Nuclear energy is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom and released through fission, fusion, or radioactivity. It is produced naturally in stars and man-made in nuclear reactors. There are two main types of nuclear reactions that produce energy - nuclear fission which splits large nuclei, and nuclear fusion which combines small nuclei. Nuclear energy has applications in electric power generation, medicine, scientific research, food and agriculture, and space. However, nuclear disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima have shown the dangers, with loss of life and long-term effects on the environment.

1. Nuclear Energy

2. What is Nuclear
Energy?
The energy stored in the nucleus of
an atom and released through fission,
fusion, or radioactivity.
Also called atomic energy.

3. Nuclear energy is produced naturally
and in man-made operations under
human control.
 Naturally: Some nuclear energy is produced
naturally. For example, the Sun and other stars
make heat and light by nuclear reactions.
 Man-Made: Nuclear energy can be man-made too.
Machines called nuclear reactors, parts of
nuclear power plants, provide electricity for many
cities. Man-made nuclear reactions also occur in
the explosion of atomic and hydrogen bombs.

4. Nuclear energy is produced
in two different ways:
 Nuclear Fission (In one method, large nuclei
are split to release energy.)
 Nuclear Fusion (In the other method, small
nuclei are combined to release energy.)

5. Nuclear Fission
 It is a nuclear reaction in which an
atomic nucleus splits into fragments,
usually two fragments of comparable
mass, emitting 100 million to several
hundred million volts of energy.

7. Nuclear Fusion
 A process in which several small nuclei
combine to make a larger one whose mass is
slightly smaller than the sum of the small
ones. The difference in mass is converted to
energy E = mc2
 In stars, hydrogen fuses into helium. The
energy emitted by fusion prevents the star
from collapsing in on itself and causes the
star to glow.

9. Applications of Nuclear
Energy
Electric Power Generation
Medicine
Scientific Research
Food & Agriculture
Space
Industrial Appliances

10. • Fuel is inexpensive • Requires larger capital cost
• Energy generation is the because of emergency,
most concentrated source containment, radioactive
waste and storage systems
• Waste is more compact
than any source • Requires resolution of the
long-term high level waste
• Extensive scientific basis storage issue in most
for the cycle countries
• Easy to transport as new • Potential nuclear
fuel proliferation issue
• No greenhouse or acid rain
effects

12. Nuclear Power
Plant

14. Nuclear Disasters
and Accidents

16. Chernobyl Disaster,
Ukraine
Occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Plant
The accident occurred during an
experiment scheduled to test a potential
safety emergency core cooling feature,
which took place during the normal
shutdown procedure.

17. Effects
 Four square kilometers of pine forest directly
downwind of the reactor turned reddish-brown
and died.
 Horses left on an island in the Pripyat River 6 km
(4 mi) from the power plant died when
their thyroid glands were destroyed by radiation
doses.
 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness
and died.
 10,00,000 people exposed.

18. Hospital, classroom & school
Chernobyl Disaster effect on:

19. Effect
F on Human-Beings

20. Fukushima Daiichi
Reactor, Japan
9.0 earthquake on 11th march,2011 decimated Japan.
Fukushima nuclear power plant damaged.
The tsunami broke the reactors' connection to the
power grid and also resulted in flooding of the rooms
containing the emergency generators.
Loss of power stopped the coolant circulation thus
overheating the fuel rods.

21. Effects
 Area around the plant uninhabitable for at least
20years.
 The burning fuel rods will need another 150-180
years to be safely removed from the plant.
 1/10th of radiation released as compared to
Chernobyl.