Nuclear Energy: Uranium Fission :: essays research papers

Nuclear Energy Uranium FissionThousands of years agone military personnel beings learned to make fire. By collectingand arouseing woodwind they were able to warm themselves, cook food, and manufactureprimitive tools. Later, the Egyptians discovered the superstar of the sail.Even to a greater extent recent was the invention of the body of water wheel. All of these activities give various forms of energy-biological, chemical, solar, and hydraulic.Energy, the ability to do work, is essential for meeting basic humanneeds, extending the life expectancy, and providing a rising living standard.This is where the need for atomic male monarch comes in. Uranium fission isabout a million times more efficient than the common practice of burning coal oroil. For comparison, coal combustion produces about 20-30 MJ/kg of heat energywhile uracil, in a fast breeder reactor, produces more than 24,000,000 MJ/kg(Energy 27). Those publications just are astounding.Uranium is also abundant, thanks to recent discoveries of large reserves.At present, uranium is only being mined and separated from ore. However, a bulky untapped source is our oceans. Sea water contains 3.3x10(-9) (3.3 partsper billion) of uranium, so the 1.4x1018 tons of sea water contains 4.6x109tons of uranium. All the worlds electrical energy usage, 650GWe could therefore besupplied by the uranium in sea water for 7 million years(Energy 25). This is aonly a theoretical number beca make use of it is not possible to get all of the uraniumout of our immense oceans. Also, it does not include the fact that in that umteenyears, half of the uranium will no longer exist due to radioactive decay. So,at worst, we would get about 2 million years of power from it. atomic number 90 isanother element than can be used in nuclear reactors. Thorium is approximatelyfour times more abundant than uranium. It is pellucid that we are in no dangerof exhausting these sources of energy. We need to work out these resources an dus e them to our advantage. God has given us the knowledge to use uranium forpower, so why shouldnt use it? There are many benefits to using nucleargenerated power over our other common sources.A big advantage of nuclear power plants is that they do not burnanything, they are non-polluting, and they are kind to the environment. Unlikecoal-, gas-, and oil-fired power plants, nuclear power plants do not emit carbondioxide and other denigrating greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.This is not to say that no waste is produced in a nuclear reaction. Anaverage size nuclear reactor produces 1000 MWe and leaves tooshie about 25 tonsof spent fuel.