Nuclear Power Essay, Research Paper

Nuclear Power

Nuclear energy in California has produced 36,186 million Kilowatt/hours of

electricity in 1995. The entire reliable capacity of California & # 8217 ; s nuclear-supplied power

is 5,326 megawatts, including the two operating atomic power workss in California and

parts of atomic workss in other provinces owned by California electric companies.

There are two ways to let go of energy from atomic reactions: fission and merger of

atomic karyon. Electricity bring forthing engineerings are available, whereas merger is still in

the early phases of research and development. Nuclear fission is the procedure of dividing

the karyon of atoms, which releases energy from within those atoms. Nuclear merger is the

procedure of connection, instead than dividing, these atoms with similar releases of energy.

There are several types of fission reactors in the United States but the most

common is light H2O reactors. The ground they are called & # 8220 ; light H2O reactors & # 8221 ; is

because normal ( light ) H2O is used to chill the reactor nucleus ; some reactors use heavy

H2O, which contains H atoms with an extra neutron in the karyon.

Pressurized H2O reactors ( PWR ) and boiling H2O reactors ( BWR ) use uranium-235, a

of course happening radioactive isotope of U, as a fuel. As the karyon of a

uranium-235 atom is hit by a neutron, it splits into smaller atoms of other elements, and

releases energy and excess neutrons. Those neutrons hit more atoms of the original

uranium-235 making a fission concatenation reaction that releases more energy and neutrons.

In a PWR, H2O base on ballss through the atomic nucleus and is heated. The power works & # 8217 ; s

primary circulating system passes H2O through the reactor nucleus, where the H2O is

heated by the atomic reaction. That H2O ( under high temp and force per unit area to forestall

boiling ) is passed through a steam generator, where it releases its heat to the secondary

go arounding system. Water in secondary circulating system is allowed to boil, and the

ensuing steam is used to drive a steam turbine-generator.

In a BWR, there is no demand for a steam generator and a secondary circulating

system, as the H2O in primary circulating system is allowed to boil before go outing the

reactor and is so routed straight to a steam turbine-generator.

There are merely two atomic power workss out of six that are still used in California.

The first one I

s owned by PG & E named Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant near San

Luis Obispo. The Plant has two units ; the first unit is a 1,073-megawatt PWR, which

began operation in May 1985. The 2nd unit is 1,087-megawatt PWR, which began

operation in March 1986. The 2nd works is owned by Southern California Edison Co.

and San Diego Gas & A ; Electric named San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Unit two

of that station is a 1,070-megawatt PWR that began operation in August 1983, while unit

three is a 1,080-megawatt PWR that began operation in April 1984.

Below is a chart of atomic power workss in California:

Nuclear Power Plants in California

Name of Plant Capacity ( MW ) In Service Owner

Diablo CanyonUnit 1Unit 2 1,0731,087 19851986 PG & A ; EPG & A ; E

San OnofreUnit 1Unit 2Unit 3 4361,0701,080 1968 & # 8211 ; 199219831984 SCE/SDG & A ; ESCE/SDG & A ; ESCE/SDG & A ; E

Humboldt Bay Unit 3 * 65 1963 & # 8211 ; 1976 PG & A ; E

Rancho Seco 913 1975 & # 8211 ; 1989 SMUD

Vallecitos 30 1957 & # 8211 ; 1967 PG & A ; E/GE

* Units 1 and 2 are natural gas-fired thermic power workss on the same site.

There are many grounds and issues why we don & # 8217 ; Ts have a batch of atomic power

workss in California here are a few:

? Nuclear workss may non be economically executable in the United States. No American public-service corporation has proposed to build a new atomic power works since the late seventiess.

? Need for a spent fuel disposal installation and a decommissioning program

? Use of big sums of H2O for chilling intents ( if wet chilling

? towers are used )

? Biological impacts on the ocean due to thermal discharge ( if saltwater chilling is used )

? Planing for seismal safety

? Public safety concerns

? Transportation issues associated with the development of an exigency emptying program

? Changes in ocular quality due to the power works constructions, including the reactor vessel containment construction, and chilling towers ( if applicable )

? Potentially important sums of land

? Potentially important public resistance

Nuclear power workss produce a batch of energy but they serious environmental

jobs. I think that these workss are non the solution to our energy jobs. I don & # 8217 ; t see

why we can & # 8217 ; t merely travel solar. But the lone manner we can halt the production of these workss is

to educate the people about them and the jeopardies of them. And that the lone true manner to

work out this job is to conserve energy and travel solar.