Baggett.Austin

//**Economic Efficiency vs. Environmental Enrichment **//



Since the comprehension and manipulation of fire to productions such as the wheel, we as a human race are constantly striving to make life easier. It is in our nature to take a task and make use of the most efficient means of completion. For hundreds of years this lust for pure efficiency has come at a great cost to the environment. It is as if the ideal that the environment must be the victim of a prosperous economy has been deeply seeded in the mind of man. Since the birth of the industrial revolution, this concept was in fact a reality. It seemed as if there was no alternative, the land was stripped of trees, the air was gradually contaminated by the burning of fossil fuels, yet still today we travel down this winding road. However, these two do not have to remain inversely proportionate to one another. Today, the world has options. One of these options is Nuclear Fission. Nuclear fission has the capability of drastically increasing economic yields while also increasing the quality of the world in which we all live. Looking around you, there are many material goods. The manufacturing, buying and selling of these goods is made possible by the shipping world. To focus on the direct benefits that nuclear fission can provide to the economy as well as to the environment, the use of nuclear fission in the shipping world will be discussed. Although nuclear fission is by no means limited to the seas, sea trade has the biggest effect on the economy as well as a pretty substantial effect on our environment. This Wiki will primarily discuss the overall benefits of nuclear fission by demonstrating the positive effect it could have in one major area, creating a ripple effect through out the economy and shifting into a positive environmental action. We as a society never remain constant; we are always becoming better or becoming worse. The next step into the future must not be towards the same old ways, we must step to nuclear fission before it is too late.

= How Does Nuclear Fission Work? =

 “[The] propulsion plant of a nuclear powered ship utilizes a nuclear reactor to generate heat. The heat is generated within the nuclear reactor as a result of the fissioning of the nuclear fuel… The nuclear propulsion plant operates as a pressurized water reactor design containing both a primary and secondary system (Aysen).” Based on Mr. Aysen’s description of the two systems, once the heat is created through the process of fission, there are not too many differences in comparison to an every day steam ship such as the T.S. Kennedy. To provide a visual method of understanding, Mr. Aysen has also included a diagram in his article showing the basic arrangement of a nuclear ship. In summary; heat is created through nuclear means, the heat generates steam, and the steam is then used to provide kinetic capability to the ships turbine which in turn moves the propeller. The concept is nothing out of the ordinary compared to the majority of engine rooms today, however it is the process in which the heat is fashioned that makes all the difference. Through the process of nuclear fission, as opposed to the burning of oil, a theoretical efficiency may be yielded that remains out of reach by conservative methods such as the burning of oils.

That is a general outlook on how nuclear fission provides energy to the ship, but how is the actual energy created through the process of fission?

First please watch this video to give you an animated idea of the actual process of nuclear fission.

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The video to the right shows how fission works in a nuclear reactor.

Basically, A uranium 235 nucleas takes a neutron, and splits into two smaller atoms, creating two neutrons which in turn sets off a chain reaction. This all happens very quickly, (1x10-12seconds). I obtained this information from this article [|READ ME!]

This article also contains a neat animation portraying the reaction that is very helpful in understanding the process as a whole.

= CO2 Emissions =

The great part about nuclear fission is that it does not emit Carbon Dioxide or any other green house gasses, but the downside is that nuclear waste is produced. This waste can be controlled and stored properly but it is extremely hazardous to people’s health.



There has been a dramatic increase in carbon emmisions in the last 50 years. This trend could be stopped in its tracks by the widespread use of nuclear fission as a viable energy source.

As the world leader in toxic emissions, The United States must advance to the front lines in the push for a nuclear alternative.

=Advantages of Nuclear Fission=

Nuclear Fission is a viable source of energy because of its positive effect on the economy, and its neutral effect on the environment. The effect on the environment is neutral, but it is also positive over time. With less green house gasses being put into the environment, the world will slowly become a better and healthier place to live. In regards to shipping, imagine a ship that did not need to refuel nearly as much as it does now. This is economical because it would save companies massive amounts of money as well as environmentally friendly because it would save countless barrels of oil. The process of nuclear fission makes the combustion of fossil fuels seem primitive and offensive to the Earth.

=Critics=

Opponents of the nuclear movement would have two main points of opposition. They would immediately cite the initial overhead. The immediate switch to nuclear power would admittedly be costly. But this is countered by the fact that it would pay for itself and much more in the years to come. The second argument would be the dangers involved in anything nuclear. This is derived from the negative stigma associated with nuclear power. A nuclear ship for example, can be as safe if not safer than a regular steam or diesel ship. Regardless of the opposition, the eventual shift from fossil fuels is inevitable.

=Military and Commercial Application=

Imagine a military that did not need to stop to refuel. Or a company that can get from point A to point B without having to take time out of their shipments to spend an extra day bunkering. Nuclear fission makes this possible. This is the future of the shipping world as well as the world in general.

=Quotation=

“France generates a significant part of its energy requirements from fission reactors and these have achieved a perfect safety record. We build ours all differently.”

~Wilson Greatbatch I chose this quote because it represents the negative stigma associated with nuclear fission. This is the main problem with the nuclear solution, these opinions need to be changed before anything can be done. The convenient opinions of people such as Mr. Greatbatch are holding us back as a society.

Source Cited MLA Format:

Zaid Aysen (May 22,2010). Nuclear Propulsion System for Ships Using Small Nuclear Power Plants.