Nuclear+Power

=Clearly Nuclear= By Thomas Chu and Jenny Flaumenhaft //Nuclear Reactors//

Important Vocabulary Terms
**Atom**-The building blocks of all substances. Nuclear Power gets its energy from the Chemical Potential Energy in atoms.1
 * Nucleus**-The central part of the atom which Nuclear Power uses to create energy.
 * Fission**-To split, this creates heat, and releases the energy inside of the nuclei.
 * U-235**-The type of particle that Nuclear Power uses to create heat and energy.
 * Uranium**-The mineral that U-235 comes from.
 * Fuel Rod**-The fuel of a nuclear reactor core that is made up of U-235 pellets and steel. 1
 * Binding Energy**-The amount of energy that is needed to make an atom fission.
 * Chain Reaction**-A process of actions where each reaction is spurred by the action before.

media type="youtube" key="fjgdgAhOzXQ" height="385" width="640" //This video shows the basic process of Nuclear Power Fabrication.//

Process of Fabrication
Nuclear Power comes from uranium. The process of creating nuclear power goes as follows: //The process of Fabrication diagram.//
 * 1) Uranium is mined.
 * 2) Uranium is separated from waste rock.
 * 3) A uranium concentrate is created.
 * 4) The uranium concentrate is milled to create a powder.
 * 5) The uranium concentrate is converted into gas.
 * 6) The uranium gas is enriched, during this process the gas is stripped of most of its U-238 particles and more U-235 particles are added. This is because U-235 atoms are more efficient at creating heat.
 * 7) The gas is cooled and pressed into small pellets.
 * 8) The pellets are stored in stainless steel tubes and called fuel rods.
 * 9) Fuel rods are put into a nuclear reactor which applies binding energy greater than an ordinary U-235 atom's binding energy causing the atom to fission, which creates heat. This also causes other atoms to fission.
 * 10) This heat boils water, which spins a turbine.
 * 11) The turbine powers an electric generator.
 * 12) Every 18 months, 1/3 of the fuel is emptied and replaced with new fuel.
 * 13) Used fuel is stored in a spent fuel site, under water. This process releases its heat and radioactivity.
 * 14) Stainless steel canisters are filled with nuclear waste and deposited in underground rock structures. 2

= = =Conservation of Energy= During the process of creating electricity from uranium, energy is conserved. The table below shows the conservation of energy during the fabrication of nuclear power. 2

Chemical Potential Energy from U-235 is turned into Heat Energy which boils water, steam spins turbine Kinetic Energy powers electric generator Electric Energy created

Advantages and Disadvantages
Some of the advantages of Nuclear Power include: Some of the disadvantages of Nuclear power include:
 * Nuclear power is one of the cheapest power sources. It costs about 2 cents per kilowatt hour, this is comparable to fossil fuels.
 * The carbon emissions of nuclear power are relatively low, much less than those of fossil fuels.
 * Nuclear power is non-renewable, and scientists expect uranium supplies to run out in 30-60 years depending on consumption.
 * Nuclear waste is an unsolved problem, the EPA says that nuclear waste will not lose its radioactivity until around 10,000 years from when it is used.
 * The safety of nuclear power is unclear. The science of nuclear safety has improved but, a completely no-risk nuclear plant is not possible to build. 3

//Examples of the effects of nuclear power plant accidents are shown here.// media type="youtube" key="IVknvN7ni7Y" height="385" width="480"

Final Thoughts
Nuclear Power is a source of energy that is very controversial, but might be a large factor in the energy fabrication in the future of the United states. While the safety is said to be questionable, no Americans have died as a result of Nuclear Power. Nuclear Power is also very cheap, its prices comparable to those of fossil fuels while producing less emissions. With this in mind, this article might be very intriguing. <[]>