Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy has been a topic of discussion that has a very important place in human history because it causes very high deaths in human history and is the riskiest in terms of containing risks among many energy generation methods. The largest nuclear power accidents are the nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Pripyat in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union, and another example is Fukushima. Nuclear Power Plant accidents after 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It is the series of events that caused the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011.

The word nuclear comes from the Latin word meaning nucleus. When we think of an atom, we imagine electrons around the nucleus of the atom and neutrons and protons in the nucleus. The neutrons and protons that make up the nucleus of the atom are strongly bound together, but the nuclei of some atoms are quite large, for example, there are 238 protons and neutrons in the nucleus of the uranium atom. Atoms with large nuclei such as uranium sometimes emit protons and neutrons, this phenomenon that emits protons and neutrons is called radiation. We can also define radiation as the propagation or transfer of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves or particles. These separated or ejected particles are invisible, but they can easily enter the human body and can cause carcinogenic effects because radioactive substances that enter our body disrupt the DNA structure in our cells. The damaged DNA structure may not be repaired and this damage causes uncontrolled cell division. These uncontrolled cell divisions cause mass formation in a particular area of ​​the human body. In fact, during the day, television, mobile phone, computer, hairdryer, radio, washing machine, dishwasher, mini-oven, etc. We are exposed to many radioactive substances for many reasons. But we, the radioactive substances emitted by them, cannot affect people at the cancer level because the machines are not at a powerful enough level. An example of radioactive energy is the atomic bomb, the atomic bomb contains a certain amount of uranium elements, and when neutrons are thrown on these uranium elements, the uranium nuclei break apart, causing more neutrons and energy to give rise to more neutrons and energy. scatter, and the emitted neutrons collide with other atoms around them, causing them to break apart. happens. This energy causes great destruction and affects life inside and outside the area it affects. This energy, which is released to produce electricity in nuclear power plants, needs to be controlled. For this, the element uranium is decomposed in a nuclear reactor in a controlled manner, and a large number of neutrons are released during this chain reaction. To control this reaction, there are control rods made of boron element inside the reactors, these rods prevent the reaction from slowing down and creating a bomb effect. Water is used to transmit the heat released during nuclear reactions, and the high heat released during the reaction boils the water and passes the water to the vapor phase, and steam pressure is formed in the reactor, this steam pressure is transmitted to the turbines. piping. Turbines provide the necessary electricity to people by converting the motion energy into electrical energy by using steam pressure.

Nuclear energy is less risky than solar panels if it is obtained correctly, but it sometimes causes great destruction due to man-made or natural disasters. Nowadays, people mostly prefer fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels produce toxic gases, so fossil fuels support problems such as air pollution and global warming. Nuclear energy does not cause air pollution and does not cause air pollution, but it causes large amounts of radioactive material production at the end of the reaction processes, and it takes thousands of years for these wastes to become harmless. Although nuclear energy and other non-renewable energy sources provide high-income gains, there are also harms to nature and humanity. Air pollution from radioactive waste materials and fossil fuels may pose a great danger in the future. That's why we should prefer renewable energy sources and do research on this subject.

Reference

Kara, İ. (2017, 8 3).ENERJİPORTALI.COM. www.enerjiportali.com: https://www.enerjiportali.com/ adresinden alındı

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