The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Nuclear Power Plants as an Energy Source Nuclear power is the use of continuous nuclear reactions to do practical work. It is produced by nuclear fission reactions which occur when adequate quantities of Uranium-235 are restricted to a small area. Nuclear fission is the process of nuclei being split. In this case a heavier nucleus splits up into two or more lighter nuclei, then this moves on by a chain reaction when the emitted neutrons go on to split the other nuclei. Heat is produced by the reaction, which is then converted to Kinetic energy by a steam turbine and finally by a generator to produce electricity. There are several advantages with using nuclear power. One advantage is that the fuel isn’t expensive, which allows large amounts to be bought and used. Also a great amount of energy is created from a extremely small quantity of fuel. An additional benefit is that the fuel is readily accessible. This means that if more energy needs to be produced, then more fuel can be used immediately. Furthermore, nuclear power doesn’t give out substances to the atmosphere like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides or sulphur dioxide. Another advantage is that nuclear power doesn’t contribute to global warming or acid rain. Also the quantity of waste produced by nuclear power plants is rather small which makes the chance of diseases for humans less. On the other hand, nuclear power plants have several disadvantages. One is that by using nuclear power, poisonous waste is produced which is in some cases extremely radioactive and can cause sicknesses and diseases like cance... ... middle of paper ... ...ugh this topic is controversial and many things can be discussed, nuclear power is necessary to humans since it provides essential energy for our every day lives. The risk of getting cancer is more or less low, so the usage of nuclear power for providing energy can be seen as not too harmful for humans. That is why nuclear power should be used to provide energy. Sources: · http://www.uic.com.au/introduction.htm · http://people.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm · http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/nuclear-faq.html · http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant http://www.answers.com/topic/nuclear-power-plant http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/n/nu/nuclear_power_plant.htm
“You don’t ban the beneficial uses of a technology just because that same technology can be used for evil. Otherwise we would never have harnessed fire.”
Nuclear power is a very strong yet dangerous element, it has made a huge impact on our economy. Most technology now is powered by Nuclear energy. In many cases the main focus on Nuclear Energy is its advantages (pros), yet no one really pays attention to the dis advantages in Nuclear Energy (cons). But to produce electricity from Nuclear Power, the Nuclear Plant makes a chain reaction, this reaction is then created by a very heavy nuclei that are capable of nuclear fission.
Nuclear power is a growing source of energy to most of the world for many benefits. People doubt the significant of nuclear power because of one accident. Due to this accident, the world has only seen the flaws in nuclear power and not the many benefits it has to offer. Nuclear power would benefit worldwide if people would let go of the past and look towards the future. Nuclear power is a better alternative energy because of its economic and environmental benefits.
Nuclear energy is energy inside the nucleus of an atom and it is the energy that is holding the proton and neutrons together. Nuclear energy can be converted by a power plant into electrical energy and the power plant is called nuclear power plant. There is two ways to obtain the energy. There is nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is where atoms are combined together to form a larger atom and nuclear fission is where the atoms are split to produce the energy. In fact, nuclear power plant only can use nuclear fission to produce energy.
Around 1894, scientists discovered that by bombarding a radioactive substance with neutrons, a highly powerful energy could be produced. This is ionizing radiation, which is strong enough to rip the electrons from the nucleus of an atom, hence the name “nuclear energy.” over a century later, nuclear substances are harnessed in order to provide energy. However, nuclear energy is not only discussed amongst scientists, but anyone fearing the safety and future of the environments surrounding the area where a nuclear power plant is implemented.
In conclusion, there are different opinions on the issue of the use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is only one of many energy options. Nuclear power can decrease pollution to the environment because it does not produce harming gases like other plants do. However, there are also drawbacks that can influences human health by emitting radioactive substances. Thus, all parties should make a deeper research and analysis based on the argument to decide the use of nuclear energy as a safe and cost effective source of energy.
Nuclear power is a relatively new method of supplying the ever growing population with the electricity that is required. Although the majority of people are unsure of how generation occurs, nuclear power provides roughly 17% of the world’s power. (Rich, Alex K...) This makes nuclear power a deciding factor in how the race progresses in technology and energy fabrication as it is able to produce mass amounts of electricity in short periods of time. The limit potential for nuclear power is unclear in not only energy but also weaponry and some medical uses. The fact that uranium and the radioactivity that comes with it are used in facilities and other inventions often lead people to distrust the inventions which, while not entirely un-called for, hinders progress and leads to fables and tales around nuclear energy, its creation, and the nuclear power plants that are springing up around the world. This causes nuclear facilities to slow in their development which only makes things worse because as things progress the facilities will only get increasingly safe as long as they are handled professionally. (Rich, Alex K…) Some of the slanderous fables around nuclear power include things like claiming that nuclear facilities cannot operate during droughts and water shortages. (Kharecha, Pushker…) While nuclear power is accompanied by several risks, it can also be the solution for various global strains and difficulties.
Nuclear Power, The generation of power using highly radiated uranium pellets in fuel rods used to heat up water and run turbines. This is why Congressman Bill Nelson should not support the building of a new nuclear power plant in the state of Florida.
Nuclear power plants are known as good sources of energy but they have their cons. Nuclear power plants are used around the world as a source of energy. These power plants work by using a process called fission. Fission is the process of splitting an atom of uranium like in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This process only produces steam which is harmless to the environment. The one problem is that they create nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is still radioactive and hard to dispose it. Another problem is that the uranium used in them is nonrenewable. This means that once there is no more, there will be no more nuclear energy. Also an accident caused by these power plants release waves of radiation that are very harmful to
Building the plant is a decent amount of money, but when up, nuclear power plants are less money to run, and more efficient (‘Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad?). It truly is a good bargain for all the energy nuclear power produces. One pencil eraser full of uranium can equal the amount of energy of a train car of coal!. The amount of energy released in a fission is predicted to be ten million times greater than the amount of a fossil fuel (Nuclear Energy Pros and Cons). In regards to the issue of safety, Individuals that live nearby a nuclear plant face less radiation than near a coal plant. Only water vapor is released, compared to the Carbon dioxide that coal factories release into the
“Every dollar spent on nuclear energy is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place, because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand” (Jacobson). Most countries today are becoming more and more dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy because of its high energy output and the availability of uranium used for fuelling nuclear reactors that generate power to provide electricity in households. Although using nuclear power as a source of energy has benefits like this, the danger posed by using nuclear power is too ominous.
Nuclear energy has been identified as an effective source of electrical power that is being capitalized upon around the world. While nuclear power offers benefits, such as sustainable energy, the risks associated with it including nuclear accidents, proliferation, and terrorism make it a gamble. The probability of such events occurring is low, but the impact they could cause is immense. However, the irreversible effects of climate change override the concerns with nuclear power which can be alleviated by heightened security and international efforts.
The other primary point of interest of utilizing nuclear energy is that it is more compelling and more proficient than other energy sources. A number of nuclear energy innovations have made it a much more feasible choice than others. They have high energy density as compared to fossil fuels. The negative impact from all this cause environmental impact, radioactive waste disposal, nuclear accidents and high cost to repair the nuclear waste. 3 known nuclear accidents would be Fukushima Daiichi, Chernobyl disaster, and the Three Mile Island accident. A brief about all these accidents: Fukushima Daiichi: :The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is an energy accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture, initiated primarily by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake on 11 March 2011”(google.com). Chernobyl disaster: “On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear accident happened at the Chernobyl plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere. ... The Chernobyl accident happened during a test to see how the plant would operate if it lost power” (Learning
Moreover,Nuclear Energy helps produce energy even at times of a disastrous storm, or when it snows. It will also last much longer than our current fossil fuels. Also, operating a power plant requires strict background checks, and lots and lots of training to work at one. Thick concrete walls also help massively with safety measures. Lastly, the safety equipment is extremely secure, and nearly never is disrupted or fails to do its job of preventing nuclear accidents.Nevertheless, These are my benefits on Nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.