Nuclear Power And Nuclear Energy

The Institute for Energy and Environment offered and alternative in 1999 for the management of nuclear waste. For short term storage the Institute for Energy and Research (IEER) recommended nuclear waste should be stored as near and safely as possible from where it was produced. IEER suggests that the sites need to be dry and as close as possible to the place where the waste was generated to avoid a potential terrorist disaster. The funding for the extra storage on the site should come from the Federal Governments Nuclear Waste Fund. For short term storage the Institute for Energy and Environment Research (IEER) recommended nuclear waste should be stored as near and safely as possible from where it was produced. IEER suggests that the sites need to be dry and as close as possible to the place where the waste was generated to avoid a potential terrorist disaster. The funding for the extra storage on the site should come from the Federal Governments Nuclear Waste Fund. Many repositories should be looked and studied for more than a decade and none prioritized. Finding a permanent and safe solution is very difficult and would require a lot of time because of the want for good science (Ledwidge,

Nuclear power is harnessed from the energy retained inside of an atom’s nucleus. This energy bindes the atom together and, when released, can be used to produce electricity. In order for this energy to be released, however, it must be subjected to either nuclear fusion, the combination of several atoms to form one larger atom, or to nuclear fission, the division of larger atoms into several smaller atoms. Nuclear power plants, first introduced in 1954, use this second method in the production of electricity. Inside of a nuclear power plant, uranium atoms are split and their nuclear energy released, creating the heat necessary to produce the steam that powers turbine generators and create electricity. Nuclear energy is often referred to as a “clean” energy source because, unlike fossil fuels, its production does not result in the generation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Many endorse the use of nuclear energy because it is efficient, providing large amounts of energy in exchange for small amounts of fuel, reliable, as it can be produced almost all day and night, year round, and affordable, costing about 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2012 compared to fossil fuels, which cost about 3.27 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2012. However, the use of nuclear power also has several significant disadvantages. Its main downside lies in the threats nuclear power plants present in the forms of radioactive waste and nuclear meltdowns.

Nuclear power, the type of energy that sits on the edge of humanity’s greatest hopes, and its darkest fears. With a country such as the United States continuing to expand its industry, housing, agriculture and commercial buildings there is a need for more and more energy each year. Nuclear power is one of the many ways the United States gets its energy. Nevertheless, it is one of the most controversial means of energy production. The main concern with nuclear energy is the nuclear waste that is produced along with it. The potential health and environmental risks posed by nuclear waste is what truly scares some of the American public. Therefore, is the amount of energy output by nuclear power plants outweigh the potential risks that nuclear waste can have on human health and the environment? Nuclear power plants should be kept as a means of generating energy for the United States, however, transportation and storage of nuclear waste needs to continuously be checked for safer alternatives.

Moving waste away from the coast should be a main concern, since there is no security risk associated with domestic storage of waste (Nikolewski). Two plans to jumpstart domestic storage are already making strides in the government and have the potential to solve the country’s nuclear waste management woes.

1. These dry caskets are then stored at temporary storage units that hold the nuclear waste, but these storage units are quickly being exhausted due the accumulating amount of waste.

The fissions of U-235 are too unstable, since when the nuclei split they release neutrons, therefore U-238 is what’s usually makes up uranium in nuclear fuel. The types of nuclear power plants are the Boiling Water Reactors and Pressurized Water Reactor, they both create steam (BWRs inside the reactor and PWRs outside the reactor ), which is then cooled after running through the turbine. A nuclear reactor or power plant, are the machines that are able to utilize nuclear fission to create electricity. Nuclear power plants generate close to ⅕ of the electricity in the United States and the steam created from the heat is what is used as an energy source. Heat made from the nuclear reactors can be used as energy for industries or for desalination plants, which make clean drinking water from

Nuclear energy allows one to produce energy without increasing the atmospheric carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases and does not stimulate global warming. There are two ways that this can be achieved, either through nuclear fission or through nuclear fusion. Fission is known as the splitting of large nuclei such as Uranium-235, resulting in a loss of mass and hence a release in energy in the form of heat. This energy is used to produce steam, making a turbine spin, and then providing the power for electricity to be produced. It is currently one of the strongest substitutes for power production methods using fossil fuels as nuclear fuels could potentially last for about 2000 years.

A pellet of nuclear fuel wegights roughly 0.1 ounces, but yet has the same amount of energy as a ton of coal (Lüsted,2013). Such a small portion of nuclear fuel can produce a magnificent impact.. This strong energy alternative must be closely analyzed to predict the future of its ability. There are many functions taken into account that allows a nuclear power plant to operate properly.

While some say nuclear power is risky, the facts prove otherwise. Nuclear energy is often treated as a taboo subject due to misconceptions throughout history by the public, but in actuality, nuclear energy is relatively safe, when practiced correctly. Nuclear energy is a process in which atoms are split, producing heat, which boils water. The steam then turns a turbine to produce electricity. While fission is involved in nuclear bombs, the process in each are both different. The ‘fuel’ used for this process is Uranium-235, an isotope of uranium. Nuclear energy, contrary to popular belief, does not describe the horrible power of nuclear explosive, but the calculated, safe procedure of releasing the fundamental power of the atom. The pros of nuclear energy firmly outweigh the cons of the issue. If the people responsible for the facilities that the energy is produced in follow safety procedures the cons are nearly reduced to nothing. Not only is it a completely green energy source, but the power output is immense, and uranium is such a common material that is used so infrequently means that it will last for an extremely long time.

Over time questions arise about how our existence will survive our energy supply is depleted or our currents sources of energy is adding waste into the atmosphere which leads to global warming.Nuclear power plants may be the key as large amounts of energy can be produced and no waste produced enters the atmosphere. In this report i will discuss how fission reactions work in power plants and why fission is more effective

When one hears the words ‘nuclear power’ they are immediately offset with images of Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These were agreeably a few devastatingly deadly and lasting disasters involving nuclear energy. With newer technologies and processes such as the use of nuclear fission, however, harnessing nuclear energy has become a safe practice. The global climate and overall health of the world is shifting toward the worse, and humanity only has itself to blame. It is time that society sets its fears aside and paves the way for the most effective, and ethical energy alternative for the sake of its beautiful home, Earth. Nuclear fission energy has the potential to power the entire world in a way that is clean, sustainable, and energy-prolific.

In 2014, it was reported that nuclear reactors “provided 2411 billion kWh, over 11% of the world 's electricity”(Plans for Reactors). During that year, the International Energy Agency held special attention toward hazardous scenarios. Minus the conspiracy, “World Energy Outlook 2014 had a special focus on nuclear power, and extends the scope of scenarios to 2040” (Plans for Reactors). In 2030, it is noted that there will be sixty percent capacity growth among nuclear reactors. Countries with existing nuclear power plant count will increasingly expand their nuclear stations. China will have an increase of 46%, while Korea, Russia and India will have 30% all together, whereas the US will have a 16% expansion of nuclear capacity. The plan in motion for 2030 is to have nuclear power plants to have low carbon pollution. “It is noteworthy that in the 1980s, 218 power reactors started up, an average of one every 17 days”(The Nuclear Renaissance) today, there are more than 400 nuclear power plants already made and used, now in the process of expanding their count. In the 1980s, the US had 47 reactors in their base, 18 in Japan and 42 in France. Now, the generating capacity increased in various countries such as USA, Belgium, Germany and Sweden. Many countries have power plants which increase in capacity each year, “...in Switzerland, the capacity of its five reactors has been increased by 13.4%” (Plans for Reactors), a few in US increased to 20%, nine reactors in Spain have an

The way a nuclear power plant produces energy is by a process called nuclear fission which is splitting the nucleus of an atom. Fission turns water into steam and the steam makes pressure. Then the steam that is made turns a turbine that is connected to a generator and the turning of the turbine forces the generator to produce electricity (“Nuclear Fission”). The energy source for a nuclear power plant is Uranium and it is a very rare resource. Once it’s gone then it’s gone forever and when that happens then we cannot produce anymore nuclear energy. Depending on the demand of Uranium, it is estimated that this element will only last another thirty to sixty years. I am not for nuclear energy because I think that the cons out weigh the pros.

Nuclear power plants have many great benefits. However, there are also many costs that the general public is very concerned with. These costs include nuclear accidents that lead to catastrophic harmful affects towards the public health and the environment when not careful. This is what makes it a very controversial subject on whether a large city, such as Houston, should rely on nuclear power plants for energy. So, what is nuclear energy and how do nuclear power plants work? Nuclear energy is the product of a neutron splitting a uranium atom. When this happens it produces a very large amount of energy. Then three neutrons from splitting apart a uranium atom then split other uranium atoms and produce even more energy. This process becomes self-sustaining as more atoms are split. The energy created is used to generate steam and the steam is able to spin turbines. When these turbines spin, they can create electricity. This process is similar to the traditional processes of forming energy. However, instead of generating steam, the other processes would burn fossil fuels in order spin the turbines. The burning of fossil fuels contributes to the increase of green house gas emissions, and this can be an environmental concern. This is why nuclear energy is considered a “clean” source of energy since it does not produce any greenhouse gasses. Nuclear power plants have actually become more common because of the benefits. In fact, the US has the largest overall generation of

In the developing world, there are very few technological applications that do not require the consumption of power. There are various methods that are currently in widespread use to generate power, some of which are: nuclear power plants, using the Sun (i.e. solar panels), wind, hydroelectric sources, and coal. Each of these affect the environment, society, and have differing economic impacts. This paper will focus primarily on the generation and operation of nuclear plants and the proper, or nonexistent disposal of nuclear waste.