Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. Atoms are tiny units that make up all matter in the universe. Energy is what holds the nucleus together. There is a huge amount of power in an atoms dense nucleus. In fact, the power that holds the nucleus together is officially called the "strong force."*
Nuclear energy can be used to create electricity, but it must first be released from the atom. In nuclear fission, atoms are split to release the energy.*
A nuclear reactor, or power plant, is a series of machines that can control nuclear fission to produce electricity. The fuel that nuclear reactors use to produce nuclear fission is pellets of the element uranium. In a nuclear reactor, atoms of uranium are forced to break apart. As they split, the atoms release tiny particles called fission products. Fission products cause other uranium atoms to split, starting a chain reaction. The energy released from this chain reaction creates heat.*
The heat created by nuclear fission warms the reactors cooling agent. A cooling agent is usually water, but some nuclear reactors use liquid metal or molten salt. The cooling agent, heated by nuclear fission, produces steam. The steam turns turbines, or wheels turned by a flowing current. The turbines drive generators, or engines that create electricity.
Rods of material called nuclear poison can adjust how much electricity is produced. Nuclear poisons are materials, such as a type of the element xenon, that absorb some of the fission products created by nuclear fission. The more rods of nuclear poison that are present during the chain reaction, the slower and more controlled the reaction will be. Removing the rods will allow a stronger chain reaction and create more electricity.*
About 15 percent of the worlds electricity is generated by nuclear power plants. The United States has more than 100 reactors, although it creates most of its electricity from fossil fuels and hydroelectric energy.*
Source: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/nuclear-energy/?ar_a=1
ARTICLE/ESSAY
Annotation: Wall Street Journal (2008)
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PAPER (ABSTRACTS)
Investigating the impact if nuclear energy consumption on GDP growth and CO2 emission: A panel data analysisAnnotation: This study investigates the influence of nuclear energy consumption on GDP growth and CO2 emission in 30 major nuclear energy consuming countries.
Global and local cancer risks after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident as seen from Chernobyl: A modeling study for radiocaesium
Annotation: This study investigates the preliminary cancer risk estimates after the Fukushima NPP accident, in terms of excess lifetime incident and death risks, prior to epidemiology, and compare them with those occurred after the Chernobyl accident.
VIDEO
TED talk debate (0.00-14.00min)
Annotation: Stewart Brand
and Mark Z. Jacobson square off over the pros and cons of nuclear energy
GRAPHIC
