Nuclear Energy

The Subatomic

Nuclear energy, also known as atomic energy, occurs with the splitting of a specific atom. The sustained process is known as nuclear fission; heat released from the substance is harnessed to produce steam in commercial nuclear reactors. Through a series of progressions, the work of the steam becomes electricity. The atom used in commercial nuclear power plants is uranium. This ore is crushed and leached with acid to obtain a concentrated amount of uranium oxide known as yellowcake. In nature, this isotope of uranium exists at low concentrations, typically 0.7%. So that it can be used in commercial reactors, it goes through an enrichment process, increasing its concentration to 4.0% to 5.0%. Pellets that include the enriched uranium are placed in fuel rods that, in turn, are configured into fuel assemblies to make up the reactor core. There are several reactor designs throughout the world; the two predominant designs in the United States are known as boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. The electricity produced in these and other commercial reactors is known as nuclear power. Nuclear energy and nuclear power are used interchangeably for the simplified representation of the splitting of atoms.

Nuclear energy can also be derived from joining the light nuclei of atoms with the heavier ones. Two isotopes of hydrogen are combined into helium; the energy released will be harnessed for eventual fusion reactor applications. At present, the mechanics of a fusion reactor is not complete for commercial applications; it is in the research realm—more energy is currently used for the reaction to occur than is released. National and international initiatives continue, the latest being a joint international research and development project, ITER, in Southern France.

Nuclear Politics

Scientists who played a key role in research that led to fission power production included the British nuclear pioneer Ernest Rutherford. He brought attention to the heat produced by the atom radium. French scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, along with Henri Becquerel, discovered radioactivity; the German American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer is considered the father of the atomic bomb; and the Italian scientist Enrico Fermi discovered fission. From the work of these scientists on the atom has come the work of the atom on and for society.

Currently, research is under way to usher in the next generation of reactors; they are being [Page 2051]designed to be modular in construction, to possess shorter building times, to have fewer pumps and valves, and to use less uranium to produce the desired level of energy. Idaho National Laboratory was named the lead laboratory by former President George W. Bush to shepherd the United States into the next stage of nuclear power production. Through the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, initiatives for a nuclear renaissance are being constructed. Internationally, the resurgence is showing more traction; for instance, in 2004, Finland started construction on a next-generation Areva-designed nuclear reactor. Companies such as Areva, Westinghouse, and General Electric-Hitachi, in association with the governments of various countries, are building in Japan, China, and India. Discussions are under way in countries such as Mexico, Canada, and South Africa. The United States hasn't built a new commercial nuclear reactor in decades, but there are several consortia (vendors such as companies named earlier along with state utility companies) that wish to take advantage of the tax credit incentives and liability insurance. They are submitting applications to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for combined construction and operating licenses. The review process takes several years; however, there have been possible construction locations announced by utilities. For example, the North Carolina–based Progress Energy has named Florida and then North Carolina as build locations.

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