Nuclear energy
What is nuclear energy:
Nuclear energy is a nuclear power that released by nuclear reaction to generate heat. the energy released. nuclear energy uses fuel made from mined and processed uranium to make steam and generate electricity by two ways. nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom. The sun produces energy like this. But in nuclear fission, atoms are split into smaller atoms, releasing energy. Actually, nuclear power plants can only use nuclear fission to produce electricity. Nuclear generation is the only source of electricity that can produce large amounts of power known as base load power—reliably without emitting greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy has one of the lowest environmental impacts on land and natural resources of any electricity source.
Nuclear energy is a rare form of energy. It is the energy stored in the center or the nucleus of an atom. After we bombard the nucleus into two parts, two different elements are formed along with the emission of high energy. The process generally followed is called fission. There is another reaction called fusion, which produces almost one tenth of the energy as produced during fission. Fission is the chain reaction which needs uranium-235. The nuclear energy is considered as the worthiest alternative source of energy after fossil fuels.
How Nuclear Energy Works?
Electricity through nuclear energy is produced
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Show MoreNuclear energy only creates minimal negative effects to the environment. Nuclear energy produces steam and low levels of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy is also beneficial seeing that it produces a large amount of energy for a low cost. Nuclear reactors generate energy at a lower cost than oil, gas or coal. This nuclear energy will be a stable source of energy seeing that it is a base load source and it is synergistic with other renewable resources.
However, mostly due to fear and the lack of knowledge, many are adverse to the use of nuclear power. Nuclear energy comes from two methods, fusion and fission. Fusion brings together tritium and deuterium to create heat energy, helium, and a neutron (Duke Energy, 2013). Nuclear fusion releases more heat energy than fission, however it is more difficult to control, so it is not currently a viable energy process (Duke Energy, 2013). However, the sun is an example of nuclear fusion, in how it produces heat.
The general attitude by the public towards nuclear reactors is that of fear or disapproval simply due to its name or the rumors. Nuclear reactors are merely devices that sustain chain reactions, in which only one of the emitted neutrons hits another nucleus to create fission. Though nuclear reactors cannot become a weapon or a bomb, some of the dangers relate to our lives to the extent that we may need to seek alternatives, as demonstrated by the reactors in Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Nuclear reactors operate on chain reaction, which does not grow due to neutron multiplications of 1. They depend on slow neutrons—in explosion, they are only as powerful as TNT.
In todays political climate many countries appear to be on the brink of war. Countries such as the United States, Russia, and North Korea who all have formidable forces of weaponry, are constantly on the verge of a greater warfare by atomic power. Ever since its first test in 1945, the atomic bomb has been considered to be incredibly controversial and dangerous, but also a potential world power changer.
(Wikipedia, 2015) Nuclear energy has some benefits to it, such as a low weight to capacity ratio compared to solar cells. This means that it would take up less space when travelling to Mars. Another benefit would be that nuclear energy would maintain life support machines along with propulsion systems, which economically is very beneficial. There is another alternative for nuclear energy power sources such as fission systems. Fission systems are used frequently on Earth as it takes little energy to split two atoms in a reaction.
In this day and age where energy is one of the greatest factors in world events, it is unsurprising to see nuclear energy, the bridge between fossil fuels and renewable resources, argued for and against so fiercely. Yet under this umbrella term of “nuclear energy” that people enjoy throwing around, there are two wildly different forms of energy. Things that perhaps shouldn’t be lumped together so haphazardly. Those are Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion.
Nuclear power produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional energy sources because energy is not produced by burning molecules but splitting atoms. ‘An energy mix including nuclear power has the lowest impact on wildlife and Ecosystems’ as shown by a Conservation Biology paper. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by nearly half which shows the benefits and popularity of nuclear power use. Nuclear power has many environmental benefits such as small waste production, leaves no adverse effect on water, land or any habitats. By reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to Nuclear Energy, we will sustain the environment, quality of air, improving the overall quality of
Nuclear fission can be similar to nuclear fusion for example they both release heat energy. However, in nuclear fusion: • two nuclei must join together • Extremely high temperatures are needed. To develop further: Nuclear fusion is the joining of smaller nuclei to make larger ones. For example; Deuterium and Tritium form to make a bigger and heavier nucleus and Helium releases a lot of energy. Nuclear fusion also happens in stars..
Nuclear energy has numerous world benefits that other forms of energy creation just don’t, and its pros are truly unprecedented by any other source of energy. Nuclear power plants are inexpensive to run, which means they can easily be maintained and sustained at a low cost. And while the reactors themselves may be expensive, with government grants the materials can be much more easily purchased and built. The most expensive part of the nuclear reactor process is the uranium, which again, isn’t hard to get as it’s used in few other applications and can be acquired through government programs. Additionally, the energy emitted from these power plants compared to their cost is immense and an extremely worthwhile investment for governments and private businesses.
In this diagram, a neutron is absorbed by a uranium-235 nucleus, as a result, it turns of a small period of time to an excited uranium-236 nucleus, with the excitation energy provided by the kinetic energy of the neutron plus the forces that bind to the neutron. The uranium-236 then splits into two, smaller, lighter, fast-moving elements (these are known as fission products) and releases three free neutrons as well as gamma rays. Fusion and fission are nuclear reactions. Fusion is the binding of two atoms to produce a heavier atom while fission is splitting of an atom. Fusion releases more energy than fission and powers the stars.
Nuclear energy is one of the several alternative energy sources that have been introduced ever since. Nuclear energy’s various advantages entice many countries to start practicing it. One must consider the amount of energy generated by nuclear fuels, as they are highly-concentrated energy sources. Small uranium pellets, which are the most common form of fuel in generating nuclear energy, can generate as much electricity as a trainload full of coal does. In addition, nuclear power plants do not produce green house gases as byproducts.
Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).
Also called fission. It has pros and cons in terms of social and economical aspects. To begin with, nuclear power plants have come to leak in the past, which has enormous effects. This
01 June 2015. Since some of them might offer a partial position on the topic, pro or against nuclear energy I will try to compare their data every time I am talking about a specific event or situation in order to provide data that are as objective as possible. Even though a thesis should be used to demonstrate a position it is politically correct to list the same data from different sources and not just by the one that is more similar to my position. 8. Main Objectives Nuclear energy has become an integral part our lives.
Probably words like radiation, mutations and Homer Simpson pop into your head. However, that is not the case. According to Mark A. Jones, Director of Nuclear Operations and Engineering at Hutchinson Island Nuclear Power Plant, during our interview stated: “Nuclear energy compared to solar energy brings less of an impact because nuclear energy doesn 't emit air pollution unlike other forms of energy. It also only needs the fraction of land the salon energy needs and self-contain its own waste from polluting the environment.”