The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power Plants

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.

In this essay I hope to talk to you about nuclear fusion. I will do this by outlining a few important aspects to take into consideration when talking about nuclear fusion. I hope to tell you what nuclear fusion is and when it was discovered. I hope to talk about the dangers involved with nuclear fusion and will it be controlled. I want to talk a bit about some previous nuclear disasters that humanity has faced in the past. I hope to talk a little bit about nuclear waste. I also hope to talk about some applications of nuclear energy in the 21st century. I hope to talk about some future uses of nuclear fusion that I have thought of. Finally I hope to give a conclusion about nuclear fusion and talk about what I have learned.

The global energy demand is increasing as years go by as there is a rapid growth of population in deed of power. Due to the high demand for energy, many people are opting to replace other forms of energy with nuclear power because of its safety, reliability, and sustainability. In addition, it is one of the cleanest carbon free sources of energy available in the world today. Nuclear power is the use of continuous nuclear fission to produce electricity and heat. However, there are a number of controversies over the use of nuclear energy with some supporting its use while others opposing the use of nuclear energy. Despite the controversy on whether to use nuclear energy as an alternative, nuclear power has proved to be safe, reliable, clean, and inexpensive. Therefore, Nuclear energy should replace other forms of power around the globe because it is more environmentally friendly, cost effective, and safe for use and to exist with human beings compared to other forms of energy being used today.

Nuclear energy has long been proposed as a viable alternative to fossil fuels for energy worldwide since the first commercial nuclear power stations began operation in the United States during the 1950s. At present, there are over 435 commercial nuclear power plants operating in 31 countries worldwide, generating 11 percent of the world’s power. Nuclear plants are able to generate large amounts of energy through the splitting of atomic nuclei in a process known as nuclear fission. The amount of energy released by nuclear fission is measured in units of electron volts, eV, and typical figures can range up to 200 million electron volts. Compared to the combustion of fossil fuels, which release only a few electron volts per reaction, nuclear power dominates in terms of power

Chernobyl, Ukraine. April 26, 1986. A nuclear reactor had exploded due to poorly trained workers and a badly executed monitoring procedure. It took over 600,000 emergency workers and firefighters to end the madness. By the end, 63,000 square miles of land were impacted and could not be used for crops. At least 5 million people were sick or disabled, and 985,000 were left dead. Even today, 4.5 million people have their houses on affected land, and are eating food that has been poisoned by this incident. The damage that nuclear power can do is off the charts, and although it doesn’t pollute the air like fossil fuels do, it can wreak havoc. Right now, 4.5 million people are sitting on radiation, smelling radiation, eating radiation, and living on radiation. Nuclear fission is what caused all the destruction. Nuclear fission occurs when an atom splits and releases energy. Nuclear fission is cheap and produces more energy than fossil fuels, but it releases hazardous waste. Another method of using energy must be found. Enter nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the exact opposite of fission, in which two atoms join together. Fusion is one of the most heavily-researched topics in the world right now because it has the potential to

We all know that the droppings of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War 2, but was it really the right thing to do? World war 2 was one of the most devastating wars fought in the history of mankind, resulting in the death of millions on both sides of the war. The dropping of the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the best strategic and political thing to do, but it might not have been the most moral thing to do.

Nuclear power plants are supposed to hold radiation inside the plant in case of an accident. New rules have been made to make sure nuclear disasters cannot be kept secret. If an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant in the United States, it must be announced within 15 minutes so people can evacuate quickly.

The US is always in a threat as we have picked up many enemies whether it is North Korea, ISIS, or Russia. In 1942 during World War 2, the US launched the Manhattan Project, which was the project to produce the first US nuclear weapon. We completed the nuclear bombs and destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Over 300,000 people died from these bombs essentially ending the war. These numbers demonstrate the amount people that were killed from 2 bombs. Unlike Japan we need to be prepared to prevent one of these attacks to strike any of our big cities as we can lose millions of lives, as well as, suffer a catastrophic loss in our economy. This bill needs to be passed for 2 key reasons, firstly; the risk is too high and if we do get hit by a nuclear warhead the US will be in catastrophic state; secondly, it ensures safety amongst our citizens as we can protect ourselves if any country tries to engage a missile at the US.

The safety of the production of nuclear energy has not yet to be constant. As the quantum mechanics behind the nuclear particle, gamma, can be very unpredictable. As the field of study is predominantly revolved around the theoretical processes of the principles regarding the mechanisms of quantum particles. “[R]adiation is not just a concern in a nuclear accident. Each link in the nuclear fuel chain releases radiation, starting with drilling for uranium; it then continues for generations because nuclear waste includes plutonium that will remain toxic for thousands of years. Despite years of research, countries with nuclear energy programs such as the United States have failed to solve the challenge of finding safe and secure storage for 'spent ' nuclear fuel... There are presently over 400 nuclear power plants in the world - many, in places at high risk for natural disaster or political upheaval.” (Lama 2011) There are also hypothetical situations that can occur in regards to a nuclear power plant. Living by or miles away from a nuclear power plant presents a great safety concern for the general population. The waste produced by the power plant has the ability to seek into the main water supply and the soil, evidently making the sources radioactive. Threats have also presented itself of possible attacks on a nuclear power plant. The dangerous and lethal effects that if a nuclear power plant were to have a meltdown are extreme. The radioactive material has the ability to travel and expand further than a uranium nuclear blast. The death toll will increase as radiation will travel for miles and miles reaching places that are not in near of the power plant. “The 2011 accident at Fukushima was a wake-up call reminding the world of the vulnerability of nuclear power plants to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. However, nature is not the only potential threat to

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused an immensely colossal number of displaced people. The number of the evacuees, as of 26 January 2012, was 341,411. Some earthquake survivors died in the shelters or in the process of voidance. Many shelters struggled to aliment evacuees and were not medically sufficiently equipped.

The nuclear industry has many positive and negative aspects. For example, nuclear power plants provide power for a city without emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide but also risk catastrophic nuclear meltdowns. A SCRAM situation is when a rapid emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor occurs in an attempt to prevent major destruction. Imagine working at a nuclear power plant where suddenly you find yourself overwhelmed by a reactor SCRAM situation. The China Syndrome is a hypothetical sequence of events following the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, in which the core melts through its containment structure and deep into the earth.

nuclear power can be generate from nuclear energy plants even in the cases of bad

Flooding of the equipment and the absence of power generation caused the first three units to isolate from their heat sink, the Pacific Ocean, which led to overheating for a period of time, which eventually led to melt-down.

of existing nuclear reactors, not realizing that earthquakes significantly increase risks concerning nuclear safety. However, as Hasegawa concluded, the disaster forced the public to face the real risks and public support has now shifted to renewable

Nuclear energy is a strong force that holds together the nucleus in an atom. To release this energy in order to produce electricity, scientist use the processes called nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Once the energy is released, it will change into radiation which is a form of energy. Before nuclear energy was generated, we use fossil fuel to produce electricity. However, fossil fuels such as coal and oil contributes detrimental air pollution. According to a study, the use of fossil fuels contributes approximately 1.8 million air-pollution related death globally. Therefore, scientist came up with the idea of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy can decrease the air pollution by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that will