Ethan Carhuapoma
5/26/17
Chemistry
Mr. Hindes
Nuclear Power Paper

Nuclear Power


The world is seemingly moving towards using nuclear power over coal power for energy. I believe that nuclear power is a part of our future for us as a developing species. As our world is developing into a more modern future, we need a more reliable and sustainable source of power to power our cities and lives, which we cannot find in wind turbines and solar panel fields. Our planet, concern with global warming and climate change, is seemingly facing the effects every year. For many years, our planet Earth has been getting warmer and warmer, with the hottest year ever record being broken many years in a row. The greenhouse gas effect is diminishing, and we are damaging our atmosphere by releasing CO2 and other damaging gasses into the air. Using coal as a source of energy creates many more byproducts than if we used nuclear energy. It takes far more coal to give power equal to a small amount of uranium. According to the European Nuclear Society, related to one kilogram, uranium-235 contains two to three million times the energy equivalent of oil or coal. Nuclear power plants, according to Nei, nuclear power plants split uranium atoms inside a reactor in a process called fission. At a nuclear energy facility, the heat from fission is used to produce steam, which spins a turbine to generate electricity. Nuclear power plants, for all the good they do and are, require a high level of technology. Countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty can have access to the materials, such as uranium or plutonium, that are necessary for the power needed for the plants. Due to this, most plants are located in the developed world. The good that nuclear power plants are, is that they do not harm the atmosphere, because they do not pollute the air or produce greenhouse gasses. The plants also do not need to be isolated, because they will not affect the living areas around them, because they do not pollute the air. Also, the plants recycle the steam used to power the turbines. They are cooled in cooling towers, and later turned back into water which can be used for more electrical powering. Anything else not recycled goes back into the atmosphere, which is perfectly fine, because it is clean water vapor. The plants also reuse nuclear warheads decommissioned from war. Arguments against nuclear energy are prevalent as well, however. One major concern is the byproduct of the nuclear power plants. The plants produce radioactive waste, which is something to be concerned with. The radioactive material is made up of unstable atomic nuclei. There is radioactive waste which is mainly clothes and tools that were used by workers. These objects can stay radioactive for thousands of years. The fuel and fuel rods of the nuclear poison are also very radioactive. One topic of controversy is based on where to keep and store all of the radioactive materials from the waste. There is concern from events and accidents of containing the waste. An example is with Chernobyl, where the storage facilities crack, erode, and leak. There are health concerns from the material contaminating the soil and groundwater of the area. The concern with what happened at Chernobyl where there was a steam explosion, and a plume was created. The plume was extremely radioactive, and spread radioactive particles which fell to the ground causing a fallout. The forests and life around Chernobyl felt the effects immediately, as forests died and dried up. Animals were affected, and causing poisoning of the food. Thousands and thousands of people were evacuated, yet it is difficult to specify how many people were taken victim to the accident.
Overall, I still do believe that nuclear energy is the way of the future. Our planet is being destroyed by our olden ways of creating energy, and as we develop, we need to find a sustainable source of energy that will not destroy our atmosphere. Even though preventable mishaps have happened, we still need to move towards a cleaner, safer future, where we are not living in a planet which is getting hotter and hotter.




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Gillis, Justin. "Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Society, National Geographic. "Nuclear Energy." National Geographic Society. National Geographic, 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 May 2017.



https://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/FAQ-About-Nuclear-Energy

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/science/earth-highest-temperature-record.html?_r=0
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/nuclear-energy/