Question

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. Atoms are tiny units that make up all matter in the universe, and energy is what holds the nucleus together. There is a huge amount of energy in an atom's dense nucleus.

1. How is nuclear energy created? How does it work?
2. How does nuclear energy impact the environment?

Answer 1

1. Generation of electricity from nuclear power is fundamentally similar to other kinds of traditional power generation like coal, natural gas, and oil. All of these power sources are referred to as "thermal" power sources. Oil, coal, or natural gas is burned to boil water or to make hot gases. The high pressure of the boiled water (steam) or gases is used to turn an electric turbine that generates electricity.
   Nuclear power makes electricity in exactly the same way as coal, natural gas, or oil except a nuclear chain reaction is used to create heat, instead of burning fossil fuel. The heat from that nuclear chain reaction, or fission (splitting of atoms), boils the water.
2. Nuclear waste, also known as irradiated fuel, as produced by power plants, is only one piece of a very large chain of radioactive waste that nuclear power relies upon. We call this the Nuclear Fuel Chain.
   Nuclear energy placed on our water supply via consumption and pollution. Nuclear power plants consume more water than any other kind of power plants. These power plant consumed over 2 billion gallons of water per day and it killed about a billion fish and other organisms per year, placing a tremendous burden on the River and on the fish species.