Page 1of 5 Lecture 15 Lecture 15: The Nuclear Power Plants The Nuclear Energy The source of nuclear energy is the rear rangement of protons and neutrons to form more st able nucl ei . In this manner, nucl ear reactions are akin to chemical reactions; the latter occur in nature – often spontaneously – and ecept for th e rel at i!el y fe" spontaneous endo ther mi c reactions, the products ha!e less internal energy than the reactants and can therefore eist in a more stable milieu. #usion is the combination of light nuclei such as the hydrogen nucleus, a single proton, to produce something hea!ier such as the helium nucleus, t"o protons and t"o neutrons. #ission is the process of breaking apart large nuclei such as uranium into some smaller pieces such as krypton and iodine. $oth nuclear reactions function under the principle that more stable nuclei result, both releases !ery large amounts of energy in the process, and both types ha! e been ach ie! ed in some for m – alt hough not al"ays in a con tr ol led fashion – on earth. %ere discussion "ould be at both the principles behind nuclear energy and the energy resources a!ailable to be used for this purpose. In addition, the "astes produced by both processes cannot be ignored, but in the case offusion, these "astes are insigni&cant and mostly nonradioacti!e. '!en heat pr oduced by normal decay of nuclei after a reactor is closed do"n is astonishingly small for a fusion reactor but a critical issue for a &ssion reactor. The disaster at one of the (hernobyl )*$+ reactor in 1-launched public and political concern about all nuclear &ssion reactors. In the /nited 0tates, a backlash against nuclear energy halted programs as plans for ne" plants "ere scrapped nation"ide. The recent accident in #ukushima aiichi, 2apan further intensi&ed concern related to 3uclear Po"er Plant safety.
