Nuclear power potential as major energy source B. By SHRI VISHNU N

Contents  INTRODUCTION  IS NUCLEAR ENERGY POTENTIAL OR KINETIC ENERGY  NUCLEAR POWER IN THE WORLD TODAY  NUCLEAR GENERATION BY COUNTRY  WORLD OVERVIEW  TOP FIVE NUCLEAR STOCKS  INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION  CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION  One of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil and natural gas  They will last quite a while but will probably run out or become harmful in tens to hundreds of years. Solar energy will also work but is not much developed yet except for special applications because of its high cost  This high cost as a main source, e.g. for central station electricity, is likely to continue, and nuclear energy is likely to remain cheaper  A major advantage of nuclear energy (and also of solar energy) is that it doesn't put carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere

Is nuclear energy potential or kinetic energy?  Nuclear energy can be both potential and kinetic. A radioactive nuclide has potential energy before it undergoes radioactive decay. This can be by alpha, beta, gamma, electron capture, positron, or spontaneous fission decay. The processes of radioactive decay will emit kinetic energy of a particle or of a photon  The remaining nucleus can be stable, ending the radio active with its own balfife and will emit kinetic energy when it decays  U-238 undergoes 8-alpha decays, and several other beta decays,that don’t change the atomic mass of the decaying atom

Nuclear power in the world today  Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world's electricity from about 450 power reactors.  Nuclear is the world's second largest source of low-carbon power (29% of the total in 2017)  Over 50 countries utilise nuclear energy in about 225 research reactors. In addition to research, these reactors are used for the production of medical and industrial isotopes, as well as for training  Around 10% of the world's electricity is generated by about 450 nuclear power reactors. About 50 more reactors are under construction, equivalent to about 15% of existing capacity

 In 2018 nuclear plants supplied 2563 TWh of electricity, up from 2503 TWh in This is the sixth consecutive year that global nuclear generation has risen, with output 217 TWh higher than in 2012 Nuclear electricity production

Nuclear generation by country

World overview  All parts of the world are involved in nuclear power development, Some of the examples are:  Canada has 19 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 13.5 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 15% of the country's electricity Canada  Mexico has two operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 1.6 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 5% of the country's electricity Mexico  The USA has 97 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 99 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 19% of the country's electricityUSA  Russia has 36 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 29.0 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 18% of the country's electricity Russia

 Ukraine has 15 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 13.1 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 53% of the country's electricity Ukraine  Turkey commenced construction of its first nuclear power plant in April 2018, with start of operation expected in 2023 Turkey  Bangladesh started construction on the first of two planned Russian VVER-1200 reactors in Construction on the second started in It plans to have the first unit in operation by The country currently produces virtually all of its electricity from fossil fuels Bangladesh  China has 47 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 45.7 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 4% of the country's electricity. China  India has 22 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 6.2 GWe. In 2018, nuclear generated 3% of the country's electricity. India

TOP FIVE NUCLEAR STOCKS 1. US Ecology Inc (ECOL)ECOL Market Cap: $1.39 billion Performance: 25.2% annual return 2. FirstEnergy Corp (FE)FE Market Cap: $19.83 billion Performance: 19.15% annual return 3. Nextera Energy Inc (NEE)NEE Market Cap: $84.99 billion Performance: 12.08% annual return 4. Exelon Corporation (EXC)EXC Market Cap: $45.89 billion Performance: 12% annual return 5. Ameren Corp (AEE)AEE Market Cap: $16.82 billion Performance: 8.8% annual return

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS  Nuclear energy can be used for various industrial applications, such as seawater desalination, hydrogen production, district heating or cooling, the extraction of tertiary oil resources and process heat applications such as cogeneration, coal to liquids conversion and assistance in the synthesis of chemical feedstock  A large demand for nuclear energy for industrial applications is expected to grow rapidly on account of steadily increasing energy consumption, the finite availability of fossil fuels and the increased sensitivity to the environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion  With increasing prices for conventional oil, unconventional oil resources are increasingly utilized to meet such growing demand, especially for transport  Nuclear energy offers a low carbon alternative and has important potential advantages over other sources being considered for future energy

Industry The use of isotopes and radiations in modern industry is of great importance for the development and improvement of processes, for measuring, automation and quality control. Currently, almost all branches of technology use radioisotopes and radiations of diverse forms: Tracers: Radioactive substances that are introduced into a derterminate industrial process, to detect their trajectory thanks to their radioactive emission. This allows the investigation of different variables of the process (flows, filtrations, leaks, etcetera) in order to obtain information valuable towards extending the life of industrial equipment X-rays of the pieces’ internal structure: This is a quality control application. It’s done with gamma rays or neutrons, for which reason they are known as gammagraphies or neutrographies. It is a non-destructive method that makes it possible to check the quality of weldings, metallic or ceramic pieces, etcetera, without damaging or altering the material’s composition

Improving the quality of determinate products: This consists on irradiating with intense sources in order to improve the quality of determinate products. Example: Polymerization by radiation, used for the manufacturing of plastic and for sterilizing “one use only” products. Zinc (Zn-64) injection into the nuclear reactor cooling liquid: This reduces the radioactive dose rate and in many cases mitigates the initiation of cracks by caused by corrosion from tension Electricity produced by nuclear power:

 Nuclear energy is one of the important energy alternatives.What gives nuclear an advantage is its past record,safety features and economical promise for the future  Energy should be taken seriously and education of our energy sources should not be limited to the school system but be shared with the city or state and the energy facility CONCLUSION