Disadvantages

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Some of the disadvantages of nuclear power :

Nuclear Power generates radiation, which can be harmful or even fatal to infected people. A nuclear meltdown can often occur which will release massive amounts of radiation into the community. Extremely radioactive nuclear waste is produced by nuclear power plants. This stuff can't be just thrown out. The US plans to move all its nuclear was to an underground dump by the year 2010. Currently it is stored in the plants. Nuclear waste dumps can spontaneously combust without warning. Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years, so where they are extremely productive, they break down and are costly to replace. There are international dangers too. Some reactors produce plutonium which can be used to make nuclear weapons. If the whole world were to use these, they would have unlimited access to nuclear weapons. Poisonous waste is produced; some of which is highly radioactive. Disposal of this radioactive waste has not been safely achieved. The power station is very expensive to build. When the costs are taken into account, the electricity produced by the power station is relatively expensive. Careless disposal of waste in the past has led to pollution of land, rivers and the ocean.

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The need for nuclear power plant lies in the fact the hunger for electricity increases day by day. The depletion of fossil fuels such as coil, oil and gas lead to seek for some alternate power source and nuclear power is the only power source that can meet the future electricity demands in the future. Therefore this is the reason in spite of the fear of nuclear accidents new plants are commissioning at faster pace. State of art technology is implemented in nuclear plants around the world and lot of focus was made on the safety of the nuclear plants. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear plants are explained below

Advantages:
Some of the advantages of Nuclear plants are:

1 kg of fuel of uranium gives energy equivalent 3,000 tonnes of high grade coal. Therefore in nuclear power plant the amount of fuel required is very less compared to conventional thermal power plant. Transportation and storage of the fuel is easier. Fossil fuel reserves depleting at higher rate. Therefore the cost of electricity production through coal and oil reserves increases per kilowatt hour compared to nuclear power plant, i.e, operational cost of nuclear plant is cheaper Nuclear power plants does not emit green house gases in to atmosphere unlike thermal power plants. Therefore nuclear power is clean and environmental friendly

Nuclear power plants require little space compared to thermal power plant for the same MW output. Thermal plants require lot of space for coal storage, handling and ash pond. The fuel storage in nuclear plant requires less space and spent fuel coming out of the reactor is stored in small water tank. Nuclear fuel is available in plenty amount all over the world. Therefore fuel supply to plants will be continuing for hundreds of years. The output efficiency of nuclear plants is higher compared to thermal power plants and cost of electricity produced per unit is cheaper. Nuclear reactors such as breeder reactors will breed the fuel in reactor, over a period of time of operation of reactor the amount of fuel provided into the reactor will be equal to the fuel given output from the reactor. This is possible by converting fertile material to fissile material inside the reactor. Nuclear plants always operate as base load plants. Therefore plant availability factor and load factor of the plant is quite high

Disadvantages:
Some of the disadvantages of nuclear plants are listed below:

In Nuclear plants safety is primary concern rather producing electricity. There is significant risk of leakage of radiation in case of any accident. The fission by products released are generally radio active and pollute the land, water, atmosphere and other natural resources. The land around the plant is considered as no man land for living for at least thousands of years During shutdown of the reactor, decay heat is still produced from the reactor due to fission daughter products. This decay heat constitutes around 8 to 10% of the reactor power. For example consider reactor have a power of 500MW, decay heat generated from the reactor will be of the order of 40 to 50MW. This heat is to be continuously removed from the reactor else there is a chance of core melt down which can cause accident and radiation release. Modern plants are designed to remove decay heat through passive cooling if all the power supplies to the plant is lost which safeguard the reactor core It requires large water mass for cooling purpose. Therefore the plant should be near to sea or river Nuclear power plants always operate as base load plants and cannot support grid during transient conditions. In nuclear plant Turbine follows Reactor. Whatever may be the demand for electricity Nuclear plant does not worry. It produces the power proportional to the reactor power. Therefore it does not support electrical grid during transients. Because varying reactor power with respect to load will affect the safety and life of the plant. It requires large area around the plant to be isolated from living (almost 5 kms radius) State of art technology is required thereby increasing the cost and operators and other personnel should be highly skilled to tackle any situations

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The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy have made this energy source one of the most controversial on the market today. Advocates for and against nuclear energy are equally passionate about their causes. Understanding the pros and cons of this energy source can help you make a more informed decision about your own energy use.

Nuclear Power Source

Nuclear energy is used to produce electricity. Heat generated from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process known as fission is used to produce steam. This steam in turn powers turbines, which are used to produce the electricity that supplies the surrounding community. Nuclear power stations are set up in a multiple-step process that has been designed to help contain the energy and many of its negative byproducts. This process alone is the base of several advantages and disadvantages for this energy source.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

To make an informed decision about nuclear energy, it helps to understand both the advantages it gives, and the disadvantages that are part of the same process.

Advantages of Nuclear Energy

Expense Uranium is not subject to the same price fluctuations that oil or coal are. This keeps the cost of nuclear energy stabler than the price of electricity generated by fossil fuels. Reliability When a nuclear power plant is functioning properly, it can run uninterrupted for up to 730 days. This results in fewer brownouts or other power interruptions. No Greenhouse Gases While nuclear energy does have some emissions, they aren't the kind to contribute to global warming. This lack of greenhouse gases can be very attractive to some consumers.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Raw Material Uranium is used in the process of fission because it's a naturally unstable element. Unfortunately, this means that while the uranium is being mined, transported and transformed into the contained pellets used in the fission chamber it is at risk of splitting on its own. This releases harmful radiation into its surroundings, and can be harmful to those handling the material. Runoff from the uranium mines poses a dangerous health risk and possible contamination to water tables. Water Pollutant Nuclear fission chambers are cooled by water. This water is then turned into steam, which is used to power the turbines. When the water cools enough to change back into liquid form, it is pumped outside into nearby wetlands. While measures are taken to ensure that no radiation is being pumped into the environment, other heavy metals and pollutants can make their way out of the chamber. The immense heat given off by this water can also be damaging to eco systems located nearby the reactor.

Waste When the uranium has finished splitting, the resulting radioactive byproducts need to be removed. While recycling efforts of this waste product have been undertaken in recent years, the storage of the byproduct could lead to contamination through leaks or containment failures. This waste could also become a target of terrorists seeking to use the waste to create nuclear weapons. Leaks Nuclear reactors are built with several safety systems designed to contain the radiation given off in the fission process. When these safety systems are properly installed and maintained, they function adequately. When they are not maintained, have structural flaws or were improperly installed, a nuclear reactor could release harmful amounts of radiation into the environment during the process of regular use. If a containment field were to rupture suddenly, the resulting leak of radiation could be catastrophic. Shutdown Reactors There have been several nuclear reactors that have failed and been shutdown that are still in existence. These abandoned reactors are taking up valuable land space, could be contaminating the areas surrounding them, yet are often too unstable to be removed.

With so many advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, it's no wonder that nuclear power remains one of the most controversial sources of energy in existence.