...Given past events, nuclear power technology is seen by many people as the means to make war, death, bombs, and destruction. These are comparitive rarities to the good that nuclear energy poses for our future, and its capacity for clean efficient energy generation. Almost all of the energy produced today from nuclear is in the form of electricity, comprising 16% of global production. The number doesn't seem to be that large, but when taking into account the energy used on the entire planet, and the capacity to better the nuclear industry for the future we find ourselves wondering how vital it really is to our livelyhood. One could say that the development of nuclear is vital because of global warming threats. Since our combustion of fossil fuels produces carbon in the atmosphere, resulting in rising heat over time. Nuclear provides a form of noncombusting renewable energy that if prudently researched and implemented provides an alternative to polluting engines of the past. This warming fear is a large reason nuclear power is a growing idea. The technology is not simple to do, the production is a very meticulous process, wielding great power for good and great danger. The process requires strong regulation. With such a high risk, high reward scenario, we as humanity's hope for a better tomorrow must weigh the pros and cons to find if we are able to prudently expand and increase research towards safety and efficiency. Producing nuclear energy is not as simple as taking it from...
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...Can Nuclear Energy Be the Answer? It is only possible to mitigate global warming if the world-wide consumption of fossil fuels can be drastically reduced in the next 10 to 15 years. There is simply no room for a scenario as it is depicted by Lester R. Brown in the book Plan B 4.0 Mobilizing to Save Civilization. The scenario plays out like a horror movie, poverty, depleted water supply, food shortages, terrorism, over population, disastrous floods, erratic changes in ocean currents and global warming. What is causing global warming? Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest United States source of carbon dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually. (Valentinas Mickūnaitis) The good news is there are many technologies that exist today to allow cars to operate more efficiently and use less gas. In order to reduce the amount of toxins in the atmosphere, older power plants need to be modernized and we need to reduce our electricity by putting into practice energy efficiency, these are just some suggestions to lowering the levels of CO2, we have to make sure they are implemented. Politicians are especially attracted to the restoration of nuclear power as a possible solution to averting global warming. When the...
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...Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy. Over 31 countries use this source of energy. One of these counties being the United States, although the U.S uses nuclear energy to support its huge use of energy it is still very controversial and causes many disputes and arguments. First what is nuclear energy? It is released during nuclear fission or fusion. Nuclear energy is made in nuclear power plants which obtain the heat needed to produce steam through a physical process. This process, called fission, entails the splitting of atoms of uranium in a nuclear reactor. The uranium fuel consists of small, hard ceramic pellets that are packaged into long, vertical tubes. Bundles of this fuel are inserted into the reactor. This then outputs electricity. There are many reasons why nuclear energy is not popular in the US. One of the greatest reasons is safety with the Chernobyl nuclear accident at how much destruction and death it caused many still live in fear. Not to mention it raises suspicion with nuclear warfare (with all the access to uranium). Also many argue where all the left over waste will go from the plants. Critics argue that the cost benefits aren't so clear-cut. While the electricity seems cheaper up front, the exorbitant costs of building and maintaining plants must be added into the equation -- something industry experts rarely do. Long-term storage of nuclear waste is expensive and dangerous. Also, add the expense of finding and retaining...
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...Whitney Turntine Februrary 17, 2014 Environmental Science Nuclear Energy It seems that the world as a whole is in search of an energy source that is cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient. This seems to be particularly true in the United States where the government seeks to separate themselves from their reliance on petroleum from countries including those in the Middle East. They are unfortunately, less concerned with environmental issues than it is with issues of power, money, and dominance. Either way, nuclear energy is one of the better alternative energy sources. There are currently 65 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 104 nuclear reactors in 31 states around the country. Thirty-six of the plants have two or more reactors. These plants have generated about 20% of U.S. electricity each year since 1990. Nuclear fisson is performed by fusion of hydrogen into helium. This is done using uranium, plutonium, or thorium and placing them in the reactor, which start a chain reaction that can produce vast amounts of energy. Uranium is the element primarily used in reactors. The fission of a one atom can produce 10 million times the amount of energy that an atom can produce that is burned from coal. Uranium is an abundant element which is easily found and extracted. It often has to undergo a relatively cheap refining process, however, as the isotopes are found mixed in nature. Nuclear fission is also relatively clean, as there is no excess CO2 produced, as there is in...
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...Nuclear energy is one of the most controversial forms of energy known to man. Its disadvantages are widely known and criticized, such as the nuclear wastes released from the power plants, the virtually impossible disposal of the wastes, the potential for terrorist attacks on these power plants, and the unbelievably high price needed to even build a power plant. Although the risks outweigh the benefits, nuclear plants may be needed because of the fact that they are the cleanest way of producing energy without any environmental drawbacks. Overall, nuclear energy is and will always be a continuous topic for discussion and debate whether you are for it or against it. In the heart of any nuclear power plant lies the reactor. A reactor is a device used to control nuclear reactions so that the energy created and released by the reactions can be converted to a useful form at a constant rate. There are two types of reactors used in the modern world these reactors are called fission reactors and breeder reactors, fission reactors are work by separating a fissionable Uranium-235 from a non-fissionable Uranium-238 by using a very complex process, after this process a new more “enriched” form of uranium is produced that contains 3% of Uranium 235, this new substance is used to make uranium...
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...Nuclear Energy and its importance in context of India Every single atom in the universe carries an unimaginably powerful battery within its heart, called the nucleus. This form of energy, often called Type-1 fuel, is hundreds of thousands, if not million, times more powerful than the conventional Type-0 fuels, which are basically dead plants and animals existing in the form of coal, petroleum, natural gas and other forms of fossil fuel. I. Terminology - Nuclear fission –splitting of atoms to produce energy in the form of heat. Uranium a naturally occurring radioactive metal - only element in which fission(splitting off nucleus) can take place easily, setting off a chain reaction or a self-sustained splitting of atoms. The atoms of Uranium are the largest and the heaviest known on earth so its nucleus is unstable. Besides uranium, plutonium can undergo fission. Fertile material – composed of atoms which do not undergo induced fission themselves but fissile material can be generated from them by irradiation in a nuclear reactor. E.g. U- 238 gives plutonium 239, TH- 232 gives U-233, and U-234 gives U-235. Criticality – When the chain reaction takes place for the first time in a nuclear electricity reactor, it means the reactor has reached its first criticality. Moderator – used to slowdown neutrons surrounding the fuel core of the reactor,e.g.Light water, heavy water (D2O) Pressurised Heavy Water reactor (PWHR) –fuel used is natural uranium. Heavy water is both coolant and...
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...Nuclear Energy Energy cannot be created nor be destroyed but it can be converted from one form to another. Nearly all the mass of the atom is concentrated in a tiny nucleus in the centre. The nucleus is composed principally of two sorts of particles: the proton which carries the positive charge and the neutron which is electrically neutral and has a mass slightly bigger than that of proton. Nuclear energy is the energy released from the nucleus of an atom. When a nuclear reaction occurs whether fission or fusion, it produces large amounts of energy. How Nuclear Energy is produced When the heaviest element, uranium was bombarded with neutrons, it was discovered that instead of inducing radioactivity as did other elements, something different happened. This process was named fission. When fission occurred, not only were two lighter elements and a lot of radiation produced, but also more neutrons. It was clear that these neutrons could in turn also cause fission, producing more neutrons and developing a chain reaction which might spread throughout all the uranium present. In the fission of uranium 235 nucleus, the amount of energy released is about 60,000,000 times as much as when a carbon atom burns. Most of the energy from fission appears as kinetic energy as the fission products shoot apart and quickly share their energy with their surroundings, thus producing heat. The first reactors to produce a usable amount of power were built at Calder hall in England. With pure...
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...with the sufficient supply of energy in this currently developing world. However as the supplies of oil which is the major source for energy is decreasing and people are becoming more environmentally cautious, a new mean to supply energy are in high demand. Thus, nuclear energy seems to be the ideal alternative source of energy. Mel Schwartz (2011) mentioned that nuclear energy has generated approximately 17% of the world electricity for nearly 1 billion people (p. 706). In the Encyclopedia Britannica described that, “Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, energy that is released in significant amounts in processes that affect atomic nuclei, the dense cores of atoms” (“Nuclear Energy”, 2013). The term nuclear energy includes nuclear fusion, nuclear fission and nuclear decay (radioactivity). Nuclear fission is the main method used in providing the nuclear energy as is provides the most energy compare to nuclear fusion and nuclear decay. In order to provide a large amount of energy, nuclear power plant is built. By using the heat energy gained from nuclear reaction, it drives the steam turbines which in turns generate the electricity. Nuclear power plant could be environment friendly as it emits low amount of carbon dioxide. The nuclear waste should not be overlook as it has a very long term impact to the environment. PHYSICS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy can be formed either by nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or nuclear decay. Nuclear fission is the splitting apart...
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...Nuclear Energy In the article Bad Reactors, Mariah Blake argues that there are problems with the resurgence of nuclear energy as a viable option to our increasing energy demands. Blake discusses the fact that new nuclear construction projects are still prone to the same delays and multi-billion cost overruns that the industry was plagued with decades ago. She also discusses the financial risk involved with the companies that build or finance the reactors and the financial burdens put on the American taxpayers. Blake also keys in on the problem that the huge subsidies given to the nuclear energy industry is crowding out the growth of the renewable energy industry such as wind and solar. Ethos Mariah Blake is an editor of the Washington Monthly. Her research support for this article was provided by the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute. Throughout the article Blake makes an effective argument. She supports her argument by giving a detailed account of a nuclear reactor construction site that is plagued with problems in Finland. She relates this current problem in Finland to the problems that she believes will occur again in the United States. She focuses on not only the financial burden this industry will put on the American people but also the politics involved in the process. Blake gives several facts and figures to back up her argument. Pathos Blake makes several valid points during her argument. She demonstrates the emotional appeal to...
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...Nuclear Energy Research Paper Global warming is a major issue in today’s world that affects many people, animals, economies, and society as a whole. What is global warming? Global warming is the rising average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. It’s been constantly rising over the past 100 years because of major contributions which include: greenhouse gases (especially CO2) being emitted, industrialization, burning of fossil fuels, and the increase in population. Global warming was first discovered in 1896 by a Swedish scientist named Svante Arrhenius who proposed an idea that there is a relation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature. He later then described, by comparing carbon dioxide levels, infrared absorption, surface temperature of the earth, and human activity, that global warming would rise. Other scientists didn’t believe this idea stating that natural forces would cancel out human activity that releases carbon dioxide. It wasn’t until 1988 that it was finally acknowledged that global warming is present because of how much warmer it was than the 1800s. Since then, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was founded which looks at scientific, technical, and socio-economic information that relates to human induced climate change and figures out plans and ideas to decrease and slow down the rate at which the climate is getting hotter. However, there are still disagreements to this day whether or...
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...Should our reliance on nuclear energy sources be expanded in an effort to fuel the future? Today there is a great concern about our carbon emissions and other pollutants because of their adverse affects on our climate. Thus alternative sources of energy are being sought out, such as solar, wind, natural gas, and nuclear energy. Many have found themselves opposing nuclear due to past errors, waste management, safety features, and financial concerns. However, these issues are being addressed as promising new reactors are being designed. Nuclear energy has some clear benefits when compared to some of the drawbacks of other methods. Natural gas will most likely release too much carbon dioxide in the long run to be effective, wind and solar energy are too intermittent and costly to function as a large-scale solution, and hydropower may not be able to expand easily easily enough to make a lasting difference (“Why We Still Need Nuclear Power”). With very little carbon dioxide emissions, relatively cheap energy generation, and an impressive reliability record, nuclear power proves itself to be an option to be explored in a country where electricity generation emits more carbon dioxide than transportation or industry. There are many safety concerns surrounding nuclear energy, but the industry has learned a lot from previous mistakes and many new safety measures are being tested and implemented (“Nuclear Now”). Previous failings with nuclear power, such as the Fukushima disaster,...
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...Some may ask what nuclear energy is, the dictionary defines this as: 1. The energy released by a nuclear reaction, especially by fission or fusion. 2. Nuclear energy regarded as a source of power. Also called atomic energy Nuclear power was first known to be researched in the early 1900's, and by the world war; it reached its greatest peak by demonstrating to the world its power to destroy. Nuclear energy can be good or bad, depending on how the person works with this material; it is used for both sides good and bad. Scientists were unsure from the beginning of how it was possible to get energy from the material called Uranium. They were sure that with its uniqueness it would be able to transform itself into different elements. So they were unsure of it for many years, until Albert Einstein he explored the world of nuclear energy. In 1905 he released his theory of the famous equation e=mc2 with this he knew that uranium was able to create masses of electricity. A few years later, scientists found out the great power of the atomic energy. Since then, both scientist and the public were unable to find the best fit for nuclear energy in our society. We have put it into power plants, but the government and public were disappointed by accidents. We have put it into war, and with it we have caused great damages. So the question is where can this energy go? Even though it has been discovered to be the greatest power source of the world today, nobody is willing to...
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...Death. Destruction. A barren wasteland glowing green at the presence of nuclear waste. This post apocalyptic setting becomes more probable with the introduction of nuclear, or does it? Despite what our beloved cartoons and environmental activists would have us believe about nuclear, it is one of the most reliable and least environmental threatening sources of energy. Not only is it also the quickest and one of the least polluting sources of energy, but it is beneficial to the economy, more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels and is incredibly sustainable. There is much controversy regarding economic contributions of the nuclear industry. According to an online article from the Nuclear Energy Institute (2015) the average nuclear...
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...The United States nuclear energy sector stands at a crossroads. We have the opportunity to resume construction of new nuclear plants, revive a once-vital nuclear supply chain, explore and deploy new technologies and reclaim our place as a global leader in the production of nuclear energy. If we do, this nation will reap the benefits: abundant, emissions-free baseload electric power and process heat for industry and substantial economic growth. Additionally, the United States will reestablish its leadership in global nuclear energy and nonproliferation policy, which is directly related to the credibility and vitality of our own nuclear industry. But the rebirth of the American nuclear industry is not guaranteed. The lead times are long, and the costs of building new plants and developing new technologies are high. The various private sector firms that will ultimately decide the future of nuclear energy—through what they design, finance, purchase and build—all must consider the complex economics of such huge investments. This is made all the more difficult in the face of substantial uncertainties about broad government policies, specific regulatory actions and the price and availability of other energy sources. Indeed, the future of nuclear energy is dependent upon an interwoven set of decisions made by both the public and private sectors. On the one hand, private industry cannot act without clear, stable policies and active involvement from the...
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...Can nuclear energy be a main alternative energy socio-economically rather than other alternative energy to decrease global warming? Introduction Nowadays it seems that most people recognize about the severity of global warming. Houghton (1997) believes that increasing alternative energy rather than using fossil fuels is very important to decrease global warming. Therefore, I chose this topic: Can nuclear energy be a main alternative energy socio-economically rather than other alternative energy to decrease global warming? This assignment will identify why serious global warming started and discuss about nuclear energy as an alternative energy. Finally, it will be examined how people think about nuclear energy used to decrease global warming. Global warming by human activity According to Houghton (1997), since Industrial Revolution fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are being burnt worldwide rapidly and a lot of carbon dioxide from burning the fossil fuels is promoting global warming. Giddens (1998) stated that many scientists believe the main cause of global warming is carbon dioxide increased. Carbon dioxide which is one of green house gas such as methane, water vapour and nitrous oxide absorbs heat and then re-emit on the earth. So, with carbon dioxide increase, temperature rises on the earth (Carter, 2010) Wyatt (2008) stated that “Industrial revolution stimulated a major increase in production and mass consumption. The ancient sources of power-human...
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