Comparison the Electricity Production Costs:

>>>Nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is direct access to low-cost fossil fuels.

>>>Fuel costs for nuclear plants are a minor proportion of total generating costs, though capital costs are greater than those for coal-fired plants.

>>>In assessing the cost competitiveness of nuclear energy, decommissioning and waste disposal costs are taken into account.

During 1973 American population has grown from 211 million to almost 281 million, economy has grown about 50 percent, but their use of energy have grown only 10 percent. But their economic growth, however, have been fueled largely by electric power.Between 1973 and 1990, their GDP grew by about 50 percent. In the same period, electricity use grew by more than 58 percent. From this information, we can conclude that in order to meet the needs of their strong economy and their growing population, we must have reliable supplies of electric power. The nation's nuclear power plants produced 674 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 1996. This was more electricity than the entire country consumed in the early 1950s. Worldwide, there are 442 nuclear power plants at work, contributing about 19 percent of the world's electricity supply.



The relative costs of generating electricity from coal, gas and nuclear plants vary considerably depending on various locations. Coal is economically attractive in countries such as China, the USA and Australia. Gas is also competitive for base-load power in many places.Nuclear energy is, in many places, competitive with fossil fuel for electricity generation, despite relatively high capital costs and the need to internalize all waste disposal and decommissioning costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, nuclear is outstanding.

Nuclear Reactions

Nuclear energy can be produced by either of two types of reactions: fission, the splitting apart of a massive atomic nucleus, or by fusion of lighter nuclei into a heavier nucleus.

There are four major types of nuclear reaction:

1>>"fission", the splitting of a nucleus into two "daughter" nuclei:
n + 235U -> 141Ba + 92Kr + 3n;

2>>"fusion" of two "parent" nuclei into one daughter nucleus:
p + p -> 2 H + e+ + n + .42 MeV,
where n stands for a "neutrino"

3>>"neutron capture", used to create radioactive isotopes, in whichthe nuclear charge (Z, the atomic number) is unchanged,the nuclear mass (A = number of protons + neutrons, the atomic mass) increases by one,andthe number of neutrons (N) increases by one (note that N always = A - Z);and

4>>various "decay modes", in which nuclei "spontaneously" eject one or more particles and lose energy to become nuclei of lighter atoms.

History of Nuclear Energy

>>1942 December 2 : First self sustaining nuclear chain reaction
>>1945 July 16 : The American Army tests first atomic bomb
>>1945 August 6 : The little boy dropped on Hiroshima, Japan
>>1945 August 9 : The Fat Boy dropped on Nagasaki, Japan
>>1946 August 1 : Creation of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
>>1947 October 6 : First investigation by the AEC for peaceful uses of atomic energy
>>1949 March 1 : Site selection in Idaho for National Reactor Testing Station
>>1951 December 20 : Production of first electric power from nuclear energy
>>1952 June 14 : Navy’s first nuclear submarine
>>1953 March 30 : Starting of first nuclear power units by Nautihis
>>1953 December 8 : Atoms for Peace” given by President Eisenhower
>>1954 August 30 : First major amendment of the original Atomic Energy signed by President Eisenhower
>>1955 January 10 : The AEC announces the power demonstration reactor program
>>1955 July 17 : 1000 people of Arco, Idaho first powered by nuclear power plant
>>1955 August 8-20 : International conference on peaceful use of Atomic Energy in Geneva
>>1957 July 12 : First civilian nuclear station generated by Sodium Reactor Experiment in SantaSusana, California
>>1957 September 2 : The price Anderson Act provides financial protection and Act licensees & for major Accident occurs at nuclear plant
>>1957 October 1 : Creation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria for peaceful Use & prevention for spreading nuclear weapons
>>1957 December 2 : The world’s first largest nuclear plant operation in Shipping port, Pennsylvania.
>>1958 May 22 : Constriction of first nuclear plant merchant ship in Canada
>>1959 October 15 : The first U.S nuclear plant without government funding
>>1960August 19 : The Yankee Rowe Nuclear power Station achieves self sustaining nuclear reaction
>>1961 November 22: The world’s largest ship the U.S.S Enterprise carried with the ability to operate 30- 740800km without refueling
>>1963 December 12: Nuclear plant is ordered as an economic alternative to a fossil fuel plant
>>1964 August 26 : Private Ownership of Special Nuclear Materials
>>1964 October 3 : “Operation Sea Orbit”
>>1965 April 3 : First nuclear reactor in space (SNAP-10A) launched
>>1970 March 5 : Total 48 nation’s treaty for non proliferation of nuclear weapons
>>1971 : 22 commercial plants are in full operation in U.S.A
>>1973 : Built up 41 plants
>>1974 October 11 : AEC functions divided into two agencies---The Energy Research & Development Administration (ERDA) AND the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
>>1977 April 7 : USA plans for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel
>>1977 August 4 : Signed by President Cater for Department of Energy Organization Act.
>>1977 October 1 : Starting the operation of DOE
>>1979 March 28 : Accident in USA, no one injured
>>1982 October 1 : The Shipping port power Station shat down
>>1983 January 7 : The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) establish
>>1983 : Nuclear Power generates more Electricity than natural gas.
>>1984 : 83 plant provide 14% electricity
>>1985 : 100th plant was The Perry power plant in Ohio
>>1986 April 26 : Chernobyl explosions
>>1987 December 22: NWPA is amended
>>1989:109 plants provides 19 persent of electricity
>>1990 March : DOE launches for improving operational safety in Soviet Union
>>1991 :111 plants in USA with capacity 99673 megawatts
>>1992 February 26 : DOE signs a cooperative agreement with the nuclear industry
>>1992 October 24 : The Energy Policy Act pf 1992 is signed into law
>>1992 December 2 : The 50th anniversary of Fermi experiment
>>1993 March 30 : Funding for next generation plant comes form Advanced Reactor Corporation (ARC)
>>1993 September 6 : Joined program by General electronic and DOE