Role Of Nuclear Energy In The Modern World Essay Samples

<Student Name>
<Name and Section # of course>
<Instructor Name>
Nuclear energy is the type of energy which is liberated from the atoms during the fission process of these atoms. The energy which is formed is in the form of heat. The splitting up of energy emits heat which is a form of energy. The initial splitting up of atom or fission of atoms causes the liberation of heat energy which in turn runs the chain of other proceeding fission processes (Hollenbach & Herndon, 2001, pp. 11085). The continuous fission release neutrons which are in real responsible for the conduction of chain reactions of fission of atoms. Hence, the chain of fission processes causes the production of enormous energy. This energy is used for the constructive purpose of the nuclear reactors. Within the nuclear reactors, the energy through the process o fission is consumed in the production of steam. This steam turns the turbine and eventually, the electricity is produced (Brooke et al., 2014, pp. 8).
The nuclear reactors generate the electricity which is used up by the country. The consumption of nuclear energy instead of fossil fuel energy for the production of electricity is beneficial but at the same time, it possesses many demerits. The creation of electricity by the use of nuclear energy has replaced the conventional use of fossil fuel for this purpose. Subsequently, many countries have commenced building nuclear reactors for the generation of electricity by means of nuclear reactors.
Nuclear reactors are the point of considerations in the energy deficient regions as China and India. In addition, Saudi Arabia being rich in oil fuel is also indulged in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. The nuclear reactors are run by the radioactive element uranium. Therefore, more uranium will be required due to the increase in the nuclear reactors worldwide. Consequently, it will be necessary to extract more uranium from the mines (Pistilli, 2012).
The very first nuclear reactor was constructed in 1950 which was the commercial power station formed for the first time. Among the 31 countries, there is over 435 nuclear power stations running commercially which in total generate 375,000MW of electricity. Moreover, 70 power stations are under construction. The MWe of the generated power is comparable to the energy generated from all sources in France and Germany. Also, the 70 countries which have begun the power station construction will cover about 20% of the capacity that exist in today’s world.
The technology of fission reactions, in order to liberate nuclear energy, was developed in 1940s and during the time of Second World War, the technology was involved in the invention of bombs. Subsequently, the research was indulged to create the technology for the bombs manufactured through the process of splitting atoms of isotopes. The isotopes which were used in major were the uranium or plutonium. Conversely, in 1950, the researchers were diverted towards the useful and peaceful use of the nuclear fission processes and its energy. The main focus in the useful use was towards the power generation.
Ultimately, in the present era, the electricity generated from the nuclear energy is equal to the energy consumed by the combination of all other sources prior to the invention of nuclear technology. The worldwide delivery of electricity produced forms the nuclear power station is 11.5% of the total global need of electricity. In addition to this, the research reactors give the source for the production of neutron beams which can be used for the medicinal and industrial purposes for the reactions which require neutrons. In today’s world, there are eight countries that hold the power of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, 240 civil research reactors are run by the 56 countries which contribute one-third of the developing countries (World Nuclear News, 2015).
Nuclear energy besides the liberation of electricity can be used for some other purposes as well which could result in the benefit of the world situations and conditions. Nuclear energy must be researched and investigated to be applied in the field of transport where it can replace the oil fuel. Oil provides the demand of fuel in transportation of about 95%.
The nuclear technology can help in the production of hydrogen atoms which will be consumed directly in the fuel-cell vehicles or can be utilized for the synfuels. Both of these can be for the benefit of transportation. The automobiles research are concerned with the introduction of fuel-cell vehicles which will be capable of running on the road. In order to accomplish this goal, the government of EU, Japan, and USA have launched the initial steps in this direction. Consequently, the fuel for the fuel-cell vehicles can be given through the nuclear reactors. However, the incorporation of nuclear technology within this transportation will need much effort in the field of the development of reactor technology and the variation of infrastructure of the vehicles (Sokolov et al., 2004, pp. 2).
On the other hand, nuclear technology is able to play a major role in the modern world by reducing the issue of water scarcity in many regions of the world. In present era, there are almost 2.3 billion people who are deprived of the water and are living in water stress parts of the world. It is estimated that the water scarcity and water stress people could reach 3.5 billion by the year of 2025. Hence, the scarcity of water has become a global issue which is elevating in the number of countries. The nuclear technology can be beneficial for this issue which is getting rise in the modern world.
Consequently, the desalination of the sea water is one such technique which will require the energy from the nuclear power station. Worldwide, over 150 nuclear reactors are operating for the conduction of desalination of sea water. Keeping the conditions of the countries in consideration, the demonstration programs are commenced in order to lodge the nuclear desalination. Also, the economical issue regarding this process is kept in consideration.
The technology of nuclear is significant for the countries which are deprived of the water and have the ability to produce nuclear energy, for instance, Pakistan, China, and India. In addition to this, the nuclear power stations are the non-carbon technology. The entire process of nuclear technology from the extraction of resource, reactor, waste disposal, and facility construction yields about 2-6 grams of carbon per kilowatt-hour. This quantity of carbon is far less than the carbon emitted from the wind and solar power resources. Also, this quantity is less in two orders of the magnitude of the carbon produced from the coal, natural gas, and oil resource (Sokolov et al., 2004).
The major role played by the nuclear energy consumption is the conservation of the biodiversity resources. Since, the generation of power used to depend upon the fossil fuel which was the biodiversity asset consequently, with the use of the nuclear technology the fossils can be preserved (Brooke & Bradshaw, 2014).
The nuclear technology brings a variety of problems along with the beneficial aspects. The major disadvantage caused by the nuclear technology is the issue of disposing the waste material which is comprised of hazardous elements as the process is generated by the inclusion of highly relative and dangerous isotopes of the radioactive elements. The waste of the radioactive disposal would liberate radiations for years and years (Pinto, 2008, pp. 65). Hence, it can harmful to the humans as well as the environment. Although, measures are undertaken by the government of the countries in order to dispose of the waste effectively without causing any damage to the nation and environment.
The aquatic life can get highly disturbed due to the incorporation of this technology because the power station running from the nuclear energy will require large amount of water which is taken from rivers or lakes (Issakhov, 2014). Hence, the aquatic life is affected. In addition to this, the nuclear reactors produce heavy metals and salts as the result of nuclear reaction in the power station. These become the water pollutants since; they are poured into the water. Also, the high-temperature water is discharged into the water reservoirs thus, increasing the temperature of water. The temperature and water pollutants can become the major constituent for the disruption of aquatic life (Velma et al., 2009, pp.129). Nuclear fission reactions are highly carcinogenic. Therefore, the persons who are involved in the conduction of the reactions are affected by the radiations (Arora et al., 2010, pp. 202).
Similarly, the accidents are prone to happen in the nuclear reactors. If an accident results in the reactor and the radiations emitted from the reactions escapes from the protective shield, then massive damage of the nation can occur. Therefore, the reactions are always risky despite the precautions undertaken. Since, the nuclear energy is produced from the uranium, therefore, the resource can be renewed.
Consequently, the resource is being used which is extracted from the mines but a time will occur when this source will get scarce too. The cost of this reactor construction and the conduction of the fission process are very high which cannot be in the range of all the countries in the world. Moreover, not all countries possess the reservoirs for the uranium. Hence, the country might be financially stable to build a nuclear power station and run it for energy production but the lack of uranium reservoir can hamper the objective. Furthermore, the nuclear energy can be manipulatively used by some country against other which can bring the threat to the nation of the country because the effects of the nuclear destruction cannot be cured. The effects persist among the human and other components of the ecosystems. Thus, providing an allowance for the nuclear power stations can commence the risk and threat for the countries showing animosity to each other.
In conclusion, it can be evaluated that despite of the menace and danger in the conduction of the nuclear fission processes in the nuclear plant, several countries are involved in generating the nuclear energy and carrying out research for more of the useful characteristics and applications of the nuclear energy.

Reference

Arora, R., Chawla, R., Marwah, R., Kumar, V., Goel, R., Arora, P., Sharma, R. K.. 2010. Medical radiation countermeasures for nuclear and radiological emergencies: Current status and future perspectives. Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 2(3), 202–212. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3148625/ [11th march 2015].
Brook, B. W., & Bradshaw, C. J. 2014. Key role for nuclear energy in global biodiversity conservation. Conservation Biology. Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12433/pdf [11th march 2015].
Brook, B. W., Alonso, A., Meneley, D. A., Misak, J., Blees, T., & van Erp, J. B. 2014. Why nuclear energy is sustainable and has to be part of the energy mix. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 1, 8-16. Available from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214993714000050 [11th march 2015].
Hollenbach DF, Herndon JM. 2001. Deep-Earth reactor: Nuclear fission, helium, and the geomagnetic field. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.;98(20):11085-11090. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC58687/ [11th march 2015].
Issakhov, A. 2014. Mathematical Modelling of Thermal Process to Aquatic Environment with Different Hydrometeorological Conditions. The Scientific World Journal. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4060168/ [11th march 2015].
Pinto, V. N. 2008. E-waste hazard: The impending challenge. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 12(2), 65–70. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2796756/ [11th march 2015].
Pistilli. M. 2012. Nuclear Power’s Critical Role in World Energy Mix Will Boost Uranium Demand. Dig Media Inc. Available from http://uraniuminvestingnews.com/12660/nuclear-power-uranium-demand-price-merger-acquisition.html [11th march 2015].
Sokolov. Y.A., Kagramanyan. V. S., & McDonald. A. 2004. Nuclear Power in the 21st Century and its Role in Developing Countries. An International Journal of Nuclear Power - Vol. 18 No. 2-3. Available from https://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/Pess/assets/npcil_vol18_np_21st_century_pg021-26%5B1%5D.pdf [11th march 2015].
Velma, V., Vutukuru, S. S., & Tchounwou, P. B. 2009. Ecotoxicology of Hexavalent Chromium in Freshwater Fish: A Critical Review. Reviews on Environmental Health, 24(2), 129–145. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860883/ [11th march 2015].
World Nuclear News 2015. Nuclear Power in the World Today. World Nuclear Association. Available from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Current-and-Future-Generation/Nuclear-Power-in-the-World-Today/ [11th march 2015].