2:50:00 PM
Group
7 Class XII IPA 1
Ayi
Abdul Basith
Ilham
Fahmi Taufik
Luthfi
Ramdhani
Moch.
Hilman Fauzi
Ridwan
Nulhakim
Yusfitra
Rizky
Nuclear energy is commonly offered as an alternative
to overcome the energy crisis. the debate whether the use of nuclear energy is
an appropriate choice has not come to an end. some people agree with the
utilization of it because of its benefits. some other, however, disagree
because of its risk to the environment.
Those who agree with the operation of nuclear reactor
usually argue that nuclear energi is the only feasible choice to answer the
ever increasing enery needs. However, people who disagree with the use of
nuclear produst completly destroy environtment and human lives.
ADVANTAGE
Technology and the use of nuclear techniques can
benefit and contribute greatly to the economic development and welfare. In the
field of medicine, nuclear engineering contributed no less, that is,
three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy therapy (3D-CRT), which can develop
surgical methods using ionizing radiation as a scalpel. With this technique,
the cases of malignant tumors that are difficult to reach with conventional
scalpel can be resolved, even without damaging other tissue.
As compared to other conventional energy sources,
Nuclear power produces very less amount of pollution. Very small amount of raw
material is required to generate huge amount of nuclear energy. To put it into
perspective, about 28gm of Uranium releases as much amount of energy as is
generated by 100 metric tonnes of coal.
Since they are required in small quantities, atomic
materials can be easily transported to far-off places even at a global scale.
Thus transportation is easy unless you are considering security part of it. If
nuclear power stations are operated upto their full capacity they can produce
cheap electricityand gain from other benefits of Nuclear energy.
The quantity of nuclear waste produced is also small. Cons
of this advantage are discussed in Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy. It is a
very reliable source of energy. The average life span of a nuclear reactor is
approx. 40 years which can be extended upto 60 years. Nuclear power stations
are usually very compact compared to thermal stations.
Although the initial capital cost of building a
nuclear plant is high, the maintenance and running costs are relatively low. Nuclear
power has great prospects in the near future as nuclear power plants are
efficient and do not produce any kind of pollution, unlike other sources. All
in all, if nuclear energy is implemented extensively and its potential is
exploited well, it would bring down the use of other important conventional
sources of energy.
Nuclear reactions release
a million times more energy, as compared to hydro or wind energy. Hence, a
large amount of electricity can be generated. Presently, 12-18% of the world's
electricity is generated through nuclear energy. The
biggest advantage of this energy is that there is no release of greenhouse
gases (carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbon) during nuclear
reaction. The greenhouse gases are a major threat in the current scenario, as
they cause global warming and climate change. As there is no emission of these
gases during nuclear reaction, there is very little effect on the environment.
The burning of fossil
fuels result in emission of the poisonous carbon dioxide. It is a menace to the
environment as well as human life. There is no release of carbon di-oxide at
the time of nuclear reaction. Nuclear reactors make
use of uranium as fuel. Fission reaction of a small amount of uranium generates
a large amount of energy. Currently, the high reserves of uranium found on
Earth, are expected to last for another 100 years. High amount of energy can be generated from a single
nuclear power plant. Also, nuclear fuel is inexpensive and easier to transport.
DISADVANTAGE
The nations of the world now have more than enough
nuclear bombs to kill every person on Earth. The two most powerful nations --
Russia and the United States -- have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them.
What if there were to be a nuclear war? What if terrorists got their hands on
nuclear weapons? Or what if nuclear weapons were launched by accident?
Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear
radiation harms the cells of the body which can make people sick or even kill
them. Illness can strike people years after their exposure to nuclear
radiation.
One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a
meltdown. In such an accident, the fission reaction goes out of control,
leading to a nuclear explosion and the emission of great amounts of radiation.
In 1979, the cooling
system failed at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. Radiation leaked, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.
The problem was solved minutes before a total meltdown would have occurred.
Fortunately,
there were no deaths.
In 1986, a much worse
disaster struck Russia's Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In this incident, a large
amount of radiation escaped from the reactor. Hundreds of thousands of people
were exposed to the radiation. Several dozen died within a few days. In the years
to come, thousands more may die of cancers induced by the radiation.
Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems.
Reactors produce nuclear waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because
they could kill people who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary
garbage. Currently, many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at
the nuclear reactors.
The United States plans
to move its nuclear waste to a remote underground dump by the year 2010 (two thousand and
ten). In 1957(one thousand nine hundred and fivety
seven), at a dump site in Russia's Ural Mountains, several hundred miles from
Moscow, buried nuclear wastes mysteriously exploded, killing dozens of people. Nuclear reactors only
last for about forty to fifty years.