Nuclear Power Exploitation to Generate Electricity

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Table of Contents

Introduction
How Nuclear Power Works
Advantages of Nuclear Power
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power and the Environment
Modern Nuclear Plants
The Future of Nuclear Power
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The world is facing growing energy demands that traditional electricity generation methods have been unable to satisfy. Nuclear energy has emerged as a feasible option for providing power for the world. Nuclear power stations have experienced great advancements since they were first implemented five decades ago.

These stations are built with a strong emphasis on safety and cost. They are expected to produce adequate electricity to meet consumer demands and at prices that are competitive compared to other sources of electricity. This paper will discuss how nuclear power has been exploited to generate electricity.

How Nuclear Power Works

Nuclear power plants generate electricity by harnessing the heat generated from nuclear reactions and using the heat to produce electricity in conventional ways. The nuclear reaction used by modern power plants is fission which involves splitting radioactive isotopes into two.

This process creates a chain reaction as the newly formed nuclei travel at high speeds in opposite directions and collide with neighboring atoms therefore initializing a chain reaction. The nuclear process takes place in a specially constructed nuclear reactor. Sivanagaraju (2010) reveals that the reactor is made up of a core that has the nuclear fuel, control rods for controlling the fission process and a moderator for slowing the neutrons.

During the nuclear reaction process, enormous heat energy is generated at the core. Water is used to provide cooling and it is contained in a primary and secondary loop (Sivanagaraju, 2010). The primary loop is in contact with the core which makes it potentially radioactive. The water in the secondary loop is not in contact with the core hence it is not radioactive.

During the cooling process, heat energy is transferred to the primary loop water. This primary loop water is pressurized to ensure that it remains in liquid state. Using a heat exchanger, the primary loop water heats the secondary loop water turning its water into steam that turns turbines to generate electricity.

Advantages of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power has reduced the detrimental environmental impact caused by traditional power generation methods. The use of nuclear power has reduced the reliance on environmentally degrading methods such as coal burning and the use of fossil fuels (McKinney & Schoch, 2012).

By using nuclear power, nations have decreased their greenhouse gas emissions significantly since nuclear power plants do not emit these harmful gases. This power source has therefore led to a significant reduction in the environmental damages caused by power generation.

A significant advantage of nuclear energy is that it helps satisfy the growing global electricity demands. Due to population increase and industrial growth in many countries, electricity demands have risen rapidly over the last decade.

This has put a strain on the traditional sources of electricity such as hydropower and fossil fuels. Nuclear energy has emerged as a feasible alternative, capable of producing reliable power for the remotely near future (McKinney & Schoch, 2012). Unlike other alternative sources such as solar power and wind power which are unreliable, nuclear power is able to provide continuous energy.

In addition to this, nuclear power is able to significantly reduce the energy dependence that a country has on others. Presently, fossil fuels are the primary source of energy for most nations. However, fossil fuel reserves are only available in a few countries.

Many countries therefore have to import the fuels creating a huge energy dependency on the oil-producing nations. Nuclear power plants ensure that a nation can generate power. This reduces the demand for the fossil fuels and promotes energy independence by the nation (Sivanagaraju, 2010).

Finally, nuclear power plants require comparatively less space to implement. Compared to electricity production methods such as solar power plants, wind farms, and hydroelectricity, the space requirements for nuclear power facilities is small (Sivanagaraju, 2010).

This is a significant merit since it means that nuclear facilities can be constructed near load centers such as cities where large spaces of land for the other electricity generation methods might not be available.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power

Nuclear fuel is a nonrenewable energy source meaning that it will run out after a certain duration of use. Loyn (2011) explains that the reserves of uranium, which is the primary fissile fuel for modern reactors, are finite and the reserves are projected to be depleted in about a century.

As such, while nuclear power stations can serve as an alternative source of energy for the near future, they cannot be relied upon to provide for the global energy needs indefinitely.

Another significant demerit of nuclear power is that it produces toxic waste products. This toxic waste is radioactive in nature and can cause harm to the environment. To make matters worse, the waste produced has a very long half-life which means that they remain harmful for thousands of years (Loyn, 2011). The material must therefore be stored safely using expensive and sophisticated storage devices.

Nuclear power plants expose the society to significant dangers in the event of a major disaster in the nuclear power plant. If the power plant is damaged significantly, the harmful radiation at the core can escape into the environment causing great devastation. McKinney and Schoch (2012) reveal that nuclear accidents can result in the deaths of up to a hundred thousand people and the radiation poisoning of tens of thousands more.

Nuclear Power and the Environment

Nuclear power has a mostly negative relationship with the environment. These facilities present a real danger to the environment in case of a disaster in the power plant. The huge quantities of toxic waste produced by power plants are also a danger to the environment.

Accidental spillage of the radioactive waste can contaminate food chains and drinking water therefore degrading the environment (Loyn, 2011). In addition to this, the mining and processing of nuclear fuel are harmful to the environment. Uranium mining is energy intensive and huge tracks of land have to be strip mined to obtain the fuel.

However, nuclear power can be positive for the environment. Most of the negative effects would require catastrophic failures to occur in the power plant. However, this occurs in rare situations since nuclear power plants are built with safety considerations as a priority (McKinney & Schoch, 2012). The nuclear power plant therefore presents little danger to the society while reducing the harmful effects caused by fossil fuels.

Modern Nuclear Plants

Many governments are beginning to invest in modern nuclear power plants to meet the energy demands of their countries. The World Nuclear Association (2013) reveals that currently, there are over 60 modern nuclear reactors being constructed. These constructions are taking place in 13 countries distributed in various regions of the world.

However, most of the nuclear plants are being built in the Asian region where the rising population and growing economy has created a huge demand for energy. China has the largest number of new reactors under construction with 26 reactors already commissioned by the government to increase the country’s nuclear capacity (World Nuclear Association, 2013).

The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group is responsible for most of the nuclear power plant constructions in China. India has seven new power plants under construction and these new plants are being built based on modern western and Russian designs. The Indian public sector enterprise Nuclear Power Corporation of India is responsible for most of the new nuclear power plant constructions in the country.

The Future of Nuclear Power

Significant advances are being made in an effort to increase fuel efficiency in nuclear reactors. Templeton (2013) reveals that extensive research has been carried out on molten salt reactors (MSR). The concept of molten salt reactors is to use a liquid fuel as opposed to the traditional solid pellets to power the nuclear reactor. When implemented, the molten salt can play the role of both fuel and coolant.

It will circulate with the help of pumps from core to heat exchangers with higher thermal efficiency (Templeton, 2013). In the present, technology is not used for commercial purposes. However, as greater energy production is demanded of individual reactors, this technology will become prevalent.

Another expected future development in nuclear power is the use of fusion technology. The fusion process involves having the nuclei of light elements fuse together to form heavier elements (Loyn, 2011). Using this technology will ensure that the world has an unlimited supply of nuclear fuel since ordinary seawater will be used for nuclear fusion.

Conclusion

This paper set out to discuss how nuclear power is being exploited to generate electricity. It noted that nuclear fission is the method employed by modern power plants. The paper has noted that nuclear power has advantages such as low pollution, reliability, increased energy security, and lower space requirements.

However, nuclear power suffers from being a non-renewable resource and the toxic waste produced can harm the environment. The future of nuclear power entails increased efficiency of fuel use fuels through molten salt reactor utilization and perfecting nuclear fusion technology.

References

Loyn, C. (2011). Can Nuclear Power Save the Climate? Young Scientists Journal, 9(1), 16-19.

McKinney, M.L. & Schoch, R.M. (2012). Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions. NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Sivanagaraju, S. (2010). Generation and Utilization of Electrical Energy. New Delhi: Pearson Education India.

Templeton, G. (2013). The 500MW molten salt nuclear reactor: Safe, half the price of light water, and shipped to order. Web.

World Nuclear Association (2013). Plans For New Reactors Worldwide. Web.

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