Boon and Bane of Nuclear Power

Nuclear energy is gathered by the process of splitting uranium atoms. By splitting these atoms, there is some mass loss, and this mass can then be used as energy. This process is called fission. The heat from this fission is used to turn water into steam, and this steam turns the turbine generator in a reactor, which produces energy. Nuclear power plants have many advantages when compared to other renewable energy sources.

Nuclear power plants are a safe, clean and reliable source of energy production. They are uniquely qualified to meet the growing demand for energy in the USA.

Firstly, the usage of nuclear power is consistent and plentiful. As we know, the reaction of nuclear can emit a great power of energy, it can support vast of families’ and enormous plants’ working. In addition, unlike solar energy and wind power, which depend on external factors, nuclear power is consistent generate at anytime and anywhere. Secondly, since the nuclear power is easy to produce and it also can generate a huge amount of power, it is much cheaper to use it. What’s more, like Hill’s saying, “with the cost of natural gas and oil soaring”, the nuclear plants have return back to work and produce massive energy. Lastly, nuclear power benefits to environment: not only because it does not produce the carbon emissions, which can alleviates the global warming; but also it reduces the noxious byproducts, like sulfur dioxide, which is main reason of air pollution. Therefore, using the nuclear power is an ideal energy resource for human

1b/process. “How do we harvest this lost energy,” you might be wondering? Well, nuclear energy receives its power from the fission, or splitting, of atoms in very dense radioactive metals. Once one atom is split, the halves separate into 2 or more less dense atoms, and remaining neutrons can be shot out at high velocities. If these neutrons slam into another atom and are captured by it, that atom has a chance that it too will undergo fission. This cycle of splitting atoms is a chain reaction. Nuclear fission requires power to start the chain reaction, and it needs a certain amount of Uranium, called a critical mass, before this chain reaction can support itself and create excess energy. This excess energy is released as heat, usually into water. This changes the water into steam and is used to turn turbines to produce electricity. According to an article written by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the first successful attempt at a self-sustaining nuclear reactor was on December 2nd, 1942.

In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make steam to generate electricity .All matter is composed of elements. The important elements for our discussion of nuclear energy are uranium, plutonium, carbon and hydrogen. Uranium and plutonium are involved in nuclear energy production, and carbon and hydrogen are the main elements in conventional fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. You can find nuclear energy in the United States has more than 100 reactors, although it creates most of its electricity from fossil fuels and hydroelectric energy. Nations such as Lithuania, France, and Slovakia create almost all of their electricity from nuclear power plants. Uranium is the fuel most widely used to produce nuclear energy. There is two kinds of nuclear power plants Fission reactors can be divided roughly into two classes, depending on the energy of the neutrons that sustain the fission chain reaction: Thermal reactors the most common type of nuclear reactor use slowed or thermal neutrons to keep up the fission of their fuel. In my opinion i think Nuclear power plants are safer and a lot more beneficial than any other energy

Lewis Munford, an analyst, once wrote, "Too much energy is as fatal as too little, hence the regulation of energy input and output not its unlimited expansion, is in fact one of the main laws of life." This is true when dealing with nuclear power. Because our societies structure and processes both depend upon energy, man is searching for the most efficient and cheapest form of energy that can be used on a long term basis. And because we equate power with growth, the more energy that a country uses, -the greater their expected economic

Nuclear power works by a process called fission. The type of fission used in most reactors is where a neutron collides with a uranium-238 atom, splitting it into krypton, argon, spare neutrons and heat. The spare neutrons start a chain reaction for more uranium-238 atoms to split. The heat produced by fission heats the water surrounding the fuel rods, which circulates through a pipe. The heated water passes through a primary loop, then passes through another set of water heating the second supply of water creating steam. The steam then passes through a secondary loop. The steam turns a turbine connected to a generator, creating power. The steam in the secondary loop then passes through a pipe which runs through cold water, cooling the steam into back to water. Then dumps it into a river, lake, or ocean. The amount of water would eventually deplete, so then a third loop, a tertiary loop, pulls water in from the river, ocean or lake, and puts it into the second set of water. The three sets of water never physically touch.

The first reason why Nuclear Power can be beneficial is that by building a Nuclear Power Plant, it will bring several jobs to the community. The jobs that will be brought to the community will not only be jobs inside the Plant, but there will be construction jobs, engineering jobs, electricians, heavy machinery workers, and many more.

Most countries are starting to build more and more nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants are factories that produce electricity. It starts of by control rods, usually made uranium, silver and boron, heat up water. Then the water turns into steam and turns the turbines. The turbines then power up the generator than power. The power stored in generators are used to power up a city. So, would building a nuclear powerplant be good for your community? Building a nuclear power plant could be a good decision and could also be a bad decision. The Mayor is thinking of building a nuclear power plant in the border between South Saint Paul and Inver Grove Heights.

Nuclear power was the world’s fastest growing form of energy in the 1990’s. However, presently it is the second slowest growing worldwide. Considering that nuclear power accounts for eleven percent of the world’s energy supply, one must ask what happened [Nuclear Power]. Why is it that the growth of nuclear power has almost completely stalled? The simple answer is that after meltdowns such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, many people are afraid of nuclear power plants, which causes great opposition to the expansion of the industry. Unfortunately, most people are not well informed about nuclear energy; many do not take the time to view its positives and negatives.

Nuclear power is expensive to build, expensive to maintain, and expensive to replace if something goes wrong. One facility in a multiple facility plant can cost up to $9 billion dollars to build, and more money to maintain. The whole world will require many nuclear power plants to provide energy, which will be expensive. If completed it will reduce pollution, but not fix the pollution

The disastrous meltdowns that cause whole cities to become uninhabitable, as well as leaving families homeless and laborers without jobs, have defined the negative perspective of what people see in nuclear power. However, even after such catastrophes, the pure raw energy output makes nuclear power essential for the future of the human race. As time passes, the world’s energy usage has grown an increasingly massive size every year due to the consumption swell of energy. Despite nuclear plants being a heavily controversial topic internationally, its advantages are very well recognized and it’s causing nuclear plants to slowly become the basis of our growing society.

Nuclear power plants are, “a facility that converts atomic energy into usable power” (OECD Glossary). Although nuclear power plants have many advantages, they have have very serious threats. Nuclear energy is controversial because many serious accidents can happen through the use of nuclear power plants but life is much more efficient with the use of nuclear power plants. . I believe that nuclear power should be used. It is the most reliable source of energy. It does not cause pollution, which will m make our world much cleaner. Lastly, because it is much more efficient than the use of fossil fuels.

As each year passes, more and more electricity will be made as a result of increased nuclear power plants around the world. The economic benefits of nuclear energy are equally advantageous as the environmental aspects.

The world's natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. As these resources diminish, people will be seeking alternative sources by which to generate electricity for heat and light. The only practical short-term solution for the energy/pollution crisis should be nuclear power because it is available, cleaner and safer.