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Nuclear cooling towerLike coal or natural gas plants, nuclear plants create electricity by boiling water and creating steam. The steam then turns turbines that create electricity. The actual heat is created through the physical process of fission, which involves separating the atoms in uranium inside a nuclear reactor. Hard water is used to cool the water, creating the steam. Uranium is an unstable chemical, and once an atom is split it releases neutrons, which hit other atoms and causes a chain reaction. Uranium comes in long, hard vertical tubes and is added to the reactor in bundles. -
Nuclear reactorNuclear power plants do not burn fossil fuel, but there is some nuclear waste left from uranium. Uranium is a physical substance and has to be collected through mining. Raw uranium ore must be processed by leaching it with solvents, filtering it, and then converting it to uranium hexafluoride. The uranium hexafluoride hardens when it cools, and then can be used in a nuclear reactor. - Nuclear science can also be used in medical procedures. A small amount of a radioisotope that creates radiation is given to a patient and then picked up by a particular organ. The radioisotope allows doctors to see how blood flows, where cancer is hiding, or how an organ is functioning much better than X-rays or ultrasounds.
- Radiation is used in the United States to kill bacteria, insects, and parasites in food. This small amount of radiation is said to kill even food-borne diseases like salmonella. Smoke detectors, glow-in-the-dark clocks, computer discs, nonstick pans, copy machines, and some hygiene products depend on radiation as part of their manufacturing process.
- Nuclear power plants do not take up a lot of space. They also do not use fossil fuels to create energy or produce pollutants in the traditional form. The greatest disadvantage is the possibility of a nuclear meltdown, where the fission process goes out of control and creates enough heat to melt iron, cement, and everything in its path. Some scientists estimate the risk of a nuclear meltdown at a million to one. There have been at least two high-profile nuclear emergencies: near Three-Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986. Uranium used in nuclear plants does produce a waste, called plutonium, which cannot just be thrown away.
Comments
lorigist said
on 5/5/2009 Hi - Great post. You can also check out mine - How to Build a Nuclear Power Plant. (yes, there is some tongue in cheek implied in the article) 5*