Where is nuclear energy used? Report: Nuclear energy. Prospects for nuclear power plants in Russia

The use of nuclear energy to convert it into electricity was first carried out in our country in 1954. The first nuclear power plant (NPP) with a capacity of 5000 kW was put into operation in Obninsk. The energy released in a nuclear reactor was used to turn water into steam, which then rotated a turbine connected to a generator. Development of nuclear energy. The commissioned Novovoronezh, Leningrad, Kursk, Kola and other nuclear power plants operate on the same principle. The reactors of these stations have a power of 500-1000 MW. Nuclear power plants are built primarily in the European part of the country. This is due to the advantages of nuclear power plants compared to thermal power plants running on fossil fuels. Nuclear reactors do not consume scarce organic fuel and do not burden railway transport with coal transportation. Nuclear power plants do not consume atmospheric oxygen and do not pollute the environment with ash and combustion products. However, locating nuclear power plants in densely populated areas poses a potential threat. In thermal (i.e. slow) neutron reactors, only 1-2% of uranium is used. Full use of uranium is achieved in fast neutron reactors, which also ensure the reproduction of new nuclear fuel in the form of plutonium. In 1980, the world's first fast neutron reactor with a capacity of 600 MW was launched at the Beloyarsk NPP. Nuclear energy, like many other industries, has harmful or dangerous environmental impacts. The greatest potential danger is radioactive contamination. Complex problems arise with the disposal of radioactive waste and the dismantling of expired nuclear power plants. Their service life is about 20 years, after which it is impossible to restore the stations due to long-term exposure to radiation on structural materials. The nuclear power plant is designed with maximum safety of plant personnel and the public in mind. The operating experience of nuclear power plants around the world shows that the biosphere is reliably protected from the radiation effects of nuclear power plants in normal operation. However, the explosion of the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant showed that the risk of destruction of the reactor core due to personnel errors and miscalculations in the design of reactors remains a reality, so the strictest measures are being taken to reduce this risk. Nuclear reactors are installed on nuclear submarines and icebreakers. Nuclear weapon. An uncontrolled chain reaction with a large neutron magnification factor is carried out in an atomic bomb. In order for an almost instantaneous release of energy (explosion) to occur, the reaction must proceed with fast neutrons (without the use of 235 moderators). The explosive is pure uranium g2U or 239 plutonium 94Pu. For an explosion to occur, the fissile material must exceed a critical size. This is achieved either by fast connection two pieces of fissile material with subcritical dimensions, or by sharply compressing one piece to a size at which the neutron leakage through the surface drops so much that the dimensions of the piece turn out to be supercritical. Both are carried out using conventional explosives. When a bomb explodes, the temperature reaches tens of millions of kelvins. At this temperature, the pressure rises sharply and a powerful blast wave is formed. At the same time, powerful radiation occurs. The chain reaction products of a bomb explosion are highly radioactive and dangerous to living organisms. Atomic bombs were used by the United States at the end of World War II against Japan. In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb uses an explosion to initiate a fusion reaction. atomic bomb, placed inside a thermonuclear chamber. A non-trivial solution turned out to be that the explosion of an atomic bomb is used not to increase the temperature, but to strongly compress thermonuclear fuel by the radiation generated during the explosion of an atomic bomb. In our country, the main ideas for creating a thermonuclear explosion were put forward by A.D. Sakharov. With the creation of nuclear weapons, winning the war became impossible. Nuclear war capable of leading humanity to destruction, which is why peoples all over the world are persistently fighting for the prohibition of nuclear weapons.

The energy of a nuclear reaction is concentrated in the nucleus of an atom. An atom is a tiny particle that makes up all the matter in the Universe.

The amount of energy from nuclear fission is enormous and can be used to create electricity, but it must first be released from the atom.

Getting energy

Harnessing the energy from a nuclear reaction occurs through equipment that can control atomic fission to produce electricity.

The fuel used for reactors and energy production is most often pellets of the element uranium. In a nuclear reactor, uranium atoms are forced to fall apart. When they split, the atoms release tiny particles called fission products. The fission products act on other uranium atoms to separate - a chain reaction begins. The nuclear energy released from this chain reaction creates heat. The heat from the nuclear reactor makes it very hot, so it needs to cool down.

The technologically best coolant is usually water, but some nuclear reactors use liquid metal or molten salts. The coolant heated from the core produces steam. Steam affects steam turbine turning it. The turbine is connected through a mechanical transmission to a generator, which produces electricity.
The reactors are controlled using control rods that can be adjusted to the amount of heat generated. Control rods are made from a material such as cadmium, hafnium or boron to absorb some of the products created by nuclear fission. Rods are present during a chain reaction to control the reaction. Removing the rods will allow the chain reaction to develop further and create more electricity.

About 15 percent of the world's electricity is generated by nuclear power plants.

The United States has more than 100 reactors, although the US generates most of its electricity from fossil fuels and hydroelectric power.

In Russia there are 33 power units at 10 nuclear power plants - 15% of the country's energy balance.

Lithuania, France and Slovakia consume most of their electricity from nuclear power plants.

Nuclear fuel used to generate energy

Uranium is the fuel most widely used to produce nuclear reaction energy. This is because uranium atoms break apart relatively easily. The specific type of uranium produced, called U-235, is rare. U-235 makes up less than one percent of the world's uranium.

Uranium is mined in Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and must be processed before it can be used.

Since nuclear fuel can be used to create weapons, production is subject to the Non-Proliferation Treaty for the import of uranium or plutonium or other nuclear fuel. The treaty promotes the peaceful use of fuel, as well as limiting the proliferation of this type of weapon.

A typical reactor uses about 200 tons of uranium every year. Complex processes allow some of the uranium and plutonium to be re-enriched or reprocessed. This reduces the amount of mining, extraction and processing.

Nuclear energy and people

Nuclear nuclear energy produces electricity that can be used to power homes, schools, businesses and hospitals.

The first reactor for generating electricity was built in Idaho, USA and experimentally began to power itself in 1951.

In 1954, the first nuclear power plant was created in Obninsk, Russia, designed to provide energy for people.

The construction of reactors that extract energy from a nuclear reaction requires high level technologies and only countries that have signed the non-proliferation treaty can obtain the uranium or plutonium that is required. For these reasons, most nuclear power plants are located in developed countries of the world.

Nuclear power plants produce renewable, environmentally friendly resources. They do not pollute the air or produce greenhouse gas emissions. They can be built in urban or rural areas and do not radically change the environment around them.

Radioactive material from power plants

Radioactive material in p The reactor is safe because it is cooled in a separate structure called a cooling tower. The steam turns back into water and can be used again to produce electricity. Excess steam is simply recycled into the atmosphere, where it is not harmful like pure water.

However, the energy from a nuclear reaction has a by-product in the form of radioactive material. Radioactive material is a collection of unstable nuclei. These nuclei lose their energy and can affect many materials around them, including living organisms and the environment. Radioactive material can be extremely toxic, causing illness, increasing the risk for cancer, blood disorders and bone decay.

Radioactive waste is what is left over from the operation of a nuclear reactor.

Radioactive waste covers the protective clothing worn by workers, tools and fabrics that were in contact with radioactive dust. Radioactive waste is long-lasting. Materials like clothing and tools can remain radioactive for thousands of years. The government regulates how these materials are disposed of so they don't contaminate anything else.

The fuel and rods used are extremely radioactive. The uranium pellets used must be stored in special containers that look like large swimming pools. Some plants store the fuel they use in above-ground dry storage tanks.

The water cooling the fuel does not come into contact with radioactivity and is therefore safe.

There are also known ones that have a slightly different operating principle.

Use of nuclear energy and radiation safety

Critics of using nuclear reaction energy worry that radioactive waste storage facilities will leak, crack or collapse. The radioactive material could then contaminate soils and groundwater near the object. This may lead to serious problems with the health of people and living organisms in the area. All people would have to evacuate.

This is what happened in Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986. A steam explosion in one of the power plants of the fourth nuclear reactor destroyed it and a fire broke out. A cloud of radioactive particles formed, which fell to the ground or drifted with the wind, and the particles entered the water cycle in nature as rain. Most of the radioactive fallout fell in Belarus.

The environmental consequences of the Chernobyl disaster occurred immediately. Kilometers around the site, the pine forest has dried up, and the red color of the dead pines has earned the area the nickname Red Forest. Fish from the nearby Pripyat River has become radioactive and people will no longer be able to eat it. Cattle and horses died. More than 100,000 people were evacuated after the disaster, but the number of human casualties from Chernobyl is difficult to determine.

The effects of radiation poisoning appear only after many years. For diseases such as cancer, it is difficult to determine the source.

The future of nuclear energy

Reactors use the fission or splitting of atoms to produce energy.

Nuclear reaction energy can also be produced by fusing or joining atoms together. In production. The sun, for example, constantly undergoes nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms to form helium. Since life on our planet depends on the Sun, we can say that fission makes life on Earth possible.

Nuclear power plants do not yet have the ability to safely and reliably produce energy through nuclear fusion (fusion), but scientists are exploring nuclear fusion because the process is likely to be safer and more cost-effective as alternative view energy.

The energy of a nuclear reaction is enormous and must be used by people. The challenge to obtaining this energy is the many competing designs with different refrigerants, operating temperatures and coolant pressures, moderators, etc., in addition to a range of design power outputs. Thus, manufacturing and operational experience will play a key role.

The dependence of the binding energy per nucleon on the number of nucleons in the nucleus is shown in the graph.

The energy required to split a nucleus into individual nucleons is called binding energy. The binding energy per nucleon is not the same for different chemical elements and, even, isotopes of the same chemical element. The specific binding energy of a nucleon in a nucleus varies, on average, from 1 MeV for light nuclei (deuterium) to 8.6 MeV for medium-weight nuclei (A≈100). For heavy nuclei (A≈200), the specific binding energy of a nucleon is less than for nuclei of average weight, by approximately 1 MeV, so their transformation into nuclei of average weight (division into 2 parts) is accompanied by the release of energy in an amount of about 1 MeV per nucleon, or about 200 MeV per nucleus. The transformation of light nuclei into heavier nuclei gives an even greater energy gain per nucleon. For example, the reaction between deuterium and tritium

1 D²+ 1 T³→ 2 He 4 + 0 n 1

is accompanied by the release of energy 17.6 MeV, that is, 3.5 MeV per nucleon.

Release of nuclear energy

Exothermic nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy are known.

Typically, a nuclear fission chain reaction of uranium-235 or plutonium nuclei is used to produce nuclear energy. Nuclei fission when a neutron hits them, producing new neutrons and fission fragments. Fission neutrons and fission fragments have high kinetic energy. As a result of collisions of fragments with other atoms, this kinetic energy is quickly converted into heat.

Another way to release nuclear energy is nuclear fusion. In this case, two nuclei of light elements combine into one heavy one. Such processes occur on the Sun.

Many atomic nuclei are unstable. Over time, some of these nuclei spontaneously transform into other nuclei, releasing energy. This phenomenon is called radioactive decay.

Applications of nuclear energy

Fusion energy is used in a hydrogen bomb.

Notes

Literature

Clarfield, Gerald H. and William M. Wiecek (1984). Nuclear America: Military and Civilian Nuclear Power in the United States 1940-1980, Harper & Row.
Cooke, Stephanie (2009). In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age, Black Inc.
Cravens Gwyneth Power to Save the World: the Truth about Nuclear Energy. - New York: Knopf, 2007. - ISBN 0-307-26656-7
Elliott, David (2007). Nuclear or Not? Does Nuclear Power Have a Place in a Sustainable Energy Future?, Palgrave.
Falk, Jim (1982). Global Fission: The Battle Over Nuclear Power, Oxford University Press.
Ferguson, Charles D., (2007). Nuclear Energy: Balancing Benefits and Risks Council on Foreign Relations.
Herbst, Alan M. and George W. Hopley (2007). Nuclear Energy Now: Why the Time has come for the World's Most Misunderstood Energy Source, Wiley.
Schneider, Mycle, Steve Thomas, Antony Froggatt, Doug Koplow (August 2009). The World Nuclear Industry Status Report, German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety.
Walker, J. Samuel (1992). Containing the Atom: Nuclear Regulation in a Changing Environment, 1993-1971
Walker, J. Samuel (2004). Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective, Berkeley: University of California Press.
Weart, Spencer R. The Rise of Nuclear Fear. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012. ISBN 0-674-05233-1

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See what “Nuclear energy” is in other dictionaries:

NUCLEAR POWER- (atomic Energy) internal energy atomic nuclei, released during nuclear transformations (nuclear reactions). nuclear binding energy. mass defect Nucleons (protons and neutrons) in the nucleus are firmly held by nuclear forces. To remove a nucleon from a nucleus,... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

NUCLEAR POWER- (nuclear energy), internal energy at. nucleus, released during nuclear transformations. The energy that must be expended to split a nucleus into its constituent nucleons is called. nuclear binding energy?st. This is max. energy towards heaven can be released.… … Physical encyclopedia

NUCLEAR POWER- NUCLEAR ENERGY, ENERGY released during a nuclear reaction as a result of the transition of MASS into energy as described in the equation: E=mс2 (where E is energy, m is mass, c is the speed of light); it was derived by A. EINSTEIN in his THEORY OF RELATIVITY.... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

NUCLEAR POWER- (nuclear energy) see () () ... Big Polytechnic Encyclopedia

NUCLEAR POWER- (atomic energy), the internal energy of atomic nuclei released during certain nuclear reactions. The use of nuclear energy is based on the implementation of chain reactions of fission of heavy nuclei and thermonuclear fusion reactions of light nuclei (see... ... Modern encyclopedia

The widespread use of nuclear energy began thanks to scientific and technological progress not only in the military field, but also for peaceful purposes. Today it is impossible to do without it in industry, energy and medicine.

However, the use of nuclear energy has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. First of all, this is the danger of radiation, both for humans and for environment.

The use of nuclear energy is developing in two directions: use in energy and the use of radioactive isotopes.

Initially, atomic energy was intended to be used only for military purposes, and all developments went in this direction.

Use of nuclear energy in the military sphere

A large amount of highly active materials are used to produce nuclear weapons. Experts estimate that nuclear warheads contain several tons of plutonium.

Nuclear weapons are considered because they cause destruction over vast territories.

Based on their range and charge power, nuclear weapons are divided into:

Tactical.
Operational-tactical.
Strategic.

Nuclear weapons are divided into atomic and hydrogen. Nuclear weapons are based on uncontrolled chain reactions of fission of heavy nuclei and reactions. For a chain reaction, uranium or plutonium is used.

Storing such large quantities of hazardous materials is a great threat to humanity. And the use of nuclear energy for military purposes can lead to dire consequences.

Nuclear weapons were first used in 1945 to attack the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequences of this attack were catastrophic. As is known, this was the first and last use of nuclear energy in war.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The IAEA was created in 1957 with the aim of developing cooperation between countries in the field of using atomic energy for peaceful purposes. From the very beginning, the agency has been implementing the Nuclear Safety and Environmental Protection program.

But the most main function- this is control over the activities of countries in the nuclear field. The organization ensures that the development and use of nuclear energy occurs only for peaceful purposes.

The purpose of this program is to provide safe use nuclear energy, protection of humans and the environment from the effects of radiation. The agency also studied the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The agency also supports the study, development and application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and acts as an intermediary in the exchange of services and materials between agency members.

Together with the UN, the IAEA defines and sets standards in the field of safety and health.

Nuclear power

In the second half of the forties of the twentieth century, Soviet scientists began to develop the first projects for the peaceful use of the atom. The main direction of these developments was the electric power industry.

And in 1954, a station was built in the USSR. After this program rapid growth Nuclear energy began to be developed in the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France. But most of them were not implemented. As it turned out, the nuclear power plant could not compete with stations that run on coal, gas and fuel oil.

But after the start of the global energy crisis and the rise in oil prices, the demand for nuclear energy increased. In the 70s of the last century, experts believed that the power of all nuclear power plants could replace half of the power plants.

In the mid-1980s, the growth of nuclear power slowed again, and countries began to reconsider plans to build new nuclear power plants. This was facilitated by both energy saving policies and lower oil prices, as well as the disaster at the Chernobyl station, which had Negative consequences not only for Ukraine.

Afterwards, some countries stopped building and operating nuclear power plants altogether.

Nuclear energy for space flights

More than three dozen nuclear reactors flew into space and were used to generate energy.

The Americans first used a nuclear reactor in space in 1965. Uranium-235 was used as fuel. He worked for 43 days.

In the Soviet Union, the Romashka reactor was launched at the Institute of Atomic Energy. It was supposed to be used on spacecraft together with But after all the tests, it was never launched into space.

The next Buk nuclear installation was used on a radar reconnaissance satellite. The first device was launched in 1970 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Today, Roscosmos and Rosatom propose to construct a spacecraft that will be equipped with a nuclear rocket engine and will be able to reach the Moon and Mars. But for now this is all at the proposal stage.

Application of nuclear energy in industry

Atomic energy is used to increase sensitivity chemical analysis and production of ammonia, hydrogen and other chemical reagents, which are used to produce fertilizers.

Nuclear energy, the use of which is chemical industry allows you to get new chemical elements, helps to recreate the processes that occur in the earth's crust.

Nuclear energy is also used to desalinate salt water. Application in ferrous metallurgy allows the recovery of iron from iron ore. In color - used for the production of aluminum.

Use of nuclear energy in agriculture

Application of nuclear energy in agriculture solves breeding problems and helps in pest control.

Nuclear energy is used to cause mutations in seeds. This is done to obtain new varieties that produce more yield and are resistant to crop diseases. Thus, more than half of the wheat grown in Italy for making pasta was bred through mutations.

Radioisotopes are also used to determine best ways application of fertilizers. For example, with their help it was determined that when growing rice it is possible to reduce the application of nitrogen fertilizers. This not only saved money, but also preserved the environment.

A slightly strange use of nuclear energy is the irradiation of insect larvae. This is done in order to remove them in an environmentally friendly manner. In this case, the insects emerging from the irradiated larvae do not have offspring, but in other respects are quite normal.

Nuclear medicine

Medicine uses radioactive isotopes to diagnose accurate diagnosis. Medical isotopes have a short half-life and do not pose a particular danger to both others and the patient.

Another application of nuclear energy in medicine has been discovered quite recently. This is positron emission tomography. It can help detect cancer in its early stages.

Application of nuclear energy in transport

In the early 50s of the last century, attempts were made to create a nuclear-powered tank. Development began in the USA, but the project was never brought to life. Mainly due to the fact that in these tanks they could not solve the problem of shielding the crew.

The famous Ford company was working on a car that would run on nuclear energy. But the production of such a machine did not go beyond the mock-up.

The thing is that the nuclear installation took up a lot of space, and the car turned out to be very large. Compact reactors never appeared, so the ambitious project was scrapped.

Probably the most famous transport that runs on nuclear energy is various ships for both military and civilian purposes:

Transport vessels.
Aircraft carriers.
Submarines.
Cruisers.
Nuclear submarines.

Pros and cons of using nuclear energy

Today the share of global energy production is approximately 17 percent. Although humanity uses it, its reserves are not endless.

Therefore, how Alternative option, used But the process of obtaining and using it is associated with a great risk to life and the environment.

Of course, nuclear reactors are constantly being improved, all possible safety measures are being taken, but sometimes this is not enough. An example is the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

On the one hand, a properly operating reactor does not emit any radiation into the environment, whereas thermal power plants emit radiation into the atmosphere. a large number of harmful substances.

The greatest danger is from spent fuel, its reprocessing and storage. Because to date it has not been completely invented safe way disposal of nuclear waste.

Today we will talk about nuclear energy, its productivity in comparison with gas, oil, thermal power plants, hydroelectric power stations, and also about the fact that nuclear energy is the great potential of the Earth, about its dangers and benefits, because in the world today, especially after a number of global disasters , related to nuclear power plants and war, there is debate about the need for nuclear reactors.

So, first, what is nuclear energy?

« Nuclear energy(Nuclear energy) is a branch of energy dealing with the production of electrical and thermal energy by converting nuclear energy.

Typically, a nuclear fission chain reaction of plutonium-239 or uranium-235 is used to produce nuclear energy. Nuclei fission when a neutron hits them, producing new neutrons and fission fragments. Fission neutrons and fission fragments have high kinetic energy. As a result of collisions of fragments with other atoms, this kinetic energy is quickly converted into heat.

Although in any field of energy primary source is nuclear energy (for example, the energy of solar nuclear reactions in hydroelectric and fossil fuel power plants, the energy of radioactive decay in geothermal power plants), nuclear energy refers only to the use of controlled reactions in nuclear reactors.”

NPP - nuclear power plants produce electrical or thermal energy using a nuclear reactor. Officially, the share of electricity currently produced using nuclear power plants has decreased over the past decade from 17-18 percent to just over 10 percent; according to other sources, the future is nuclear energy, and now the share of energy from nuclear power plants is increasing, new nuclear power plants are potentially being built, including in Russia. While nuclear power plants are for the most part not designed to satisfy the heat demands of the population (only in a few countries), nuclear energy is used for nuclear submarines, icebreakers, and the United States has a project to create a nuclear engine for spaceship, nuclear tank. Countries that actively use nuclear energy to meet the needs of the population are the USA, France, Japan, while nuclear plants in France cover more than 70% of the country's electricity needs.

Nuclear energy has the advantage that with low resource consumption, nuclear power plants produce enormous energy potential.

No matter how much it may seem to us, mere mortals, that nuclear energy is far away and untrue, in fact, today it is one of the most pressing issues discussed in the world at the level of global technologies, since the sphere of providing the planet with energy is becoming more and more pressing, and the most promising The direction is precisely nuclear energy, we will explain why in the article.

The nuclear cycle is the basis of nuclear energy, its stages include the extraction of uranium ore, its grinding, the conversion of separated uranium dioxide, the processing of uranium into highly concentrated and special type to obtain heat-releasing elements for introduction into the nuclear reactor zone, then collecting spent fuel, cooling and burial in special “nuclear waste cemeteries”. In general, the most dangerous thing in using nuclear fuel is the mining of uranium and the disposal of nuclear fuel; the operation of nuclear power plants does not cause any particular harm to the environment.

A working nuclear reactor that has failed can take (attention!!) 4.5 years to cool down!

The first attempts to implement a chain reaction of nuclear decay were made at the University of Chicago, using uranium as fuel and graphite as a moderator, at the end of 1942.

On the planet, at least a fifth of all energy is generated by nuclear power plants.

“According to the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at the end of 2016, there were 450 operating nuclear power (that is, producing recycled electrical and/or thermal energy) reactors in 31 countries of the world (in addition to energy ones, there are also research and some others).

Approximately half of the world's nuclear power generation comes from two countries - the United States and France. The United States produces only 1/8 of its electricity from nuclear power plants, but this represents about 20% of global production.”

The USA and France are the most productive countries in nuclear energy; French nuclear power plants provide more than two-thirds of the country's heat demands.

Lithuania was the absolute leader in the use of nuclear energy. The only Ignalina nuclear power plant located on its territory generated more electrical energy than the entire republic consumed (for example, in 2003, a total of 19.2 billion kWh were generated in Lithuania, of which 15.5 were generated by the Ignalina nuclear power plant). Having an excess of it (and there are other power plants in Lithuania), the “extra” energy was sent for export.”

In Russia (the 4th country in terms of the number of nuclear units, after Japan, the USA and France), the cost of nuclear energy is one of the lowest, only 95 kopecks (2015 data) per kilowatt/hour, and is relatively safe from an environmental point of view: no emissions into the atmosphere, only water vapor. And in general, nuclear power plants are a fairly safe source of energy, BUT! While working safely! As experts say, any technology has its disadvantages... Of course, this is a controversial statement that thousands of victims and millions of victims are simply disadvantages of technology, but if you count the victims of modern progress in other areas, the picture will be unflattering.

Let's discuss the benefits and dangers of nuclear energy. It is very strange, in the opinion of many, to discuss the benefits of nuclear energy... especially after such events as the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Fukushima, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... However, everything that is dangerous in large doses or when not correct use, or if it fails it causes disasters - when used correctly, in a peaceful rhythm, it is often quite safe. If we analyze the structure and mechanism of nuclear bombs, the cause, the problem of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, we can understand that this is comparable to poison, which in small quantities can be a medicine, but in large quantities and when combined with other poisons it can be fatal.

So, the main arguments of those who are against nuclear energy are that waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing is difficult to dispose of, it causes a lot of harm to nature, and also broken down and operating nuclear power plants can serve as weapons of mass destruction in the event of war or in the event of an accident.

“At the same time, the World Nuclear Association, which advocates the promotion of nuclear energy, published data in 2011, according to which a gigawatt*year of electricity produced at coal power plants on average (taking into account the entire production chain) costs 342 human casualties, at gas ones - 85 , at hydroelectric power stations - 885, while at nuclear power plants - only 8.”

Radioactive waste is dangerous due to its harmful radiation and the fact that its half-life is very long; accordingly, it emits radiation in huge doses for a long time. Special places are used for waste disposal; today in Russia the most pressing question is where to make a “graveyard” for radioactive waste. It was planned to make a similar burial in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Today in Russia there are several burial sites of this type, in the Urals, for example, where enriched uranium is obtained (40% of world production!!).

They are buried in sealed barrels, each kg under strict accountability.

It is Russia that builds the safest nuclear power plants. After the Fukushima tragedy, the world took into account the mistakes of nuclear power plants; the construction of today's nuclear power plants generally involves a safer design than those built earlier. Russian nuclear power plants are the safest of all the world, and “our” nuclear power plants have taken into account all the mistakes made in the case of Fukushima. The project even includes a nuclear power plant that will withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami.

In Russia today there are about 10 nuclear power plants and the same number are under construction.

Russia is in 5th place in uranium production, but in 2nd place in reserves. The main amount of uranium is mined in Krasnokamensk, in deep mines. It is not so much the uranium itself that is dangerous, but radon, a gas formed during uranium mining. A lot of miners, who spent most of their lives mining uranium, die of cancer before reaching retirement age (don’t believe the films where they say that everyone is healthy and alive, since this is an exception), people in nearby villages also die early or suffer from illnesses.

There are fierce debates among environmentalists and scientists about whether nuclear energy is safe. There are completely different opinions, such radicalism is caused, among other things, by the fact that nuclear energy is still a relatively young niche in world technology, therefore there is no sufficient research confirming the danger or safety. But from what we have today, we can already draw a conclusion about the comparative safety and benefits of nuclear energy.

As for efficiency, everything is doubtful from the point of view of those who are against nuclear energy.

Today, maintaining the operation of nuclear power plants requires increasing costs, in particular for normal safe operations, for fuel extraction and waste disposal. And nuclear power plants themselves, as we wrote above, can be a potential means of mass destruction of the population, a weapon.

Chernobyl and Fukushima, although rare, did happen, which means that there is a chance of a repetition.

Radioactive burial sites still retain radiation for many thousands of years!!!

The vapors produced as a result of the operation of nuclear power plants create a powerful greenhouse effect, which, when accumulated, has a destructive effect on nature.

Hydroelectric power plants, for example, are no safer, according to experts; when a dam breaks, no less serious disasters occur; when other types of fuel are used, nature also suffers, and many times more than with nuclear energy.

Now about the positives. The conclusion about the benefits of nuclear energy can be made, firstly, because of its economic benefits, profitability (the “tariffs” already mentioned above, where in Russia, for example, nuclear power is the cheapest), secondly, because of its comparative safety for the environment, after all, when proper operation A nuclear power plant only releases steam into the atmosphere; there are only problems with waste disposal.

1 gram of uranium provides the same amount of energy as burning 1000 kg of oil or even more.

Chernobyl is an exception and a human factor, but a million tons of coal is several human lives, while the energy from the combustion of coal and oil is much less than from nuclear fuel. The radiation background from burning coal and oil is comparable to the same Fukushima, only when the disaster is immediate and large, and the gradual harm is not so noticeable, but more serious. And how much nature is destroyed by cut down quarries and when raw materials are extracted by waste heaps.

According to a number of ecologists, the absence of radiation is sometimes more harmful than its presence and sometimes even excess. Why?

Radioactive particles surround us all around, from birth to death. And radiation “within the framework” trains the immunity of cells to protect against radiation; if a person is completely deprived of contact with the radioactive environment, he may die from the very first contact with it subsequently. And nuclear plants, according to scientists, emit only a small part of harmful radiation. The absence of radiation is no less dangerous than its excess, some ecologists believe.

Those who adhere to inverse point The view that nuclear energy is evil speaks of the unsafety of nuclear reactors and the alternative of other types of energy - the sun, the wind.

Discussions on the good and evil of atomic energy are even called loudly: “will the atom bring peace to the world?” And these discussions are endless today. But the main thing can be said - people have no other choice but to develop nuclear energy all over the world, since the volume of consumed energy and heat resources is increasing more and more, and no other form of energy production and production is capable of meeting the needs of humanity better than nuclear energy.

There are an incredible number of us, only those living in the distant hinterlands no longer know this; the planet has exhausted all possible resources to maintain a normal standard of living for humanity. Even based on the data given in the article, nuclear energy is the most promising industry, capable of producing a much larger volume of energy with less harm to the environment and costs, its productivity is higher than other known energy sources.