How long does a nuclear fuel rod last?
To make that nuclear reaction that makes that heat, those uranium pellets are the fuel. And just like any fuel, it gets used up eventually. Your 12-foot-long fuel rod full of those uranium pellet, lasts about six years in a reactor, until the fission process uses that uranium fuel up.
Do nuclear power plants pollute the air?
Unlike fossil fuel-fired power plants, nuclear reactors do not produce air pollution or carbon dioxide while operating. However, the processes for mining and refining uranium ore and making reactor fuel all require large amounts of energy.
What are the pros and cons of continuing to use technology that produces nuclear waste?
Nuclear power: The pros and cons of the energy source
- Pro – Low carbon. Unlike traditional fossil fuels like coal, nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gas emissions like methane and CO2.
- Con – If it goes wrong…
- Pro – Not intermittent.
- Con – Nuclear waste.
- Pro – Cheap to run.
- Con – Expensive to build.
What are the disadvantages of using nuclear energy?
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power The further implementations of nuclear power are limited because although nuclear energy does not produce CO2 the way fossil fuels do, there is still a toxic byproduct produced from uranium-fueled nuclear cycles: radioactive fission waste.
Why Is nuclear the best energy source?
Nuclear is a zero-emission clean energy source. It generates power through fission, which is the process of splitting uranium atoms to produce energy. The heat released by fission is used to create steam that spins a turbine to generate electricity without the harmful byproducts emitted by fossil fuels.
What are some alternatives to nuclear energy?
These alternative energy sources include thorium, solar power, natural gas and hydrogen. Thorium can be used as a fuel in the nuclear cycle as an alternative to uranium and the technology to facilitate this has been around since the 1960s.