• Tag Archives Nuclear
  • The Problems with Nuclear Waste Disposal in the U.S.

    Nuclear waste, also known as radioactive waste, is disposed of to not harm nature, anyone, and anything because it is harmful. Electricity industries produce waste and therefore must be disposed of to safeguard the health of humans and lessen the impact of the environment. However, there are problems that come with the disposal of this waste and the importance of knowing these can benefit the environment and yourself. However, there are some solutions in the works as well.

    Nuclear reactors make waste, but what exactly entails that waste? Other than it causing a rise in getting cancers and other horrifying health concerns, “[n]uclear waste is the material that nuclear fuel becomes after it is used in reactor” (whatisnuclear). For now, the waste is kept underwater for a few years because water is a good shield from preventing toxicity to anything and then it is shielded by concrete in large storage casks. There are other options for a final disposal like “deep geologic storage and recycling” (whatisnuclear).

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  • Molten Salt Reactors: Future of Nuclear Power

    The future is becoming of a present-day occurrence, in terms of technology. There is always something new coming out. When it comes to nuclear power, there are advances in molten salt reactors. What are these reactors? What are their benefits and disadvantages? How are they the future to nuclear power?

    It is important to discuss what nuclear power is before getting into what molten salt reactors are because they go hand in hand with one another. So, what is nuclear energy? It is when “…the nucleus of a very large atom can split in two. In this process, a certain amount of the large atom’s mass is converted to pure energy following Einstein’s famous formula E = MC2 where M is small amount of mass and C is the speed of light” (What is). In finding out about the formula’s success, many discovered that the energy could be used as weapons, hence the ‘nuclear weapons’ during the 30’s and 40’s.

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  • The what, why, and how of Nuclear Batteries

    We use many electronics to power our day. Some use the regular AA or AAA batteries, but some items use nuclear power. Nuclear batteries to be specific. We will discuss what nuclear power/batteries are, what they are used for, and how they are important to our day to day lives.

    Nuclear power, or atomic power, “…uses the energy released by splitting the atoms of certain elements” (Nuclear Power). It’s fairly new, considering the advances we have made with it since it’s development. “…developed in the 1940s, and during the Second World War to 1945 research initially focused on producing bombs which released great energy by splitting the atoms of particular isotopes of either uranium or plutonium” (Nuclear Power). It sounds like it came out of a science fiction novel or film, but it’s actually very useful. However, it can be dangerous.

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