Essays On Nuclear Energy

Nuclearenergy

NuclearPoweranditsusesisagrowingdiscussionintoday'seraoftechnology.Australiaisoneof thedevelopedcountrieswherethedemandsofenergyresourcesareincreasingrapidlyNuclear energyiscomingupasagreatalternative,butvariousfactorssupportaswellasopposeitsgrowth. Somecountriesopposetheusageofnuclearenergybecauseoftheproblemsassociatedwithits usage.ProductionandMaintenanceofnuclearpowerisveryexpensive.Nuclearpowerisviewedas toodangerous,uneconomical,andnotrequired.Although,nuclearenergyhasapotentialhazard,but itisreliableintermsofefficiency,environmentalimpactandcostwhencomparedwithother sourcesofenergy.Therefore,theincreaseinthe...showmorecontent...

Thoughrenewablesourcesofenergyarereliablebuttheiroutputgreatlydependsonthe environmentForexample,cloudydayshavenosolargain,hencenosolarenergyproductionQuiet daysmeannowindblowstodrivewindturbines.Damsareprimarilyforfloodcontrol,so hydroelectricityproductionvariesasdamwaterlevelsfluctuate.

ConsideringthecaseofAswanDaminEgyptnotonlycausedthousandstoloosetheirhomesand livesbutalsoceasedthefertilesurroundingbecauseoftheyearlyinundationoftheNileMoreover, thesubsequentsiltingupfortheriverdestroyedmuchwildlife.

DuetoThermalPowerGeneration,2500milliontonsofcoaleachyearisconsumedtoproduce38% oftheelectricity,While61,000tonsofNaturalUraniumwillbeusedtogeneratethesameamount ofenergy(WorldNuclearAssociation,2005)

Secondly,nuclearenergysourcehasaweakimpactonenvironmentthantheNon–renewable resources.Thereisnodoubtthatuseoffossilfuelsleadstoglobalwarming.While,theamountof carbondioxideintheatmospherewasonly0028%fivedecadesago,now,asperAmerican PetroleumInstitute(1998)estimatesitreached0.036%.Additionally,burningoffossilfuels, especiallycoal,oil,andnaturalgasesarethemaincausesforincreaseinpollution;especiallyair pollution.Severalhazardouspollutantsareproducedbyfossilfuelscombustion:CarbonMonoxide, NitrogenOxides,SulphurOxidesand

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Abstract

Theuseofnuclearenergyisabigtopicfordebate.Manycountrieshavefullyembraceditwhile others,suchastheU.S.,haven't.Nuclearenergyisfearedforitsdangerandscornedbecauseofits wastes.Ontheotherhand,nuclearenergydoeshavesomeproslikecheapercostofenergyand environmentallysafeReactorbreedersshowgreatpromiseinnuclearwaste,butareitenoughto convincethenation?

Introduction

Nuclearknowledgehasexistedforalongtime.NuclearEngineeringU.S.DepartmentofEnergy relates,By1900,thephysicistsknewtheatomcontainslargequantitiesofenergyǁ(par11).Many othersformedgoodtheories,suchasErnestRutherfordandEinstein'scontributionwithhisequation E=mc^2.In1934...showmorecontent...

NuclearEngineeringUSDepartmentofEnergyexplainsthat,―It[self–sustainingchain]would happenifenoughuraniumcouldbebroughttogetherunderproperconditionsǁ(par19). Theresultofallthistalkwasthatin1942FermigatheredscientistsattheUniversityofChicagoto discusstheirtheoriesandpossiblycreateaself–sustainingchainreaction.ByNovemberofthatyear theyhadconstructedplansandwerepreparedtobuildthisnewmodelknownasChicagoPile–1. NuclearEngineeringUSDepartmentofEnergydescribesthemodelas,―Inadditiontouranium andgraphite,itcontainedcontrolrodsmadeofcadmium.Cadmiumisametallicelementthat absorbsneutrons.Whentherodswereinthepile,therewerefewerneutronstofissionuranium atomsThisslowedthechainreactionWhentherodswerepulledout,moreneutronswereavailable tosplitatoms.Thechainreactionspedupǁ(par21).InDecemberof1942thescientistswerereadyto demonstratetheirhardwork.Thiswasahugebreakthroughinthenuclearworld. Mostoftheearlyresearchdoneonnuclearenergyconsistedoftryingtomakenuclearweapons.The experimentswereperformedinNewMexicounderthenameoftheManhattanProject.Theirefforts wereasuccesswiththecreationofthefirstatombombAfterWorldWarIIthough,theuseof nuclearenergywasturnedmorepeacefuluses.In1946CongresscreatedtheAtomicEnergy

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NuclearPowerWhatifallthepoweryouwouldeverneedinyourlifecamefromsomethingthesize ofagolfball?1kilogramofuraniumcanprovideforeverysparkofenergyyoucoulduseinyour lifefromrunningyourACtopoweringanairplane.Andyetthisenergysourceisunderutilizedand onlymakesupabout20%oftheelectricityusedintheUnitedStates(NEI,2017).Thequestionnow iswhy?Ifnuclearpowercancreatesomuchenergywithminusculeamountsoffuelandwastewhy doesn'ttheU.S.useitmore?Theanswercomesfromsuchheavyrelianceonfossilfuelsandafear ofallthingsnuclear.Butthisrelianceonfossilfuelscannotcontinueformuchlongerbecauseof depletingresourcesandcontinualpollutionworldwidePowerfoundthroughothermeansisneeded tocompensateforthis.Energyproducedthroughnuclearreactionsaresoundandeffective, providingawaytochangehowenergyworksandtheeffectsithasworldwide.Forthemostpart, whenpeoplehearthewordnucleartheyinstantlyhaveimagespopintomind.Theythinkofatomic bombs,nuclearfallout,radiationpoisoning,andsometimestheendoftheworld.Theseviewshave impactedtheamountofnuclearenergyintheUnitedStatesitproducesonly85%oftheUStotal energy.(IER,2016)Thoughthisissubstantiallymorethanotheralternativesourcesofenergyitis stillquiteminorcomparedtofossilfuels.Theseviewsappeartobegenerallysharedacrosstheglobe withNuclearpowersupplyingonly11%oftheworld'selectricity.Though13countriesrelyon nuclearenergyforoveraquarteroftheirenergyneedswithFrancethehighestat72.3%.(NEI, 2017)ButifNuclearenergyistoplayabiggerroleespeciallyifitisgoingtoreplacefossilfuelit mustbesustainablemeaningthattheremustbeenoughofittorunonforalongtime.Therearetwo waystoreleasenuclearenergythefirstwayisbysplittingatomsaprocesscalledfission.Butfission requirescertaintypesofatomsthatarebigenoughtobreakapartsuchasuranium–235Nowpeople commonlythinkthattheseelementsarehardtofindbuturaniumis"ascommonastinorzinc,andit isaconstituentofmostrocksandevenofthesea.(WNA,2016)"The

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TheNuclearPowerDebate

In1953,nuclearenergywasintroducedintoAmericaasacheapandefficientenergysource, favouredinplaceofincreasinglyscarcefossilfuelswhichcausedairpollution.Itsinitialusewas welcomedbythegeneralpublic,asitwashopedtolowerthepriceofelectricity,andutilisenuclear powerforit'spotentialasaresource,notaweapon.However,aspeoplebecameawareofthelong termdangersinvolvedinstoringnuclearwaste,it'susewascriticised.

Twoaccidents,atThreeMileIslandandChernobyl,demonstratedtotheworldtheenormousrisks involvedinproducingnuclearpower.Nuclearpowerprovides17%oftheworld'selectricitybutcoal isthemainsource,makingup39%.showmorecontent

Nuclearpoweristheonlypracticalsource,inconsiderationfortheenvironment,costandefficiency. Coal–firedgenerationofelectricitywouldincreasecarbondioxideemissions,andrenewablesources suchassolarandhydro,arenotsuitableforlargescalepowergenerationNuclearpowerisnot withoutitsownimplications.Theprocessincludesdisposingofradioactivewaste,whichposesa threattotheenvironmentandtheworldifnotcontainedproperlyandtemporarilydisposedofwith maximumsecurity.Inthethesis,"Nuclearpower:anenergyfuturewecan'tafford",byPeterKelly fromHamiltonCollege,hewrote,

...we'dstillhavetoworryaboutterroristsmakingbombsoutofnuclearwaste. Justfivepoundsofplutonium,acomponentofnuclearwaste,isenoughtomakeanuclearbomb. SuchabombcouldtoppletheWorldTradeCentreandkillhundredsofthousandsof people...Terroristsmaybeabletorecruitdisgruntledscientists..."Disposingofnuclearwasteis extremelycontroversial,becauseittakesthousandsofyearstodecompose,andtheradiationremains active.Otherthantheenvironmentaleffectsofdisposingnuclearwaste,thepotentialofradioactive falloutfromafaultyreactorisadangerouspossibility,andtheeventsfollowingtheaccidentat ChernobyldemonstratedthelongtermdestructivenessradiationiscapableofIn1986atChernobyl, an ...Getmorecontent...

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NuclearEnergyEnergyconsumptionhasbecomeanecessityandanimportantpartofourdailylife inthepast10years.Itseemsthattheworldislookingforanenergysourcethatiscleaner,cheaper andmoreefficientandsincenuclearenergyhasemergedithasbecometheforerunnerforalternative energysources.'Asof2004,nuclearpowerprovided6.5%oftheworld'senergyand15.7%ofthe world'selectricity,withtheUS,France,andJapantogetheraccountingfor57%ofnuclear generatedelectricity'('Nuclearenergyfacts'2007).Nuclearenergycanbeadoublededgedswordas itcanbeusedforpeacefulusesorusedtomanufactureweaponsofmassdestructionwhichcanput theworldindangerAsmorecountriesbegintoshowmorecontent

Butafteralltheadvantagesofusingnuclearenergyoutweighitsdisadvantagesasnuclearplants emitlessthanone–hundredthofcarbondioxidegascomparedtocoalorgas–firedenergyplantsso thereisaverylittleeffectontheenvironment.Humanslivingnexttocoal–firedpowerplantsare exposedtohigherradiationdosesthanthoselivingnearnuclearplants,wheretheformerisharmful tohumanhealthandmayberesponsibleforacidrainOntheotherhanddependenceonnuclear energyisnowincreasinginmostcountriesasnuclearreactorsuseuraniumasafuelwhichisfound everywhereonearth.Itisinexpensiveandeasiertotransportthanotherfuelswhichmakesthemless dependentonoilandforeignfuelfromothercountries.Nodoubtthatmostpeoplebelievethatthe worldisabetterplacethanitwas20to30yearsago.Butactually,theworldisbecomingavery dangerousplacewithnumberofcountriesowningnuclearweaponsincreasing'Inall,thereare approximately27,600nuclearweaponsinexistence'('Weaponsaroundtheworld'2005).Theyare constructedusingeitherhighlyenricheduraniumorplutonium,whichthenreliesontwobasicways toreleaseenergyfromanatomwhicharenuclearfissionandnuclearfusionNuclearweaponsare thendividedintotwogroups,fissionbombswhichbreakapartheavyatomicnucleiandfusion bombswhichfuselightnuclei.Withmanyrecent

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Theprocessusedwastogatherinformationfrombooks,theInternet,andinterviewingmyfather whoworksatanuclearpowerplant.

Therearemanyformsofenergy.Coal,gas,oil,andnuclearpowerarethemostcommonformsof energyusedintheUnitedStates.Threeoftheseenergiesarelimited:coal,gas,andoil.Nuclear powerisunliketheotherthreebecauseitusesthefissionprocessinsteadofcombustionThisform ofpowerisunlimited.Itproducesheatenergyliketheothers,butdoesnotproduceCarbonDioxide andotherparticulateemissions.

NuclearPowerismadebyNuclearFission.Tocreatefissionyoumustsplitanucleus(usually Uranium)withaneutron.Thisshowmorecontent

Alphaparticlesareanothertypeofradiation.Alphaparticlesarepositivelychargedparticlesthat losepowerrapidly.Theyarenotdangeroustotheskintissuebutifinhaledoringestedcanbefatal. AsimplesheetofpapercanstopAlphaParticles

AlsoBetaParticlesareradiation.BetaParticlesarepositiveornegativeelectrons.Theyarelike AlphaParticles,theyareonlydangerousifinhaledoringested.ClothingoraluminumcanstopBeta Particles.Allofthesetypesofradiationcanbeconsiderednuclearwaste,butalsooftenhaveuses.X RaysuseradiationtoexamineusRadiationisusedinmedicine,dentistry,andindustries RememberthenexttimeyougetanX–Rayyouareexposedtoradiation.

TherearetwotypesofreactorsOneistheBoilingWaterReactor(BWR)First,purewateris pumpedintothereactorandboiledintosteam.Thesteamtravelsthroughthecontainmentstructure totheturbine.Theturbinespinsturningageneratorthatmakeselectricity.Thesteamgoestoa condenser.Thecondenserusescolderwater(usuallyfromariverorthesea)tocondensesthesteam intowater,whichisreusedbythereactor.ABWRhasonlyone"side".

BoilingWaterReactor(BWR)

ThesecondtypeisthePressurizedWaterReactor.ThePressurizedWaterReactorisdifferentfrom the

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TheAssociatedPressreported,"Gov.KateBrownsignedintolawlegislationthatwouldeliminate coal–generatedenergy,makingOregonthefirststatetodoso....'Coalcostsusall–it'shurtingour climate,oureconomy,andourcommunities,'saidDougMoore,OLCVExecutiveDirector, 'Oregonianswantcleanenergy,notdirtycoal,andthisisadayourcommunitywillremember.'" (Banchiri)

Coalenergyisaproblem,notonlytoAmericans,buttotheenvironmentaswell.Coalcontributesto muchoftheatmosphericallyproblemsthatwillweighontheupcominggenerations.Therefore,we needasafeandgreenalternativebeforethedamagecausedbycoalbecomesirreversibleThereare manyalternatives,butmostofthemarenotefficientandarenotabletoprovidelargequantitiesof energy.Nuclearenergyisarapidlydevelopingindustry,thatcouldsolvetheproblemsposedby coal.TheUSDepartmentofEnergyandcitizensshouldenactlawsthatencouragenuclearpoweras areplacementtocoalenergy,inordertohaveacleanerenvironmentandhavealong–lastingenergy reservoir

Nuclearpowerisabetteralternativetostandardcoalandgaspowerforavarietyofreasons.Nuclear impactcanbemeasuredbyhowbeneficialitistotheworld.AccordingtotheCalifornia EnvironmentProtectionAgencyAirResourcesBoard,"InCalifornia,theclosingoftheSanOnofre NuclearGeneratingStationin2012contributedtoa24percentincreaseincarbonemissionsfrom the

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Nuclearenergyhasbeenusedsince1895tocreateweaponsthatcoulddestroymenbythemillions. Scientistslatertransformedthisdestructiveweaponintoanewformofusable,renewableenergy. Nuclearenergyisenergycreatedbyharnessingtheenergyproducedbythenuclearreactionsthat takeplaceinsidethenucleusoftheUraniumIsotope235,("NuclearEnergy").Nuclearenergyisone attempttodecreasetherateatwhichnonrenewablefossilfuelsarebeingconsumedSomebelieve nuclearenergytobeanenvironmentallyfriendlyandselfsustainingwaytoproduceenergy; however,thereareacountlessnumberofsocialandeconomicallyriskstoconsider;ultimately,the detrimentaleffectspowerplantleaksandexplosionshaveonthehumanbody,thecostittakesto producetheplants,andtheproductionofnuclearwaste,shouldbeenoughtopersuadeonetoturn awayfromusingnuclearenergyasasourceofpower.

Thefearofanuclearpowerplantsisreasonable,consideringtherewerethirty–threeaccidents betweenthe1950'sandearly2000's,(McInnes,Colin).Multipleincidentsjeopardizedthehealthof employeesandnearbycitizensSixoftheseincidentshappenedintheUnitedStates,fiveinJapan, andthreeintheUnitedKingdomandRussia."Thirty–fivelitersofhighlyenrichedUraniumsolution leakedduringtransfer,"intheUnitedKingdom;morethan100workerswereexposedtoone hundredandfiftymilliremsofradiationadayinJapan;reactorsin ...Getmorecontent...

NuclearEnergy

Nuclearenergy–Thisisenergythatbindstogethercomponentsofanatomicnucleus.Thisismade bytheprocessofnuclearfission.Nuclearfissionisproducedwhenanatomicatomissplit.Theway nuclearporeismadeisinanuclearreactor,thisismostlikelylocatedinanuclearpowerplantthe fissionthatisproducediswhenaheavyelementsplitsinhalforishalvedintotwosmallernuclei, thepowerofthefissionislocatedbytherateofthesplittingofthenucleiatoncewhichcauseswatts ofelectricitytobeforcedintotheenergytype Energythatisreleasedbythenuclearfissionmatchesalmostcompletelytothatofthepropertiesof kineticshowmorecontent

Theaverageshieldofapowerplanttwelvetofourteenfeetindiameterandfifteentotwentyfeet high.

Thiscreatesaproblemwithgammarayleakageoutintothebiomesthisusuallywouldonlyhappen inatimeofcrises,thisiswhyshieldsaresohighlyneeded.Becauseofthisfactorthereare secondaryshieldsonlyusedincasesofextremeemergencies.Usuallythisactiontriggersthefast paceemergencyreactions.Inthistimethesecondaryemergencysystemreacts,thewaythatitreacts isbyenclosingthereactorinagastightchamber.Thischamberhasairlocks,theseairlocksare doublesealedandareusuallytwosidedTheshieldedcoverstheentirereactor,andtheprimary coolantsystem.Allthecoolantventsareautomaticallyshutupandoff.Thissafelycontainthe fissionproductsinsidetheshell.AnotherwayofstoppingthisistheNegative TemperatureCoefficient,whatthissealdoesissealoffthereactorandpumpingasesthatareof sub–zeronegativetemperatureproperties,thisfreezesthethermalneutrons,slowthefission,and finallyfreezetheradiationparticles.

Theseproceduresarehighlyeffectiveinstoppingthecontaminationofthelocalcommunity. Becauseofallthepossibledamagenuclearpowerplantsaredesignedandoperatedinamannerthat emphasizesthepreventionofaccidentalreleaseofradioactivityoutintotheenvironmenttherehas neverbeenadeathcausedby a

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ProsandConsofNuclearEnergyEssay

ProsandConsofNuclearEnergy

Nuclearpowerwastheworld'sfastestgrowingformofenergyinthe1990's.However,presentlyitis thesecondslowestgrowingworldwide.Consideringthatnuclearpoweraccountsforelevenpercent oftheworld'senergysupply,onemustaskwhathappened[NuclearPower]Whyisitthatthe growthofnuclearpowerhasalmostcompletelystalled?Thesimpleansweristhataftermeltdowns suchasThreeMileIslandandChernobyl,manypeopleareafraidofnuclearpowerplants,which causesgreatoppositiontotheexpansionoftheindustryUnfortunately,mostpeoplearenotwell informedaboutnuclearenergy;manydonottakethetimetoviewitspositivesandnegatives.

Contraryshowmorecontent

Pollutionisanothertopicwithbothprosandcons.Fossilfuelsreleaseharmfulpollutantsintotheair suchascarbondioxideandsulfurdioxideNuclearpowerdoesnotreleaseanyofthosetoxinsinto theatmosphere.However,apollutionproblemwithnuclearenergyisthermalpollution,wherea plant's"hoteffluents"areputintoanearbybodyofwater,andraisethetemperaturebyasmall amountbutenoughtocauseadisturbanceintheecosystemofthelakeorreservoir.Nevertheless, thiscouldeasilybesolvedbycoolingtheeffluentsbeforereleasingthemintothewater.Theother problemfacingnuclearenergyiswastedisposalNuclearwasteisradioactiveandverydangerous Therefore,itmustbekeptburiedandsealedupforalongperiodoftimeuntiltheradioactivitydies [Plasma–Material].Onepositivefactaboutnuclearenergythatisnotdisputedisitsabundance.

Itisestimatedthatattoday'srateofconsumption,theearthhasaboutfiftyyearsleftoffossilfuels. Incontrast,duetotheverysmallamountofuraniumneededtocreateahugeamountofenergy,the supplyofnuclearenergyisalmostinfinite[Jiskha].

Therefore,nuclearenergyisnotasbadasitismadeouttobeShouldtheworldconvertcompletely tonuclearenergy?Absolutelynot,thereare

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Therearesourcesofenergythatarerenewableanddonotcausesomanypollutants,howeverthey onlycontributeasmalleramounttotheenergypyramid.Thesesourcesincludehydro–electric power,windpower,solarenergyandbiomassenergy.Mostofthesefuelsourcesdonotproduceas muchenergyasefficientlyasthemajorityoffuelsourcesusedtoday.Solarpowerisacleansource ofpracticallyinexhaustibleenergySolarplantsareeasytoconstructandsolarpowerissafeIthas manyusesfromheatingtodirectelectricenergygeneration.Windpowerisalsoacleansourceof energy,howeveritcanbeintermittentandlowyielding.Movingalongtohydro–electricenergy generationwhichisusedslightlyshowmorecontent (H.E.R.I.).

Manycarcompaniestodayarepreparingfortheuseoffuelcellpowergeneration.Companieslike Ford,Chrysler,andHondaarealreadydevelopingorhavealreadydevelopedvehiclesbuilttorun fromthefuelcellsortransitionalmotors.Theseenginesaredesignedtorunmoreefficientlyand morecosteffectivelythanthoseoftodayCommercialcarsoftodayaregettingincreasinglymore efficientduetothehundredsofthousandsofengineersintheworldmakingimprovementstothe internalcombustionengine.Whenthisnumberiscomparedtothe5000peopleworld–wideworking todevelopfuelcellsitiseasytoseethealreadyefficientfuelcellinfavorofthemuchdeveloped combustionengineandthedirectionoffuelproductionforthefuture.Squeakycleanhydrogen operatedbusesarealsobeingdevelopedformasstransportationpurposesTransportationisa preliminarytesttodeveloptheuseofthefuelcellandcaneasilybeconvertedintootheruses. Itisimportantfortheconsumerstorealizethemagnitudeoftheenergysituationandstriveto providetheirchildrenwiththetoolsandtheeducationtoproperlyconservetheresourcesavailable Thesesimpletaskscanstartinthehomeandcanbeeasilyappliedtoeverydaylife.Forexample,it's moreefficienttoleavealightoninsteadofturningitoff

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NuclearEnergySynthesisEssay

AcrosstheUnitedStates104nuclearreactorsgeneratearound20%ofthenation'selectricity.While worldwide436nuclearreactorsgenerateabout15%oftheworld'ssupplyeveryyear(Carson). Somepeoplefeelasthoughweneedtoexpandthefleetofnuclearreactorsandincreasenuclear powerproduction.Nuclearenergymaybeoneofthebestwaystocombatglobalwarmingand reduceCO2emissions,howeveriftheradiationandnuclearwastethatitproducesisbetterforour environmentthantheCO2isstilluncertain.IntheUnitedStatesthenuclearpowerplantsuse uranium–235asthenuclearfueltoproduceenergy.MostoftheuraniumthattheUnitedStatesuses isfoundinWyomingandNewMexico(NuclearEnergy)U–235isminedusingmethodssimilarto otherores.Howeverwhentheuraniumismineditcanexposetheminerstoradiation....showmore content

Thespentfuelrodsandtheotherproductsproducedbythenuclearfuelprocessarehighlyreactive. Thiswastemustbestoredinverysafeandsecurelocationsfortensofthousandsofyears,whichis periods"longerthanthehistoryofmostgovernmentstheworldhasseen"astheformerAtomic EnergyCommissionputit(Carson).Theuraniumthatisusedinthereactorshasahalflife,thatis longittakesforhalfthenucleiintheradioactivematerialtodecay,of10,000years,while plutonium,anothernuclearfuel,hasahalflifecloseto25,000(Carson).Somesaythatitistoo muchofaburdentoplaceonfuturegenerationstobeabletoproperlymonitorandmaintainwaste dumpsthatwilllast20timesthelengthofknowncivilizationAsMichioKakuputitinNuclear Power:BothSides"Thecontroversysurrounding[nuclear]wasteboilsdowntoonequestion–can wetrustandmanmadestructuretoisolatehigh–levelwastefortensofthousandsofyearsgivenour always–changingsocialinstitutionsandthevagariesofwar,revolutions,andsocialupheavals"

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Withthegrowingneedforasafe,andreliablesourceofenergypeopleneedtoconsidernuclear energy.Nuclearenergyisoneofthemostefficientsourcesofenergyintheworld.Nuclearenergy canbeanextremelyreliablesourceofenergy.Itcanbecostefficient,safe,,andareliablesourceof energy.Thoughnuclearenergymaynotaperfectsourceofenergyitwillbenecessaryforthe futureNootherenergyalternativeisbetterthannuclearenergyThebenefitsofnuclearenergyfar outwayanypossibleriskassociatedwiththeusageofnuclearenergyasanenergysource. Thefirstreasonisbecausetheburningoffossilfuelsproducesmostoftheworld'senergyasof todayTheburningoffossilfuelsreleasesdeadlygasesintotheearth'satmosphereThiscan severelydamageourplanet'satmosphere.Nuclearenergyproducesalotlessharmfulgasesthanthe burningfossilfuels.Thisshowswhynuclearpowerisabetterenergysourcethanfossilfuelsinterm safety.(PushkerandHansen).Nuclearenergyiscapableofreplacingfossilfuels.Noothersourceof energycanbeasreliable,andmakeenoughenergyconsistentlyburningoffossilfuels.. Alternativelymanypeoplesupportforaenergyplanthatonlyusesrenewableenergysourcesfor power.Thisplanwillnotbeabletowork.Energysourceslikewindandsolarcanfailtowork becauseofweatherconditions(Spector).Thiscreatesahugeproblemthatmustbesolvedforthis plantowork.Theremightpossible

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Nuclearenergyhasnoplaceinasafe,clean,sustainablefuture.Nuclearenergyisbothexpensive anddangerous.Andjustbecausenuclearpollutionisinvisibledoesn'tmeanit'sclean.Renewable energyisbetterfortheenvironment,theeconomy,anddoesn'tcomewiththeriskofanuclear meltdown.HighprofiledisastersinChernobyl,Ukrainein1986andFukushima,Japanin2011have raisedpublicawarenessofthedangersofnuclearpowerConsequently,zealfornuclearenergyhas fizzled.Thecatastrophicrisksofnuclearenergy–likethemeltdownsofnuclearreactorsinJapanor Ukraine–faroutweighthepotentialbenefits.Newnuclearplantsaremoreexpensiveandtakelonger tobuildthanrenewableenergysourceslikewindorsolarIfwearetoavoidthemostdamaging impactsofclimatechange,weneedsolutionsthatarefastandaffordable.Nuclearpowerisneither. Wecandobetterthantradingoffonedisasterforanother.Thenuclearageisoverandtheageof renewableshasbegun.MeltdownsliketheonesinFukushimaorChernobylreleasedenormous amountsofradiationintothesurroundingcommunities,forcinghundredsofthousandsofpeopleto evacuateManyofthemmaynevercomebackIftheindustry'scurrenttrackrecordisany indication,wecanexpectamajormeltdownaboutonceperdecade.Thepossibilityofacatastrophic accidentataU.S.nuclearplantcannotbedismissed.Thereisstillnosafe,reliablesolutionfor dealingwiththeradioactivewasteproducedbynuclearplants.EverywastedumpintheU.S.leaks radiationintotheenvironment,andnuclearplantsthemselvesarerunningoutofwaystostore highlyradioactivewasteonsiteThesiteselectedtostoretheUS'sradioactivewaste–Yucca MountaininNevada–isbothvolcanicallyandseismicallyactive.Beyondtherisksassociatedwith nuclearpowerandradioactivewaste,thethreatofnuclearweaponsloomslarge.Thespreadof nucleartechnologyandnuclearweaponsisathreatfornationalsecurityandthesafetyoftheentire planet.Nuclearenergyisn'tjustbadfortheenvironment,it'sbadforoureconomy.Nuclearpower plantsareexpensivetobuild,promptingWallStreettocallnewnucleara"betthefarm"risk.Every

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TheAmericasandtheSyria'senergyismostlydiffrante.Thereisbarelyanythingthatissimilaror closetobesimilar.ThereisbarelyanythingthatissimilarbecauseSyriaisinwarrightnow.Russia isthinkingaftertheSyria'scivilwartheyaregoingtobuildoilrefinery.Syriahasabigproblem withtheirsecuringfuel.TheAmericasaretryingtofixthesmokethatiskeeponcomingoutofthe building

Thewomanwiththequestionmarkaboveherheadatthebottomofthepagewiththeoilmachen, thatrepresentsthatpeopleinAmericaistryingtofixtheoilproblem.Thewindmillthathasthe otherwindmillnexttoitthatrepresentsthatuseuse9quadsofrenewableenergyeveryyearThe nuclearenergythatisbythe...showmorecontent...

Themanandthemanthatareshakinghandswiththepaperbythemandthepeopleontherightside thatarehappyrepresentsthatthetwomensignsacontractedthattheyagreedwithaboutenergy. Thepolesthathavethesparksarecomingoutthatrepresentsthatthepowercutoffanditalmost wentblackoutanditisverydangerous

ThedifferencebetweenSyria'senergyandAmerica'senergyisSyria'senergyhasaproblem securingfuel.InAmerica'senergythereisn'treallyaproblemwiththeseveringfuel.InAmericathe jobsofenergyitsavespeople'smoney.InSyriatheenergyjobsdon'treallysavepeoplemoney.In Americaweuse35quadsofoilayear,butinSyriatheydon'tuse35quadsayeartheyuseless. Americauses25quadsofgasayear,butinSyriatheyuselessgasayearAmericauses20quadsof coalayear,inSyriatheydon'tuse20quadsayeartheyuseless.Inamericaweuse8quadsof nuclearayear,inSyriatheyuselessnuclear.AfterSyria'swarIran'swillbuildaoilrefinery,in AmericatheyaregoingtotellothercountriestobuildsomethingforthemAmericaistryingto reducetheemissions,Syriaisnottryingtoreducetheemissions.

ThesamethingbetweenSyria'sandAmerica'senergyisthatthereisaproblemwiththeenergy. Therearesimilarbecausetheybothhaveproblemswiththeenergy.Theyarealittledifferent becauseitisadifferentwayoffixingit.Theyaremostlythesameproblem.

America'senergywill

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Nuclearenergyisafascinatingdiscoveryandanup–incomingstrongenergysupplierofmany thingsinourworldtoday.Nuclearmaterialsincludemanypieces,suchas;radiation,radioactive decay,nuclearreactors,fissionandfusion.Itishighlypossiblethatourworldwillbecomevery dependentonnuclearresourcesinthefuture;however,they'llnotonlysupplyuswithpositivesbut manyfiercenegativesaswellNuclearenergyisacomplexmaterialthatcarriesmanydeepside effects,oneofwhichbeingradiation.Radiationistheemissionofenergyaselectromagneticwaves orassubatomicparticles.Throughradiation,energyistransmittedinformssuchaslight,heatand soundRightalongsideofradiationisshowmorecontent

Whereas,fusionistheresultortheprocessofjoiningtwoormorethingstogethertofromonesingle creation,forexample,liquefyingormeltingbyapplyingheat.Nuclearmaterialsnotonlyrequire heattobeformed,buttheyalsocancreateheat.Nuclearmaterialscancreateheatandelectricity,as wellasbeingusedinthedevelopmentofweaponsandmedicalneeds.Heatfromnuclearmaterials typicallycomesfromnuclearfuel;usednuclearfuelwillemithighlevelsofbothheatandradiation Suchnuclearfuelsarealsousedtocreateformsofenergysuchaselectricityinmanyareasofthe worldtoday.Asaweapon,nuclearmaterialcanbedevastatingtoanyecosystemwhichitmaycome incontactwith.Mostcommonly,plutonium(knowntobeusedinNorthKorea)oruraniumisused inthecreationofnuclear/atomicweapons.Aproductcalledaresearchreactoristhetypicalstarter kitformostoftheworld'snuclearbombprogramsThisresearchreactorservesprimarilyasa neutronsourceandisalsocalledanon–powerreactorbecauseitdoesnotgeneratepower,suchas the"powerreactors"usedtocreateheatandelectricity.Nuclearmaterialsarealsousedformedical needs,suchasthecommonlyknown"X–ray",ortheisotope,technetium–99mandmolybdenum–99 shortagesaddressedintheHouseofRepresentativesvotein2009.Inthisvote,theHouse affirmativelydecidedtoreestablishthedomestic

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"In2016,nuclearenergyaccountedfor59.9percentofU.S.emissiongeneration,"accordingto (greenpeace.org).Thisisnearlyasmuchcarbondioxideaswouldbeproducedfromsome118 millioncarsperyear.TothinktheUnitedStatesisfundinganoperationthatisslowing,butsurely doingdamagetotheenvironmentisprofound.Thereareotheroptionsthentoonlyrelyingon hazardousnuclearenergyasasourceofpowerJustbymakingtheswitchtousingrenewableenergy resourceswouldcausetheamountofpollutionreleasedintheU.Stodropbyalittleoverthirty percent,andthecostofproductionwoulddecreasebymorethanfiftypercentofwhatitistoday. Removingnuclearpowerplantsandimplementingtheusageofrenewableenergyresources throughouttheU.S.wouldbehighlybeneficialbecauseitwouldcauselessdamagetothe environment,itwouldallowforacosteffectivealternativesourceofenergy,anditwouldreducethe vulnerabilityofthepublic.Toillustrate,theamountofpollutionthatiscreatedasaresultofusing nuclearenergyisdetrimentaltotheenvironment.Since,"thereisstillnosafereliablesolutionfor dealingwiththeradioactivewasteproduce"(wwwgreenpeaceorg),thewasteproducedbynuclear powerplantswillremainhazardouseternally.Allcurrentcommercialnuclearpowerplantsfunction throughtheprocessofnuclearfission.Thereareatremendousamountofnuclearpowerplantsand commonlytheyallconvertenergyinto

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Oneofthemostpressingtopicsofdebateintherecentyearshasbeenthedifferentsourcesofenergy andtheireffectsontheenvironment.Peoplehavestartedtorealizethenegativeeffectsofnon–renewableenergy,suchasgreenhousegasemissionsandothernegativeeffectsontheenvironment, butneglecttotakeactionandimplementmoreecofriendlyenergysources.Forthepast300years theworldhasbeenpredominantlypoweredbycoalandothernon–renewableenergysources,but nowitistimetomovepasttheseenergysourcesandtransitiontomoreefficient,cleanenergylike nuclearenergy.Inthosepastthreecenturies,wehavelearnedalotabouthowfossilfuelseffectthe environment,whilealsodiscoveringcleanenergysourcesthatcanreplacetheoutdatedenergy sources.Inthisessay,Iwillarguethatnuclearenergyisthesolutiontotheenergydebateandprove thatitisthebestenergysourcebasedonitseffectontheenvironment,economyandenergy efficiency.Itisanundeniablefactthatgreenhousegasemissionsarehavinganegativeeffectonthe environmentwhichiscausingaraisingglobaltemperature.Thisprocessiscalledglobalwarming andalthoughscientistbelieveitisnaturaltosomeextent,thereisalsomanyscientificpublications linkinggreenhousegasemissionstoacceleratedglobalwarming.However,sincenuclearenergyisa cleanenergysource,nuclearenergydoesn'temitgreenhousegaseswhichwouldhelpslowdownthe processof

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NuclearEnergy–Clean,EnvironmentallyFriendlyEnergy

Nuclearenergyistheworld'slargestsourceofemission–freeenergy.Nuclearpowerplantsproduce nocontrolledairpollutants,suchassulfurandparticulates,orgreenhousegases."Renewables"like solar,windandbiomasscanhelpButonlynuclearpoweroffersclean,environmentallyfriendly energyonamassivescale.Theuseofnuclearenergyinplaceofotherenergysourceshelpstokeep theairclean,preservetheEarth'sclimate,avoidground–levelozoneformationandpreventacid rain"Currently,thereare103commercialnuclearpowerplantsproducingelectricityintheUnited States,locatedat64sitesin31states.Theyare,onaverage,24yearsold,and...showmorecontent... Inthepast,FalloutshelterswereadministeredbytheU.S.FederalCivilDefenseAdministration, whichoperatedfrom1951invariousformsuntil1979,whenitsfunctionswerepulledintothe FederalEmergencyManagementAgency

(http://wwwearthmountainviewcom/sheltershtml#fallout)

However,nowthisconcernofbeingexposedtothesesortsofparticleshaswanedandpeoplearenot asworriedasinthepast.Dotohavingstrongerplantsforthissortofenergytobeproduced,these plantshavebeengoingonforyearsanditjustkeepsimprovingwithuse.The103U.S.nuclear powerplantsarelicensedbytheNuclearRegulatoryCommissiontooperatefor40years,andcan renewtheirlicensesforanadditional20years(EsernotesApril4th).Todate,30havereceived licenserenewaland40moreareexpectedtohavetheirlicensesrenewed.Eventually,virtuallyall USnuclearplantsareexpectedtoapplyforlicenserenewal(http://wwwneiorg)

Citizensofcountrieswherefossilfuelsarebeingutilizedareconcernedatthepossiblechanceof globalwarming.Somanygreenhousegasesemitted,iceburgsandcapsareshiftingormelting,that populationisbeginningtoworryaboutwhatisgoingtohappentotheenvironmentinthefutureif thissourceiskeptbeingusedWithnuclearenergywedon'thavetoworryabouttheenvironmental changes.Nuclearenergyhas

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Whenmostpeoplethinkofanuclearthreat,theythinkofanuclearattackfroma foreignnation.Inreality,thelargestnuclearthreatcomesnotfromforeignattack,but fromamuchcloserenemy:nuclearpowerNuclearpowerisverydangerous,andshould bedoneawaywith.

Thenuclearagedawnedin1945,whentheUnitedStatesdroppedatomicbombs ontwoJapanesecities,HiroshimaandNagasaki.Thebombinghadatleasttwoeffects: theJapanesesurrender,bringingWorldWarIItoaswiftend;andmanypeopleinthe UnitedStates,especiallyscientistsandofficialsinvolvedinthedevelopmentofatomic bombs,wereawed,frightenedandfilledwithguiltoverthe...showmorecontent...

Many

peopleseetheexistingformofnuclearpowerasunsafetechnologywithapotentialfor catastrophe.Therehavebeenmultipleexamplesofthisthroughoutthehistoryofnuclear powerincludingtheBrownsFerry,ThreeMileIsland,andChernobylincidents.

Aseriousincidentoccurredatanuclearpowerplantin1975asaresultofafire startedbyacandle.OnMarch22,1975,twolargereactorsatBrownsFerry,Alabama wereoperatingandgenerating2,200megawattsofelectricity.Beneaththeplant'scontrol center,electriciansweretryingtosealairleaksamongthecomplexarrayofelectrical cablesthatmadeuptheelectricalsystemofthetworeactors(Stephens15)

Theleakswerebeingsealedbystuffingstripsofpolyurethanefoamamongthe cables.Totestforairleaks,theelectriciansheldalightedcandleneartheplasticfoamto

seewhethertheflameflickered.Someofthefoamcaughtonfire.Threechemical extinguishersfailedtoputitout.Afterfifteenminutesafirealarmsounded.Meanwhile, thefirewasspreadinganddestroyingcablesthataffecttheplant'selectricalsystems includingthereactor'sEmergencyCoreCoolingSystem.Asmallpumphadtobeusedto keepthefuelcorecoveredwithwatertopreventameltdown.(Stephens17–19)

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