favourite part of nuclear power

Question: favourite part of nuclear power
- Keywords:
  energy,
  power
Asked by anon-306064 on 16 Dec 2021.
- Enrique Casanas answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  Would probably have to say the density of it. I think someone calculated that you could carry on one hand the amount of nuclear fuel required to power one human through their entire lifetime!!
- Gavin Thomson answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  I have worked on the management of solid radioactive waste for all my working life since leaving university. So I suppose that this must be my favourite part!
  My background is in geology and hydrogeology and that is useful to helping understand long-term behaviour of radioactive waste disposal sites. And by long-term I mean thousands of years to hundreds of thousand years or more. However, its only one of several subject areas involved and others include physics, chemistry, maths, biology as well as other disciplines such as engineering, material sciences, social sciences and public communications and engagement. The list goes on…
  Most projects I have been involved with need a range of all these skills and different viewpoints which encourages debate and discussion. There is a joke that if you have 3 geologists in a room then you will have 5 opinions. I’m not so sure its a joke as I have seen it for real!
  I find that I am still learning new things or using previous experience in a new way. One constant is the need for the work to be thorough and reported well so that others can understand it.
- Olivia Amy Douglas answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  I love the fact that nuclear power is helping us as a country, and as a world, push towards a more sustainable and greener future. Nuclear power doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2) and so doesn’t contribute to global warming like fossil fuels do- so it is a great alternative to help create electricity whilst also preserving the environment for future generations. Also, what I find to be a fun fact- 1kg of nuclear fuel produces millions of times more energy than 1kg of coal!!!
- Dimitris Samaras answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  The fact that the material required for the energy requirements for the entire lifetime of a single human, is the size of a 330ml coke can.
- Alex Clyne answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  The fact that it’s an incredibly powerful process that we have taken hold of! It’s an amazing thing for humans to have achieved and the fact that there is so much more that we can do with it (more efficient reactors, fusion, Small Modular Reactors etc) is really, really exciting!
- Helene Brett answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  I will always be amazed at the power from nuclear energy from something so small.
- Tom Ross answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  For me, the most important aspects of nuclear are political and environmental – nuclear energy provides ‘green’ energy security on a national scale (we won’t need to be reliant on other countries for ‘green’ electricity).
- Caroline Roche answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  The variation, there are lots of different ways to generate nuclear power. As time has progressed different types of reactors have made way for new designs. I love learning about them and seeing how the designs have changed.
- Calum Cunningham answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  The fact that nuclear power can help beat the energy crisis and global warming is one of the biggest wins for me. But the coolest thing about nuclear power has got the be the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out this video:
  
  The reactor core glows like this because of light being released by high-energy electrons moving through the water. These electrons are actually travelling faster than the speed of light in water (which is possible because it’s slower than the speed of light in a vacuum) and in doing so produce this mesmerising glow.
- Sarah Lu answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  Mine is the Cherenkov effect!
- Marianne Morris answered on 7 Dec 2021:
  
  Efficient energy production without the carbon emissions!
  Every nuclear power station is a fossil-fuelled power station avoided 🙂
- Antonios Banos answered on 8 Dec 2021:
  
  Fusion energy which is trying to make a star on Earth and harness its unlimited energy! Also like projects which will employ nuclear for massive hydrogen production since hydrogen is a clean energy fuel/carrier that produces no greenhouse gases.
- Rachel Hayden answered on 8 Dec 2021:
  
  For me, my favourite part of nuclear power is the fact that it is enabling us to reach our climate change targets and thus in turn making the world a better place. Without building more nuclear power stations in the UK, the country would be unable to reach the Carbon-zero target by 2050. Hinkley Point C power station that is being built in Somerset for example will produce 17% of the UK’s electricity when finished in a green and sustainable way.
- Rea Kozlowski answered on 9 Dec 2021:
  
  I love the huge efficiency of nuclear fuel compared to any other form of energy source.

Question: favourite part of nuclear power

Comments