Is nuclear the answer?

Is nuclear the answer?

Qinshan nuclear power station in china

Basic knowledge:

Nuclear power is a type of nuclear technology that controlled use of nuclear fission to release energy for work including motive, heat, and electricity. Nuclear energy is produced by a controlled nuclear chain reaction and creates heat, which is used to boil water, produce steam, and drive a steam turbine. The steam turbine can provide the motive directly, can also link generator to produce the electric power,

Why choose nuclear power to generate electricity?
As wee know, the fossil fuel source will run out soon, we need a different energy source that
can generate electricity to our life. Nuclear power is more safety, low pollute and cost efficiency in comparing with other fossil fuel such oil, gas and coal. And nuclear power can generate a huge amount of electricity than those fossil fuel or renewable source.

Is there argument exist in society?

Yes, there are lots arguments around nuclear power in china recent years. I list the advantage and disadvantage for both sides.
Advantage:
 Nuclear power can generate huge amount of electricity of demand need.
 It doesn’t produce carbon dioxide and reduce the global warming and greenhouse effect
 95% of the nuclear waste fuel can be reprocessing
 Low accident rate and low hazard
 Nuclear fuel Uranium have huge storages
 Operation and maintenance cost are very low

Disadvantage:
 If nuclear accident occurs, it can cause huge damage.
 Using nuclear power as weapon
 High building cost
 Nuclear waste storage is danger
 Health problem on people living near nuclear plants

In order to do further research to nuclear power, I choose a particular project, the Qinshan power station in china.
Photo caption

Qinshan nuclear power station is the first to be independently designed and constructed in China, was completed and put into production in 1991. Design by the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI).
As we know, china has become the faster developing country in the last 30 years and it needs a huge amount of electricity to support this fast growing economy. Qinshan nuclear power station run successfully boosts the government’s nuclear plan.

How mush nuclear waste that the station produces compare to coal power station?

Any power station will produce waste including nuclear power station, but in comparing with coal power station. The waste of nuclear produce is 0.00005% of the waste that coal power station produce. One 100M KW coal power station needs coals 2.3m don a year and it needs 100 railway wagon to transfer the waste. But the same electricity that the nuclear power station produces only needs Uranium one rail wagon. Also the coal power station produce waste 0.25m don in a year and also produce carbon dioxide to the air, but the nuclear power station only produce 11.6 don total waste in a year.

Why this is relevant to me?

As we know, electricity is all we need in our life. As I went to dental last week, if without electricity, dentist would not be able to give me any treatment. If computer without electricity, it’s nothing. But link this to my course computer technology, It is possible I might work in these industry scale area. So, I need to get further information about how these system works. Also, if nuclear accident is occurs, it can affect my health. As the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 Ukraine, it can even affect of people living in West Europe. Long distance area can still be affect if such accident occurs, so, would you say it’s not relevant to me?

In order to do further research about this issue, I have set up a plan of inquiry

1. How do the Qinshan nuclear power station processing the nuclear waste?
2. Is any new technology the industry is trying to using improving safety?
3. Is the electricity generate can help the local economy development?
4. How does the industry reprocessing the spent nuclear fuel?
5. Is the nuclear power cost effective?
6. Is the amount of nuclear waste can be reduce by using new technology or different processing system?

This is a list of secondary source I will use for further study.

1. I will go to Qinshan nuclear industry website to get further data.
2. Look at some nuclear power station project on sustainable development magazine
3. Read some article of different opinion using library.

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/060306.html
http://www.iosd.org/sustainable.asp
http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/what/newsletter/current.htm
http://www.qnpc.cn/Index_English.asp