Benefits and Nuisances with use of NUCLEAR POWER

The main constituent of nuclear power is nuclear fuel which is

most widely uranium-235.
The reason behind using this uranium is its special ability to
undergo a special type of chemical process and that process is
called Nuclear fission.
A brief discussion about Nuclear Fission …

Nuclear fission is process of splliting of heavy nucleus like

Uranium –235 into small fragments along with emission of large
amount of energy.

Nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an

atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei ), often producing
free neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma rays). The two
nuclei produced are most often of comparable size, typically with
a mass ratio around 3:2 for common fissionable isotopes. Most
fissions are binary fissions, but occasionally (2 to 4 times per
1000 events), three positively-charged fragments are produced in
a ternary fission. The smallest of these range in size from
protons to argon nuclei.
Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction which can
release large amounts of energy both as electromagnetic
radiation and as kinetic energy of the fragments.In order for
fission to produce energy, the total binding energy of the
resulting elements must be less than that of the starting
element. Fission is a form of nuclear transformation because the
resulting fragments are not the same as the original atom.

Fission is usually the product of an energetic nuclear energy

induced by a neutron, although it is occasionally seen as a form of
spontaneous radioactive decay, especially in very high mass-
number isotopes. The lack of any exact and predictable
composition in the products (which are produced in a broad
probabilistic and somewhat chaotic manner) distinguishes fission
from purely quantum tunnelling processes

Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power it is possible

because certain substances called nuclear fuels like U-235
undergo fission when struck by fission neutrons, and in turn emit
neutrons when they break apart. This makes possible a self-
sustaining chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled
rate in a nuclear reactor (or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a
nuclear weapon)

The amount of free energy contained in nuclear fuel is millions of

times the amount of free energy contained in a similar mass of
chemical fuel such as gasoline making nuclear fission a very
tempting source of energy. The products of nuclear fission,
however, are on average far more radioactive than the heavy
elements which are normally fissioned as fuel, and remain so for
significant amounts of time, giving rise to a nuclear waste
problem. Concerns over nuclear waste accumulation and over the
destructive potential of nuclear weapons may counterbalance the
desirable qualities of fission as an energy source and give rise to
ongoing political debate over nuclear power.

Now it is obvious we should not everytime initiate the same

reaction. but beauty of nuclear fission is that it continues on its
own and even may become divergent so once started it continues
on its own when maintained under controlled conditions. The main
advantage of using nuclear fission is that is generates
tremendous amount of energy. I atom of U-235 produces energy
which will be generated by burning 20000 tones of coals.
The actuall energy release in this process is given by…

Instantaneously released energy

Kinetic energy of fission fragments . . . . . . . .

168.2 MeV U-233

169.1 MeV U-235

175.8 MeV Pu-239

Kinetic energy of prompt neutrons . . . . . . . . . .

4.9 U-233

4.8 U-235

5.9 Pu-239

Energy carried by prompt γ-rays . . . . . . . . . .

7.7 U-233

7.0 U-235

7.8 Pu-239

Energy from decaying fission products

Energy of β−-particles . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2 U-233

6.5 U-235

5.3 Pu-239

Energy of anti-neutrinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.9 U-233

8.8 U-235

7.1 Pu-239

Internal structure of Nuclear reactor

History of chain reaction and nuclear fission

A nuclear chain reaction was proposed by Leo Szilard in 1933,

shortly after the neutron was discovered, but some years before
nuclear fission was discovered. Szilard proposed to use neutrons
from certain nuclear reactions in lighter isotopes, to induce
further reactions in light isotopes that produced more neutrons.
He did not envision nuclear fission as one of these reactions,
since this reaction was not known at the time. Experiments he
proposed using beryllium and indium failed.

Later, after nuclear fission was discovered in 1938, Szilard

immediately realized the possibility of using neutron-induced
fission as the particular nuclear reaction needed for a chain-
reaction, so long as fission also produced neutrons. In 1939, with
Enrico Fermi, Szilard proved this neutron-multiplying rection in
uranium. In this reaction, a neutron plus a fissionable atom causes
a fission resulting in a larger number of neutrons than the single
one that was consumed in the initial reaction. Thus was born the
practical nuclear chain reaction by the mechanism of neutron-
induced nuclear fission.

Specifically, if one or more of the produced neutrons themselves

interact with other fissionable nuclei, and these also undergo
fission, then there is a possibility that the macroscopic overall
fission reaction will not stop, but continue throughout the
reaction material. This is then a self-propagating and thus self-
sustaining chain reaction. This is the principle for nuclear
reactors and atomic bombs.

[The above description is somewhat simplified. The crucial issue

is whether enough of those secondary neutrons themselves
produce a further fission. The nuclear chain reaction is described
in significantly more detail in the article on Stan Ulam, who
"discovered" or realized the details of the amplification concept,
when fission by prompt fission neutrons were the mechanism].

Demonstration of a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was

accomplished by Enrico Fermi and others, in the successful
operation of Chicago Pile-1, the first artificial nuclear reactor, in
late 1942.then people freely started using this ultimate source of
energy regularly and many nuclear power plants were set up. And
people started looking for better advancements in same
technology and this process is still going.

As our main discussion is on advantages and disadvantages of

nuclear power…

So lets first discuss the advantages of nuclear power!!!

• Among the many benefits of nuclear power, the main

advantage this type of power has over other methods is
that it is a clean way to produce energy as it does not result
in the emission of any of the poisonous gases like carbon
dioxide, sulfur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. In today’s world
when pollution of the atmosphere is one of our main worries,
an option such as this is definitely preferable compared to
burning of fossil fuels which causes so much of
pollutionWhen compared to the fossil fuel waste, the
nuclear waste which occurs due to the production of nuclear
power is not only small in quantity but also remains confined
so as not to affect anyone in its surroundings. It has been
proved that if a typical family of four uses nuclear power
 for all its needs then the waste produced over a period of a
lifetime would be as small as a golf ball.

• The disposal of nuclear waste which results during the

generation of nuclear power is much easier because it is just
dumped in to a geological site where it decays over a period
of time and has no negative impact on the ecosystem. This
turns out to be one of the main benefits of nuclear power as
compared to the chemical waste like arsenic or mercury
which refuse to decompose or poisonous gases which cause
global warming, acid rain and smog.
• Nuclear power is safe and even though there have been two
serious accidents in Pennsylvania and Chernobyl, these are
but sporadic incidents when compared to the rate of
accidents which occur in fossil fuel industries, coal mines
and gas pipelines which have a history of eruption.
• One of the main benefits of nuclear power is that it is an
extremely reliable source of power because most nuclear
reactors have a life cycle of 40 years which can be easily
extended further for 20 more years.
• The availability of nuclear power is competitive compared to
other sources of power like oil and gas since the cost of the
nuclear fuel is a small part of the total reaction and
therefore even if there is a slight fluctuation in the market
the entire reaction need not be affected.
• The source of nuclear power is uranium and this is available
in abundance in the crust of the Earth with major deposits
being uncovered in Canada and Australia. Therefore since
the source of nuclear power is readily available now and also
for centuries to come, this form of power is virtually
inexhaustible.
 • The nuclear power is generated at a place which is known as
the nuclear power station and this is a compact building
which is as big as the area occupied by a football stadium.
• The biggest fear associated with nuclear power is the fear
of radiation and this can only be overcome by educating the
people about the method of radiation and its behavior.
People would be surprised to know that radiation has been a
part of our environment ever since its existence and that
radiation in moderate amounts can even be advantageous to
our health. Therefore, radiation need not be feared from
but can be channeled appropriately to serve mankind in a
positive way.
• The main benefits of nuclear power are that it is good,
scientific as well as environment friendly because of which
it is being supported by many ecological organizations and
environmentalists who were previously biased against it.

These are some main advantages of nuclear energy but it also has
some major disadvantages which make its use risky so few of
them are….

• Waste

One of the biggest disadvantages of nuclear energy is the

waste. Although the output of waste is relatively small, it
 releases harmful radiation as it decays. There is no method
to get rid of the radioactivity of the waste or speed up the
rate of decay. The waste must be sealed and buried in a
safe location to prevent contamination of the environment
and other people. Currently, there are no suitable locations
that provide a permanent storage site for nuclear waste.

• Accidents

Another one of the biggest disadvantages of nuclear energy

is the occurrence of accidents due to core meltdown. These
accidents happen when the core overheats and radiation
products are allowed to escape the building. This
contaminates the surrounding area with radioactive material
that is very harmful people's health, often causing cancer.

• Cost

Cost is also one of the major disadvantages of nuclear

energy. It costs between three and five billion dollars just
to build a nuclear power plant. Maintenance and operating
costs are also high because lots of money must be sent on
safety systems in case something goes wrong.

• Weapons

One of the most feared disadvantages of nuclear energy is

the potential for weapons. Each year, every nuclear reactor
is capable of making enough plutonium to build over thirty
nuclear bombs. Nuclear plants must be secured well enough
to prevent this material from falling into the wrong hands.
 • Nuclear power cannot solve global warming:

Once seen as the solution to global climate change, nuclear power

is far from it. Everywhere along the nuclear chain - from the
mining of uranium to its transportation to the construction of the
power plant - greenhouse gases are emitted.

Furthermore, their construction takes too long to solve global

warming. In fact, investing in nuclear power deprives other
efforts - such as energy efficiency, conservation and renewable
energy - of further funding and development. Chernobyl, in The
Ukraine and affecting Russia and Belarus too was another story
and still today serves to highlight safety as a disadvantage of
nuclear energy. With Chernobyl, there was a full scale breakdown,
which was not contained. A massive release of nuclear radiation
occurred and the complete affect of this accidental release will
not be known for generations. Although the authorities moved
quickly to contain and remediate the problem (unlike the slow
governmental reaction in the Gulf of Mexico with the BP
Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig disaster), there is only so
much you can do to contain nuclear radiation. The radiation
became distributed within the environment for over a hundred
miles and will remain in the environment for a very long time.

• The major disadvantage of nuclear power is safety.

Proponents would argue that despite the three notorious
nuclear accidents, nuclear energy still has a very good track
record. Whether that may actually be correct, like airplanes
versus cars, the magnitude of a problem when it occurs
however infrequently compounds the public perception of
risk. For example, it is known that airplanes have a better
safety record than automobiles, but when there is a plane
crash it is a disaster and grabs headlines. Car crashes are
so common that they are not even news. Similarly, any
 problem with nuclear power is a big issue and garners major
media coverage.
• Nuclear Proliferation: Proliferation is the spread of nuclear
weapons to unreliable owners – a disadvantage of nuclear
power. Increasingly proliferation is becoming the prime
disadvantage. This is because it is an unfortunate reality of
the world that a lot of governments cannot be considered
reliable or trustworthy with dangerous substances, and
increasingly it is feasible for them to develop nuclear
weapons. In a world where freedoms and equality have been
attacked, it becomes of concern that such governments
might possess nuclear weaponry, or that non-governmental
organizations like terrorist groups might use nuclear bombs
to serve some twisted political agenda.
• In the cold war period, nuclear weapons were only accessible
to generally predictable powers, whether the United States
or Soviet Union, or the U.K. or reportedly Israel. However,
with the fragmentation and realignment following the end of
the cold war increasingly weapon technology has found its
way to less predictable powers.
• Such unstable or territorially ambitious governments could
secretly transfer crude nuclear weapons to non-
governmental organizations, such as terrorist groups they
control or influence. For example it is well within the
imagination that the government of Iran, or a rogue
operatives within the government of Pakistan would hand
over a nuclear weapon to a terrorist group they control or
influence, such as Hezbollah or Hamas in the case of Iran or
the Taliban in the case of Pakistan. Similar concerns are
present with North Korea weapons control.
• As the debate concerning Iran’s drive to create a nuclear
power industry goes on, it is evident that their true goal is
not just to produce electricity. After all when sitting on a
 field of oil, there is no need for nuclear electric generation.
So the reality is Iran, with its unstable regime subject to a
simmering discontented population is the epitome of an
unstable and untrustworthy owner of a nuclear weapon.
However it is not only Iran, but other emerging
dictatorships that seek a nuclear weapon as well.
• Nuclear reactors can be used to help generate weapons
grade bomb materials – so nuclear weapon proliferation is of
great concern as a disadvantage of nuclear power.
• Nuclear Waste Disposal: Another disadvantage of nuclear
energy is disposal of the spent fuel rods. They remain
radioactive literally for hundreds if not thousands of years.
So they must be disposed of in a secure nuclear waste
disposal facility. Naturally nobody wants a nuclear waste
dump in their backyard, so location of a suitable long-term
storage has bedeviled the industry for years.
• Discussions of the disadvantages of nuclear power naturally
focus on the disastrous enormity if the consequence of a
nuclear disaster - whether involving safety or proliferation.
• Nuclear Energy Safety: Safety is the primary disadvantage
of nuclear power as viewed by the consuming public. Before
Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, nuclear energy was viewed
as a great green, non-polluting source of electrical power
production. Then came along those two famed nuclear
accidents, and that changed the discourse for many years.
By comparison Three Mile Island was mild – a relatively
small amount of nuclear radiation released, and quickly
contained before any serious releases, or other damage to
the reactor core could occur. However, as the debate
started to favor nuclear power development came the Japan
earthquake of 2011 and the nuclear disasters at the
Fukushima Daiichi (Dai-Ichi) nuclear power stations of
Tokyo Electric Power Company in Okumamachi, Fukushima
 prefecture - the initial disaster at Fukushima I and
containment issues and subsequent disasters at Fukushima
2, 3 and 4 - four of the six reactors in the Fukushima Dai-
Ichi complex. All nuclear plants are vulnerable to accidents
or attacks. Nevertheless, if an accident did occur, the
current evacuation plans are completely unrealistic. In
addition, the Price-Anderson Act ensures the utility's
liability of an accident is limited to only $10.8 billion. This is
absurd, considering a serious reactor accident could cause
as much as $600 billion of damage. Once again, the balance
would likely have to be paid by us, the taxpayers.

• There are better alternatives:

What bothers us most is we already have better, cleaner, safer

and cheaper alternatives available and ready to implement.
Perhaps with the recent election of our new US government,
nuclear energy will be put to rest and renewable energy will be
harnessed on a larger scale.

But while we wait, it is possible to start harnessing renewable

energy at home. What's more is, it does not cost very much and
is rather simple to implement. Various solar and wind power
guides have already become available, which you can see in our
reviews section.
So this discussion ends with a conclusion that nuclear
power is ultimate source of energy but it still needs
some developments in its technique so that its use will
become more safe and we will not experience energy
crisis!!!!

Pranav Naik
SY E&TC
110907087