Nuclear Power: Success, Destruction & the Future
Emilee Hargis and Olivia Snider
Miller: PS691
10 December 2011
Nuclear Power: Success, Destruction, and the Future
I. INTRO to Nuclear Power, Sentiment and Formation Ever since the infamous bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, people around the world have been awestruck by both the frightening power of nuclear technology and the amazing potential of that power. Over the years, nuclear technology has diffused throughout world, and many countries, including the United States, have used this knowledge to build/utilize nuclear driven power plants. However, while this technology has been praised for its potential for cheap energy and being relatively environmentally friendly, public concerns over the volatility of nuclear fuel and the potential hazards that accompany any procedural malfunction threaten the future of this revolutionary technology. The advent of this nuclear technology began just before the start of the twentieth century. In 1896 Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity in uranium, and then in 1898 Pierre and Marie Currie experimented with plutonium and radium. Both findings were revolutionary and deadly, but the applications of this radioactivity were not known until the late 1930s when the concept of nuclear fission was discovered. Nuclear fission is the process by which a decaying atom breaks into two smaller, separate atoms and releases neutrons along with the split. These neutrons can then bombard other unstable atoms and “using fission, to initiate a chain reaction to produce energy: the principle of the nuclear reactor was born.” (Ngô 225) The key to a stable and fairly safe nuclear power reactor is the ability to control the rate of the nuclear reaction. The enriched uranium or plutonium needed inside the nuclear fuel core is by its very nature unstable. To become more stable, these elements must decay, releasing neutrons, radiation, and energy in the form of heat. This heat is then harnessed in most
Miller: PS691
10 December 2011
Nuclear Power: Success, Destruction, and the Future
I. INTRO to Nuclear Power, Sentiment and Formation Ever since the infamous bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, people around the world have been awestruck by both the frightening power of nuclear technology and the amazing potential of that power. Over the years, nuclear technology has diffused throughout world, and many countries, including the United States, have used this knowledge to build/utilize nuclear driven power plants. However, while this technology has been praised for its potential for cheap energy and being relatively environmentally friendly, public concerns over the volatility of nuclear fuel and the potential hazards that accompany any procedural malfunction threaten the future of this revolutionary technology. The advent of this nuclear technology began just before the start of the twentieth century. In 1896 Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity in uranium, and then in 1898 Pierre and Marie Currie experimented with plutonium and radium. Both findings were revolutionary and deadly, but the applications of this radioactivity were not known until the late 1930s when the concept of nuclear fission was discovered. Nuclear fission is the process by which a decaying atom breaks into two smaller, separate atoms and releases neutrons along with the split. These neutrons can then bombard other unstable atoms and “using fission, to initiate a chain reaction to produce energy: the principle of the nuclear reactor was born.” (Ngô 225) The key to a stable and fairly safe nuclear power reactor is the ability to control the rate of the nuclear reaction. The enriched uranium or plutonium needed inside the nuclear fuel core is by its very nature unstable. To become more stable, these elements must decay, releasing neutrons, radiation, and energy in the form of heat. This heat is then harnessed in most
References: "About the International Atomic Energy Agency." International Atomic Energy Agency. Web. Dec. 2011. Brook, Barry. "Fukushima Nuclear Accident: A Simple and Accurate Explanation." Brave New Climate. 13 Mar. 2011. Web. Dec. 2011. Ritter, Malcom. "Japan Nuclear Disaster Released Higher Radiation Levels Than Previously Reported, Study Finds." The Huffington Post. 27 Oct. 2011. Web. Dec. 2011 State of Immediate Response after Disaster Struck at Fukushima Daiichi Power Station. Rep. Tepco, 20 Mar. 2011. Web. Dec. 2011.