Horsford 1

Jordan Horsford

Prof. Plummer

English 211

19 April 2018

The Impact of Nuclear Energy

The use of a nuclear bomb in 1945 was the end of a war but, also the start of a new

beginning in the world of nuclear power. Nuclear energy is a relatively new source of energy. It

indirectly started with the Manhattan project and has only been around since the 1940s. The

Manhattan Project was one of the most monumental breakthroughs in modern science and

warfare. The purpose of the Manhattan Project was to develop a nuclear bomb to use against

Japan (Alchin). Established during World War 2 the Manhattan Project was supposed to be the

final solution to the war against Japan in the Pacific (Alchin).The project was led by Robert

Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist and professor at the University of California and American

General Leslie Groves (Alchin). Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist was the first person to build a

nuclear reactor. The 1930s and 40s saw several fundamental discoveries regarding nuclear and

atomic physics that allowed for the possibility of using nuclear energy as a power source.

Although the project was created to develop a weapon it paved the way for the discovery of a

new form of energy.

Power is produced from nuclear energy through the process of nuclear fission which

creates a chain reaction. These chain reactions are what give nuclear power plants the energy to

turn the power into electricity(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). Nuclear fission is the process in which

a ​heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of
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energy (Bradshaw). Nuclear fission produces a great deal of energy. There are several elements

that can be used as a catalyst for fission such as plutonium or Thorium, or Uranium(Parker). In

fact, Thorium is the most abundant of these elements and can be found in the Earth’s crust. One

pound of Uranium is about the size of a baseball, but produces more energy than coal or

petroleum while also being less expensive and more environmentally friendly(Cogan). Currently

there is enough Uranium to supply the entire world’s energy needs for at least a century(Cogan).

Even with all those benefits Uranium is still only mined by a few countries in the world but is the

most popular of the three elements that can be used for nuclear fission(Parker). Only a few

countries mine Uranium because concentrations of it in the ground are scarce. Mining for

Uranium is very expensive and isn’t cost efficient for countries with smaller economies(Parker).

The reason it is so expensive to mine is because it requires special machinery and technology as

well as years of planning and implementing safety measures(Parker). One gram of Uranium-235

produces more energy than 2.5 tons of coal(Bradshaw).

Power plants are the places where the energy from nuclear fission is turned into

electricity. There are several different sections a of power plant and each section provides a

different component to the energy conversion process(​Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). ​Nuclear

reactors are the components of power plants that contain the fuel and house the nuclear

reaction(​Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The reactor is the source of heat for the power plant much

alike how a boiler is for a coal plant(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The second part of a power plant

are the turbines and generators. Turbines and generators require superheated steam to begin to

spin the electric generator that produces electricity that is sent out to the electric

grid(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The steam comes from pressurized water reactors, which have
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two loops of circling boiling water to produce the steam(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). After the

steam has been produced it travels at high speeds through the turbines to start the

rotation(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al). The final section of a power plant is also the most

recognizable. Cooling towers are giant concrete structures that are usually seen with smoke

coming out of them. The purpose of cooling towers is to reject waste heat into the atmosphere by

transferring heat from the hot water to the colder air outside(Hanania,Stenhouse, et al).

The biggest concern of using nuclear energy for power is the off chance of a nuclear

meltdown. ​A nuclear meltdown is when nuclear fuel becomes too hot and melts through the

concrete structure that contains it(​Cameron, Ron, and Xu Yuming). When this happens nuclear

waste could seep into the ground and eventually contaminate nearby water sources. As well as

water sources, the radioactive waste could also reach the atmosphere and affect entire

populations​(​Cameron, Ron, and Xu Yuming). Nuclear waste is an extremely dangerous and

volatile substance. It can have a variety of effects on people when depending on how long you

remain near the radiation(Bradshaw). Even acute radiation poisoning can leave someone with

symptoms of nausea, headaches, fatigue, and fever(Condliffe, Jamie). Higher doses of exposure

to radiation can lead to a decrease in white blood cells, skin peeling, anemia, and in certain cases

death(Condliffe, Jamie). Treatment for these types of radiation poisoning involves blood

transfusions and strong doses antibiotics(Condliffe, Jamie). Currently much of the United States’

nuclear waste is kept at the facilities where it was generated(Condliffe, Jamie).

The most famous and worst incident of a nuclear meltdown is by far that of the

Chernobyl accident that happened in 1986. Chernobyl was a nuclear power plant in the Ukraine.

The reason the Chernobyl power station exploded was because one of the reactors was ruptured
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in a power surge and became very unstable(Parker). Radioactive fallout then spread to the nearby

town of Pripyat(Parker). Everyone in range of the radiation was either killed or very badly

poisoned(Parker). Outside of Pripyat the cloud of radiation also spread to farmlands and rivers in

other parts of the Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Russia(Parker). Roughly 350,000 people that

were in areas of high risk of contamination have been evacuated since the initial

accident(Parker).

The United States is no stranger to the use of nuclear power. 30 states in the U.S. have at

least one commercial nuclear reactor within its borders(“U.S. Nuclear Industry”). Illinois is the

state with the most reactors, having 11 of them currently in use(“U.S. Nuclear Industry”). With

the United States this involved with the use of nuclear energy there have to be federal and state

regulations. In 1975, the Nuclear Regulatory Commision(NRC) was created. This commision

was created for the purpose of ensuring the safe use of radioactive materials while protecting

people and the environment(“About NRC.”). The NRC is responsible for regulating commercial

nuclear power plants. Duties such as inspection, licensing, and enforcement of all it’s

requirements all fall under their responsibilities(“About NRC.”). Along with the NRC there is

also the United States Department of Energy(DOE). The DOE was formed in 1977, during the

middle of the America’s energy crisis(Cogan). The DOE and NRC share many of the same

responsibilities. The DOE's responsibilities include policy and funding for programs on nuclear

energy, fossil fuels, hydropower (Cogan).One of the major differences between the two is that

the DOE manages and oversees the military’s application of nuclear energy, maintaining the

country's weapons stockpile and managing the design, production and testing of nuclear weapons

all come under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Energy(Cogan).

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Taking everything into account, nuclear power is the most prominent method of

renewable electricity generation with today’s technology. There are several other methods of

renewable energy but nuclear stands out from the rest just because of the sheer amount of power

it produces compared to the others. Many more nuclear power stations are being built across the

globe which will lead to a major decrease in fossil fuel usage(Parker). The more developments

that are made in this field the more efficient and safer nuclear power will begin to be(Parker).

Using nuclear energy has risks involved, but the better the technology becomes in reactors and

generators the less dangerous and more useful this energy source will become.
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Works Cited

Alchin, By Linda. “The Atomic Bomb.” ​Atomic Bomb Facts: US History for Kids ***​, American
Historama, 02 Sept. 2016,
http://www.american-historama.org/1929-1945-depression-ww2-era/atomic-bomb.htm​.

Hanania, Jordan, et al. “Nuclear Power Plant.” ​Nuclear Power Plant - Energy Education​,
energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power_plant.

Cameron, Ron, and Xu Yuming. “Javascript Required!” ​Nuclear Power Economics | Nuclear
Energy Costs - World Nuclear Association​, 18 Dec. 2017,
www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/economic-aspects/economics-of-nuclear-po
wer.aspx​.

Parker, William. “Nuclear Power.” ​Iop.org​, Nov. 2010,

www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject/env/prize/file_52570.pdf​. 

Bradshaw, Lauren. “Nuclear Energy Research Paper | CustomWritings.com Blog.”

CustomWritings.com​, 30 June 2009,
www.customwritings.com/blog/sample-research-papers/nuclear-energy-research-paper.ht
ml​.

“Nuclear Energy Research Papers.” ​Physics Papers Nuclear Energy Research Papers
Comments​, www.physics-papers.com/nuclear-energy-research-papers.html.

Cogan, Jonathan, and Linda Capuano. “U.S. Nuclear Industry.” ​U.S. Nuclear Industry - Energy
Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration​,
14 June 2017, ​www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=nuclear_use​.

Condliffe, Jamie. “What Nuclear Radiation Does To Your Body.” ​Gizmodo​, Gizmodo.com, 26
July 2012, gizmodo.com/5928171/what-nuclear-radiation-does-to-your-body.

“U.S. Nuclear Industry.” ​U.S. Nuclear Industry - Energy Explained, Your Guide To
Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration​,
www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=nuclear_use​.

“About NRC.” ​United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Protecting People and the
Environment​, 12 Feb. 2018, www.nrc.gov/about-nrc.html