Nuclear Energy

1. Nuclear Energy Nuclear Energy America’sAll-fearing of what could change the world. America’sall-fearingof what could change our world. Merissa Wenzara By Merissa Wenzara

3. What is it? It’s Definitely not as useless as “wind energy” nor as ineffective as solar power. Nuclear energy is naturally from earth and it’s abundant. So, unlike coal, we won’t run out. To fully understand what it is exactly there’s a few things that you should know… Like how it’s made, how’s it’d disposed of, If it’s safe, and what the views of others are.

4. How it’s made • Nuclear power plants do not burn any fuel. Instead, they use uranium fuel, consisting of solid ceramic pellets, to produce electricity through a process called fission • mining and milling, conversion, enrichment and fabrication. These are the four processes that turn Uranium into a solid pellet. • Once removed, the uranium (yellowcake) undergoes drying and filtering. • The uranium (yellowcake) then goes to a conversion plant, where chemical processes convert it to uranium hexafluoride. From there it is heated to become a gas and loaded into cylinders. When it cools, it condenses into a solid. • Uranium is one of the world’s most abundant metals and can provide fuel for the world’s commercial nuclear plants for generations to come.

5. A lot of Science • Uranium hexafluoride contains two types of uranium, U-238 and U-235. • To make the uranium usable as a fuel, the U-235 is increased to between 3 percent and 5 percent. This process is called enrichment. • The concentration of U-235 is so low in enriched uranium that an explosion is impossible ( so yes it IS safe) • After the enrichment, a fuel fabricator converts it into uranium powder and presses the powder into fuel pellets. The fabricator loads the ceramic pellets into long tubes made of a special material. Once grouped together into a bundle, these tubes form a fuel assembly. • There is a lot of science involved so as to not bore anyone the death I’ll move onto the argument.

6. BAD Good Good Most critics say the waste from nuclear power generation is BBBAAADDD!!! They say the waste can't be safely isolated from the environment and people because it lasts so long is always radioactive The radiation is bad It can cause cancer All evidence points to the fact that low levels of radiation are actually good for you The unfounded fear of radiation our society has is due to the constant drumming of the so-called "fact" that radiation is harmful No one in the US at any power plant has ever been exposed to enough radiation that they died of radiation poisoning high doses of radiation cause health effects is over a long period, exposure to an acute dose (not lethal like radiation poisoning) can lead to early solid cancers, like leukemia. No one near a power plant has ever received a high enough dose to lead to leukemia (although a lot of natural cases have been blamed on nuclear power plants).  Information from Roger Nelson, Chief scientist at the main W.I.P.P. Building, in Carlsbad, NM

7. W.I.P.P. W.I.P.P It’s the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. They Bury all of the waste from the tiny bit of nuclear energy we use now. • It’s the Waste isolation pilot plant • They are the one’s whom safely bury all the nuclear waste that we use. • How do they do it? • Is it really safe? It is, and here’s how…. ‘’WIPP is proving that deep geologic isolation of radioactive waste can be safely conducted.  The waste we have placed in WIPP will be there for many millions of years, long after humans have left the planet, and certainly longer than the radioactivity needs to completely decay away.’’ say’s Roger Nelson. He then continues “Nuclear power generation is unquestionably the safest way to make electricity mankind has ever devised.  But that is not what its critics claim.  Regardless, the critics have never been able to "show me the bodies". (from the people whom have died from radiation) In addition, we all believe that cancer will be cured in our lifetime.  Medical science is very close to being able to cure cancer.  If high dosed to radiation cause cancer, then when it is cured, will we stop fearing radiation?  I doubt it.  The lies and deception surrounding the false claim of harm from low doses of radiation will be with us for generations.  Your grandchildren will probably (incorrectly) also fear radiation.  For no reason at all.”

8. What Nuclear energy can do for you.. • Did you know.. One ceramic pellet of nuclear energy is like filling east high up with coal 3 times! That’s a lot of coal to waste. • It can last for quite a while too, up to a year depending on usage. • Since it’s abundant, There’s no need to panic of running out. • That means cheaper car fuel, lower house bills, and an environmentally friendly energy. • It all gets reburied again after it’s done.

9. The Process of Burying… • Once it pellets are no longer giving off energy, they are placed inside a cylinder. • The cylinder is then shipped to a W.I.P.P. site, or Nuclear facility. • From there it is taken underground. Thousands of miles down. • The cylinders are put in…salt. • Salt that has been with the earth from before the dinosaurs. This salt stay in tact for millions of years and nothing could erode it. • The salt encases the cylinders and now it is safely buried underground unable to harm anyone. • The salt condenses down an inch a year until the cylinders are compacted.

10. Is America all-fearing? • From this research it seems so. Americans are mostly afraid of what they do not know. They grow up learning something is bad or good, and that sticks with them. Most of the time, without knowing the facts. • Ignorance and lack of knowledge is not a good foundation for any country, especially ours when there is great potential. • Fear drives humans to many extremes. It could be fear of death, so they then believe in a higher power out of fear. Not of truly believing. Which is sad. • It could be the fear of failing at anything, so they then do what's easiest to not fail, not what could help others or themselves. • Or it could be a fear of something different than themselves. Anything different is ‘bad’ right? Of Corse not, but change and things unknown or different scare most people.

11. All-Fearing… • Way back when, we went to the moon. Was America scared? Of Corse, but the people on that first flight were some of few Americans whom were not scared, they put their fears aside. • The effect was fantastic, we furthered our study of space and technology. We received pictures of something bigger out there and broadened our horizons. An achievement was made, and they went into history. • America’s greatest downfall seems to be it’s fear, hindering it from further progressing. • The Crisis of economy could be fixed. With Nuclear Energy we can make our country and maybe the world a better place. • It’s unfortunate that too many Americans are too ignorant to care or bother to help our world.

12. For More Information… • http://www.wipp.energy.gov/ The W.I.P.P site • http://www.nei.org/ A Nuclear Energy information site

13. Thank you! Thank You!