History Of Nuclear Energy Essay Research Paper

History Of Nuclear Energy Essay, Research Paper

The nuclear age began in Germany, in the 1930s in the lab of chemist

Otto Hahn.

Hahn was attempting to produce radium (In great need during the war) by

bombarding uranium atoms with neutrons. To his surprise, he ended up with

a much lighter element, barium.

That was 1938, This started the race for the power of the atom. Just

four years later Canada entered nuclear age in cooperation with the british.

Wartime, 1942: The British wanted a safe place to conduct nuclear

experiments; Since their country feared invasion by the nazi’s or bombing

attacks, Canada provided the haven the british needed in return for a

opportunity to work in the project.

The leader of the team that crossed the atlantic to Canada was Hans von

Halban, who along with Dr. Lew Kowarski had escaped from the Institute Du

Radium in Paris one step ahead of the invading german army. They took the

world supply of 200 Kg of heavy water with them to Canada.

Having pioneered the chain reaction using uranium and heavy water, the

scientists applied their knowledge and their heavy water to the new

Canadian nuclear industry.

On September 5th, 1945 near Ottawa the team started up the first

operating nuclear reactor outside the USA. Of course, the output was

minuscule, but the significance was immense; the principal of getting

energy from splitting atoms in a controlled chain reaction (fission) was

established beyond doubt. It was now the job of the scientists and

engineers to put it to a practical use.

Nuclear Reactors

A nuclear reactor is a device which produces heat. In a nuclear power

station, the reactor performs the same function as a boiler in a

conventional coal, gas or oil-fired station. Whether from a conventional

boiler or a nuclear reactor, heat is required to turn water into steam. The

steam is used to spin large turbines which in turn drive generators that

produce electricity. A reactor creates heat by splitting uranium atoms.

This is called ‘Nuclear reaction’ or ‘Fission’.

When the nucleus of an uranium atom is stuck by a neutron travelling at

the right speed, it splits into fragments which separate rapidly and

generate heat. It also gives off a few, new neutrons. In order to sustain a

continuous nuclear reaction, the speed of these neutrons must be slowed

down, or moderated. CANDU reactors use heavy water (Deuterium Oxide is

called heavy water because it is heavier than normal water by about 10%),

Thus the reactor is named CANDU, for (CAN)ada (D)euterium (U)ranium.

During Fission (the process used in nuclear reactors) some of the atom

breaks up, and energy is released. On average, 80% of the released energy

is carried off by the fragments in the form of kinetic energy. The other

20% is collected by the heavy water in the form of heat.

The core of a CANDU reactor

The core of a reactor is contained in a large cylindrical tank called

the ‘Calandria’. The calandria contains a series of tubes that run from one

end of the calandria to the other. Inside the calandria tubes are smaller

tubes which house fuel bundles containing natural uranium in the form of

ceramic pellets.

Heavy water is also used as the reactor coolant and is pumped through

the tubes containing the fuel pellets to pick up heat generated from the

reaction. The heated, heavy water travels to heat exchangers to produce

steam from ordinary water. This cooled heavy water is recycled back to the

reactor. The steam is then piped to conventional turbines and generators

that produce electricity. In this way the nuclear reactor is separate from

the equipment used to produce electricity.

Viable solutions for Energy needs

Annually, the demand for energy in Ontario increases by 5%. In response

to this increase, Hydro companies around Canada facing similar situations

have the responsibility of meeting the increase, usually by adding to their

arsenal of generators. The question which is brought up at this point is

how to do this most effectively in terms of impact on the environment, cost,

efficiency and several other aspects. In the case of Ontario Hydro, they

have chosen to expand on the method which appears to be best: nuclear power.

(Note: All of the following data on nuclear generating stations is based

on information on Canada’s CANDU plants.)

There are four main competitors in the energy race, but only two of

them are ‘technically viable’ Those right now are Nuclear and fossil fuels.

Of the other two, Solar energy is in limited use at the moment to things

like Solar calculators, or Solar cells used to supplement energy needs in a

large building. To collect 10^14 kWh (kilo-watt hours) (Average reactor

output) per year with solar cells, they would take up 1% of the earths

total land surface, or a area comparable i

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