Wesley Fink

James Wreden

Derek Dela Cruz

May 8, 2020

A Report on Nuclear Energy

History of Nuclear Energy

The history of nuclear energy begins in the 1930s, when scientists discovered atoms were
composed of protons and neutrons. Building on this discovery, European scientists Otto Hahn,
Fritz Strassman, and Lise Meitner first split the nucleus of a uranium atom through fission in
1938. Nuclear energy itself would be uncovered by Italian Enrico Fermi and his team in 1942.
Fermi found that the fission of a single uranium atom radiated off more neutrons. This would
start a chain reaction of other uranium atoms. Fermi discovered that this process created large
amounts of energy. Both Hahn and Fermi would win the Nobel Peace Prize for their
accomplishments.

The first major use of nuclear fission was to make atomic bombs in the United States
government’s Manhattan Project. On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb would be tested in
Alamogordo, New Mexico. Later that year, two nuclear weapons would be used to devastate the
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing an end to the Second World War. In 1946,
the United States Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act, opening the door for the commercial
use of nuclear energy in the United States. In 1954, the first nuclear power plant would open in
the Soviet city of Obninsk. A year later, Arco, Idaho, became the first city to be powered entirely
by nuclear energy. The first commercial and large scale nuclear power plant opened in
Shippingport, Pennsylvania in 1958, which helped power much of the Pittsburgh metropolitan
area. The public perception of nuclear energy has been weakened by several high profile
nuclear power plant accidents. These include the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the Three Mile
Island accident in 1979, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. Today, nuclear energy
accounts for 20% of the electricity produced in the United States.

Pros and Cons

Pros
● Nuclear energy does release greenhouse gases, but when compared to other fuels it is
significantly less. It provides 62% of all emission-free electricity in the United States
● Nuclear energy has a very high fuel to energy output. Only one generator can produce
the necessary energy for an entire city. This is especially useful in the manufacturing
world, as large amounts of energy is required
 ● Nuclear energy does not rely on fossil fuels, making it much more reliable as it doesn’t
depend on the unpredictability of the gas and oil market.
● Nuclear fuel is much more abundant, as we currently have no shortage of these
materials
● Nuclear plants provide many more job opportunities for people, as it takes many people
to run these plants.
Cons
● Nuclear plants have a huge environmental impacts. One plant produces 20 metric tons
of nuclear waste per year. This waste is extremely radioactive, meaning it has to
properly disposed of, which is extremely expensive.
● Nuclear plants have a possibility of failing, and these can lead to catastrophic events,
such as the Fukushima event in 2011
● Construction of a new plant can take up to 10 years and cost billions of dollars to
construct. The plants also cost a lot of money for decommissioning and proper disposal
● Nuclear plants can be a possible terrorist targets, since they can lead to catastrophic
events.
● Nuclear fuel is not a renewable resource, meaning we will eventually run out

Chemistry:
Nuclear energy is energy contained in the nucleus of an atom. The strong force holds
the nucleus’s particles together. This energy is exploited by humans to generate electricity. In
nuclear power plants, uranium, which is element 92, is used. More than 99% of uranium in the
world is the isotope U-238, but U-235 is used in nuclear power plants, which consists of less
than 1% of uranium in the world.

There are two major kinds of nuclear reactions: fusion and fission. Nuclear fusion is the
joining of nuclei and nuclear fission is the splitting of nuclei. Nuclear fusion occurs in stars. The
heat and pressure of a star creates a perfect environment for atoms to join. The prime example
is when tritium and deuterium, two isotopes of hydrogen, fuse to create helium-4 and an extra
neutron. The other main example of nuclear reactions is nuclear fission. This is the reaction
used in nuclear power plants. A neutron strikes a U-235 atom, creating fission products and 2 or
3 extra neutrons. These extra neutrons strike more U-235 atoms, creating a chain reaction.

A typical nuclear power plant uses 200 tons of uranium per year. The U-235 used comes
from uranium ore. In the US, some uranium is mined from Wyoming and the Four Corner
regions. However, over 80% of uranium purchased by nuclear reactors were imported to the
US. The main suppliers include Russia, Canada, Namibia, Australia, and Kazakhstan. The
uranium is turned into U3O8, or triuranium octoxide, at a processing plant, which is the fuel form
of uranium. They are shaped into pellets and packed into 12 ft fuel rods. In these fuel rods, the
chain reaction mentioned earlier occurs. When the atoms split, heat and energy are created.
The fuel rods are placed in the cooling agent of a nuclear power plant, which is usually water,
and generates steam from the heat. The steam spins turbines in the power plant, generating
electricity. Control rods are used to regulate the reactions and electricity generated by being
filled with elements that can absorb the fission products, such as neutrons. If the neutrons are
absorbed, the chain reaction is stopped. With this process, energy is produced. The smallest
nuclear power plant in the US, which is in New York, runs at about 582 MW, while the largest in
the US, which is in Florida, runs at about 3,937 MW.
 Work Cited

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/nuclear-energy/
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=104&t=3
https://c03.apogee.net/mvc/home/hes/land/el?utilityname=mp&spc=kids&id=16205
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/The%20History%20of%20Nuclear%20Energy_0.p
df
https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/nuclear-energy-pros-cons/