Why We Should Use Nuclear Energy Term Paper

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Nuclear Energy

Ever since an Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi succeeded in producing the first nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago in December of 1942 the usefulness and the drawbacks of nuclear energy have been debated all over the world. While the opponents of nuclear energy point to its enormously destructive power unleashed in atomic bombs, and the potentially harmful effects of radiation that can be released in nuclear reactor accidents and from nuclear waste -- its proponents emphasize the important benefits of the technology such as its application for producing cheap, plentiful and 'clean' electricity. In this paper we shall focus on the benefits of nuclear energy and discuss why we should use it? While doing so we shall also examine the concerns regarding the use of nuclear power and describe ways of overcoming them.

Types of Nuclear Reactions

There are two types of nuclear reactions through which nuclear energy can be released: by fission (splitting) of a heavy nucleus, or by fusion (combining) of two light nuclei. Both processes result in release of enormous amounts of energy since the products of the reactions have a higher binding energy than the reactants. Most present day nuclear reactors are based on the "fission" process. "Fusion" is a promising method of producing energy because fusion does not create radioactive products. However, fusion reactions are difficult to maintain as the nuclei repel each other. ("Nuclear Energy"-Encarta, 2003)

Energy Release in Nuclear Reactions

The major source of energy since the industrial revolution has been fossil fuels -- coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Energy is derived from fossil fuels by burning (a chemical reaction), e.g., when coal is burned heat is released, equivalent to about 1.6 kilowatt-hours per kilogram or about 10 electron volts (eV) per atom of carbon. On the other hand, a nuclear fission reaction releases ten million times as much energy from an equivalent mass of fuel. In practical units, the fission of 1 kg (2.2 lb) of uranium-235 releases 18.7 million kilowatt-hours as heat. (Ibid.) This enormous amount of energy released in a nuclear reaction amply illustrates its destructive potential as well as its potential for producing plentiful, useful power.

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Public Concerns about Nuclear Energy

As noted earlier, most nuclear power plants are based on the "fission" process. During various stages of the 'fission' nuclear cycle there is a high level of radioactivity present. Nuclear weapons can also be made from the nuclear fuels uranium-235 and plutonium-239. These two facts have prompted a public outcry against the use of nuclear energy, even for peaceful purposes. An accident at the Chernobyl (located in the then USSR) power plant in 1986 and a 1979 incident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant (near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) further reinforced these concerns. As a result, the use of nuclear energy has declined in the U.S. And most of the world during the last several years. In my opinion these concerns about the peaceful uses of nuclear energy are overblown and nuclear energy deserves a second look as a solution for the ever-increasing energy needs of the world. Safety concerns can be satisfactorily tackled given the present state of the art technology available in the nuclear industry.

Benefits of Nuclear Energy

Environment Friendly Electricity

Out of all electricity producing technologies, nuclear energy has perhaps the lowest impact on the environment in terms of the equivalent kilowatts produced.

The reasons are:

It is an emission-free energy source because it does not burn anything to produce electricity. Unlike in thermal power plants using fossil-fuels, nuclear plants produce no harmful gases such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide that threaten the ozone layer, cause smog, and acid rain. Nuclear energy also does not produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases that may cause global warming. ("Environmental Preservation"-2003)

Water discharged from a nuclear power plant (the cooling water) contains no harmful pollutants since it does not come into contact with radioactive material. Strict industry standards require the water to be cooled before being discharged so that it does nor affect marine life either. (Ibid.)

Less land is required for setting up nuclear power plants than electricity plants of all….....

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