Nuclear Energy

Created by :Rayaan Ahmed

Presenters : Hussain Shahnawaz , Ahmed Malik
What is Nuclear energy:-

 Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity.

Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay
and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of
electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of
uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants
How it is obtained:-

 Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into
steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity. Ninety-three nuclear reactors
in 28 states generate nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, all
without carbon emissions because reactors use uranium, not fossil fuels.
These plants are always on: well-operated to avoid interruptions and built
to withstand extreme weather, supporting the grid 24/7.
 All that power and potential from a tiny atom.
Benefits of Nuclear Energy:-

Nuclear energy offers many advantages as the emissions-free workhorse of our energy grid.
 Nuclear protects national security.
 Nuclear fights climate change, provides large amounts of 24/7 carbon-free electricity now
 Nuclear produces electricity reliably
 Nuclear generates jobs, provides more than 100,000 well-paid, long-term jobs
 Nuclear boosts international development.
 Nuclear powers electric vehicles.
Nuclear is a bad match for renewables:-

 Renewables work best when twinned with flexible technologies. It is only

when they can pick up the strain at key times, such as cold, nights. Thou,
Nuclear power stations are highly inflexible as if they are very difficult to
turn up or down. That’s why these stations are a poor match for a grid that
has lots of renewables.
Building nuclear power stations are very expensive:-.

 New nuclear power is more expensive than onshore wind and other large-
scale solar stations. Thou, nuclear is getting more expensive day by day.
There are huge costs beyond simply constructing
nuclear power stations:-

 Decommissioning a nuclear plant and disposing of its waste is complex,

hazardous, and expensive.
Nuclear power stations take a lot of time in planning
and building:-

 The construction of a nuclear power station and its approval takes in the
region of 10 to 20 years. Things go to plan and as they are so complex,
projects often suffer lengthy delays. Other technologies can be built much
faster than nuclear power stations.
Nuclear power makes us reliant on a small number of
sites:-

 All power stations sometimes experience outages. Because nuclear power

stations generate a huge amount of electricity, if a nuclear power station
goes offline it puts huge pressure on the grid.
Environmental Impact:-
However, the processes for mining and refining uranium ore and making reactor fuel all require large amounts of energy.
Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of
radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes. Radioactive wastes
are subject to special regulations that govern their handling, transportation, storage, and disposal to protect human health and
the environment. The radioactivity of these wastes can range from a little higher than natural background levels, such as for
uranium mill tailings, to the much higher radioactivity of used (spent) reactor fuel and parts of nuclear reactors.

By volume, most of the waste related to the nuclear power industry has a relatively low level of radioactivity. The other types
of low-level radioactive waste are the tools, protective clothing, wiping cloths, and other disposable items that become
contaminated with small amounts of radioactive dust or particles at nuclear fuel processing facilities and nuclear power plants.
These materials are subject to special regulations for their handling, storage, and disposal so they will not come in contact with
the outside environment. High-level radioactive waste consists of irradiated, or spent, nuclear reactor fuel

i.e. , fuel that is no longer useful for producing electricity). Spent reactor fuel storage and reactor decommissioning Spent
reactor fuel assemblies are highly radioactive and, initially, must be stored in specially designed pools of water. Spent reactor
fuel assemblies can also be stored in specially designed dry storage containers.

An increasing number of reactor operators now store their older spent fuel in dry storage facilities using special outdoor
concrete or steel containers with air cooling. The United States does not currently have a permanent disposal facility for high-
level nuclear waste.
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Steps of making Nuclear Electricity:-

 Step One: Split Atoms to Create Heat:

 Step Two: Use the Heat to Make Steam
 Step Three: Use the Steam to Turn a Turbine :
Energy Conversions :-