Nuclear Power Is The Use of

Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactors to release nuclear energy and
thereby
generate electricity.
decay and nuclear
fusion.
The
term
Presently,
includes nuclear
the nuclear
fission of
fission, nuclear
elements
in
the actinide series of the periodic table produce the vast majority of nuclear energy
in the direct service of humankind, with nuclear decay processes, primarily in the
form of geothermal energy, and radioisotope thermoelectric generators, in niche
uses making up the rest. Nuclear (fission) power stations, excluding the
contribution from naval nuclear fission reactors, provided 13% of the world's
electricity in 2012. The share of the world's primary energy supply, which refers to
the heat production without the conversion efficiency of about 33 %, was about
5.7% Its share of the global final energy consumption (actually useful energy,
i.e. electric power) is below 2.5 %.
In 2013, the IAEA report that there are 437 operational nuclear power
reactors, in 31 countries although not every reactor is producing electricity.[6] In
addition, there are approximately 140 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion in
operation, powered by some 180 reactors. As of 2013, attaining a net energy
gain from sustained nuclear fusion reactions, excluding natural fusion power
sources
such
as
the Sun,
remains
an
ongoing
area
of
international physics and engineering research. More than 60 years after the first
attempts, commercial fusion power production remains unlikely before 2050.
Origins:
The pursuit of nuclear energy for electricity generation began soon after the
discovery in the early 20th century that radioactive elements, such as radium,
released immense amounts of energy, according to the principle of massenergy
equivalence. However, means of harnessing such energy was impractical, because
intensely radioactive elements were, by their very nature, short-lived (high energy
release is correlated with short half-lives). However, the dream of harnessing

"atomic energy" was quite strong, even though it was dismissed by such fathers
of nuclear physics like Ernest Rutherford as "moonshine." This situation, however,
changed in the late 1930s, with the discovery of nuclear fission.
In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron, which was immediately
recognized as a potential tool for nuclear experimentation because of its lack of an
electric charge. Experimentation with bombardment of materials with neutrons
led Frdric and Irne Joliot-Curie to discover induced radioactivity in 1934, which
allowed the creation of radium-like elements at much less the price of natural
radium. Further work by Enrico Fermi in the 1930s focused on using slow
neutronsto increase the effectiveness of induced radioactivity. Experiments
bombarding uranium with neutrons led Fermi to believe he had created a new,
transuranic element, which was dubbed hesperium.
How Nuclear Power Works

The nuclear power plant stands on the border between humanity's greatest
hopes and its deepest fears for the future.
On one hand, atomic energy offers a clean energy alternative that frees us
from the shackles of fossil fuel dependence. On the other, it summons images of
disaster: quake-ruptured Japanese power plants belching radioactive steam, the
dead zone surrounding Chernobyl's concrete sarcophagus.
But what happens inside a nuclear power plant to bring such marvel and
misery into being? Imagine following a volt of electricity back through the wall
socket, all the way through miles of power lines to the nuclear reactor that
generated it. You'd encounter the generator that produces the spark and the
turbine that turns it. Next, you'd find the jet of steam that turns the turbine and
finally the radioactive uranium bundle that heats water into steam. Welcome to the
nuclear reactor core.
The water in the reactor also serves as a coolant for the radioactive
material, preventing it from overheating and melting down. In March 2011, viewers
around the world became well acquainted with this reality as Japanese citizens fled
by the tens of thousands from the area surrounding the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear
facility after the most power full earthquake on record and the ensuing tsunami
inflicted serious damage on the plant and several of its reactor units. Among other
events, water drained from the reactor core, which in turn made it impossible to
control core temperatures. This resulted in overheating and a partial nuclear
meltdown
As of March 1, 2011, there were 443 operating nuclear power reactors
spread across the planet in 47 different countries [source: WNA]. In 2009 alone,
atomic energy accounted for 14 percent of the world's electrical production. Break
that down to the individual country and the percentage skyrockets as high as 76.2
percent for Lithuania and 75.2 for France [source: NEI]. In the United States, 104
nuclear power plants supply 20 percent of the electricity overall, with some states
benefiting more than others.
In this article, we'll look at just how a nuclear reactor functions inside a power plant,
as well as the atomic reaction that releases all that crucial heat.
Nuclear Power Plant

Just as many conventional thermal power stations generate electricity by
harnessing the thermal energy released from burning fossil fuels, nuclear power
plants convert the energy released from the nucleus of an atom via nuclear
fission that takes place in a nuclear reactor. The heat is removed from the reactor
core by a cooling system that uses the heat to generate steam, which drives
a steam turbine connected to a generator producing electricity.
How Do Nuclear Power Plants Work?

The core of a plant the part that generates heat contains 200 or so 12
foot long rods that are packed with uranium 235 pellets. These rods are then
added to a fuel assembly. The fuel rods are then bombarded with neutrons which
break apart the uranium 235 atoms. A process known as nuclear fission.
Nuclear Power Plant
The nuclear fission taking place in the rods creates large amounts of energy.
This heat energy is used to pressurize steam to move the turbines which creates
electricity.
E-grapy:
1.
How
Nuclear
Power
Works.
[On
line]
available
on:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm date: April 03th,

2.
2015.
How Do Nuclear Power Plants Work?
[On line] available on:
http://zidbits.com/2011/04/how-do-nuclear-power-plants-work/ date: April

06th, 2015.
3.
Nuclear
Power.
[On
line]
available
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm date: April 06th, 2015.
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Nuclear Power

decay and nuclear

release is correlated with short half-lives). However, the dream of harnessing

How Nuclear Power Works

Nuclear Power Plant

How Do Nuclear Power Plants Work?

Nuclear Power Plant

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm date: April 03th,

[On line] available on:

http://zidbits.com/2011/04/how-do-nuclear-power-plants-work/ date: April

http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm date: April 06th, 2015.

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