Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Profession

After All, How Nuclear Can We Get? In the 1950s, nations around the globe raced to master the science of nuclear fission. Scientists discovered how to sustain a nuclear reaction allowing a new kind of energy that opened the door to many prestigious opportunities. Nuclear proliferation, being the primary motivation in hopes to aid the military in the war, had stressing theories on how to achieve a reaction. Whichever nation contained mastery of nuclear weapons would essentially win the war. As the nuclear race came to a close, german scientists accomplished the very first controlled atomic fission reaction. The nucleus of an atom can trigger a reaction in which atoms begin to separate. When contained in a power plant, heat is generated and

Fossil fuels primarily powers the world through natural gas, petroleum, and coal. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and eventually will completely dissipate. Fossil fuel plants cost more to operate than nuclear power plants. A coal fired power plant will require three million tons of coal; generating the same amount of energy a nuclear power plant would produce using two hundred tons of uranium fuel annually. (Gale 1). Nuclear energy can be reprocessed to help reduce radioactive waste. Chemically, waste is broken down into a form that can be used to generate power. A years supply of waste can be turned into a block of glass mixed with sand and other materials; this process is called vitrification. Vitrification is an expensive treatment because it recycles nuclear fuel and isn’t easily accessible . (Lerner

Generally, there are two types of radioactive wastes. Front end waste is usually a result from extraction in the mining fields, and back end waste is produced by spent fuel rods. Back end waste is significantly more radioactive than front end waste. Once the enriched uranium is spent, it becomes extremely dangerous and radioactive. Proper storage is required to prevent harmful radioactive contact. Large barrels of radioactive waste is transported to isolated areas where a bunker would be built. Ground water and active fault lines are heavily considered. If a fault line were to trigger an earthquake, the bunker could be damaged contaminating groundwater which is essential for our fresh water supply. Radioactive elements can not be disposed due to the isotopes’ half-life. Uranium 238 takes up to 4.5 billion years to decay. Uranium 235 takes up to 704 million years to day and uranium 234 takes up to 245 thousand years. The half life of the uranium isotope used in nuclear power marks nuclear waste as permanent considering how long it takes to decay. High-level waste is converted into rock-like form, placed in the deep bedrock of the Earth. (Bernard 1). Low-level waste is not as dangerous as high-level waste. It is far less radioactive and much easier to recycle. Using Ken Kingery’s method to recover enriched uranium from spent and contaminated materials, he can recycle nuclear materials. About ten percent