Go Nuclear or No Nuclear?

Hello everyone! J.A.E.Y.L is back and we are here to talk about nuclear energy.

What is nuclear energy? Nuclear Energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the power plant, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity. 

Nuclear Energy symbol

                                             
 How is nuclear energy produced? There are two methods on producing nuclear energy. One method is Nuclear Fission. In nuclear fission, the nuclei of atoms are split, causing energy to be released. Uranium is the element being used as the main fuel for fission take place. Uranium nuclei can be easily split by shooting neutrons at them. Also, once a uranium nucleus is split, multiple neutrons are released which are used to split other uranium nuclei. 

Nuclear Fission

The other method being used is Nuclear Fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process by  which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus.  This happens only under very hot conditions. Fusion is the process that powers active stars, the hydrogen bomb and some experimental devices examining fusion power for     electrical generation .

Nuclear Fussion

But let us put all things aside and see what are the advantages and disadvantages of Nuclear Energy. In this entry we will be showing both sides of the coin. First is the advantages. The Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce. This is because uranium has a long lifespan. Second, Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil. This means, less money being wasted. Third, coal and oil burning plants pollute the   air. Well-operated nuclear power plants do not release contaminants  into the environment. This would mean a less polluted Earth which would slow delay global warming.    

Power Plant 

Now time for the disadvantages. First, nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the cells of the body which can make people sick or even kill them. Illness can strike people years after their exposure to nuclear radiation. Second,   One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In such an accident, the fission reaction goes out of control, leading to a nuclear explosion and the emission of great amounts of radiation. Two examples of this are The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Lastly,  nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.    

                                                      
We are very much in favour in harnessing nuclear energy because electricity will cost less which is a huge advantage to us because we are now living in the present generation filled with technology. However considering that a lot of lives will be at stake it will be best to not harness energy since citizens are an important factor in a country.

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

After coming to the Pawikan Conservation Center we went to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). Before our trip even started, we've been expecting to learn so many things about nuclear energy and on how it's formed. We didn't take up this lesson last year so there are so many things that we have yet to learn. During our stay in BNPP there was a lady who first gave us an introduction about the BNPP. While she was lecturing us these were the notes that we took down. The construction of the BNPP started 1976 under the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. It has a twin power plant in South Korea named Kori II. By 1979 an accident occurred in United States the Three Mile Island and so construction of the BNPP was stopped. After the lady gave out the introduction we were toured inside the BNPP. We found the control room the most interesting because it had so many switches, it would need around 10 to operate it. In the control room there was an old laptop which caught most of our interest. It was really rusty but it was amazing seeing one up close for the very first time. There was also a one way mirror, the ones in the outside aren't able to see the ones inside however the ones inside can see the others outside.




The trip was really fun and you'd really learn a lot through this experience. Thank you for reading our post till next time.