Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work? 1/3

Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work? 1/3

Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work? 1/3

Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work?

Nuclear Energy is a controversial subject. The pro- and anti-nuclear lobbies fight furiously, and it’s difficult to decide who is right. So we’re trying to clear up the issue - in this video we discuss how we got to where we are today, as the basis for discussion. Next week we’ll be looking at the arguments for and against nuclear power in detail.

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Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work?

Help us caption \u0026 translate this video!

http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_p…


Content

0.129 -> Have you ever been in an argument about nuclear power?
3.579 -> We have, and we found it frustrating and confusing,
6.544 -> so let’s try and get to grips with this topic.
9.127 -> [Intro]
16.014 -> It all started in the 1940s.
18.249 -> After the shock and horror of the war and the use of the atomic bomb,
21.242 -> nuclear energy promised to be a peaceful spin-off of the new technology,
24.914 -> helping the world get back on its feet.
27.326 -> Everyone’s imagination was running wild.
30.021 -> Would electricity become free?
32.046 -> Could nuclear power help settle the Antarctic?
34.743 -> Would there be nuclear-powered cars, planes, or houses?
38.84 -> It seemed that this was just a few years of hard work away.
42.333 -> One thing was certain: the future was atomic.
46.319 -> Just a few years later, there was a sort of atomic age hangover;
49.787 -> as it turned out, nuclear power was very complicated and very expensive.
55.237 -> Turning physics into engineering was easy on paper,
58.239 -> but hard in real life.
60.139 -> Also, private companies thought that nuclear power was much too risky
63.795 -> as an investment; most of them would much rather stick with gas, coal, and oil.
68.628 -> But there were many people who didn’t just want to abandon
70.923 -> the promise of the atomic age; an exciting new technology,
74.122 -> the prospect of enormously cheap electricity,
76.566 -> the prospect of being independent of oil and gas imports,
80.07 -> and, in some cases, a secret desire to possess atomic weapons
84.237 -> provided a strong motivation to keep going.
87.633 -> Nuclear power’s finest hour finally came in the early 1970s, when
92.285 -> war in the Middle East caused oil prices to skyrocket worldwide.
96.435 -> Now, commercial interest and investment picked up at a dazzling pace.
100.906 -> More than half of all the nuclear reactors in the world were built
103.961 -> between 1970 and 1985.
106.57 -> But which type of reactor to build, given how many different types
109.821 -> there were to choose from?
111.445 -> A surprising underdog candidate won the day:
113.966 -> the light water reactor.
115.997 -> It wasn’t very innovative, and it wasn’t too popular with scientists,
119.698 -> but it had some decisive advantages:
121.933 -> it was there, it worked, and it wasn’t terribly expensive.
126.413 -> So, what does a light water reactor do?
129.155 -> Well, the basic principle is shockingly simple:
131.565 -> it heats up water using an artificial chain reaction.
135.534 -> Nuclear fission releases several million times more energy
138.657 -> than any chemical reaction could.
140.754 -> Really heavy elements on the brink of stability, like uranium-235,
144.413 -> get bombarded with neutrons.
146.721 -> The neutron is absorbed, but the result is unstable.
150.328 -> Most of the time, it immediately splits into fast-moving lighter elements,
154.107 -> some additional free neutrons, and energy in the form of radiation.
158.606 -> The radiation heats the surrounding water, while the neutrons repeat the process with other atoms,
163.62 -> releasing more neutrons and radiation in a closely controlled chain reaction.
168.2 -> Very different from the fast, destructive runaway reaction in an atomic bomb.
173.02 -> In our light water reactor, a moderator is needed to control the neutrons’ energy.
178.123 -> Simple, ordinary water does the job, which is very practical, since water’s used
182.445 -> to drive the turbines anyway.
184.333 -> The light water reactor became prevalent because it’s simple and cheap.
188.194 -> However, it’s neither the safest, most efficient, nor technically elegant
192.184 -> nuclear reactor.
193.616 -> The renewed nuclear hype lasted barely a decade, though;
196.848 -> in 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania
201.002 -> barely escaped a catastrophe when its core melted.
204.31 -> In 1986, the Chernobyl catastrophe directly threatened Central Europe
208.557 -> with a radioactive cloud, and in 2011 the drawn-out Fukushima disaster
212.907 -> sparked new discussions and concerns.
215.647 -> While in the 1980s 218 new nuclear power reactors went live,
220.621 -> their number and nuclear’s global share of electricity production has stagnated
225.663 -> since the end of the ’80s.
227.807 -> So what’s the situation today?
229.904 -> Today, nuclear energy meets around 10% of the world’s energy demand.
234.619 -> There are about 439 nuclear reactors in 31 countries.
239.18 -> About 70 new reactors are under construction in 2015,
242.408 -> most of them in countries which are growing quickly.
245.259 -> All in all, 116 new reactors are planned worldwide.
249.773 -> Most nuclear reactors were built more than 25 years ago with pretty old technology.
254.727 -> More than 80% are various types of light water reactor.
258.828 -> Today, many countries are faced with a choice: the expensive replacement of
263.226 -> the aging reactors, possibly with more efficient, but less tested models,
267.368 -> or a move away from nuclear power towards newer or older technology
271.475 -> with different cost and environmental impacts.
274.427 -> So, should we use nuclear energy?
277.433 -> The pro and contra arguments will be presented here next week.
281.173 -> Subscribe, and then you won’t miss it!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcOFV4y5z8c