Nuclear energy can be natural or created by humans. Nuclear fusion is a natural process, while nuclear fission is used in power plants. Nuclear power plants generate electricity by using the heat from the nuclear reaction to generate steam. While there are potential dangers, nuclear power plants have the potential to benefit the environment by not polluting the air like coal-fired plants. However, they produce radioactive waste, which can be difficult to dispose of safely.
Nuclear energy is simply a term that describes any energy associated with atomic reactions. These can be created by people, but they also happen through natural processes. An example of all-natural nuclear energy would be the nuclear fusion process that powers stars such as the sun. In a more practical sense, when most people refer to nuclear energy, they are referring to the human method of harnessing that energy in nuclear power plants. People haven’t yet discovered a way to harness nuclear fusion, which could potentially be incredibly powerful and highly efficient: Instead, they use the process of nuclear fission to create energy.
In a sense, nuclear fission is the opposite of nuclear fusion. With the process of nuclear fission, tiny particles are hurled at atoms until they break apart and become smaller atoms. Each time this happens, a small amount of energy is released and other particles are also released which continue to shatter the smaller atoms. This process goes on and on, creating a domino effect and continuously generating more and more heat. In nuclear fusion, small atoms come together and larger atoms are formed, which release huge amounts of energy.
Humanity uses fission in power plants because it is a type of nuclear energy that is easier to control. People also have the technology to create fusion, and the hydrogen bomb would be an example of that, but there’s too much energy involved in fusion reactions and no one has figured out a way to make it safely usable as an energy source. Scientists continue to try to unravel the mysteries of controllable fusion reactions.
Nuclear power plants actually work like most other power plants. The heat from the nuclear reaction is used to raise the temperature of the water, which generates steam. The power of the steam turns turbines which generate electricity by friction. It’s really not that different from hydroelectric power or the way coal-fired power plants work. The big difference is how the heat is generated.
There are many possible dangers in nuclear power plants, but they also have the potential to benefit the environment. On the one hand, a disaster called a meltdown could occur and many people could be injured or killed, but on the other hand, nuclear power plants do not pollute the air in the same way as coal-fired plants. Nuclear plants also produce radioactive waste, and finding ways to safely dispose of this waste can be difficult.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
