Nuclear energy is energy that is generated
through the use of Uranium, a natural metal that is mined all over the
world. Nuclear energy is created through complex processes in nuclear
power stations, and the first nuclear power station was established in
1956 in Cumbria, England. Today, many military operations and vessels
use nuclear power plants and nuclear energy for their energy source,
and nuclear energy is used in many other capabilities such that it
provides 16% of the Earth’s energy requirements.
Nuclear energy is created through chemical reactions that involve
the splitting or merging of the atoms of nuclei together. The process
of splitting an atom’s nucleus is termed fission, and the process of
merging the nuclei if atoms is termed merging. Converting nuclear
masses into energy forms is known through the popular chemical equation
of E = mc2, where E is known as the amount
of energy released, m is known as the mass of the nuclei, and c is the
value of the speed of light. The power from nuclear energy was first
discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel, a French physicist who saw that
some photographic plates that had been stored near uranium turned dark,
or black, like X-Ray plates did. Thus, Uranium was seen as a resource
for nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is created in nuclear power stations, where
uranium rods are the fuel used to create the energy or heat. The
process through fission, where neutrons in the Uranium smash into the
nucleus of atoms of Uranium. The Uranium nuclei will then split in half
and release an energy that comes in a form of heat. At this point,
carbon dioxide in gas form will be pumped into the reactors with the
Uranium, removing the heat from the system. The gas turns very hot, and
this heat is used to heat water into steam. The steam created from this
process will drive the turbines which in turn drive the generators that
produce the nuclear energy.
The nuclear power reactor that is creating all of these reactions is
controlled through rods of boron, known as control rods. These Boron
rods absorb the neutrons. The rods will be lowered into the reactor to
absorb neutrons and slow down the process of fission. In order to
generate more power, the rods are raised again so that even more
neutrons can crash into the atoms of Uranium.
Creating nuclear energy is a complex chemical process that can be
very dangerous. It does however have many advantages. Nuclear energy is
more affordable to create than coal energy, and does not use as much
fuel in the process. It also produces less waste, and does not produce
carbon dioxide or smoke. These benefits mean that nuclear energy
is more advantageous than coal energy, as the production of nuclear
energy does not contribute to environmental hazards or the greenhouse
effect.
