The Negative Effects Of Nuclear Energy

ors and weapons. With much

success, they continued after World War II and

concentrated more on nuclear energy. The

scientists instantly saw that nuclear energy would

be a great source of power because of the amount

of power it released. Splitting an amount of

uranium equal to one penny would produce as

much energy as seven and a half tons of coal

(Lilienthal 85).

A nuclear power plant is where energy is formed

when nuclear fission or fusion takes place. So far,

however, only the power of fission has been

controlled and used for energy. There are many

parts of the nuclear power plant, including the

reactor, generator, control room, cooling systems,

and the electrical, air, and water lines. The heart of

the nuclear power plant is its reactor core, which

contains a few hundred fuel assemblies. The

reactor core is encased in a pressured steel tank

with walls several inches thick. In most reactors,

this vessel is enclosed in a containment structure.

This is a steel-reinforced concrete dome that is

about three feet thick and serves as the outermost

barrier between the plant and the environment

around it. This helps prevent radiation from

escaping the plant (Galperin 42).

There are many different types of nuclear reactors,

but all the power plants in the United States and

more than three-quarters of those worldwide are

light-water reactors. There are two types of

light-water reactors, which are boiling-water and

pressurized-water reactors. Both types use

ordinary water as coolant and require enriched

uranium (Microsoft Encarta).

In boiling-water reactors, cooling water surrounds

fuel assemblies. The heat of nuclear fission makes

the water boil and the steam produced is carried

away from the core to the turbines. Once its work

is done, the steam is condensed to water and it

returns to the reactor (Galperin 44).

The pressurized-water reactor is more commonly

used than the boiling-water reactor. This reactor

seals the cool