What is nuclear power? Is it safe and eco friendly? All I really know about it if from watching The Simpsons and hearing about chernobyl. But I somehow don’t think theres drums of glowing gloop laying around anywhere!
In: Technology
Nuclear power is power stations that use Nuclear Fission (or in the future Nuclear Fusion) as an energy source. Modern nuclear power plants cause controlled reactions in Fissile material like Uranium. Uranium is natural unstable and wants to break down into lighter elements, this is turn releases energy in the form of radiation and heat.
A nuclear power station encourages Fission in these materials by controlling the flow of free neutrons that shatter atoms like pool balls flying around a pool table. The resulting heat is captured using coolant, usually water, which in turn is used to turn turbines which generate electricity.
Modern Nuclear power stations are quite safe, they use different nuclear materials and techniques that make them easier and safer to operate. Environmentally speaking they are potentially better than other power stations because Nuclear power is so energy dense that you can make lots and lots of power from very little input compared the vast amount of space you need for things like Wind, Solar, and Hydro.
The big concerns with Nuclear power are safety, and Nuclear waste. The byproducts of the stations are dangerously radioactive, but we have ways of storing and disposing of this material safely. One concern is making sure such materials don’t fall into the wrong hands as the waste could be used to make dirty bombs that can irradiate an enemy (different from a nuclear bomb)
The green goop associated with nuclear power on TV doesn’t actually exist. The Uranium is metal made into rods and looks similar to steel.
Modern plants are heavily automated and have excellent safety features. An ongoing concern particularly in North America is that most of the Nuclear plants are quite old because people are generally too scared of Nuclear Power to allow newer and safer facilities to be built.
The Chernobyl disaster was the result of the Soviets cutting corners to get into the nuclear game as quickly and cheaply as possible. Such a reactor would never have been approved in the West as it was a dangerous design. Also the Soviet Government hid key details and design flaws from the very people working on the reactor to avoid embarrassing the government (and that backfired catastrophically)
3 Mile Island happened because of operator error, but the station shutdown safely despite the reactor getting damaged. The safety systems did their job.
Fukushima meanwhile was built in the early 70’s and was destroyed by an act of God Tsunami, but arguably the power station was improperly built with inadequate safeties. A similar station up the shore survived just fine because it’s designer went above and beyond on the design in terms of safety.
Therefore many of the concerns with Nuclear power is that those building the station will cut too many corners to save costs and add too much risk in the design.
Latest Answers