Atomic (nuclear) power engineering

Classical sources of energy from the very beginning of industrialization were natural resources: oil, gas and coal, burned to generate energy. With the development of industry and other industries, as well as in connection with the imminent ecological crisis, mankind opens up new sources of energy that are not so detrimental to the environment, more energy-efficient and do not require depletion of exhaustible natural resources. Nuclear energy (also called nuclear power) deserves special attention.

What is its advantage? Nuclear power is based mainly on the use of uranium as a source of energy and, to a lesser extent, plutonium. The uranium reserves in the earth's crust and the world's oceans, which can be extracted using modern technologies, are estimated at 10 ⁸ tons. This amount is enough for thousands of years, which is incomparable with the remaining reserves, for example, the same oil. Nuclear energy in the case of competent operation and utilization of waste is practically safe for the ecological situation - the amount of emissions of various harmful substances into the environment is negligible. Finally, nuclear power is effective from an economic point of view. All this suggests that the development of nuclear power is of great importance for the energy industry as a whole.

To date, the share of nuclear power plants in world energy production is about 16%. Nuclear power is currently developing at a somewhat slower rate. The main reason for this is the conviction spread among the public about its danger. The catastrophe in Japan that happened several years ago and the still unforeseen accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant contribute to the creation of an unpleasant image of nuclear energy. The fact is that the reasons for such catastrophes are always the human factor and / or non-compliance with safety procedures. Accordingly, with accurate operation and development of safety at nuclear power plants, the likelihood of such accidents is minimized.

Other problems of nuclear energy also include questions about the disposal of radioactive waste and the fate of non-functioning nuclear power plants. With regard to waste, their quantity is much less than the number of such in the remaining branches of the energy industry. Also, various studies are carried out, the purpose of which is to find the best way to utilize waste.

Prospects for nuclear power in modern industry are, nevertheless, rather negative. Despite its theoretical advantage, in reality it turned out that nuclear power can not completely replace classical branches. In addition, the public distrust of it and the safety problems at nuclear power plants play a role. Although, of course, in the near future nuclear power will not disappear as such, it is unlikely to have high hopes, and it will simply complement the classical energy industry.