Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is the taboo technology of the last 30 years. People, in the United States, are very scared of what could happen in a nuclear accident. Are their fears warranted? Has the environmental lobby generated a hysterical view of a very safe and efficient energy source? Even in today's energy crisis, nuclear power remains much maligned. What is nuclear energy? Nuclear energy is heat energy produced by the process of nuclear fission within a nuclear reactor. The coolant that removes heat from the reactor core is normally used to boil water. The resultant steam drives turbines that rotate electrical generators. Fission is the process of splitting a heavy atom into two or more lighter atoms upon absorption of a neutron. This process generates a large amount of energy and usually at least two neutrons. The act of fissioning is also referred to as burning. The fuel used to today in nuclear reactors is called Uranium. Uranium is the heaviest element normally found in nature. The principal fuel material used in today's nuclear reactors is the fissile isotope uranium-235. With the aforementioned definitions of the key elements of nuclear power, we can begin to understand the process nuclear power plants. While
If radiation is a big worry to environmental groups, perhaps they should consider some statistics that show how much radiation we absorb everyday. Grand Central Station, NYC: 120 mrems for employees In these cases, we absorb enormous amounts of radiation on a daily basis. However, the exposure to radiation from nuclear power plants is next to none because of the technological advances in the last 20 years. Sleeping next to someone for 8 hours: 2 mrems
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Approximate Word count = 1585
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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