Physics GrADE 11 CCT, High school final essays of Physics

Download Physics GrADE 11 CCT and more High school final essays Physics in PDF only on Docsity!

Physics Course Culminating Task

SPH3U

Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Power Plant

Rawan Abduljabbar

Nuclear Reactors A nuclear power plant's heart is made up of a nuclear reactor. They confine and regulate nuclear chain reactions, which create heat via a physical process known as fission, which is essentially the splitting of atoms. This heat is utilised to create steam, which is then used to turn a turbine to generate power. Mining is the first step in the process. Underground, open-pit, and in-situ leach mines are all used to extract uranium. In any event, uranium ore is mined, processed into a stable and compact form like yellowcake, and then transferred to a processing plant. The yellowcake is first transformed to uranium hexafluoride, which is subsequently enriched using a variety of methods. The enriched uranium, which contains more than the natural 0.7 percent U-235, is then utilised to create rods with the right composition and shape for the specific reactor for which the fuel is intended How does it work? A nuclear reactor is powered by the fission of atoms, a process in which a particle (a neutron) is fired at an atom, which subsequently fissions into two smaller atoms and a few more neutrons. Some of the released neutrons collide with other atoms, causing them to fission and release additional neutrons. A chain reaction is what this is known as. In the chain reaction, the fissioning of atoms releases a lot of energy in the form of heat. A circulating fluid, usually water, removes the produced heat from the reactor. This heat may then be utilized to make steam, which is used to power turbines that generate electricity. Reactors have mechanisms that accelerate, delay, or shut down the nuclear reaction, as well as the heat it creates, to guarantee that it happens at the

➔ It generates power through fission, which splits up uranium atoms to produce energy. The heat released by fission is used to create steam that spins a turbine so it generates electricity without emitting methane or carbon dioxide emissions, meaning it is a clean fuel source. ➔ It keeps the air clean by removing tons of harmful air pollutants each year that contribute to acid rain and smog. By doing this, it helps save aquatic species from acid rain since the acid in the rain causes the soil to absorb more aluminium, carrying it into lakes and streams (which is what is harmful to aquatic species). It also allows plants, crops, and forests to grow since the ozone in smog prevents them from doing that. ➔ Nuclear energy is already creating a huge impact on the environment. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the United States avoided more than 14,000 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 1995 and 2016, which is equivalent to removing 3 billion cars from the road.

- Does not take up a lot of lands ➔ Produces the most amount of electricity than any other clean-fuel source while taking up the least amount of space. ➔ This will help save habitats, trees, plants, ecosystems, etc. because less land needs to build on. This is very important since a lot of species are at risk of extinction and it's crucial to try to help reduce this issue. ➔ To put this in perspective, a typical 1,000-megawatt nuclear facility needs about 1 square mile to operate. While wind farms require 360 times more land area to produce the same amount of electricity. This means that you would need more than 430 wind turbines to produce the same amount of power as a typical commercial reactor.

- Reliable ➔ A nuclear power plant can run uninterruptedly for more than a year when it is producing energy. ➔ Nuclear power plants are also very reliable because they don't rely on the weather to produce energy like other clean energy sources. ➔ This energy has a persistent supply. It is broadly accessible, there is a lot in storage, and it is believed that the supply is going to last much longer than fossil fuels that are used in the same capacity. ➔ Uranium will last another 70-80 years, however, scientists are looking for other sources. Economical factors of investing in nuclear energy ➔ **Pros:

• Increased job opportunities:** ➔ Investing in nuclear power would create more high paying jobs for Canadians with specialised skills ➔ Currently, the nuclear industry provides jobs for 21,000 Canadians directly, and around 50,000 jobs indirectly ➔ Examples of jobs in the field include Contractors, Technicians. Engineers, HR, and various jobs in administrative work ➔ When there’s a higher amount of employed people in a country, there are more people to reinforce consumer culture as they spend on goods. This money goes through a cycle, and stays in the country which allows the economy to thrive and expand ➔ Currently, there are only six nuclear power stations in Canada

- Low operating cost ➔ Nuclear energy also has very low operating costs so, it would be a very sustainable source to invest in long-term ➔ This means that the government would be able to source energy more efficiently ➔ This also ensures the source is reliable and a good type of energy to invest large amounts of money in - High energy density ➔ The nuclear fission reaction only requires small amounts of fuel to start its process of being turned into energy. This means that it would be a cheaper energy source, without compromising its effectiveness/power ➔ This also means that nuclear power plants don't need a ton of resources to produce energy ➔ All of the used nuclear fuel produced by the U.S. nuclear energy industry over the last 60 years could fit on a football field at a depth of fewer than 10 yards Social factors of investing in nuclear energy ➔ **Pros:

• Job opportunities:** ➔ The nuclear industry would create many jobs for Canadians ➔ This is because nuclear power plants & reactors require many people to operate the systems ➔ These jobs typically pay more than the minimum wage ➔ The more people employed in Canada helps our economy and consumerism

➔ It is very important that countries have a high employment rate and a low unemployment rate ➔ Currently, Canada's unemployment rate is only 5.7% ➔ This number can always decrease, and the nuclear industry may help people get jobs

- Education level ➔ If the industry becomes more popular, more people may pursue a higher education level in order to qualify for the job requirements ➔ This can have really positive effects, as people with higher education are usually more informed about issues and are active citizens ➔ OECD’s highest educated country is Canada as 56.7% of Canadians (adults) have a post-secondary degree ➔ However, this may increase that percentage even more than it already is ➔ This is a very respected title to have/maintain Affordable power ➔ Nuclear energy benefits the people as it is an affordable source of power ➔ This means that consumers may be able to spend less money on power, and more on consumerism ➔ This may make the citizens of Canada happier, and not frustrated about the increasing cost of energy/living Emits no Greenhouse gases

cooling, the energy unleashed by these reactions can actually melt the components of the reactors' cores. They did in this situation. Following that, radioactive material was discharged, as well as multiple chemical explosions, which were triggered by the enormous heat created by the nuclear reactions. To begin with, the term "radioactive" refers to a substance that is actively releasing radiation. This isn't the same type of radiation that we're used to seeing, like visible electromagnetic radiation from a light bulb. Gamma rays, which are electromagnetic radiation released as a result of nuclear fission, have 100,000 times the energy of visible light. Highly energetic electrons (beta particles) and tiny clusters of protons and neutrons can also be emitted by radioactive material (alpha particles). This concentrated energy causes our body's molecules to react in ways that can be exceedingly harmful, leading to cancer in certain cases. Is there a relationship between support for Nuclear power generation and education level? Due to the fact that dealing with nuclear energy is extremely dangerous, the individual has to have extreme expertise in this area. Some professions that work with nuclear energy are nuclear technician, nuclear engineer, and medical physicist. Nuclear technicians are assistants to those who perform research on nuclear science, such as engineers, physicists, and more. Nuclear engineers work to find useful and safe applications to nuclear energy, such as power and medicine. Medical physicists use radioactive materials to derive new drugs and treatments for various illnesses, like those used in fighting cancer or internal imaging technology. All of these jobs require a bachelor's (minimum), but master's and Ph.D. are also required.

Does Canada have a Nuclear Power Plant? Where is it located? Is it still in use or not? Today, approximately 60% of Ontario’s power needs are met by nuclear power. This nuclear power plant is located in southern Ontario, Durham region, in which there are two nuclear-generating stations. Across Canada, nuclear power generation accounted for approximately 15% of Canada's electricity in 2018. Nuclear energy is a major part of the Canadian landscape from coast to coast. Nuclear power stations operate in Ontario and New Brunswick. Uranium mining, refining, and fuel fabrication steps are completed in Saskatchewan and Ontario. Canada had plans to expand its nuclear capacity over the next decade by building two more new reactors, but these have been deferred. In other words, Canada does have numerous nuclear power plants, mainly located in Ontario. These nuclear power plants are still in use and the nuclear industry is presumed to grow across Canada in the near future.