Due to the use of energy in the processes and projects carried out in our society, it is convenient to know the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy. Although currently almost a quarter of the world's electricity is generated by this type of energy, society is divided into two camps regarding its use. Here you will learn about the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy.
The nuclear energy
It is known as Nuclear Energy or Atomic Energy that which originates naturally or artificially from nuclear reactions. Nuclear Energy is currently produced for mechanical, electrical and thermal energy processes. Nuclear Energy is released from the reactions that occur in the atomic nuclei of various atoms with the same atomic number and different atomic mass, which are known as isotopes, of certain chemical elements of radioactive isotopes.
The most well-known form of nuclear energy is that released from the decay of uranium-235 ( 235U ), which is the energy used in nuclear reactors and is the most abundant form of nuclear energy produced in nature, such as in the interior of stars, through the fusion of deuterium and tritium ( 2H - 3H ). Nuclear energy is also produced artificially through nuclear reactions using different isotopes of various chemical elements, such as thorium-232, plutonium-239, strontium-90, and polonium-210 ( 232Th , 239Pu , 90Sr , 210Po ; similarly).
The most used and investigated methods to obtain energy on a large scale through Nuclear Energy are fission and nuclear fusion. This type of energy can be achieved in a disorderly manner, and originate the well-known nuclear weapons; or originate in a contained manner in nuclear reactors and thus produce electrical, mechanical or thermal energy. To obtain each of these types of energy, specific raw materials and different installation designs are used for each type of energy sought.
Another technique to use Nuclear Energy in a low proportion, which is basically used in long-lasting cells or batteries, which are used in systems with low electrical consumption, is that of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). These generators use the different modes of disintegration, from which electricity originates in thermocouple systems that is generated from the heat carried by a radioactive source.
During these nuclear processes, an energy is released that emerges represented in moving subatomic particles. These particles that when paralyzed in the materials that surround them, generate electrical energy. In turn, this thermal energy is changed into mechanical energy by manipulating external combustion engines, such as steam turbines. Mechanical energy that can be used in transportation, as is the case with nuclear ships.
In the United Kingdom, it was the nation that authorized the construction and inauguration of a nuclear power plant for the first time in 1956. In a study carried out by the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA), it was pointed out that by 2018, 448 reactors were operational nuclear power stations throughout the planet, from which a quarter of the planet's electricity is generated. In that year another 58 nuclear power plants were being built.
The flag countries in electricity production are: United States, France, Japan, Germany, Russia and Korea, producing 75% of electricity from Nuclear Energy. However, although Nuclear Energy has so many benefits, there are still controversies about the advantages and disadvantages of this energy by society. One side considers that Nuclear Energy is economical and proven, while another group argues and calls attention to the catastrophes that this type of energy can cause.
Advantages of this Energy
As Nuclear Energy has been said before, it has been used since the 1960s for the generation of energy in various processes of modern life, and it has its detractors and defenders, among the advantages of using this type of energy They can be named: Availability all the time, high genetic density is available, less waste generation, it requires less surface to build a nuclear reactor and other advantages.
Generates a high energy density
In nuclear plants, uranium is used as a chemical element to generate electricity. This element has the characteristic of collecting a high amount of energy. One gram of Uranium is similar to storing 18 liters of gasoline, its energy storage property is also so high that the energy generated by 100 tons of coal can be achieved with 1 kilo of Uranium.
Cheaper than fossil fuel
The initial investment cost to generate energy through Uranium is high due to installation costs. However, the entire process and generation of Nuclear Energy from Uranium to produce a large amount of energy is cheaper than the energy generated by oil and gasoline, because a smaller amount of Uranium is required.
Availability
The availability of Nuclear Energy is continuous, because nuclear power plants or reactors work continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to produce electricity, mechanical or thermal energy for a city. This capacity for continuous work of nuclear power plants is due to the refueling time that is done every six months or every 12 months, depending on the nuclear plant.
Unlike other sources of energy that are inconstant, because they have to be refueled with a certain frequency, such as the continuous supply of coal to coal-fired power plants. As well as the generation of energy from renewable sources, which are affected by weather conditions.
Release less greenhouse gases
Nuclear Energy has the characteristic of generating less greenhouse gases, an advantage that allows it to contribute with the rulers to comply with the agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This characteristic is due to the fact that in order to operate a nuclear plant or power station, fossil fuel does not have to be used.
The gas emissions generated by this type of nuclear power production occur while the plant is operational, from its construction and operation to the extraction and decommissioning of uranium and the plant's final decommissioning. This is corroborated by data from studies that determine the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere due to nuclear activity, indicating an average of 66 g of CO2 e /kWh.
That although it is a high value of greenhouse gas generation, with respect to the emission of gases with respect to other renewable resources, but to a lesser extent with respect to the generation of greenhouse gases released by the projects that work with fossil fuels.
It requires little space
Power generation projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, oil refining complexes, solar power generation projects and other energy projects require large areas to develop them. In contrast, nuclear power plants or reactors can be built on less land where the reactor and cooling towers are located, throughout its useful life.
Less waste is produced
Due to how dangerous and toxic the waste produced in a nuclear reactor is for the environment, safety strategies have been developed to reduce the production of waste as much as possible and keep the few that are produced the furthest away and prevent come into contact with the environment in order to reduce risks.
Technology in formation
Despite having been developing projects with Nuclear Energy for more than 50 years, even today there are problems to be solved and due to this they are constantly being reviewed. These continuous evaluations are specified by the type of energy with which one works: fission processes are evaluated and another process called nuclear fusion is known, which has the objective of uniting two simple atoms and obtaining a heavy atom through this union.
In these nuclear fusion projects, the aim is to simulate the reaction that occurs in the sun. Fusion in which two hydrogen atoms participate to obtain one of helium and transform energy. For nuclear fusion to occur, temperatures must be very high to resemble those of the sun, and for this reason they must have a good cooling system. Due to these temperature contrasts, there are several technological complications that are still in the stage of improvement and evaluation.
If all these improvements are achieved, there will be a cleaner and less polluting Nuclear Energy source, since less radioactive waste would be generated and a greater amount of energy would be obtained with respect to what is currently produced through fission or disintegration of uranium.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
Although it can be an alternative to obtain electrical or mechanical energy, it can also have the disadvantages that it is a non-renewable energy resource, at the moment it does not have the capacity to supply other fuel sources such as fossil, coal and oil. Just as Nuclear Energy depends on fossil fuels.
non-renewable resource like uranium
According to research, uranium is a non-renewable energy resource, such as oil. That began to be used as nuclear energy for military weapons in World War II. Starting in the 1970s, Uranium has been used to produce Nuclear Power and to generate electrical power for commercial use.
According to the monitoring carried out on the Uranium Reserves in the world, only between 50 to 70% of the Uranium can be extracted in the Uranium mines, this is because Uranium concentration values of less than 0,01% are no longer they are viable, in view a large number of rocks have to be impacted and the resources used are greater than those that will be produced in the plant. It is estimated that the useful life of a uranium mine is from 2 to more or less 10 years.
Nuclear energy does not replace fossil energy
To date, Nuclear Energy does not have sufficient infrastructure to supply the energy and fuels obtained from oil, gas and coal. This is because it still does not have the capacity to supply the 19 terawatts that are produced to supply the different projects that are carried out with the supply of fossil fuels. In order for Nuclear Energy to achieve this figure for power generation, some 10 nuclear reactors will have to be in operation and, to date, only around 448 plants are in operation.
To put into operation a nuclear power plant or reactor, a large sum of money and time is required for its construction and commissioning of these plants, the average number of years for its construction is about 5 to 10 years from the moment it begins the construction of the plants and their start-up, without considering possible delays. Along with all this, it must be taken into consideration that the useful life of a plant is only 30 to 40 years and also, a high investment is required for its dismantling.
They use fossil fuels
To carry out a project to generate nuclear energy, fossil fuel must be used. This in view of the fact that while a plant is active and producing atomic energy, in addition to the production of electrical energy in the plant itself, simultaneous processes are carried out that are the exploration and exploitation of uranium mines, in which fossil fuel.
Uranium mining pollutes
The technique for extracting uranium depends on how deep the deposit is, the topography and relief of the soil, the legal aspects, the importance of the deposit and other conditions that determine the exploitation of the mine, each extraction has to be planned depending on of the type of mine. Sometimes underground mines can be located 30 meters deep and some open pit excavations have a depth of 150 meters.
What is clear is that mining activity to extract uranium causes a negative impact on the environment, since to extract 1 kilo of uranium ore, more than 190.000 kilos of soil have to be excavated. Such is the case of uranium mines in the United States where the main extraction resource is uranium, more than 1.600.000 tons (TN) of soil are moved to only obtain 250.000 TN of uranium.
After extracting the uranium, it is leached with sulfuric acid, contaminating the land and water with radioactive material. The people who work in the uranium mines are exposed to deteriorating health, even being affected by lung cancer.
decontaminated radiation
At the end of the useful life of a Nuclear Reactor, the nuclear plant begins to be dismantled so that the site can be used in the future for another type of activity and, therefore, it must be ensured that any remaining radioactive elements are eliminated, to protect the environment and people. This process is very slow, since it takes about 110 years for the place to be decontaminated.
However, environmentalists have denounced that there is data on approximately 140.000 TN of nuclear waste that is not monitored and was transferred to the Atlantic Trench, by Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Italy. What if the useful life of the radioactive chemical element of Uranium is considered, which is a few thousand years, they risk the lives of present and future generations.
nuclear accidents
To avoid nuclear accidents due to the installation of reactors to process Nuclear Energy, these are built following extreme security measures. In order to prevent radioactive material from coming into contact with the outside of the plant. Despite this, accidents have occurred at nuclear plants, due to internal accidents and external threats. This causes concern because it shows that nuclear energy is a threat to the population of the planet.
The foregoing is evidenced by the explosions of the reactors at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, which occurred due to the 9° earthquake on the Richter Scale on March 11, 2011, on the east coast of Japan, which caused a catastrophic tsunami. This natural event severely affected the reactors.
The earthquake caused subsequent explosions in the reactors due to fission in the atmosphere. The fission of the radionuclide elements coupled with atmospheric aerosols and thus together they traveled great distances carried by air masses to different parts of the planet, due to the circulation of air through the Earth's atmosphere.
Along with the explosion of the reactors, a lot of radioactive material also fell into the ocean. Even today, the Fukushima nuclear plant continues to dump a certain amount of contaminated water (about 300 t/d) into the ocean. Just as this accident was caused by an environmental threat, nuclear accidents can also be due to internal causes of the reactor, as occurred in the Chernobyl accident.
On April 26, 1986, an accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, at the time the reactor's electrical control system was being evaluated. That accident affected some 30.000 inhabitants who lived in areas surrounding the reactor at about 45 rem of radiation exposure each. Apparently this was the level of radiation that was measured in Hiroshima bomb survivors, during the impact of the atomic bomb.
Shortly after the accident, when evaluating the isotopes released during the nuclear explosion with the greatest impact from the biological point of view, they were radioactive iodine, such as iodine 131 and other iodides 132 and 133, with a shorter life cycle. People intoxicated by exposure to radioactive iodine by consuming contaminated food and water, led to serious internal damage to the thyroid gland of affected residents.
Four years after the accident, medical examinations were carried out on the citizens affected by the radioactivity, and the doctors diagnosed cancer in the thyroid of the significantly intoxicated people. This accident caused 30 deaths, of the 134 people affected, about 28 people died who were poisoned in the following three months. After a while, one person died of coronary thrombosis and at the same time some 1800 people with thyroid cancer were detected.
Warlike Uses of Nuclear Energy
The waste from nuclear reactors is used as a source of raw material to produce nuclear weapons. Nuclear reactor waste such as Plutonium and Depleted Uranium. As for example the atomic bombs whose raw material is Plutonium and Uranium that uses it as raw material to make projectiles.
The growing interest of the rulers of the countries for the development of Nuclear Energy has intensified the search to obtain Uranium to produce nuclear weapons. This growing interest has been observed even in countries without nuclear power programs. This has resulted in the fact that if a worldwide increase in the construction of nuclear reactors occurs, it will lead to putting the planet in danger of a possible nuclear war and that it will be used by world terrorism. Countries like India, Iraq, and North Korea may have secretly built nuclear power plants.
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