Atomic Power And Nuclear Power

Beginning in 1941 the exploration of uranium 235 and the atomic bomb began. The bomb would be used against Japan to end the deadly encounters during World War II in exchange for unconditional surrender. In 1945 the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima killing over 190,000 people and then another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing about 70,000 people. Japan surrendered bringing an end to the war but this was only the beginning of what is known as the nuclear age.

Nuclear energy was likewise discovered to be useful in naval tactics and in sourcing electricity. As technology has significantly advanced and knowledge has expanded beyond measures, the realm of nuclear engineering has indeed achieved scientific milestones. In practice of modern times, nuclear energy is manufactured within power plants, capable of supporting an outstanding amount of electricity (World Nuclear Association). However, this limited method of energy production is thought to be dangerous. Nuclear engineering is certainly one complex subject and is foreign to the majority of the world population. Within a nuclear power plant, reactors are employed to force uranium ions to undergo the process of nuclear fission; nuclear fission is the separation of atoms, the smallest unit of matter. This splitting of uranium ions releases energy, thus, producing usable heat. Heat is crucial to not only nuclear energy production; rather, heat is necessary in all power plants. Such will then become the steam that gyrates turbines. These turbines are coupled with electromagnets which, finally, yield electricity (How Nuclear Reactors Work). One foremost flaw of nuclear power is the consequential radioactive waste that must be monitored for a long while following disposal. Nevertheless, as resources upon this planet are surely depleting, original forms of energy production are mandatory. In consideration of such, nuclear power plants have proved to be both efficient

One of the major technological break though in the late 19th and early 20th century was the birth of atomic fission, between 1895 and 1945. In WWII, the men of science applied this new knowledge to create the atomic bomb. Only few years after the war in 1956, this cognition was applied to make new power plants, fueled by the new energy source uranium. (pg1 World Nuclear Association)

Nuclear fission is a reaction in which heavy nuclei, such as Uranium and Plutonium, are broken into smaller nuclei releasing heat, which is transformed into another form of energy such as, mechanical or electrical. For a long time people have been using nuclear fission as an efficient and sustainable source of energy. However, the use of this form of energy is associated with a unique set of consequences including environmental, social and ethical. In this paper I will discuss nuclear energy and its impact on the environment.

These issues combine to place an unfavorable light on the potential of nuclear power. Nuclear fission, however, is not the only source of nuclear power. Nuclear fusion is another method which offers the potential to combat some of the ailments of nuclear fission in addition to providing long lasting power. Nuclear fusion offers several benefits to energy industry. Among the benefits of fusion power is that fusion fuel is readily available, power produced is reliable, has a low environmental impact, does not produce fissile materials, and carries the same terror risk as conventional fossil fuel plants [6]. To understand why some of these benefits are true, an understanding of the science behind nuclear fusion is necessary.To start, nuclear reactions involve the protons and neutrons contained in the nucleus of an atom. This is different from how chemical reactions, like the burning of fossil fuels, involve the electrons of an atom. In nuclear fission reactions, heavier elements are torn apart. The resulting products are more stable than the reactant, and energy is

However, with recently studies achieved, some have argued that Nuclear Energy is a clearer route for America to take in the future. In Nuclear energy, there are two established scientific practices for releasing nuclear energy. The ways that Nuclear energy is released is through nuclear reactions. The two nuclear reactions used is fusion and or fission within the atomic nuclei. A fusion nuclear reaction is when nuclei of an atom are split. When the atoms of the nuclei split, energy is released among the atoms. In an nuclear fission reaction, atomic particles come together instead of splitting like the fusion, then release energy (“Nuclear Energy”). It is evident that Nuclear energy conducts energy very divergent in comparison to Fossil Fuel energy, which is why so many people are quarreling between which one is wiser choice? While Fossil Fuel energy has generated electricity for America for many centuries, it is time to shift to Nuclear energy. Nuclear energy best equips the demand for America’s electrical energy needs, as it provides positive economic contributions, needs fewer resources to operate, and is a cleaner source of energy in comparison to Fossil Fuel

Currently, nuclear power is harnessed in the form of nuclear fission reactors. These reactors account for roughly 10% of the world’s current energy consumption. However, nuclear fission has proven to be a very volatile process as it produces large amounts of undisposable radioactive waste. Given that fossil fuels are unsustainable in the near future and nuclear fission is a hazardous source of power, nuclear fusion is a promising alternative. Fully optimized fusion reactions are four million times more efficient than fossil fuels and oil. Secondly, a nuclear fusion plant, predicted within the next 20 years, would only consume 250 kilograms of DT reaction fuel per year compared to 2.7 million tons of coal in a coal-fired power plant. Also the byproducts of a fusion reaction are significantly less harmful than those of a fission reaction, which are extremely radioactive. Fusion reactions produce smaller amounts of waste and the radioactive half-lives are much shorter.

A massive amounts of heat produced during the fission process is used to produce electricity while releasing no harmful byproduct. Therefore, it is one of the cleanest and most ecofriendly ways to obtain energy and it should solve all our energy problems. However, there are a quite few disadvantages related to nuclear power generation that overcome its benefits. Building the nuclear power plant is very expensive due to longer construction times for radiation, insulation, security, and safety purposes. The waste from nuclear power plants is highly radioactive and potentially dangerous, if not handled carefully. The nuclear power waste can stay radioactive for thousands of years and must be stored deep in earth and away from the population, which is another very expensive and risky process. Because of the Three Mile Island accident, Chernobyl disaster and Fukushima nuclear accident, people have the biggest fear of nuclear radiation that has longer and real impact on life. All energy sources have some risk. The risks associated with nuclear energy are likely to be much less than those associated with fossil fuels. However, nuclear energy has a potential for devastating accidents, which surpasses everything that could occur with fossil fuels. It is also capable of destroying civilization the same way as nuclear weapons. Moreover, the long-term radiation danger of nuclear waste is a huge burden on humankind. Even though nuclear energy is a viable way to generate clean energy, it has grown more slowly than projected because of safety, security, and economic problems. The overall risks of nuclear accidents are much too high to overcome its benefits. Instead, we should improve and develop more on renewable energy sources to meet our energy

nuclear power plants? These are a few of the many questions asked if one hasn’t ever studied nuclear power or doesn’t know how a power plant works. Nuclear fission is the splitting of atoms, which in nuclear fission is uranium atoms. A neutron is released at a targeted nucleus of uranium-235. Two or three neutrons are released from the target nucleus along with fission products, or other nuclei, as seen in the picture below. This process starts a chain reaction. If too many neutrons are present, the reaction may get out of control. If too few are present, the reaction may stop.

Nuclear fission is the process commonly referred to as splitting the atom, a process first achieved by a Kiwi, Ernest Rutherford in 1918, when he fired naturally occurring alpha particles into nitrogen gas. The fission that nuclear power plants use to make electricity involves using neutrons (which were first predicted to exist by Rutherford) to split a large atom into two smaller atoms, a process that releases a large amount of energy. As we studied in nuclear and Atomic physics this year and last year, Rutherford had great contributions to the discovery of Nuclear Power, as he was the first person to split the atom, as well as the first person to imply that an atom has Positive, Negative as well as Neutral particles.

In 1939, the discovery of nuclear fission unlocked the potential of an entirely different source of power. The utilization of internal energy contained in the atomic nucleus has provided a major solution to present and future power source needs by turning away from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas and currently encompass three-fourth of world’s energy requirements to cleaner alternatives such as nuclear power and renewables.

The world as we know today is dependent on energy. The options we have currently enable us to produce energy economically but at a cost to the environment. As fossil fuel source will be diminishing over time, other alternatives will be needed. An alternative that is presently utilized is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is currently the most efficacious energy source. Every time the word ‘nuclear’ is mentioned, the first thought that people have is the devastating effects of nuclear energy. Granting it does come with its drawbacks; this form of energy emits far less pollution than conventional power plants. Even though certain disadvantages of nuclear energy are devastating, the advantages contain even greater rewards.

As a source of energy, nuclear energy provides a safer alternative, for the production of energy for large-scale consumption. There are two different types of nuclear energy; nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is the process in which a nucleus spits into two or more smaller nuclei. Nuclear fusion is the process in which two nuclei fuse together to form a larger nuclei. Nuclear reactors can become unstable creating an uncontrollable nuclear reaction. The effects of this can be seen in Chernobyl. Reactors have been designed safer after this disaster.

The use of nuclear processes (decay, fusion and fission) to generate energy in the form of useful heat and electricity. Fission reactions are currently further developed than other methods of producing nuclear energy; however it is believed that once nuclear fusion reactors are successfully developed to the extent to which they can function and produce substantial energy, they can be the leading form of energy production as they are substantially safer, more convenient and more efficient.

The use of nuclear energy is a big topic for debate. Many countries have fully embraced it while others, such as the U. S., haven’t. Nuclear energy is feared for its danger and scorned because of its wastes. On the other hand, nuclear energy does have some pros like cheaper cost of energy and environmentally safe. Reactor breeders show great promise in nuclear waste, but are it enough to convince the nation?