Aatu, Jaakko, Maija, Matias, Oliver NUCLEAR POWER Aatu, Jaakko, Maija, Matias, Oliver

The history of nuclear power The first nuclear reactor was made in1942 in USA It was named Chicago Pile-1 and was made as part of project called the Manhattan project which had the aim of producing the first atomic bomb The science of atomic radiation, nuclear fission and atomic chance was developed between 1895 and 1945 Important names regarding the subject are for example Martin Klaproth, Wilhelm Rontgen, Pierre and Marie Curie and James Chadwick

Nuclear reactor How does it work? Nuclear fuel consists of two types of uranium, U-238 and U-235. In U-235 atoms, the nucleus, which is composed of protons and neutrons, is unstable. As the nuclei break up, they release neutrons and when the neutrons hit other uranium atoms, those atoms split and release neutrons of their own along with heat. One fission triggers others which is a chain reaction. The reaction is being controlled by control rods which can slow or accelerate the reaction. The heat produced by fission heats the water around the fuel tubes into steam and the steam spins turbine, which spins a generator to create electricity. Nuclear plants like other plants that burn coal, oil and natural gas, produce electricity by boiling water but the difference is that nuclear plants do not burn anything. :^)

Environmental effects Nuclear power does not pollute the atmosphere, making it very environmentally friendly, if the power plants are maintained properly. Neglect of a nuclear plant can cause overheating of the core, causing a meltdown. This may lead radioactive materials to breach containment and escape into the environment, resulting in radioactive contamination and fallout, and potentially leading to radiation poisoning of people and animals nearby. Nuclear plants produce radioactive waste, which is highly irradiated, and it can stay that way for hundreds of years. If it is not properly disposed of, it can contaminate the area around it, potentially making it inhabitable.

Nuclear power around the world France 76.9% Slovakia 56.8% Hungary 53.6% Ukraine 49.4% Belgium 47.5% Sweden 41.5% Switzerland 37.9% Slovenia 37.2% Czech Republic 35.8% Finland 34.6% Bulgaria 31.8% Armenia 30.7% South Korea 30.4% There are about 440 commercial nuclear power reactors operable in 31 countries. About 65 more are under construction, 25 of them in China. Nuclear power provides over 11% of the world's electricity. 56 countries operate about 240 research reactors and a further 180 nuclear reactors power some 140 ships and submarines.

What is the future of nuclear power? New generations of nuclear reactors are currently under development. These so called generation IV reactors are more efficient, produce less nuclear waste which remains radioactive for shorter period of time and they can use broader range of fuels, for example thorium. One gen IV reactor type, MSR, uses salt as coolant instead of water, making it much safer than current reactors. Many countries have closed their reactors after Fukushima disaster in Japan, but there are still many reactors under construction all across the globe.

SOurces: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1U6Nzcv9Vws/maxresdefault.jpg http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future- generation/nuclear-power-in-the-world-today.aspx http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor