WHY NUCLEAR

TECHNOLOGY
SHOULD NOT BE
USED IN POWER
PRODUCTION .

How Nuclear Power Works

Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant is one of 59 French

plants that provide 75 percent of the country's
electricity.

Big Bend Power Station in Apollo

Beach.

Power plants that depend on atomic

energy dont operate that differently
from typical coal-burning power
plants.
Both plants heat water into
pressurized steam, which drives a
turbine generator.
The difference between the two
systems is how they heat the water
Before Nuclear power, plants would
use fossil fuels to heat the water
Nuclear power plants depend on the
heat that occurs during, nuclear
fission

Nuclear Fission

If there is no control on this

process the result is triggering
further fission events, causing an
atomic bomb.

Nuclear fission is
essential to producing
nuclear energy.
The fission process is
when an atomic nucleus is
broken by neutron impact.
The original nucleus splits
into two lighter nuclei also
releasing free neutrons
and a large quantity of
energy, and radiation.

Controls on the process

Control rods that absorb
neutrons keep the process
from escalating to a
deadly chain reaction (as
to not cause a nuclear
explosion).
To keep the chain reaction going, the
control rods must be withdrawn
further. At some point, the chain
reaction cannot be maintained and
the fuel must be replenished.

CONS OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

A

Disadvantages of Nuclear energy

Radioactive waste-. The waste from nuclear energy is extremely

dangerous and it has to be carefully looked after for several thousand
years (10'000 years according to United States Environmental Protection
Agency standards).

Sustainability- Is nuclear energy sustainable and renewable

Nuclear Power Plant Accidents and Terrorism-If a nuclear power plant

accident occurs, the environment and surrounding people could be
exposed to high levels of radiation. A satisfactory plan to protect nuclear
power plants from terrorism is not in place.

Radioactive Waste

Radioactive Waste is still an unsolved problem. The waste from nuclear

power plants is extremely dangerous and it can remain active for more
than several thousand years. There are several issues with burying the
radioactive waste. Waste would be transported in large trucks. In the event
of an accident, the radioactive waste could possibly leak. Another issue is
that we can not be certain that the casks will not leak after the waste is
buried. The amount of radioactive waste that we currently have would fill
the Yucca Mountains and new sites would need to be found to bury future
radioactive waste. Several methods have been suggested for final disposal
of high-level waste, including deep burial in stable geological structures,
transmutation, and removal to space. However, there is still no current
solution to deal with the issue of radioactive waste. Some scientists feel
that the idea of building more nuclear power plants and worrying about
dealing with the waste later has the potential of a dangerous outcome. One
other problem of radioactive waste is producing more nuclear weapons.
The same know-how used to design nuclear power plants can to a certain
extent be used to build nuclear weapons (nuclear proliferation).

Nuclear Energy is Neither Sustainable or

Renewable Energy

Nuclear energy uses Uranium as fuel, which is a scarce resource. Their

supplies are estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on
the actual demand. Uranium is available on earth only in limited
quantities. Uranium is converted during the operation of nuclear power
plant so it won't be available any more for future generations. This again
contradicts the principle of sustainability. Both the nuclear waste as well
as retired nuclear plants are a life-threatening legacy for hundreds of
future generations. It flagrantly contradicts with the thoughts of
sustainability if future generations have to deal with dangerous waste
generated from preceding generations. Renewable energy sources can
indeed provide base load electricity either directly or by also utilizing
energy storage. Energy from renewable sources now accounts for a quarter
of the installed capacity of California , a third of Sweden 's energy, half of
Norway 's and three-quarters of Iceland 's. Six fully coasted modeling
studies already show that deep cuts to greenhouse emissions can be
achieved without needing nuclear power. Also, nuclear power plants have
been not only expensive, they're also financially extremely risky because
of their long lead times, cost overruns, and open-ended liabilities.

Nuclear Power Plant Accidents and Terrorism

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, regulated safety

procedures are not being followed to ensure that nuclear power plants are
safe. Even if all safety precautions are followed, it is no guarantee that a
nuclear power plant accident will not occur. If a nuclear power plant
accident occurs, the environment and surrounding people could be
exposed to high levels of radiation. Terrorism threats are another concern
that needs to be addressed. How do we protect our nuclear power plants
from terrorist threats? A satisfactory plan to protect nuclear power plants
from terrorism Terrorists with sufficient expertise and resources could in
theory build a nuclear bomb but only with enormous difficulty. Starting a
chain reaction is not simple. Highly enriched uraniumvery problematic
to acquirewould have to be correctly contained to obtain an explosion.
Terrorists stealing an American nuclear weapon couldn't explode it
without detailed knowledge of classified procedures that unlock
numerous fail-safe mechanisms. Nuclear weapons that have been
accidentally dropped from aircraft or involved in plane crashes, for
instance, have not exploded. The reason: these devices are designed to
blow up only when properly detonated is not in place.

Pros of Nuclear Power

It doesnt rely on fossil fuels.

Nuclear power plants release less
radiation than coal power plants.
CO2 emissions are very low.
By not depending on fossil fuels
nuclear power costs are not
affected by the fluctuating costs
of fuel and coal.
Cost effective

Generates large amounts of

energy.
Uranium less expensive than
oil, natural gas or coal.
Nuclear power plants
produce large amounts of
electricity for relatively low
costs and as such are viable
means of power.

Examples of Nuclear Energy

Today

Northwestern

University
students recently found
that Venus Flytraps can
eat nuclear waste
The

open windows of
the metal-sulfide
material allow cesium
(Cs) ions to enter the
structure. Like a Venus
flytrap, the entrance of
cesium ions in the cavity
triggers a windowclosing response to
permanently
encapsulate the ion.
Shows

promise for
clean up

Thank you

A film By
Rishikesh
kumar