Energy comparison: nuclear fission

Welcome back to Green World

Today we're talking about nuclear fission. This energy source is quite controverial, so we're going to be looking at why.

Before we begin, just a quick side note, there are multiple forms of nuclear power. This post is about nuclear fission. Nuclear decay is rarely used, most notably in some space missions. Nuclear fusion is currently being researched by scientists around the world and isn't used for commercial electricity yet.

First, let's explain how nuclear fission actually works. This involves a lot of complicated chemistry and physics, but I'll do my best to explain it. Before anything else we need to look at what is in an atom.

In this image, the grey represents negatively charged electrons, which circle the nucleus (plural: nuclei) in the center. The nucleus (blue and red) is made up of positively chargerd protons and neutrons (which are neutral). This means that the nucleus is positive. The protons and neutrons are held together by nuclear force. Therefore, the nucleus contains a lot of energy. Nuclear fission is the process of breaking the nucleus up and releasing that energy.

So now that we've got the basic vocabulary covered, we can move on to the actual process of fission. First a neutron is shot towards a nucleus at a great speed. The energy in the neutron and the speed that it's moving deforms the nucleus into a doubled lobed shaped (a bit like a peanut). The gap between the two lobes grows bigger until it's too big for the nuclear force to hold the protons and neutrons together. The nucleus breaks into smaller fragments, consisting of only a couple protons and neutrons each. Two, sometimes three, neutrons break apart and aren't connected to any protons at all. The positively charged fragments (due to the protons) repel each other, which causes the single neutrons to fly off at high speeds. These neutrons then hit the nuclei from nearby atoms and restart the whole process. The energy released when the neucleus breaks apart is what we then turn into electricity.

The most commonly stated problem with nuclear fission is the storage and disposal of by-products. Nuclear waste is split into three categories based on the level of radiation: low, intermediate and high. 90% of all fission waste falls has a low radioactive level. 3% of fission waste has a high radioactive level. These 3% release 95% of total the radioactivity from nulcear fission plants. However Harvard University states on its website, that ".. coal power plants release more radioactive material per kWh into the environment in the form of coals ash than does waste from a nuclear power plant under standard shielding protocols." The fatality rates per kWh are higher in fossil feuls than in nuclear power. This is also due to the dangers of coal mining which we covered here. There are no CO2 emissions in nuclear power after the power plants have been constructed, meaning that nuclear power only produces 16kg of CO2 for every kWh of electricity that is produced, compared to the 820kg CO2 per kWh released by coal plants.The radioactivity of nuclear waste is reduced to 0.1% after about 50 years.

Another big problem are the nuclear disasters. Inside a nuclear power plant, there are all sorts of protective messures such as coolers, etc. Nuclear disasters occur when something go wrong and it leads to vast amounts of electromagnetic radiation which has 100 000 times more energy than visible light! Nuclear disasters often occur after natural disasters such as tsunamis or earthquakes as these can shut down the protective messures. There is a cancer risk connected to these disasters. 5 000 thyroid cancer cases have been connected to the Chernobyl accident in 1986 in Ukraine which left a large inhabitable zone and caused thousands to evactuate their homes.

We hoped you found this post interesting. It's a very complex discussion and there are some many more points than we mentioned here. See you next week!

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Images:

Atom structure: This image was published on pixabay.com by geralt.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_force

https://www.space.com/what-is-nuclear-fission

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/reconsidering-risks-nuclear-power/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power

Comments

Overfishing- An Introduction

When writing the article on the Yangtze Finless Porpoise, I briefly touched on the topic of overfishing. Many of you have probably heard about it, and know it is a massive problem threatening our seas and their inhabitants. Overfishing is so destructive, it can kill all life in the ocean, and many of you might be part of it every day. So I read through many articles from international organisations, and they all say pretty much the same things. It's a highly complex topic, with so many things to say and do, so this is just an introduction to the broadest points. It's very interesting (and sad) but when you look into it further you realize there is actually a lot you can do! This is very important, especially for ocean lovers and seafood people. What is overfishing? By definition, overfishing is so intense fishing, people catch fish quicker than the stocks can reproduce. Leading to a massive decrease in stocks that can peak in the extinction of a s...

April Top Tips: ten tips for environmentally friendly travel

Hi Everyone! We haven't been very present on the blog again recently but we are back today with ten top tips for environmentally friendly travel. Most forms of travel over long distances (unless you are willing to put in a lot of physical effort) use fossil fuels and are generally not good for our planet. So today we will be giving you a few tips which although won't mean that your travel is 100% planet friendly, will be a good start to doing as much as you can. Your Green World Blog Team💚 1. Use trains and boats rather than planes where possible Planes are awful for the environment. They are, however, extremely practical and so easy to use, cheap...It's hard to avoid them! They are so quick too so you don't have to spend as much time travelling. However, they are really bad for the environment. For example, you could fly once to Edinburgh from Heathrow for the same carbon dioxide levels as driving to Edinburgh 336 times! 2. Fly...

Photo Essay | dolphin spotting boat ride

Hi Everyone! Quite a while ago now, me and my family went on a dolphin spotting boat ride, and I've been meaning to share some photos for ages now! We saw so many dolphins very close up and we managed to get some good shots, although it can never be as magical as in person! All photos in this post were taken by me or my family. They were so close to the boat! This photo is stunning! It's under the water! Again - under the water! It was so hard to capture them jumping! This was the boat.... ...

Animals 36-40 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hi, As you probably noticed, we took a break from this series, mostly due to having just too much to do. But we're back now with the last three posts. 36. The Pinocchio frog The Pinocchio frog can be found in the Foja Mountains in Indonesia. They mainly eat insects, although little is known about them. They are named because the males have a spike on their noses. They were only discovered in 2008, and this was completely by accident! It remained unnamed scientifically until over ten years later when it was given the name " Litoria pinocchio " . There is very little information about them but Wikipedia states that "the male Pinocchio frog inflates its nose when calling, and the nose decreases in size when the frog is calm and quiet," which I think is hilarious and so interesting! 37. Snub-nosed monkey Especially noticeable due to their curious looks, the snub-nosed monkeys can be found in the forests of central China and northern...

10 animals on the edge of extinction you didn't know about no. 9 - South Island takahē

Hello Today we’re talking about the South Island takahē, porphyrio hochstetteri . They are flightless birds, endemic to New Zealand. Takahē are brightly coloured and weigh 2.3-3.8 kg. They have red legs and a large red beak. Their feathers are coloured blue and green. They have wings, but these are only used during courtship or rivalry displays. They are territorial, with one family’s territory reaching anywhere from 4 ha to 100 ha (0,04-1km^2). Pairs will live in the same territory each year. They breed once a year and will raise 1-3 chicks (normally 2) each year. Both parents raise the chicks together. In the wild, takahē live in native grasslands and have a lifespan of 16-18 years. If snow covers the ground then they will move into nearby forests. They eat tussock grasses, sedges and sometimes rushes. But they are opportunists, so they will occasionally go for insects or even ducklings and...

Energy comparison: Hydroelectricity

Hello everyone, Welcome back to another energy comparison post. Today we're talking about hydroelectricity. This is basically just using the power of moving water for our own uses. This idea has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans used watermills to grind grains for making bread. Watermills were used up until the Industrial Revolution. What is hydroelectricity? There are three types of hydroelectric power plants. Impoundment facilities are the most common. The water is stored in a pool or reservoir normally located at a higher elevation. The dam uses gates or valves to control the water flow. When there is demand for electricity, the water is released. It falls downwards and turns turbines that turn the kinetic energy of the water (movement energy) into electric energy. Diversion facilities don't have a dam. They channel the water towards the turbines using a system of canals. Pumped-storage facilities are...

National parks - how do they help the environment?

Hello National parks are a place of immense beauty. They are know as tourist attractions and are best recognised by their incredible landscapes. Today we are talking about their effects on the natural world! Yosemite National Park, United States National parks are normally created and protected by governments. In most cases, they have public access, meaning that visitors can walk around in them and admire them. The IUCN defines what is a national park and what isn't. In 2006, over 6 500 areas met the criteria and are defined as a national park. However, there are many areas called National Park, that aren't a national park according to IUCN and there are places that the IUCN defines as a national park but the government doesn't. So some countries have their own definitions. In the UK and some other countries, a national park referes to an u...

Animals 11-15 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hello, We have another five amazing animals for you today. Enjoy! 11. Dhole This is a dog species which looks rather like a red fox . They are difficult to put into any of the dog subfamilies. They aren't foxes, nor wolves, nor domestic dogs. Dholes are fast runners and live in packs of 5-12 individuals. Although sometimes, different packs will join forces to become a pack of 30 or more individuals! However, these super packs are broken up after a successful hunt. The different packs rarely attack each other as neighbouring packs are often closely related. Dhole packs live in burrows with multiple entrances. They can be found in eastern and southern Asia. They eat wild berries, insects and lizards and as a pack hunt deer, rodents and other wild mammals. Interestingly, unlike other dogs, they rarely kill by biting at the throat. They are also good swimmers! 12. Irrawaddy dolphin The Irrawaddy dolphin can be found in coastal areas of south a...

10 animals on the edge of extinction you didn't know about no.4 - Sumatran elephant

Hello everyone, This is the 4th post in our '10 animals on the edge of extinction you didn't know about'. Today we are going to be talking about Sumatran elephants. You've probably all heard about Sumatran tigers, which are also on the edge of extinction, but Sumatran elephants are much less well-known. Characteristics Sumatran elephants live for around 70 years and grow 2 - 3.2m tall. They weigh 2 000 to 4 000 kg and are the smallest subspecies of Asian Elephant. The males have tusks, however, these don't grow as long as their African counterparts. The females also have tusks but these are normally so small, that they are hidden under the upper lip. Sumatran elephants are herbivores, eating bark, bananas, young fresh leaves and occasionally various wild herbs. Social lives Elephants are very social and live in herds of 20 - 35 individuals. These herds are led by a dominant female. Males leave when reach adolescence, either willi...

Ozone layer

Hi everyone, What even is ozone? And the ozone layer? Where does the hole in the ozone layer come from and what does it mean? Is it dangerous? What can be done? Often the ozone-talk can be complicated and confusing, keeping an overview is hard and understanding all the problems always difficult. Let us break it down a bit for you: What is the ozone layer? We'll start with the basics: The ozone layer is part of the stratosphere, which is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, between 10 and 50 km above the Earth's surface and made up of protective gases. One of these protective gases is ozone. There is not much ozone in the atmosphere, only 0.3 molecule of ozone per 1 million molecules of air. This is because ozone is chemically unstable and only forms when ultra violet radiation (UV light) hits oxygen and breaks the bonds between the atoms. It fact it is so unstable that even when it has formed, it breaks down again relatively quickly. This leads to ozone turning back ...

Green World

Search This Blog