Nuclear technology
From ArticleWorld
Nuclear technology is the technology which involves the application of the principles of nuclear phenomena taking place in atomic nuclei. These phenomena could be nuclear fission, fusion or radioactive decay. Nuclear technology has found application in a wide variety of fields including medicine, power generation and weapons systems.
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Applications of nuclear technology
Some of the major current applications of nuclear technology are:
Power generation
Nuclear fission reactions involving suitable radioactive nuclei such as those of uranium or thorium can release tremendous amounts of energy, up to the tune of a several hundred million times that of an ordinary chemical reaction. Chain reactions, meaning repeated fission reactions taking place in the radioactive material, are employed for this purpose. The fission process produces heat energy, which is used to produce steam that can run turbines to produce electricity. The process requires nuclear fuel which is enriched with its radioactive isotope, for instance, the percentage of radioactive uranium-235 may have to be increased in the composition of uranium-based fuels.
Nuclear technology in power stations involves fuel rods of enriched nuclear fuel, graphite moderators to slow down neutrons and heat exchanging arrangement to prepare superheated steam. Once the fuel has been expended, wastes which may be radioactive, are disposed deep underground. Typically, about 1100 MW of power can be produced by a nuclear reactor.
Nuclear medicine
Nuclear technology is applied in medicine for imaging the internal parts of the body (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance or NMR) and in radiation therapy for killing cancerous cells. Radioactive traces can be used to study the reaction of the body and to probe the motion of certain elements.
Irradiation
Gamma rays emitted due to radioactivity can be used to sterilize food.
Nuclear warheads
A dangerous development in nuclear technology is the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Both fission and fusion bombs are possible, the latter being far more destructive.
Naval transport
Nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers can be operated for several months at a time. The energy released by fission is channelled properly in order to serve as fuel.
History and development
Radioactivity was accidentally discovered in 1896 by the French scientist Henri Becquerel, when experimenting with uranium salts. Unaware of the danger to living tissue, radiations of alpha, beta and gamma rays were studied by early researchers. Nuclear research continued for many years and breakthrough discoveries about the technology were soon made.
German chemist Otto Hahn and Swedish physicist Lise Meiter discovered the process of nuclear fission in the 1930s. The same principle was used in the 1945 bombs (in World War II) developed by American scientists Enrico Fermi and Oppenheimer. Several variants of the nuclear bomb were subsequently made.
Nuclear technology today
Nuclear technology has seen vast development in a great number of fields. There have been revolutionary changes in medicine, polymer technology, the power industry and weapons development. In spite of scepticism among people worldwide, nuclear technology continues to be researched and could prove a wonderful boon in the near future.