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Conclusion for advantages and disadvantages if nuclear energy
Impact of the chernobyl disaster on humans
Essay pros and con of nuclear power
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In today’s technological era, people have an incredibly high demand for electricity. Therefore, we have many different kinds of power plants all over the world, such as fossil-fuel power station, solar power station, and wind power station, etc. However, the potentially catastrophic global warming effects caused by fossil fuels, the staggering costs of solar power, and the unstable resource of wind power drive people to seek a more low-cost yet carbon-free way to generate electricity. In the early 20th century, scientists discovered nuclear energy. Although, nuclear power is not completely pollution-free, it is considered a zero-emission energy source. In fact, nuclear power is the only clean-air power source that is able to continuously generate a supply of electricity. Nuclear energy utilizes the concept of nuclear fission. Through splitting of the uranium atom, a large amount of energy can be released. The released energy can be harnessed to heat water and generate steam, which in turn drives turbines to generate electricity. In 1954, the first nuclear power plant started operating in the Soviet Union. Aftewards, nuclear power plants became more and more popular and spread to many countries. Base on the data from Nuclear Energy Institute, in 2014, there are thirty countries operating 435 nuclear power plants, while fifteen countries are constructing a total of 72 new nuclear power plants. In some countries, nuclear power plants provide more than 25 percent of their electricity. However, even there are many benefits of using nuclear power, there are also risks, such as the disposal of radioactive waste, radiation from the fission process, the potential of a nuclear disaster. Therefore, nuclear plants actually does not benefit so... ... middle of paper ... ... Accident and Its Consequences. Nuclear Energy Institute, July 2011. Web. 14 May 2014. Chernobyl, 26 April 1986 The accident and its consequences. International Atomic Energy Agency, 21 June 2012. Web. 14 May 2014. Electricity Costs From Different Sources. Real Clean Energy, 2 July 2012. Web. 14 May 2014. Fukushima Accident. World Nuclear Association, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. Radioactive Waste Management. World Nuclear Association, Nov. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. Uranium: Its Uses and Hazards. Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Dec. 2011. Web. 14 May 2014. . What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 9 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. World Statistics-Nuclear Energy Around the World. Nuclear Energy Institute, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
Nuclear power has grown to be a big percentage of the world’s energy. As of January 18, 2013 in 31 countries 437 nuclear power plant units with an installed electric net capacity of about 372 GW are in operation and 68 plants with an installed capacity of 65 GW are in 15 countries under construction. As of end 2011 the total electricity production since 1951 amounts to 69,760 billion kWh. The cumulative operating experience amounted to 15, 15,080 years by end of 2012. (European Nuclear Society) The change that nuclear power has brought to the world has led to benefits in today’s energy’s usage.
Nuclear energy is a very powerful source of energy. Just a little bit is required to make large amounts of electricity, which powers 1 in 5 households in the U.S. Nuclear energy has been advanced over the years and has been relied on heavily by many countries today.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Independent Statistics & Analysis: U.S. EIA. March 15, 2012. http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?view=consumption (accessed March 16, 2014).
On April 26th, 1986, operators at the Chernobyl Power Plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, ran what they thought to be a routine safety test. But fate was not on the side of these operators. Without warning, reactor #4 became unstable, as it had been operating at a low power for a possible shutdown and the reactor’s design caused it to be unsafe at this level of power. Internal temperatures rose. Attempts to cool the system produced the opposite effect. Instantly, the nuclear core surged with power. At 1:23 p.m., the reactor exploded. The first blast ripped off the reactor's steel roof. The second blast released a large plume of radiation into the sky. Flames engulfed the building. For ten long days, fire fighters and power plant workers attempted to overcome the inferno. Thirty-one of them died of radiation poisoning. Chernobyl was the worst nuclear disaster in history. It unleashed radiation hundreds of times greater than the atomic bombs exploded over Japan during World War II. [1]
Hopefully, with accurate analysis and innovation, my research will teach the world of its past so this disaster doesn’t occur in the future. B - Summary of Evidence Chernobyl (chrn byl) is an uninhibited city in north Ukraine, near the Belarus boundary, on the Pripyat River. Ten miles to the north, in the town of Pripyat, is the Chernobyl nuclear powerstation, site of the worst nuclear reactor disaster in history ("Chernobyl", Columbia Encyclopedia). To specify, on April 26, 1986, Unit Four of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Ukraine, injuring human immune systems and the genetic structure of cells, contaminating soils and waterways. Nearly 7 tons of irradiated reactor fuel was released into the environment—roughly 340 million curies.
"State Energy Profiles: Texas." US Energy Information Administration. US Department of Energy, 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.
Not only is nuclear power friendly to the environment, but it is almost always available, and many countries are starting to use it more. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind en...
"solarpowerpanels.ws - Solar panels Resources and Information. This website is for sale!." solarpowerpanels.ws - Solar panels Resources and Information. This website is for sale!. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
Flanary, W. (2008). Environment effects of the Chernobyl accident. Retrieved November 1st, 2013 from /http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152617
The entire nuclear energy process starts with uranium. Uranium is the fuel for the nuclear reactors, often harvested near coal mines. Uranium is found in two types, U-235 and U-238, the one needed for the nuclear energy power is U-235. Uranium U-235 is one of the least plentiful elements making only 0.000002 percent of the earths’ crust. Although it is quite rare, one pound of Uranium can produce the same amount of energy as three million pounds of coal. U-235 is unstable in nature and highly radioactive making it a perfect match in the fission process. (How Nuclear Power Works 2)
Chernobyl was the greatest nuclear disaster of the 20th century. On April 26th, 1986, one of four nuclear reactors located in the Soviet Union melted down and contaminated a vast area of Eastern Europe. The meltdown, a result of human error, lapsed safety precautions, and lack of a containment vessel, was barely contained by dropping sand and releasing huge amounts of deadly radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. The resulting contamination killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people and devastated the environment. The affects of this accident are still being felt today and will be felt for generations to come.
United States. Energy Information Administration. “Electric Power Monthly with Data for February 2014” eia.gov. US Energy Information Administration, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 8 May 2014.
The “Hydropower” National Geographic. n. d. a. d. a. d 1 April 2014. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/hydropower- profile /.> “Hydropower as a Renewable Energy Source” naturalresources.house.gov. Web.
On April26, 1986, the nuclear power plant was exploded in Chernobyl, Ukraine. At 1:23 AM, while everyone were sleeping, Reactor #4 exploded, and 40 hours later, all the city residence were forcefully moved to other cities, and they never return to their home. The Chernobyl disaster is ranked the worst nuclear accident. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was ran by the Soviet Union central nuclear energy corporation. (International Atomic Energy Agency-IAEA, 2005)
The greatest disadvantages of nuclear energy are the risks posed to mankind and the environment by radioactive materials. ‘On average a nuclear plant annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel cla...