Causes and Effects of Nuclear Energy

Energy is life, as life on this planet depends upon a fixed amount of energy (citation) . Modern industrialized energy sources, such as coal and petroleum, were originally utilized for their seeming promise of high energies yielded per unit volume. Now, there is a much cleaner source of energy, it is called Nuclear power. It originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission (The Nuclear Energy Institute (2012). Power plants use fission processes to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity (The Nuclear Energy Institute (2012). This electricity is consumed by people. This essay will firstly discuss the environment as for cause for nuclear energy, and then detail its subsequent negative biological and environmental effects.

Para 1 (Benefits)

To begin with there are many causes of nuclear power, but the key focus is that nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide; it is reliable and is very efficient compared to other sources of power such as fossil fuel and coal. No carbon emissions this the big selling point to environmentalists about nuclear power plants are that they are said to emit almost no carbon dioxide. Some prominent environmentalists have embraced nuclear power because they see the imminent threat of global warming outweighing the potential threat of localized nuclear meltdowns. But how true is the claim.

Reliability of nuclear power plants need little fuel, so they are less vulnerable to shortages because of strikes or natural disasters. International relations will have little effect on the supply of fuel to the reactors because uranium is evenly deposited around the globe. As stated by The Nuclear Energy Institute 2012 one disadvantage of uranium mining is that it leaves the residues from chemical processing of the ore, which leads to radon exposure to the public. Safety the results of a compromised reactor core can be disastrous, but the precautions that prevent this from happening prevent it well. Nuclear power is one the safest methods of producing energy. As stated by The Nuclear Energy Institute 2012 each year, 10,000 to 50,000 Americans die from respiratory diseases due to the burning of coal, and 300 are killed in mining and transportation accidents.

Transition

However, Nuclear Power Plants also have negative characteristic. Specifically, Nuclear Power Plants use uranium, one of the rarest elements in nature and a non-renewable source. Secondly, Nuclear power plants are also very expensive to build. Furthermore, failures in the cooling system can cause potentially hazarders steam explosions. Lastly, too much exposure to radiation can be fatal or cause cancer, and even exposure to small amounts radioactive waste can be lethal.

Para2

On the other hand, nuclear power negatively effects the environment as it is a catalyst for the devastation of nature resulting from meltdowns and waste disposal. Meltdowns occur when there is a loss of coolant water in a fission reactor, the rods would overheat. The rods that contain the uranium fuel pellets would dissolve, leaving the fuel exposed. The temperature would increase with the lack of a cooling source. As stated by Apikyyan and Diamond 2009. “When the fuel rods heat to 2800°C, the fuel would melt, and a white-hot molten mass would melt its way through the containment vessels to the ground below it.” Thus would lead to grammar-rays being exposed in the air which travel, if any living thing around the radius of three hundred and twenty one kilometres would get affected.

Waste Disposal the biggest stumbling block in support of nuclear power is the question of what to do with 20-30 tons of radioactive waste that each reactor accrues annually. Currently, waste is stored at nuclear plants across the country as new waste storage schemes are devised – then fought over, scrapped, revised and fought over again. Stated by the daily green 2012.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said “that waste can continue to be stored at plants almost 60 years after they shut down.”

Para3

The energy of nuclear detonation effects the environment in three ways, which are: blast radiation, nuclear radiation and thermal radiation. The distribution of radiation depends on the kind of nuclear weapon and the place of a blast. As stated by Weart (year) “For a low altitude atmospheric detonation of a moderate sized weapon in the kiloton range, the energy is distributed roughly as follows: 50% as blast; 35% as thermal radiation; and 10% as residual nuclear radiation.” The second main kind of nuclear weapon is based on the fusion reactions. Thanks to these reactions a large amount of energy is produced. These kinds of bombs can be several times more powerful than fission bombs. This is explained by the fact that the fusion reaction can produce a larger amount of energy per same mass. The bombs which are based on the use of fusion reaction are named hydrogen bombs, thermonuclear bombs or fusion bombs. Only several countries in the world possess this kind of nuclear weapon. The fission mechanism is used in order to start the process of fusion in these kind of bombs, according to Rhodes “When the fission bomb is detonated, gamma and X-rays emitted at the speed of light first compress the fusion fuel, then heat it to thermonuclear temperatures”

Conclusion

To conclude the effects of nuclear power is to dangerous in the long term as it will affect the environment and the people. The danger caused by the use of nuclear energy is the main argument of the opponents of this use. At the present moment nuclear energy is one of the most dangerous and destructive energies in the world. Nobody can guarantee that it will be used only for peaceful goals. Distressing facts from our history, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing or Chernobyl tragedy prove this. Antagonist of the nuclear energy use note that solar, wind or other renewable fuels are more effective and less dangerous types of fuels if to compare them with nuclear energy.

References List

Apikyyan, S & Diamond, D. (2009). Nuclear Power and Energy Security. (1st ed)N.P. Springer Publishing.

The daily green (2012). Nuclear Power, retrieved from http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/nuclear-power-pro-con#ixzz2CLcUCD4F

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) (2012). Retrieved from www.nei.org.

Rhodes, Richard. (1986). The Making of the Atomic Bomb. New York: Simon and Schuster.

U.S. Department of Energy (2012). Retrieved from www.nuclear.energy.gov/

Weart, Spencer R. 1988. Nuclear Fear: A History of Images. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Natural Resources Defense Council (2012). What if the Fukushima nuclear fallout crisis had happened here? Retrieved from )http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/fallout/

Nuclear Power and Energy Security

edited by Samuel Apikyan, David Diamond

World energy consumption has developed dramatically over the past few decades. This growth in energy demand will be driven by large increases in both economic growth and world population coupled with rising living standards in rapidly growing countries. This proceeding examines the status and future of nuclear power because of a belief that this technology is an important option for the regional and the world countries to meet the future energy needs without emitting carbon dioxide and other atmospheric pollutants. The objectives, addressed to government, industry, and academic leaders, discusses the interrelated technical, economic, environmental and political challenges facing a significant increase in the global nuclear power utilization over the next half century and what might be done to overcome those challenges.

U.S. Department of Energy 2012.

Electricity drives the U.S. economy. It powers our homes, offices, and industries; provides communications, entertainment, and medical services; powers computers, technology, and the Internet; and runs various forms of transportation. Electricity and the many technologies that it powers enhance the quality of life for our customers and contribute to the progress and success of our nation.

Even as electric utilities and power suppliers work hard to meet the increasing demands of consumers, they are strongly committed to reducing the environmental impact of electric generation. As an industry, the electric power sector has implemented flexible and cost-effective voluntary programs to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for several years.