Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Jordan Horsford
Prof. Plummer
English 211
19 April 2018
The use of a nuclear bomb in 1945 was the end of a war but, also the start of a new
beginning in the world of nuclear power. Nuclear energy is a relatively new source of energy. It
indirectly started with the Manhattan project and has only been around since the 1940s. The
Manhattan Project was one of the most monumental breakthroughs in modern science and
warfare. The purpose of the Manhattan Project was to develop a nuclear bomb to use against
Japan (Alchin). Established during World War 2 the Manhattan Project was supposed to be the
final solution to the war against Japan in the Pacific (Alchin).The project was led by Robert
Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist and professor at the University of California and American
General Leslie Groves (Alchin). Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist was the first person to build a
nuclear reactor. The 1930s and 40s saw several fundamental discoveries regarding nuclear and
atomic physics that allowed for the possibility of using nuclear energy as a power source.
Although the project was created to develop a weapon it paved the way for the discovery of a
Power is produced from nuclear energy through the process of nuclear fission which
creates a chain reaction. These chain reactions are what give nuclear power plants the energy to
turn the power into electricity(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). Nuclear fission is the process in which
a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of
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energy (Bradshaw). Nuclear fission produces a great deal of energy. There are several elements
that can be used as a catalyst for fission such as plutonium or Thorium, or Uranium(Parker). In
fact, Thorium is the most abundant of these elements and can be found in the Earth’s crust. One
pound of Uranium is about the size of a baseball, but produces more energy than coal or
petroleum while also being less expensive and more environmentally friendly(Cogan). Currently
there is enough Uranium to supply the entire world’s energy needs for at least a century(Cogan).
Even with all those benefits Uranium is still only mined by a few countries in the world but is the
most popular of the three elements that can be used for nuclear fission(Parker). Only a few
countries mine Uranium because concentrations of it in the ground are scarce. Mining for
Uranium is very expensive and isn’t cost efficient for countries with smaller economies(Parker).
The reason it is so expensive to mine is because it requires special machinery and technology as
well as years of planning and implementing safety measures(Parker). One gram of Uranium-235
Power plants are the places where the energy from nuclear fission is turned into
electricity. There are several different sections a of power plant and each section provides a
reactors are the components of power plants that contain the fuel and house the nuclear
reaction(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The reactor is the source of heat for the power plant much
alike how a boiler is for a coal plant(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The second part of a power plant
are the turbines and generators. Turbines and generators require superheated steam to begin to
spin the electric generator that produces electricity that is sent out to the electric
grid(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The steam comes from pressurized water reactors, which have
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two loops of circling boiling water to produce the steam(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). After the
steam has been produced it travels at high speeds through the turbines to start the
rotation(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The final section of a power plant is also the most
recognizable. Cooling towers are giant concrete structures that are usually seen with smoke
coming out of them. The purpose of cooling towers is to reject waste heat into the atmosphere by
transferring heat from the hot water to the colder air outside(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al).
The biggest concern of using nuclear energy for power is the off chance of a nuclear
meltdown. A nuclear meltdown is when nuclear fuel becomes too hot and melts through the
concrete structure that contains it(Cameron, Ron, and Xu Yuming). When this happens nuclear
waste could seep into the ground and eventually contaminate nearby water sources. As well as
water sources, the radioactive waste could also reach the atmosphere and affect entire
volatile substance. It can have a variety of effects on people when depending on how long you
remain near the radiation(Bradshaw). Even acute radiation poisoning can leave someone with
symptoms of nausea, headaches, fatigue, and fever(Condliffe, Jamie). Higher doses of exposure
to radiation can lead to a decrease in white blood cells, skin peeling, anemia, and in certain cases
death(Condliffe, Jamie). Treatment for these types of radiation poisoning involves blood
transfusions and strong doses antibiotics(Condliffe, Jamie). Currently much of the United States’
The most famous and worst incident of a nuclear meltdown is by far that of the
Chernobyl accident that happened in 1986. Chernobyl was a nuclear power plant in the Ukraine.
The reason the Chernobyl power station exploded was because one of the reactors was ruptured
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in a power surge and became very unstable(Parker). Radioactive fallout then spread to the nearby
town of Pripyat(Parker). Everyone in range of the radiation was either killed or very badly
poisoned(Parker). Outside of Pripyat the cloud of radiation also spread to farmlands and rivers in
other parts of the Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Russia(Parker). Roughly 350,000 people that
were in areas of high risk of contamination have been evacuated since the initial
accident(Parker).
The United States is no stranger to the use of nuclear power. 30 states in the U.S. have at
least one commercial nuclear reactor within its borders(“U.S. Nuclear Industry”). Illinois is the
state with the most reactors, having 11 of them currently in use(“U.S. Nuclear Industry”). With
the United States this involved with the use of nuclear energy there have to be federal and state
regulations. In 1975, the Nuclear Regulatory Commision(NRC) was created. This commision
was created for the purpose of ensuring the safe use of radioactive materials while protecting
people and the environment(“About NRC.”). The NRC is responsible for regulating commercial
nuclear power plants. Duties such as inspection, licensing, and enforcement of all it’s
requirements all fall under their responsibilities(“About NRC.”). Along with the NRC there is
also the United States Department of Energy(DOE). The DOE was formed in 1977, during the
middle of the America’s energy crisis(Cogan). The DOE and NRC share many of the same
responsibilities. The DOE's responsibilities include policy and funding for programs on nuclear
energy, fossil fuels, hydropower (Cogan).One of the major differences between the two is that
the DOE manages and oversees the military’s application of nuclear energy, maintaining the
country's weapons stockpile and managing the design, production and testing of nuclear weapons
Taking everything into account, nuclear power is the most prominent method of
renewable electricity generation with today’s technology. There are several other methods of
renewable energy but nuclear stands out from the rest just because of the sheer amount of power
it produces compared to the others. Many more nuclear power stations are being built across the
globe which will lead to a major decrease in fossil fuel usage(Parker). The more developments
that are made in this field the more efficient and safer nuclear power will begin to be(Parker).
Using nuclear energy has risks involved, but the better the technology becomes in reactors and
generators the less dangerous and more useful this energy source will become.
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Works Cited
Alchin, By Linda. “The Atomic Bomb.” Atomic Bomb Facts: US History for Kids ***, American
Historama, 02 Sept. 2016,
http://www.american-historama.org/1929-1945-depression-ww2-era/atomic-bomb.htm.
Hanania, Jordan, et al. “Nuclear Power Plant.” Nuclear Power Plant - Energy Education,
energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power_plant.
Cameron, Ron, and Xu Yuming. “Javascript Required!” Nuclear Power Economics | Nuclear
Energy Costs - World Nuclear Association, 18 Dec. 2017,
www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/economic-aspects/economics-of-nuclear-po
wer.aspx.
“Nuclear Energy Research Papers.” Physics Papers Nuclear Energy Research Papers
Comments, www.physics-papers.com/nuclear-energy-research-papers.html.
Cogan, Jonathan, and Linda Capuano. “U.S. Nuclear Industry.” U.S. Nuclear Industry - Energy
Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration,
14 June 2017, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=nuclear_use.
Condliffe, Jamie. “What Nuclear Radiation Does To Your Body.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo.com, 26
July 2012, gizmodo.com/5928171/what-nuclear-radiation-does-to-your-body.
“U.S. Nuclear Industry.” U.S. Nuclear Industry - Energy Explained, Your Guide To
Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration,
www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=nuclear_use.
“About NRC.” United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Protecting People and the
Environment, 12 Feb. 2018, www.nrc.gov/about-nrc.html