2. Nuclear Fission An atom's nucleus can be split apart. When this is done, a tremendous amount of energy is released. The energy is both heat and light energy. This energy, when let out slowly, can be harnessed to generate electricity. When it is let out all at once, it can make a tremendous explosion in an atomic bomb. A nuclear power plant (like Fukushima Nuclear Plant ) uses uranium as a "fuel." Uranium is an element that is dug out of the ground many places around the world. It is processed into tiny pellets that are loaded into very long rods that are put into the power plant's reactor. The word fission means to split apart. Inside the reactor of an atomic power plant, uranium atoms are split apart in a controlled chain reaction. In a chain reaction, particles released by the splitting of the atom go off and strike other uranium atoms splitting those. Those particles given off split still other atoms in a chain reaction. In nuclear power plants, control rods are used to keep the splitting regulated so it doesn't go too fast. Source: Google Images
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5. Advantages of Nuclear Plant: 1. New technology has made nuclear power plants less likely to break up and safer to use. 2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 3. Although the initial cost of building nuclear plants is high, the running costs are relatively low. 4. Nuclear plants need only a small amount of uranium to produce a lot of energy. 5. Reduces dependence on foreign oils and natural gas and bio fuels. 6. Nuclear wastes can be safely stored underground.
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7. How Radiation is Transmitted and Why Japan Pumping Radiation Water into the Ocean? Radiation is transmitted through the air and water. After the immense earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 2011, the four Fukushima nuclear plants were destroyed, causing large amounts of radioactive waste to leak out. The plant’s operator, TEPCO, was struggling to restore its control in Fukushima’s cooling system that has caused huge quantity of radioactive water to be pumped out into the ocean. However, Japan was basically out of hand and failed to restore the cooling system. In order to avoid high concentration of the radiation emitting into the air and possible explosion, Japan pumped the contaminated water into the ocean. They claimed that iodine in the ocean will dilute and disappear after awhile because radioactive decay. They back up with Half-life theory by saying the quantities undergoing radioactive decay will decrease by half and radiation in the ocean is minimum after a period of time. However, this action was criticised by Japan’s neighbouring countries over how they are handling the crisis in the nuclear power plant. They fear of spreading radiation from the current nuclear crisis in Fukushima power plant. Eventually, Japan had to stop pumping the water into the sea to dilute the radiation.