Nuclear Energy

This chapter asks why the number of countries using nuclear energy is increasing, how nuclear energy is produced, whether it is safe, and whether nuclear power stations can be built in Malaysia p. 255. Like uranium, thorium can undergo nuclear reaction to generate electricity, and the Malaysian Nuclear Agency researches thorium as an alternative nuclear fuel to replace uranium in research reactors p. 255.

12.1 The Use of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy brings a lot of benefits to mankind if it is generated and controlled properly, and more than 30 countries use it, among them the United States of America, Russia, France, Slovakia and Japan p. 256. Nuclear energy can generate electricity to replace or reduce the use of petroleum and coal, in greater quantity and more efficiently than other energy sources p. 256. It produces ionising radiation used in medicine, agriculture and industry, and it releases very little greenhouse gases p. 256. However, radioactive waste can affect the health and threaten the lives of all living things, and the huge amount of energy can cause severe harm if misused p. 257.

12.2 The Production of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy means energy resulting from reactions in the nucleus of atoms p. 258. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy radioactive nucleus into two or more lighter and more stable nuclei with the release of energy, and it occurs when a nucleus such as uranium-235 is bombarded by a slow neutron p. 258. Fission continues when a neutron bombards and splits a new nucleus of large mass, which is called a chain reaction p. 258. Nuclear fusion combines two light radioactive nuclei, such as deuterium and tritium (hydrogen isotopes), into a heavier nucleus at a very high temperature, and it releases more energy than fission p. 259. Fusion occurs continuously in the Sun, and the energy released is the main source of energy for life on Earth p. 259.

The main use of nuclear energy is to generate electricity in a nuclear power station, which consists of a nuclear reactor and a generator p. 260. Uranium fuel rods release heat through nuclear fission, boron control rods absorb surplus neutrons to control the rate of fission, and the graphite moderator slows down the neutrons p. 260. The cooling agent absorbs heat from the nuclear reaction, and the concrete shield prevents radioactive radiation leakage from the reactor p. 260. Steam rotates the turbine, which spins magnets inside a coil in the generator to produce electricity by electromagnetic induction, and the condenser cools and condenses the steam into water p. 261. Arco, Idaho in the United States of America was the first town in the world to use electricity from a nuclear power station, on 17 July 1955 p. 261.

Malaysia’s 1 megawatt TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP), owned by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, started operation on 28 June 1982 and is only for training, research and producing radioisotopes p. 262. To generate electricity from nuclear energy, Malaysia would need a reactor capable of generating 1000 megawatts p. 262. Countries choose nuclear energy because they lack other energy sources, are vast with a high population density like China, can earn income by exporting electricity like Slovakia, or have sophisticated technology like the Argonne National Laboratory p. 262.

12.3 Impact of Using Nuclear Energy

Early research on nuclear energy in the 1940s was done to produce the atomic bomb, using plutonium from nuclear fission in reactors, and the United States of America used nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II p. 263. “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, and the shock wave immediately killed about 70,000 civilians p. 264. The blast heated the city until steel structures began to melt, caused radioactive fallout, and cut off all communication systems p. 264. The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) controls and prohibits any country from using nuclear weapons arbitrarily p. 264.

Nuclear tests are conducted in the open atmosphere, on land or underwater to determine whether weapons can function, and they harm living things and the environment p. 265. Underground tests cause radiation effects on soil and water sources, and tests at sea destroy living things and cause pollution p. 265. The spread of radiation causes somatic effects such as tiredness, nausea, cataract, leukaemia and hair loss, and genetic effects such as deformation in babies, cell mutation and cancer p. 265.

12.4 Nuclear Energy in Malaysia

In Malaysia, 70% of the energy used is generated by natural gas, and petroleum, natural gas and coal are fossil fuels that are non-renewable p. 266. Some students think Malaysia needs a nuclear power station to meet the increasing demand for electricity, while others disagree because radioactive waste is dangerous if not handled carefully p. 266. Factors to consider are that fossil fuels will deplete and cost more, nuclear energy causes less pollution, the station must be near water sources for cooling, and nuclear power produces energy at a much greater rate than fossil fuels p. 267. The Malaysian Nuclear Agency, formerly the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT), is located in Bangi, Selangor p. 267.