Nuclear Power, Friend or Foe?
By: Abbey Brantley and Kai Daurie
What is Nuclear Power?
Nuclear power is a force made by nuclear fission (when isotopes of uranium split)
Introduction to Nuclear Energy
- Discovered in the 1930s
- Early discoveries showed that these reactions by nuclear fission were more powerful than chemical reactions
- 1934- Enrico Fermi split a uranium atom with neutrons and proved Einstein's theory was correct
Nuclear Fusion Reaction (above)
Three Mile Island
- Happened to the United States in 1979
- The core of the plant melted
- The plant was named TMI-2
- Below is an animation of TMI-2:
Chernobyl (April 25-26, 1986)
- Happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station
- Technicians at one of their units attempted to do an experiment that wasn't designed very well
- They turned off the power regulating system and let the reactor to run at low power which caused explosions
- 32 people died and many people got radiation poisoning
- "The radiation exposure spread far and exposed approximately 5 million people who lived in the contaminated areas"
- "there have been a number of thyroid cancer cases among the 12,000 born and 9,000 unborn children exposed to the radiation." (Nuclear Power's New Promise and Peril)
Chernobyl Power Station
Chernobyl Victim
Deformed tree due to the effect of nuclear power
Nuclear Power isn't the Answer
- "About one-third of the 10 million fuel pellets used in any reactor core must be removed each year because they have been so contaminated with fission by-products that they no longer function efficiently."(Nuclear Power)
- "Nuclear power continues to be dependent on taxpayer handouts to survive." (Nuclear Energy Has Many Fatal Flaws)
A Solution: Solar Energy
Another Solution: Hydroelectricity
- "Massive hydroelectric plants can generate significant amounts of electricity." (Britannica)
- While creating energy, it becomes a place for fish and other animals to go, and prevents erosion.
- This is a better energy source for the environment than nuclear power.
A Third Solution: Wind Energy
Bibliography
Works Cited
Aerial view of Chernobyl power station. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Bureya hydroelectric dam. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Chernobyl disaster victim, 1990. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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Encyclopedia Brittanica. "Chernobyl Disaster." Encyclopedia Brittanica. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Dec. 2015
Hydroelectric power station, Russia. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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Nuclear fusion reactions. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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Nuclear power station. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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Regeneration of tree damaged by Chernobyl fallout. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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View of the Badger nuclear explosion. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Wind energy turbines. Photo. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
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