Saturday 7 May 2011
Nuclear fission and fusion
—Nuclear fission: the splitting of uranium or plutonium atom to release energy.
—Nuclear fusion: A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
Nuclear radioactivity
—Particulate and electromagnetic radiation emitted from atomic nuclei in various nuclear processes.
Advantages of Nuclear plants
—Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little.
—This technology is readily available, it does not have to be developed first.
—It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.
Disadvantages of Nuclear plants
—The waste from nuclear energy is extremely dangerous and it has to be carefully looked after for several thousand years.
—The consequences of an accident would be absolutely devastating both for human being as for the nature.
—The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand.
—The time frame needed for formalities, planning and building of a new nuclear power generation plant is in the range of 20 to 30 years
How does radiation transmit?
—Energetic particles or energy or waves travel through a medium or space.
How is radiation harmful to humans?
—Radiation consists of several types of subatomic particles, principally those called gamma rays, neutrons, electrons, and alpha particles, that shoot through space at very high speeds, something like 100,000 miles per second. They can easily penetrate deep inside the human body, damaging some of the biological cells of which the body is composed. This damage can cause a fatal cancer to develop, or if it occurs in reproductive cells, it can cause genetic defects in later generations of offspring.
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