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Nuclear
energy uses the power of a uranium atom to produce electricity.
An atom is broken apart, resulting in heat. This heat is absorbed
by water. The hot water or steam runs a generator, which produces
electricity.
 Nuclear
energy is one of the most recent achievements in the long history
of harnessing energy, and one of the most controversial. A result
of research originally done to produce the atomic bomb, nuclear
energy takes advantage of the incredible within the atom in a productive instead of destructive
way. Explore more about this powerful but potentially dangerous
form of energy.
Image courtesy
Dept. of Commerce/NOAA
History
Nuclear plants first
came on-line during the late 1950s. In the 1970's, plants popped
up across the United States as a solution to our reliance on foreign
sources of energy. Tightly regulated by the federal government,
plants were issued operating licenses lasting approximately 40 years.
Many of those licenses are about to expire and
again our nation
is questioning our dependence on foreign energy
resources.
How
it Works
 Here’s
how it works.
-
is mined from the earth.
- The uranium
is formed into small pellets, and placed in long rods.
- Bundles
of these rods are housed in a strictly contained environment called
a reactor, where the nuclear reaction unfolds.
- The
reaction begins when
of the uranium atoms are bombarded with neutrons, causing the
nuclei to split apart. This process is called .
- When
the nuclei split apart, some of the energy takes the form of heat,
the rest results in
- The heat
is put to work, turning water into steam
- The
steam drives a ,
which spins a ,
producing electricity.
Due to the
dangers of radiation, the fission process is conducted under strictly
controlled conditions. The primary use of nuclear energy is to produce
electricity, and the extremely efficient process contributes a steady
supply of power to our overall energy mix. Just one pound of uranium
produces as much energy as 3 million pounds of coal.
Benefits
- Environmental–Nuclear
energy's environmental impact is minimal. It does not contribute
to air pollution. Nuclear power contributes no
at all to the atmosphere. Compare that to fossil fuels whose emissions,
known as , are
blamed for everything from global climate change to
problems and .
- Cost–Another
benefit is the cost of producing the power. When compared to other
energy types, nuclear is relatively cheap. The cost of the raw
fuel, ,
is less than natural gas, oil, or coal. The costs of running the
actual plant are similar to those of running a coal or gas plant.
Those lower costs combine to give consumers cheap electricity.
- Reliability–Nuclear
energy power plants produce a consistently large amount of power.
Limitations
The
most serious limitations of nuclear energy are disposal/storage
of the nuclear waste, and .
After a period of time in the reactor, the bundles of rods lose
their ability to produce heat effectively. These "spent"
rods remain radioactive, posing a disastrous threat if that radiation
were released. Since it takes hundreds of thousands of years for
the radiation to extinguish, nuclear waste has to be disposed of
in a way that will contain the radioactivity and protect people.
Disposal/Storage
of Spent Fuel
 Where
do we store a material that is radioactive? After all, we can't
just leave radioactive waste lying around. We don't want terrorists
to have access to the nuclear waste and use it for weapons. And
we can't put it in a landfill without seriously damaging our environment.
The Federal Government has decided to create a national repository
for nuclear waste in Nevada. Yucca Mountain will be the long-term
storage site for all nuclear waste in the US This means transporting
the waste over long distances in order to dispose of it, a plan
which concerns many Americans. Industry officials counter those
concerns by stressing the safety precautions they take. The waste
is in a solid form, and carried in extremely durable containers,
making a "spill" highly unlikely. But, no one can say
with certainty how safe a place Yucca Mountain is or how long storage
containers could last. And they will need to last for 40,000 years.
Radioactivity
 Radioactivity
happens when an atom degrades, shooting off neutrons. It is very
dangerous for all animal life when it isn't controlled. Your body's
DNA can be damaged by too much radiation. Radioactivity is spread
by wind, affecting large areas. And radioactivity remains in an
area long after a reactor melts down. The radioactivity will stay
in an environment for years.
Geographical
Considerations
 Nuclear
power can be generated almost anywhere. It’s dependent only
on a supply of uranium and the physical space needed for the plant.
However, the potential dangers of nuclear power make it a tough
sell to get communities to allow plants to be built. The nuclear
industry points to good-paying jobs, contributions to the community’s
tax base, and to their safety record as incentives for communities
to let nuclear plants locate there. For example, pebble
bed reactors , a new design of nuclear energy plants,
may allow smaller communities to use nuclear energy.
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What
do you think?
Weigh the benefits
and the limitations of nuclear power. Should this
resource
have a bigger piece of our "energy pie?"
Would you want a nuclear reactor in your community? Would
you want nuclear waste stored near your community?
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Sources
- CNN. "Chernobyl's
Deadly Legacy." (Online) http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/04/25/ukraine.chernobyl/index.html.
June 2001.
- Energy Information
Administration. "World Nuclear Generation of Electricity." (Online)
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_generation/gensum2.html.
August 2001.
- Energy Information
Administration. "U.S. Nuclear Generation of Electricity." (Online)
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_generation/gensum.html.
August 2001.
- Nuclear
Energy Institute. "Nuclear Energy in Iowa." (Online) http://www.nei.org/documents/maps/statebystate/iowa.html.
September 2001.
- Pebble Bed
Modular Reactor Ltd. "The Advantages of a Pebble Bed Reactor."
(Online)
http://www.pbmr.co.za/2_about_the_pbmr/2_5advantages_of_pbmr.htm.
June 2001.
- World Nuclear
Association. "Chernobyl." (Online) http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm.
June 2001.
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A
New Design for Nuclear Plants: The Pebble Bed Reactor
 New
nuclear power reactor designs could help ease concerns over the
safety of nuclear power generation. One new design called the "pebble
bed reactor" differs in several ways from the current generation
of reactors. More
Nuclear
Accidents
 There
have been three major nuclear accidents, one in the United States
at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Facility in Pennsylvania, one in
Chernobyl, Russia... More
PBS NewsHour
Links
Will 2,000
new nuclear plants be built over the next 20 years?
The Pros
and Cons of Nuclear Power and Trying to Cope with Nuclear Fear
A report
on underground storage tanks leaking nuclear waste.
Interested in
how nuclear waste will be stored in Yucca Mountain? NewsHour Extra
looks into the
sticky situation of storing our nuclear waste.
After researching
and debating for twenty years, the US government supports the Yucca
Mountain plan to store tons of radioactive waste in a Nevada
mountain.
Web
Links
Who
makes sure Nuclear Power is safe?
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates U.S. commercial nuclear
power plants and the civilian use of nuclear materials
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