THE FUTURE OF FUKUSHIMA Can nuclear energy overcome its bad rap? CHAPTER 27 NUCLEAR FUTURE

Learning Outcomes At the end of this chapter, you should know: As radioactive isotopes decay, varying levels of danger may occur. Harnessing the energy of nuclear energy can generate electricity, but not without some disadvantages.27 THE FUTURE OF FUKUSHIMA Can nuclear energy overcome its bad rap?

27 Main Concept Nuclear energy offers potential for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels for energy production; however, our history with nuclear power and several critical safety concerns must be addressed first. THE FUTURE OF FUKUSHIMA Can nuclear energy overcome its bad rap?

Case: The Nuclear power station in Fukushima, Japan brought our worst nightmares into the present when a series of earthquakes combined to produce a tsunami that broke through protective barriers, nearly destroyed the Daiichi nuclear power facility, and put the world at risk of a potential nuclear meltdown.27 THE FUTURE OF FUKUSHIMA Can nuclear energy overcome its bad rap? The crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station 10 months after the disaster Satellite image of the damaged power plant March 14, 2011

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Radioactive isotopes Radioactive half-life27 Nuclear power plants use heat to boil water and produce steam. Unlike plants using fossil fuels to heat the water, nuclear plants use a nuclear fission reaction to produce heat. All matter is made of atoms and atoms are made of subatomic particles. Different combinations of theses subatomic particles produce specific elements.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Radioactive isotopes Radioactive half-life27 Isotopes are atoms that have the same atomic number (the number of protons) but a different number of neutrons. Most isotopes are stable, but some emit subatomic particles and heat energy as radioactive decay.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Radioactive isotopes Radioactive half-life27 Half-life: each “step down” represents the decay of half of the parent material to the new form.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Radioactive isotopes Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it is U-235, the most reactive form, that was packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Isotopes radioactive Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it is U-235, the most reactive form, that was packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Isotopes radioactive Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it is U-235, the most reactive form, that was packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Isotopes radioactive Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it was U-235, the most reactive form, that was packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Isotopes radioactive Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it is U-235, the most reactive form, that packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity Terms: Nuclear energy Nuclear fission Isotopes radioactive Radioactive half-life27 Most nuclear reactors use uranium, which has several isotopes. U-238 is the most stable and the most abundant form, but it is U-235, the most reactive form, that was packed into the fuel rods in facilities like Fukushima.

Nuclear power harnesses the heat released in nuclear reactions to produce electricity27 A nuclear fission chain reaction begins when U-235 in the fuel rods is deliberately bombarded with a neutron. This bombarding makes the nucleus unstable, causing it to split and release additional neutrons. Newly released neutrons hit other U-235 atoms, causing them to split.

Nuclear energy has a troubled history Terms: Fuel rods Control rods27 Nuclear bombs ended World War II but also wreaked havoc on a nation―radiation poisoning, cancer, infertility, and birth defects. Nuclear energy is cleaner than fossil fuel for energy production but still generates much debate about safety. The tragedies of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are often cited as examples of the dangerous potential.

Nuclear accidents can be devastating On the day of the Fukushima disaster, each of three operating reactors at the plant held about 25,000 fuel rods. The power outage had stopped delivery of cooling water to those reactors. Without open roads is wasn’t possible to bring in water to the facility. Without cooling, building steam threatened to cause an explosion. The increasing heat also threatened to melt the fuel rods and release hydrogen gas.27 Police guarding access to a town just north of Daiichi.

Nuclear accidents can be devastating27 There are several types of fission reactors. The most common type is a pressurized water reactor—the steam that turns the turbine is not exposed to radiation. Water that has been exposed to radiation heats a separate container of water. It is this water that turns the turbine.

Nuclear accidents can be devastating27 There are several types of fission reactors. The most common type is a pressurized water reactor—the steam that turns the turbine is not exposed to radiation. Water that has been exposed to radiation heats a separate container of water. It is this water that turns the turbine.

Nuclear accidents can be devastating27 Boiling water reactors, like those at Fukushima, produce steam in the reactor core itself. Both the steam and the turbine become radioactive in the process.

Will nuclear power play a role in future energy?27

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27 THE FUTURE OF FUKUSHIMA Can nuclear energy overcome its bad rap?

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE27

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ANALYZING THE SCIENCE27

EVALUATING NEW INFORMATION27

MAKING CONNECTIONS27