...Nuclear Energy Research Paper Global warming is a major issue in today’s world that affects many people, animals, economies, and society as a whole. What is global warming? Global warming is the rising average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. It’s been constantly rising over the past 100 years because of major contributions which include: greenhouse gases (especially CO2) being emitted, industrialization, burning of fossil fuels, and the increase in population. Global warming was first discovered in 1896 by a Swedish scientist named Svante Arrhenius who proposed an idea that there is a relation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature. He later then described, by comparing carbon dioxide levels, infrared absorption, surface temperature of the earth, and human activity, that global warming would rise. Other scientists didn’t believe this idea stating that natural forces would cancel out human activity that releases carbon dioxide. It wasn’t until 1988 that it was finally acknowledged that global warming is present because of how much warmer it was than the 1800s. Since then, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was founded which looks at scientific, technical, and socio-economic information that relates to human induced climate change and figures out plans and ideas to decrease and slow down the rate at which the climate is getting hotter. However, there are still disagreements to this day whether or...
Words: 2856 - Pages: 12
...MAV introduction A Nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor, the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator, and this produces electricity. Nuclear power plants are many different sizes and many sites have multiple units. Most of the new units are between 1000 and 1700 Mw electric. A good thumb-rule is 1000 Mw = 1 million homes Nuclear power stations use a fuel called uranium, a relatively common material of which Energy is released from when an atom is split by a neutron. The uranium atom splits into two which releases energy in the form of radiation and heat. We call this nuclear reaction the ‘fission process’. The uranium is first formed into pellets and then into long rods in a nuclear power station which are then kept cool by submerging them in water. When removed from the water a nuclear reaction takes place causing heat. In a nuclear power station the uranium is first formed into pellets and then into long rods. The amount of heat required is controlled by raising and lowering the rods. If more heat is required the rods are raised further out of the water and if less is needed they lower further into it. Advantages: The amount of electricity produced in a nuclear power station is equivalent to that produced by a fossil fuelled power station. Nuclear power stations do not burn fossil fuels to produce electricity and they do not produce damaging, polluting...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy. Over 31 countries use this source of energy. One of these counties being the United States, although the U.S uses nuclear energy to support its huge use of energy it is still very controversial and causes many disputes and arguments. First what is nuclear energy? It is released during nuclear fission or fusion. Nuclear energy is made in nuclear power plants which obtain the heat needed to produce steam through a physical process. This process, called fission, entails the splitting of atoms of uranium in a nuclear reactor. The uranium fuel consists of small, hard ceramic pellets that are packaged into long, vertical tubes. Bundles of this fuel are inserted into the reactor. This then outputs electricity. There are many reasons why nuclear energy is not popular in the US. One of the greatest reasons is safety with the Chernobyl nuclear accident at how much destruction and death it caused many still live in fear. Not to mention it raises suspicion with nuclear warfare (with all the access to uranium). Also many argue where all the left over waste will go from the plants. Critics argue that the cost benefits aren't so clear-cut. While the electricity seems cheaper up front, the exorbitant costs of building and maintaining plants must be added into the equation -- something industry experts rarely do. Long-term storage of nuclear waste is expensive and dangerous. Also, add the expense of finding and retaining...
Words: 397 - Pages: 2
...Nuclear Engineering and Design 240 (2010) 2820–2830 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Nuclear Engineering and Design journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/nucengdes Assessment the safety performance of nuclear power plants using Global Safety Index (GSI) Ayah E. Abouelnaga ∗ , Abdelmohsen Metwally, Naguib Aly, Mohammad Nagy, Saeed Agamy Alexandria University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Alexandria, 21544, Egypt a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t The safety performance of the nuclear power plant is a very important factor enhancing the nuclear energy option. It is vague to evaluate the nuclear power plant performance but it can be measured through measuring the safety performance of the plant. In this work, the safety of nuclear power plants is assessed by developing a “Global Safety Index” (GSI). The GSI is developed by introducing three indicators: probability of accident occurrence, performance of safety system in case of an accident occurrence (during an accident), and the consequences of the accident. The GSI is developed by tracking the performance of the safety system during a design basis accident such as loss of coolant accident (LOCA). This is done by using the PCTran simulation code in simulation a PWR LOCA and introducing four indicators: the sensation time, the response time, and the recovery time together with Core Damage Frequency (CDF). Then Fuzzy Inference System is used for obtaining...
Words: 1860 - Pages: 8
...the family and show how they differ from the Functionalist perspective, I will concentrate on the conflicting theories of Feminists, Marxists and Postmodernists. Functionalist Perspective Functionalism theory suggests that there is a specific pattern of family organisation corresponding to different types of society. Therefore suggesting there is a particular family form that best suits the conditions of industrial society. Functionalist's believe that the nuclear family replaced the extended families because of industrialisation. Parson claim's the nuclear family is crucial in relation to the socialisation of the young and stabilisation of adult personalities. G P Murdock says: “The family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults.” George Murdock (1949). Murdock asserts that the nuclear family is a universal social institution and that it exists universally because it fulfils four basic functions for society; Sexual, reproductive, economic and education functions. He argues that without these key functions society would disappear as they...
Words: 1186 - Pages: 5
...Nuclear War Jonathan Griner HIS/145 July 7, 2014 Jody Bell Nuclear War So what if today the sirens went off. I hate that we never know what is going to happen next all we know for now is to seek shelter, keep calm and pray for the best. If I were to be living under these circumstances every day I believe it would be unbearable. Could you imagine what it would be like to have bombs literally falling from the sky? And what if you had small children and you were in no way prepared for this event. Some might say that a nuclear threat is close to in similarity with the terrorism threats it also has its differences. A few similarities of these two very gruesome and spontaneous threats is that both are hateful acts against mankind. They are unannounced and can happen at any given time of day. And because of this it makes both a very scary thought. We as people prepare for natural disasters that can happen anytime but with warning. A few differences for instance in a nuclear war what can one do to prepare for that sort of tragedy? I can only imagine in the earlier years in America family’s had real yards that they could put shelters in. but, now America is so over populated and most people live in condos or apartments they have no space, they have no bomb shelter. But in a terrorist act that too is unpredictable. For instance take 9/11 no one could have ever seen something like that happen. That was so horrifying all those innocent people lost their lives for no reason at...
Words: 355 - Pages: 2
...issue Topic: Nuclear energy Course Code: EG114400 Class: 1C Name: Lee Chak Kwan 150134649 Lee Tsz To 150035266 Chong Ching Ho 150415484 Yip Chung Hing 150589275 Leung Ka Shing 150171909 Lee Ki Kwan 150035752 Contents Introduction 3 Background 1.Identify a global issue 3 2.Background of the global issue 4 3.Formulate a title for the presentation proposal 5-6 Analysis of the global issue 7-8 Perspective 1. Technological 8-11 2. Economical 11-12 3. Social 12-13 Recommendation 13 Conclusion 14 Reference 14-16 Introduction: First of all, we are going to introduce the nuclear energy. About the nuclear energy, we will explain and analysis from three parts about the background, the analysis and the trade-specific recommendations for local development. Also, we will thorough many different directions to probe the nuclear energy. Explain why the nuclear energy is the global issue, what is the problem and interest bring from nuclear energy. Then, our report will make you can know more about nuclear energy you may do not know. When you think why the nuclear energy will bring different problem to the earth also use this energy. We will explain each factor to you knows. Background: Since the 1950s, nuclear energy has been an important part of the world's fuels. Nuclear power is a nuclear reaction in the release of nuclear energy to...
Words: 2541 - Pages: 11
...Abolition of Weapons of Mass Destruction Leading to the instantaneous deaths of over 140,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, nuclear weapons are the most dangerous and unnecessary hazard for not only the United States, but all nations around the world (Cimbala 51). Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) including nuclear weapons, were deemed “totally irrational, totally inhumane, good for nothing but killing, [and] possibly leading to the destruction of life on Earth and civilization” by Ronald Reagan at the formation of the nuclear age (Shultz 2). Nuclear weapons cost the United States enormous amounts of money every year, result in the proliferation of nuclear weapons to other nations, concentrate power undemocratically and risk nuclear accidents; therefore, should be utterly eliminated. United States spending not only includes the manufacture of weapons, but also upkeep of the weapons, compensation for the fallout when testing the weapons, compensation to citizens with radiation exposure, emergency locations for citizens, recovery and waste disposal efforts, and defense spending. According to the Brookings Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project the United States disbursed an estimated $35.1 billion on all U.S. nuclear weapons and weapon related programs (Schwartz 7). $14 billion is set aside to maintain and house the nearly 20,000 nuclear weapons across the United States (Kimbrell 1). If these weapons were eliminated billions of dollars could be put towards essential programs...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...NUCLEAR POWER: FISSION The discovery of nuclear fission occurred in 1938 in the buildings of Kaiser Wilhelm Society for Chemistry, today part of the Free University of Berlin, following nearly five decades of work on the science of radioactivity and the elaboration of new nuclear physics that described the components of atoms. In 1911, Ernest Rutherford proposed a model of the atom in which a very small, dense and positively charged nucleus of protons (the neutron had not yet been discovered) was surrounded by orbiting, negatively charged electrons (the Rutherford model). Niels Bohr improved upon this in 1913 by reconciling the quantum behavior of electrons (the Bohr model). Work by Henri Becquerel, Marie Curie, Pierre Curie, and Rutherford further elaborated that the nucleus, though tightly bound, could undergo different forms of radioactive decay, and thereby transmute into other elements. (For example, by alpha decay: the emission of an alpha particle—two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium nucleus.) Some work in nuclear transmutation had been done. In 1917, Rutherford was able to accomplish transmutation of nitrogen into oxygen, using alpha particles directed at nitrogen. This was the first observation of a nuclear reaction, that is, a reaction in which particles from one decay are used to transform another atomic nucleus. Eventually, in 1932, a fully artificial nuclear reaction and nuclear transmutation was achieved by Rutherford's...
Words: 4146 - Pages: 17
...Have nuclear weapons reduced the number of worldwide conflicts? The correlation between nuclear weapons and world stability has been a controversial topic and the subject of heated discussions in recent years – there is a growing widespread belief that nuclear weapons create a more secure world by preventing hostilities from escalating. However, while nuclear weapons certainly do bring positive aspects, there is a good amount of evidence to suggest that they might not discourage but actually increase armed conflicts. This report will go over the benefits and downsides of nuclear weapons, and will examine specific examples in order to determine whether they have had a positive or negative effect in the number of worldwide-armed conflicts. Nuclear weapons were first created in the form of a bomb, during World War 2. They were the product of extensive research, known as the Manhattan Project, funded by the United States government and under the direction of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the military supervision of General Leslie Groves. Created by means of atomic fusion and fission, they were intended to give the US the upper hand in the war and mark the beginning of American hegemony in the world. The atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945 at Trinity site, in New Mexico. After a successful explosion, the bomb was ready to use against Japan and end the war in the Pacific. Officials agreed the attack had to be powerful and shocking so the world would see the United States was in control;...
Words: 2148 - Pages: 9
...POSITION PAPER: COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER Authors Thomas B. Cochran Christopher E. Paine Geoffrey Fettus Robert S. Norris Matthew G. McKinzie Natural Resources Defense Council issue paper: october 2005 Natural Resources Defense Council issue paper Commercial Nuclear Power ABOUT NRDC NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.nrdc.org. Copyright 2005 by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council issue paper Commercial Nuclear Power EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Because of the sheer magnitude and urgency of the global climate challenge, the United States must consider all forms of energy—as long as they do not otherwise undermine international and environmental security. Unfortunately, the nuclear power industry in its present state suffers from too many security, safety, and environmental exposure problems and excessive costs to qualify as a leading means to combat global warming pollution. Large-scale nuclear plants remain uneconomic to build. And while the nuclear fuel cycle emits little global warming pollution, nuclear power still poses globally significant risks that need to be further reduced, including:...
Words: 9865 - Pages: 40
...The Nuclear Revolution Joyce H. Davis Virginia College Online The Nuclear Revolution The unknown is daunting, even scary at times, causing hasty and irrational decisions. Lack of information and knowledge is the root of the reaction from society when one hears the word nuclear. At the present time, the United States is home to fewer than one hundred nuclear reactors. The cost of producing nuclear energy is comparable to the energy sources used today, and studies indicate that nuclear energy emits less greenhouse gases, gases that are a contributing factor to climate change and the deterioration of the ozone layer. Concerns arise about the safety of the workers and the public when it comes to the handling and the disposal of nuclear waste, but there have been no recorded deaths in the United States because of exposure to radiation from a commercial nuclear reactor. Precautions taken during the construction of nuclear power facilities helps to ensure the safety of the public in the wake of a catastrophic event. A new energy source is needed to address the issues pertaining to the energy crisis faced by society today. Nuclear energy is that source. Nuclear energy is a viable source of energy because the cost of producing it is low, because it emits less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, and because it poses no threat to the safety of its workers or the public. Because of the vast supply of uranium, costs involved with the production of nuclear energy are kept to a minimum;...
Words: 1034 - Pages: 5
...Nuclear warfare (sometimes atomic warfare or thermonuclear warfare) is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is used to inflict damage on the enemy. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage, and in a much shorter time frame. A major nuclear exchange would have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released, and could also lead to a "nuclear winter" that could last for decades, centuries, or even millennia after the initial attack.[1][2] Some analysts claim that with this potential nuclear winter side-effect of a nuclear war almost every human on Earth could starve to death,[3][4] While other analysts, that dismiss the nuclear winter hypothesis, calculate that with nuclear weapon stockpiles at Cold War highs, in a surprise countervalue global nuclear war, megadeaths to billions of casualties would have resulted but billions of people would nevertheless have survived the global thermonuclear war.[5][6][7][8] Only two nuclear weapons have been used in the course of warfare, both by the United States near the end of World War II. On August 6, 1945, a uranium gun-type device (code name "Little Boy") was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, a plutonium implosion-type device (code name "Fat Man") was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 people from acute injuries sustained in...
Words: 446 - Pages: 2
...heat and light . The only practical short term solution for the energy-crisis is nuclear power. Nuclear power, however is not as safe as burning coal, gas or oil in a factory it is in fact, much more dangerous, There are dangers associated with a nuclear power plant which far out weigh the benefits to society as a whole and in part to the community living and working around the power plant . About 20 percent of our nation's total electrical consumption per year is supplied by nuclear power from the 100 or so nuclear power plants throughout the country . Even though atomic power has been in use for over 50 years it was primarily a tool of war and destruction when the war ended need for atomic bombs diminished . The scientists who created the weapons were out of jobs . They then turned this destructive power into huge plants generating "clean and cheap " electricity for the country . It was called progress. Progress also brought with it sickness , mutations , cancer and eventually death to those exposed to high levels of radiation . Government declared that nuclear power is safe and efficient . Also have big Oil corporations who have a lot of money invested in nuclear power and want to see as many plants as possible put into and kept in operation . The truth is that accidents do happen at nuclear power plants and at other facilities all the time . An accident at a nuclear power plant has the potential to be much more devastating than an accident at a ...
Words: 2328 - Pages: 10
...Topic : THE BENEFITS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE? GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR ANSWER Nuclear power, which is generated by splitting of the atom, is one of the most modern energy today. Nuclear power has many benefits over other energy resources, particularly older methods such as oil, coal and hydroelectricity. It is more efficient than these traditional sources of energy and the raw materials needed to produce it occur commonly throughout the natural world. Nuclear power is said to be the modern, progressive way to meet the energy crisis, also be the solution of dependence on imported oil and natural gas in many countries. And the rate of accidents in the industry has been relatively low - not higher than in other energy industries. People argue that nuclear power is the modern, progressive way to meet the energy crisis. In the early 20th century, scientist discovered how to create energy through the use of highly radioactive elements such as Uranium. A tiny piece of Uranium about the size of a golf ball has the same amount of stored energy as 2.300.000 pounds of coal. That is 19 train cars of coal. This tremendous amount of energy, which is released from the Uranium in a nuclear reactor, can provide huge numbers of electricity for community. For example, over 100 nuclear power plants now generate 20% of The United State’s electricity. It is generally accepted that nuclear power reduces dependence on foreign oil and natural...
Words: 762 - Pages: 4
