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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Nuclear power is nuclear reactions that releases energy. Although it has no greenhouse gas emissions and is a relatively clean fuel source compared to fossil fuels it is not perfect. This energy source is highly dangerous to the environment, animals and humans. The byproduct that nuclear power creates is radioactive waste and will kill you if you come into contact with it. We can contain the harmful waste, but if something was to go wrong it could destroy cities and kill thousands. To create nuclear power you use water and turn it into steam, which then drives turbine generators to create electricity. Because a lot of water is used there is a higher chance of the water becoming contaminated. The heat that is used to create the steam is created when uranium atoms split. In the United …show more content…

This heated water is circulated through tubes in steam generators, allowing the water in the steam generators to turn to steam, which then turns the turbine generator. Water from the reactor and the water that is turned into steam are in separate systems and do not mix. In Boiling Water Reactors (also known as BWRs), the water heated by fission actually boils and turns into steam to turn the turbine generator. In both PWRs and BWRs, the steam is turned back into water and can be used again in the process. ("How Do Nuclear Plants Work?" -Duke Energy. Web. 20 May 2016.) These power plants recycle water, but if the water becomes contaminated it can cause, “programmed cell death, genetic mutations, cancers, leukemia, birth defects, and reproductive, immune and endocrine system disorders. There is no safe threshold to exposure to radiation.” according to Riverkeeper Inc. an organization dedicated to keeping New York’s water clean. If something was to go wrong the effects it would have on whoever comes into contact with it would not be worth us using this cheaper energy

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Nuclear fission, the process that takes place inside a nuclear power plant, actually produces 10 million times the amount of energy produced by fossil fuels. That’s more energy for less money! Nuclear energy has been used for more than just electricity as well. Its uses involve medical research equipment, industrial equipment, scientific neutron beams, and nuclear weapons. People say that nuclear energy is responsible for the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb which can wreak havoc on a large scale, like desolating a country, to a small scale, like altering DNA.

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Nuclear energy does not result in the emission of any of greenhouses gases and other poisonous gases for instance, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Nuclear power produces clean and compact energy with no carbon dioxide and using it is the best way to stop the global greenhouse emission causing global warming (Greenberg and Heather 820).

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Thorium nuclear fission is much like UNF; the process starts with the splitting of one Thorium atom. This reaction causes other thorium atoms to split, and this creates heat that is used to boil water and turn a turbine. The two main differences between the two, however, are Thorium is much safer to obtain because it is in the top layer of the earth's crust, and it is highly abundant. Another difference is that Thorium is much easier to control. If thorium were to get out of control there is a storage container that the thorium would leak into and stop it from damaging the core or the entire power plant.

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In a boiling water reactor, the heat from fission causes the water to boil. That boiling water produces steam which then drives a turbine. The steam is converted back to water and returned to the reactor core. To prevent overheating, control rods are inserted in a nuclear fuel bundle. The control rods are made out of a metal that absorb small atomic particles.

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Nuclear power plants is a thermal power generator in which heat source is considered a nuclear reactor. Nuclear energy originates from nuclear power plants that split uranium atoms in a process called fission. When fission releases energy, it is used to produce steam; which is used in a turbine to generate electricity (Cohen, n.d.). In a nuclear plants reactor, neutrons from uranium atoms clash with each other. Once electricity is generated a lot of radiation products such as, cesium, tritium, krypton, and forms of iodine are produced (Cohen, n.d.).

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The heat then boils water, which creates steam that is needed to move the blades of a machine called the turbine. The turbine is connected to a power generator, which produces electricity. Also, a condenser cools down the boiling water inside the reactor so it can be recycled. One benefit of using nuclear power is the fact that nuclear power is 10% of our global energy.

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Nuclear power plants are bad for the environment and for the organisms in and around it because they are so deadly and destructive. In power plants the nuclear reaction of fission is forced, creating an extreme amount of energy and deadly radiation. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter ones, for fission to occur requires extreme heat and pressure. When the nuclear fission occurs it produces electromagnetic radiation in the form of gamma rays, which is the most deadly form of radiation (britannica). Everything within a 50 mile radius will receive an average dose 0.01 millirem per year (nrc.org).

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6. Steam Generator. It forms a portion of the cooling system of pressurised water reactors. The high pressure primary coolant transfers the heat from the reactor and is used to generate steam in a secondary

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California should not have nuclear power plants built because the stake is placed way too high. On April 26, 1986, a nuclear power plant at Chernobyl exploded, resulting in huge releases of radioactive materials. This impacted the health of countless adults and children. According to the WHO’s article, many people have acquired thyroid cancer, ARS, and cataracts from the Chernobyl incident.

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At the present time, nuclear power is the cleanest energy source compared to coal, oil, and natural gas. To be sure, Nuclear power is a power that does not emit greenhouse gases, which destroy the atmosphere. Notably, It is important to notice that if handled in the proper way, nuclear power can be a reliable, low polluting source of energy that is worthier than the leading fuels. Further more, the cost of constructing nuclear plants is staggering, A point to remember is that the cost of uranium is considerably low being compared to other fuels that are in account.

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In power plants, heat is created by burning fossil fuels. However, in nuclear plants heat is created by nuclear fission (the splitting of atoms). In a nuclear plant, the nuclear reactor creates heat that is used to make steam. The steam then turns a turbine connected to an electromagnet, called a generator. This process creates electricity.

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Within the past few years, nuclear power has presented itself as an ideal power source: clean, safe, and incredibly efficient. It’s because of this that nuclear energy proves that it is ultimately the best current alternative to fossil fuels.

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Since the 1940s we have been using nuclear power as a source of energy. It is mainly used on power plants and consists of two types of generating in the nuclear energy process. Firstly there is nuclear fission, this consists of a neutron being fired at a high velocity and then colliding with uranium. This then causes the nucleus to split in half then creating a large amount of energy. Nuclear energy is surrounded by quite a few debates.

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Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).

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