THERMAL-NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
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In a thermal-nuclear power plant, energy is converted into electricity. These nuclear power plants have a nuclear reactor where the fission of the atomic nuclei of radioactive elements, mainly uranium, takes place. The heat generated in this reaction is used to produce steam that is used to drive a turbine. The shaft of the turbine, thanks to the movement, produces electrical energy in a generator. The main advantage of nuclear power plants is their profitability in the production of energy, their great power and their performance. Also, they do no emit CO2 or other polluting gases into the atmosphere; the only gas they emit is steam (which is non-polluting). |
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The disadvantages are the danger of a nuclear catastrophe, the high cost od their construction and of their safety measures, and the measures for the handling and disposal of radioactive waste. Somo of these wastes are potentially hazardous during a lon period of time because they retain their radioactivity for thousands of years.