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Nuclear Power and Energy

Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, decay, and fusion reactions. The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was the worst nuclear accident in history resulting from an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction during a safety test. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 was caused by an earthquake and tsunami, which flooded the reactors' cooling systems and led to radiation releases. Nuclear energy provides large amounts of carbon-free electricity through splitting uranium atoms in reactors, but accidents highlight safety risks that must be managed.

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12 views11 pages

Nuclear Power and Energy

Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, decay, and fusion reactions. The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was the worst nuclear accident in history resulting from an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction during a safety test. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 was caused by an earthquake and tsunami, which flooded the reactors' cooling systems and led to radiation releases. Nuclear energy provides large amounts of carbon-free electricity through splitting uranium atoms in reactors, but accidents highlight safety risks that must be managed.

Uploaded by

mitranrazvan197
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Nuclear Power and

Energy
Nuclear Power
• Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity
. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission,
nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast
majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by
nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants.
Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as
radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such
as Voyager 2. Generating electricity from fusion power remains the
focus of international research.
Nuclear Accidents
Chernobyl
• The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26
April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,
near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the
Soviet Union.[1][2] It is the worst nuclear disaster in history both in cost
and casualties.[3] It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents rated
at seven—the maximum severity
The accident occurred during a safety test on the steam
turbine of an RBMK-type nuclear reactor. During a
planned decrease of reactor power in preparation for the
test, the power output unexpectedly dropped to near-zero.
The operators were unable to restore the power level
specified by the test program, which put the reactor in an
unstable condition. This risk was not made evident in the
operating instructions, so the operators proceeded with
the test. Upon test completion, the operators triggered a
reactor shutdown. But a combination of operator
negligence and critical design flaws had made the reactor
primed to explode. Instead of shutting down, an
uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction began, releasing
enormous amounts of energy.[6]: 33

Chernobyl now
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster

• The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a 2011 nuclear accident at the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
The proximate cause of the disaster was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
• It was the most severe nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. It
was classified as Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), .after
initially being classified as Level 5,[8][9] joining Chernobyl as the only other accident
to receive such classification.[10] While the 1957 explosion at the Mayak facility was
the second worst by radioactivity released, the INES ranks incidents by impact on
population, so Chernobyl (335,000 people evacuated) and Fukushima (154,000
evacuated) rank higher than the 10,000 evacuated from the classified restricted
Mayak site in rural southern Urals.
The accident was triggered by the Tōhoku
earthquake and tsunami on Friday, 11 March
2011.[11] On detecting the earthquake, the active
reactors automatically shut down their normal
power-generating fission reactions. Because of
these shutdowns and other electrical grid supply
problems, the reactors' electricity supply failed, and
their emergency diesel generators automatically
started. Critically, these were required to provide
electrical power to the pumps that circulated
coolant through the reactors' cores. This continued
circulation was vital to remove residual decay heat,
which continues to be produced after fission has The four damaged reactor buildings (from left: Units 4, 3,
ceased.[12] However, the earthquake had also 2, and 1) on 16 March 2011. Hydrogen-air explosions in
generated a tsunami 14 metres (46 ft) high that Unit 1, 3, and 4 caused structural damage.
arrived shortly afterward and swept over the plant's
seawall and then flooded the lower parts of
reactors 1–4. This flooding caused the failure of
the emergency generators and loss of power to the
circulating pumps.[13]
Nuclear Energy
• Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into
steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity. Ninety-three nuclear
reactors in 28 states generate nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity,
all without carbon emissions because reactors use uranium, not fossil
fuels. These plants are always on: well-operated to avoid interruptions and
built to withstand extreme weather,supporting the grid 24/7.
Benefits of Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear energy offers many advantages as the emissions-free workhorse of


our energy grid. Its unique value cannot be found in any other energy source.
• Nuclear fights climate change. Nuclear energy provides large amounts of
24/7 carbon-free electricity now, which is irreplaceable in protecting the
environment.
• Nuclear protects our air. Nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter
and mercury: all things you don’t want in the air you breathe. Nuclear energy
provides power 24/7 without a trace of those pollutants.
Nuclear Energy Provides More Than Electricity

• The benefits of nuclear energy extend far beyond carbon-free electricity


too. Nuclear powers space exploration, sterilizes medical equipment,
provides potable water through desalination, supplies radioisotopes for
cancer treatment and much more.

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