Nuclear Energy

Alexandria Bursiek Energy Seminar

Nuclear energy is a tree hugger's dream. With easy accessibility and low pollution, it seems as if nuclear energy has it all, but the radioactive qualities have left people wondering if it is safe to use. After the events at Fukushima Daiichi, Japan, countries have been debating whether it is worth the risk to depend on nuclear energy for power. Nuclear energy is derived from a radioactive element. The most commonly used being the element uranium. An uranium atom has an atomic number of 92, meaning there are 92 protons in the nucleus and has a total mass of either 235 or 238.1 The mass of an atom comes from the number of protons and neutrons in the atoms nucleus. This means that uranium's neutrons occur most commonly in two forms, 143 and 146. An isotope is when two atoms of the same element have a different number of neutrons, in the nuclei. None of the known isotopes of uranium are stable, causing them to break apart often, through the process of fission. Fission is when an atom breaks apart and releases energy, in the form of alpha particles, nuclei, protons, gamma rays, and/or neutrons. This energy can be displayed through light and heat. Alpha particles are equivalent to helium nuclei and protons are equivalent to the hydrogen nuclei. Fission often happens through the process of exponential decay, or in this case, nuclear decay. As the atom decays, however, the radioactive materials remain present. Often, these particles can be seen and experienced decades later. Radioactive particles can lead to mutations in animals and people and greatly affect the environment. Those working with nuclear energy are striving to find safe and clean ways to expose of radioactive materials and have had some success, but storage is still extremely limited. 2

"Dynamic Periodic Table." Dynamic Periodic Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://ptable.com/>.
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Which leads to the concern, if a power plant has a melt down the area may be left uninhabitable. On March 11th 2011, in Fukushima Daiichi, more than 80,000 people were evacuated. People lost their homes and belongings because of a tsunami that struck the plant and left it without power for days. Because of the lack of power, the reactor fuel overheated, melted and lead to the failure of the containment shell. That failure released radioactive material.2 That kind of spread of radioactive material can lead to mutations in animals and people, and will never fully leave the area. The other commonly known nuclear meltdown of this magnitude was the Chernobyl accident of 1986, in the Soviet Union. The accident was the cause of a flawed reactor and unfit personal. That night two operators were killed and within several weeks 28 other workers died from acute radiation poisoning. Although many other deaths happened in later years and are attributed to Chernobyl, the findings can not be proven. It is argued that Chernobyl is no longer causing deaths or mutations, excluding the rising cases of thyroid cancer in the area.3 However, nuclear energy provides around 20% of the power in the United States, and could lead to an energy independent United States.4 A nuclear plant that has a one mile radius carbon footprint can provide the equivalent electricity as the Hoover Dam.5 There are new designs that are being made in attempt to make nuclear reactors safer. The lastest design, the Generator III+ is built to keep the reactor fuel cool for long periods of time, even when the plant has no power. Had Fukushima Daiichi had a Generator III+ instead of the Generator II (which only cools the reactor fuel for up to four hours) they may have avoided a meltdown. The new design has two prominent factors that make it make safer and more efficient. 6
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Japan's Nuclear Meltdown Holds Lessons for U.S." USA TODAY. 13 Dec 2011: A.10. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012.
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"Chernobyl Accident 1986." Chernobyl. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.worldnuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html>.

Thompson, Kalee. "Next-Gen Nukes." Popular Science. Jul 2011: 58. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012. 5 Thompson, Kalee. "Next-Gen Nukes." Popular Science. Jul 2011: 58. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012. 6 Thompson, Kalee. "Next-Gen Nukes." Popular Science. Jul 2011: 58. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012.

The MSR design has two primary safety advantages. Its liquid fuel remains at much lower
pressures than the solid fuel in light-water plants. This greatly decreases the likelihood of an accident, such as the hydrogen explosions that occurred at Fukushima. Further, in the event of a power outage, a frozen salt plug within the reactor melts and the liquid fuel passively drains into tanks where it solidifies, stopping the fission reaction. The molten-salt reactor is walk-away safe, Kutsch says. If you just abandoned it, it had no power, and the end of the world came--a comet hit Earth--it would cool down and solidify by itself. -Next-Gen Nukes
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The disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi have proven as great examples of the problems that using nuclear power can ensue; although they also allow humankind to learn and grow from previous mistakes. However, countries like Sweden and Japan, are straying away from the idea of using nuclear energy, these countries have gone so far as to set dates for when their use of nuclear energy will be non-existent. Nuclear energy is easily accessible, has a small carbon footprint, and produces large amounts of energy, but is often dangerous. Since the events at Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi precautionary measurements have been taken, and are still being made. The question remains, is nuclear energy worth the risk?

Thompson, Kalee. "Next-Gen Nukes." Popular Science. Jul 2011: 58. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012.