Derwick Associates Venezuela - Life of Nuclear Power Plants

Even with major nuclear disasters in the past most experts agree that this type of power is extremely safe, especially when considering how much cleaner it is than traditional power sources like coal. When the world’s first nuclear power plant opened in 1954 in the Russian city of Obninsk it was a truly revolutionary way to make power. This power plant ran for four years before the second nuclear power plant opened.Derwick Associates Venezuela, Today, however, there are 440 commercial nuclear power plants in operation and many new ones being constructed across 30 countries.

Most of the nuclear power plants constructed more than ten years ago were designed to run for about forty years before they would be decommissioned. Surprisingly, very few of the components of a nuclear power plant were specifically designed to be able to be replaced to help extend the life of the power plant. Due to the fact that this source of power has been proven safe and effective, however, both private companies and governments have been working hard to help extend the life of these power plants. Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt Lopez

Replacing Non-Replicable Parts

In the past several years companies have taken up the task of figuring out how to replace turbines, lids and other parts in these power plants because they are beginning to wear out due to the incredible heat and radiation exposure they are subjected to. Derwick, The main obstacle is that these parts were not designed to be replicable so there are no existing instructions for how it can be done.

With new power plant construction costing millions of dollars, however, it is well worth the investment to have new parts constructed and installed since it can extend the life of a power plant significantly. In fact, most countries which have existing nuclear plants have already approved the use of these types of parts, and once it is done they will extend the licenses for these plants to run an additional thirty to fifty years so it is clearly a wise investment.

Derwick - How Does a Nuclear Power Plant Operate

Nuclear power could be the solution to our growing energy needs. Nuclear power plants produce huge amounts of electrical power using only very small amounts of raw material. The operation of a nuclear power plant is straightforward in principle, although there are many complicating factors to take into consideration. Pedro Trebbau Lopez

The Principle of Electricity Generation

Electricity is generated inside a nuclear power plant in much the same way as in a coal, oil, or gas-fired power plant. The fuel is used to generate heat, which is in turn used to turn water into steam. The steam drives a turbine which is attached to an electricity generator. As the turbine turns, an electrical conductor is rotated in a magnetic field, which causes an electrical current to flow in the conductor.

Once the steam has been used to drive the turbine, it is cooled using cold water from a nearby lake so that it condenses back into a liquid, which can then be used again. In contrast, the uranium fuel can only be used once in the reaction. The used fuel is highly radioactive and must be stored carefully to prevent it contaminating the environment.

Using Nuclear Fission to Generate Heat

Whereas a fossil fuel power plant burns coal, oil or gas to generate heat, in a nuclear power plant the heat is produced in a nuclear fission reaction. Fission is the process of splitting a uranium atom into two smaller atoms, releasing a huge amount of energy in the process. Alejandro Betancourt Lopez

The nuclear fission reaction is triggered by firing neutrons (a type of subatomic particles) at the uranium fuel. Each neutron causes a uranium atom to break apart. More neutrons are released during the breakup of the atom, and these neutrons can then trigger further uranium atoms to break apart in a self-sustaining reaction.

Controlling Nuclear Fission for Power Plant Safety

Because every fission event creates at least two neutrons, the nuclear fission reaction has the potential to quickly get out of control. To prevent an explosive reaction from taking place, nuclear power plants use control rods to absorb the extra neutrons and keep the rate at which fission takes place to a manageable level. Derwick Associates Venezuela

Nuclear power is generally very safe. Disastrous nuclear meltdowns are very rare because there are safety procedures that can be used to shut down a nuclear power plant if the fission reaction starts to get out of control, including plunging the control rods fully into the reaction chamber to soak up all the neutrons.

The Role of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power plants safely and reliably produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. For this reason, they have an important role to play in electricity production.

Derwick Associates - Natural Gas: An Underground Resource

Formed by decayed and compressed organic matter, natural gas is a trapped fuel found in underground deposits that has been there for millions of years. People around the world depend on this fossil fuel to produce manufactured goods, run their appliances, provide them with electricity, and power their compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt Lopez

According to the Natural Gas Supply Association, the United States, alone, usually accounts for roughly 25% of the world’s natural gas consumption each year. Russia is not far behind in their use of natural gas, along with the European Union.

In its pure form, natural gas is colorless, odorless, and shapeless. Natural gas can occur by itself, just above or dissolved in a petroleum deposit. There are a variety of rocks that help trap the gas and keep air out, making the environment prime for natural gas.

Unlike many other fossil fuels, natural gas burns cleanly and emits lower levels of byproducts that are harmful to life. It is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases that is highly combustible, but when burned, gives off a great deal of energy. Alejandro Betancourt Lopez

Although natural gas mixtures vary widely depending on where they are mined, they usually consist of: methane, ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and a trace of some rare gases such as helium, neon, and xenon.

Like all fossil fuels, using natural gas also has its downside. Carbon dioxide and methane emissions can cause harm to the environment as greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere. Pedro Trebbau Lopez

Currently, there is controversy over the methods used to extract natural gas from the earth. Some people argue that hydrofracking, a method gaining popularity in use, results in increased toxic emissions into the air. As its name implies, hydrofracking also uses up a great deal of water, which is one of earth’s finite resources.

Regardless of what people think, natural gas consumption continues to increase around the world, as it is still known as one of the least harmful energy producers. As long as people continue to need electricity and live the way they do now, there will never be an end to the consumption of natural gas.