Stark

Mike Stark
Marcia Smith
Engl 1010
5/01/2014
Nuclear Energy: Problem or Solution?
Nuclear energy is toute by some to be the solution to the !orl"s energy
#roblems$ %thers see it as a course o& research that !ill ine'itably lea to the estruction
o& humanity$ (s #o#ulations increase) there is increasing #ressure to &in reliable &orms
o& energy that are sa&e an a&&orable$ Nuclear energy tacitly o&&ers this) but can be
isastrous i& mismanage$ (s a mechanical engineer) * ho#e to o !ork in #article
#hysics an hel# esign ne! reactors to hel# sol'e the !orl"s energy nees$
+Nuclear energy, is energy release !hen atoms break o!n into smaller atoms$
(t their most basic le'el) atoms are mae u# o& the same materials - #rotons) neutrons)
an electrons$ .he only i&&erence bet!een hyrogen an camium is the innate
geometry cause by the most e&&icient #lacement o& these subatomic #articles$ (s atoms
gain more mass /mostly by aing #rotons an neutrons0) they become less stable) an
more likely to lose these subatomic #articles an rearrange themsel'es) becoming
i&&erent elements altogether$ .his is a naturally occurring #rocess in nature - hea'y
elements gi'e o&& subatomic #articles as a &orm o& raiation) in much the same !ay as a
light bulb raiates light in a steay stream$ Nuclear &ission is a metho o& s#litting the
nucleus o& an atom a#art more 1uickly than it !oul occur in nature$ ( bining &orce
hols the #rotons o& neutrons o& an atom together$ 2y using a gamma ray /a stream o&
neutrons an #hotons0) the center o& a large atom is s#lit a#art$ 3hen the &orces holing
the nucleus together are broken) they release a tremenous amount o& energy relati'e to
their si4e$ .hey also release #rotons an neutrons) !hich e5#an out!ar to im#act the
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nuclei o& other atoms) an begin the chain #rocess again$ .he &orces release by the
s#litting o& the atom are e5#resse as heat$ *n a nuclear #o!er #lant) the heat is
channele into !ater !hich) !hen con'erte to steam) #o!er a turbine to generate
electricity$
( large ra!back to nuclear energy is u# &ront ca#ital in'estments$ 3hile nuclear
&uel is com#arati'ely chea# 'ersus &ossil &uels) the u# &ront costs o& builing a nuclear
reactor that com#lies !ith international sa&ety guielines can be #rohibiti'e$ .he initial
cost &or a nuclear #lant can be hunres o& millions o& ollars &or a multi6ste# #lanning
#rocess that can take years be&ore seeing any energy create or income generate$
7onstruction costs o& a &ossil &uel energy #lant such as coal are generally much chea#er)
but the &uel manu&acture an trans#ort costs are &ar higher$ /Ne!ton6Small0$ 8rom an
economic stan#oint) constructing large scale nuclear #o!er resources can be back
breaking &or a small community$ 7ou#le !ith a gro!ing scarcity o& &ossil &uels) nuclear
energy is ra#ily gro!ing in #re&erence &or consumers$
( re'ie! o& ne! nuclear #o!er #lants in the !orl o'er the last t!enty years
sho!s some sur#rising trens9 more than :0; o& all ne! #lants in the !orl are in
Euro#e or North (merica$ /<itschelt =6:0$ .his is more easily unerstoo !hen the
#olitical stability o& the region in 1uestion is e5#lore$ >ue to the similarity bet!een
&issile &uel /the raioacti'e material use to generate #o!er in a nuclear #lant0 an the
materials use to make nuclear !ea#ons) there are ma?or concerns that #ro?ects in
relati'ely unstable regions !oul lea to nuclear #roli&eration an !ea#ons o& mass
estruction$ 8or this reason) there ha'e been massi'e #rotests in the mile east an
northeast (sia against using !ies#rea use o& nuclear energy$ @o!e'er) the methos
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&or making e5tremely raioacti'e material reacti'e enough to create the critical mass
re1uire &or etonation /a bomb0 are relati'ely i&&icult an &ar more costly to
manu&acture than less raioacti'e material such as Aranium62BC$ /Dohnson 4CB64:00$
No iscussion on nuclear energy coul be com#lete !ithout taking sa&ety
concerns into account$ Nuclear #o!er #lants release massi'e amounts o& energy &rom
relati'ely small &uel sources9 the #ossibility &or a massi'e isaster are 'ery real$ .o
generate #o!er) nuclear &uel ros are ke#t at a critical mass that continues to release heat
an energy$ .hey nee to be constantly coole by a &orm o& +hea'y !ater, that has to
constantly be re#lenishe to cool the system an release e5cess energy that can cause a
catastro#hic release o& energy /an e5#losion0$ .here ha'e been three nuclear isasters
since the ince#tion o& nuclear energy technology - 7hernobyl) .hree Mile *slan) an the
8ukushima Eeactor isaster in Da#an$ 7hernobyl an .hree Mile *slan !ere cause by
&ailures o& multi#le sa&ety systems incluing !arnings &or coolant &ailures an
containment breaches$ .he 8ukushima Eeactor isaster !as cause by a &i&teen &oot
tsunami) itsel& the result o& a magnitue C$: earth1uake o&& the Da#anese coast$
7hernobyl) by &ar the !orst nuclear accient o& all time) irraiate a 400 s1uare mile area
o& lan an mae it uninhabitable &or thousans o& years$ 3hile these numbers are
intimiating) they can be o&&set by an unerstaning o& the risks o& &ossil &uels$ 3hen
&ossil &uels such as methane are combuste) they are rearranging their #articles into
i&&erent com#ouns an releasing chemical energy in the &orm o& heat through
combustion$ .his is a relati'ely tame reaction com#are to the egraation o& Aranium6
2BC to .horium62B4 by the release o& al#ha #articles9 in &act) one kilogram o& nuclear &uel
/Aranium62BC0 !oul e1ual the amount o& energy out#ut &rom more than 1C)000
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kilograms o& methane$ 8rom a historical stan#oint) &ossil &uels cause) on a'erage) 100
eaths #er tera!att hour o& energy #rouce$ (lternati'ely) nuclear energy causes $04
eaths #er tera!att hour o& energy #rouce$ 7ritics are 1uick to #oint out) ho!e'er) that
&ossil &uels are the source o& the large ma?ority o& #o!er &or the !orl$ .he eaths
attribute to &ossil &uels inclue mining an re&ining relate accients) !hile eaths &rom
nuclear energy are generally &rom acciental irraiation an catastro#hes$ .aylor an
8rancis Frou# GG7 +( 7om#arati'e (nalysis,0
8rom an engineering #ers#ecti'e) * &irmly su##ort the use o& nuclear energy as an
e&&icient an rene!able source o& energy$ @o!e'er) long6term stries in sa&ety an
research into !aste remo'al nee to be mae be&ore nuclear energy can mo'e to the
&ore&ront o& international energy generation$ .here are too many concerns about
raioacti'e !aste is#osal) an the conse1uences o& a catastro#hic isaster$ * truly
belie'e that nuclear energy !ill hel# ease our reliance on &ossil &uels o'er the coming
ecaes gi'en enough inno'ation an e&&ort into is#elling the issues surrouning the
#ractice$
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Ne!ton6Small) Day +A$S$ Energy Gegislation may be HEenaissance" &or Nuclear Po!er,
Bloomberg 22 Dune 200B Print$
<itschelt) @erbert P$ +Political %##ortunity Structures an Political Protest: (nti6Nuclear
Mo'ements in 8our >emocracies, B.J. Pol. S 1I 1::C 5=6C5 Print$
Dohnson) Feral <$ +.he Enthal#y o& 8ormation o& Aranium @e5a&lourie, The Journal
of Chemical Thermodynamics Jolume 11 May 5 1:=: 4CB64:0 Print$
.aylor an 8rancis Frou# GG7 +( 7om#arati'e (nalysis o& (ccient Eisks in 8ossil)
@yro) an Nuclear Energy 7hains, gabe$!eb$#si$ch 3eb$
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