SOMMAIRE

INTRODUCTION
I- What is nuclear energy?
II- Operation of nuclear energy
1- Uranium mining
2- Electricity production in a nuclear power plant
3- Radioactive waste

III- The principle of nuclear reaction

1- nuclear fission
2- nuclear fusion

IV- What is the cost of nuclear energy?

1- Investments and production of nuclear energy

V- The different types and uses of nuclear energy

1- The different types of nuclear energy
2- The different uses of nuclear energy
a- Energy from nuclear power plants
b- Nuclear energy in naval propulsion
c- Nuclear energy in space propulsion

VI- Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy

GENERAL CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
Nuclear power uses a radioactive metal, uranium, to generate electricity,
all in nuclear power plants. How is nuclear energy produced? What are
the advantages and disadvantages?

I- What is nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, is a type of energy, to be distinguished from
fossil and renewable energies. It is produced from a fuel, uranium. This radioactive metal is
contained in the subsoil of the earth.

Nuclear power makes it possible to generate electricity in nuclear power plants. The heat
released by the fission of uranium atoms transforms water into vapor. This is used to set
turbines in motion, themselves connected to alternators which thus produce electricity.

Nuclear energy is mainly used to generate electricity, but it can also be used in the health,
military, environmental sectors ...

II- Operation of nuclear energy

The production of nuclear energy goes through 3 main stages: uranium extraction,
production in nuclear power stations and treatment of radioactive waste.

1- Uranium mining

Uranium ore is found in uranium mines, often underground. It is therefore necessary to carry
out an extraction phase. Before being sent to a nuclear power plant, uranium must also be
transformed to be usable. After purification, the uranium looks like a concentrated powder,
commonly known as "yellowcake".

2- Electricity production in a nuclear power plant

Once transported to a nuclear power plant, this uranium concentrate is locked in a nuclear
reactor. This causes the fission of uranium atoms, a process which releases heat and then
steam. The latter spins a turbine, which then produces electricity.

3- Radioactive waste

Once the uranium is used, there is a material left, which can no longer be used to fuel
reactors, but which remains radioactive. This is nuclear waste, which is sent to a processing
plant, where it is sorted according to its degree of radioactivity. Then the nuclear waste is
stored or buried deep.

III- The principle of nuclear reaction

 The nuclear reaction is a mass transformation into energy that takes place in nuclear
fission and fusion. In effect, this is a reaction in which a nucleus interacts with a particle and
undergoes a more stable rearrangement. A reaction causes a very large release of energy.

1- nuclear fission

When a neutron strikes the nucleus of a heavy isotope, the impacted nucleus sometimes
splits into two smaller nuclei. This is called nuclear fission, and causes an extremely large
release of energy, in the order of 200MeV per event.

A fission also causes the emission of other neutrons which in turn strike nuclei and thus
trigger a chain reaction. In a nuclear reactor, such a fission is carried out under stable, slow
and controlled conditions; unlike atomic bombs, where the reaction is multiplied so quickly
that it generates an explosion.

According to the CEA, the energy produced by one kilogram of natural uranium in a nuclear
reactor is equivalent to the energy produced by 10 tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE).

2- nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two nuclei come together to form a heavier nucleus.
For example, a nucleus of deuterium and a nucleus of tritium combine to form a nucleus of
helium plus a neutron. The fusion of light nuclei also causes a release of a large amount of
energy, even more important than electrostatic repulsion.

Nuclear fusion only takes place at very high temperatures (tens of millions of degrees), in
which matter is in a plasma state. Such conditions are met in stars, in thermonuclear
explosions and in experimental nuclear reactors. At the moment, there is no facility capable
of producing nuclear energy by fusion control. But in 2020, the international thermonuclear
experimental reactor (ITER) began to be assembled in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance (Bouches-du-
Rhône) for civilian use. The first tests should take place in 2025.

IV- What is the cost of nuclear energy?

1- Investments and production of nuclear energy

When we compare nuclear power to other sources of energy, we can conclude that it requires
expensive investments. However, the price of its operation is relatively low per kilowatt hour
produced. This is why a plan for the development of civilian nuclear energy can only be
conceived within the framework of a long-term policy. The cost and profitability are
therefore calculated according to the duration of operation but also their potential renewal
and the technologies offered.

The share of the fuel, uranium ore, is very small in the overall cost of nuclear power
production. There is currently a partnership between China and the United States to develop
a molten salt nuclear reactor, a technology that would make it possible to produce nuclear
power at the cost of coal.

V- The different types and uses of nuclear energy

1- The different types of nuclear energy

The different types of nuclear reactors

• Pressurized water reactor (or PWR) Pressurized water (therefore in the liquid state) is both
the coolant and the moderator. ...

• Boiling water reactor (or BWR) ...

• Heavy water reactor. ...

• Fast neutron reactor (or RNR) ...

• Gas heat transfer reactor (RCG)

2- The different uses of nuclear energys

Nuclear power generation is mainly used for applications in two or three major areas:

• Electricity production in nuclear power plants;

• Naval propulsion of military and civilian fleets;

• Space propulsion (envisaged but not yet possible).

a- Energy from nuclear power plants

In the world, there are now more than 440 nuclear reactors, in different countries. Their total
power is 390 220MW, distributed like this:

• United States (24.9%);

• France (16%);

• China (11.7%);

• Japan (8.1%);

• Russia (7.3%);

• South Korea (5.9%).

Currently, more than 50 new nuclear reactors are under construction around the world, most
of them in China, the United Arab Emirates, India, Russia and the United Kingdom. Nuclear
power is booming: while it represented only 3.3% of electricity production in 1973, it
reached 10.3% of this share in 2017.

France is the country whose electricity comes most from nuclear power (70%), ahead of
Slovakia (54%), Ukraine, Hungary and Belgium. The European Commission, in its
decarbonisation program by 2050, foresees an increased development of nuclear energy.

b- Nuclear energy in naval propulsion

Some naval vessels use nuclear reactors. A heat transfer fluid is heated to a very high
temperature to produce water vapor, which is used to drive the turbines coupled to the
propellers and the turbines coupled to the alternators which supply the entire ship with
electrical energy.

Today, around 400 buildings are powered by nuclear energy, in particular for military use:
submarines, aircraft carriers, cruisers ... and for civilian use, such as icebreakers. In the
1970s nuclear freighters developed, which were subsequently abandoned for their lack of
profitability.

The advantages of nuclear energy for military use are numerous: autonomy (no need for
refueling), propulsion independent of the atmosphere (no need to rise to the surface to supply
the diesel with oxygen) and the maintenance of high diving speeds.

c- Nuclear energy in space propulsion

The use of nuclear energy for space propulsion is considered today, but never yet effective.
Its advantage would be to produce constant thrust the entire way through space. Indeed,
current machines can only produce an initial thrust with trajectory adjustments because the
tank capacity is too low.

The US government gave NASA $ 125 million to design a rocket that would be powered by
a nuclear reactor. This would heat a very high temperature fluid that would be ejected from
the rear of the engine to create the thrust to launch the rocket. The lunar mission of 2024 and
the Mars target of 2033 hope to be able to take advantage of this technology, which would
greatly reduce travel times.

VI- Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy

Nuclear energy has certain advantages:

• It does not emit CO2, but water vapor;

• It is available all year round;

• It is inexpensive to produce and allows production in large quantities;

• The installations necessary for its production have a fairly long lifespan, around 40 years.

However, nuclear power also causes problems. Among the disadvantages most often cited
is that of nuclear waste management. Still radioactive, these are harmful to health.

Similarly, in the event of an accident, the consequences on health can be serious, as the
example of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has shown, or more recently in Fukushima
(2011). Other disadvantages:

• Installation, maintenance and dismantling costs when nuclear power plants get too old and
high construction costs;

• Uranium resources, which do not exist in unlimited quantities.

What future for nuclear power?

Nuclear power of the future according to the IPCC

Huesung Lee, Chairman of the IPCC, presented the SR1.5 special report of 2019. In this
large dossier, we can note 89 possible trajectories studied for the 2100 horizon to keep global
warming at 1.5 ° C. We note that in these 89 trajectories, nuclear power still occupies a
prominent place in the fight for the decarbonization of electricity. Huesung Lee says that for
this transition to be successful, the nuclear industry must succeed in lowering the cost of
energy production and accelerating deployment.

What is radioactivity?

Radioactivity is a natural physical phenomenon by which unstable atomic nuclei dissipate

their initial mass in the form of energy. They then evolve towards more stable atomic nuclei,
through the process of disintegration. This is Albert Einstein's famous formula, E = mc².

Radioactive bodies naturally release this produced energy in the form of ionizing radiation
and heat. This is particularly intense in the case of nuclear fuel within the reactor. It is for
this reason that the used fuel is stored in a spent fuel pool not far from the reactor.

Nuclear fuel pools (SFPs) are basins where spent fuel is stored or used to supply a shutdown
reactor.
 GENERAL CONCLUSION

Energy has become, in less than a century, a major economic and strategic issue and a
symbol of successful economic development. Indeed, there is a close relationship between
energy and economic development. However, the development of industries with high
energy consumption has not responded to the proper satisfaction of needs and has resulted in
serious damage to the environment. Climate change, the depletion of fossil fuels and
geopolitical risks make the switch to RE inevitable.