
- A process where radioactive waste is separated, concentrated and made into a special glass.
- Yellowcake
- Uranium oxide concentrate. This is the state in which uranium is exported.
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