章节大纲

  • Aerial view of a mountainous desert landscape, highlighting Yucca Mountain's terrain.
     

    Where could long-term nuclear waste go?
    ::长期核废料会到哪里去?

    That's a very good question. For years, a waste facility was in development in Nevada. The site at Yucca  Mountain  was canceled due to public outcry. Now there is no facility for storing long-term nuclear waste from most sources. No facilities are currently being developed either.
    ::这是一个非常好的问题。多年来,内华达州一直在开发一个废物处理设施。尤卡山的场地由于公众的强烈抗议而被取消。现在没有设施从大多数来源储存长期核废料,也没有设施正在开发之中。

    Nuclear Energy
    ::核能 核能

    Nuclear energy  is produced by splitting the  nucleus  of an  atom . This releases a huge amount of  energy .
    ::核能是分解原子核心产生的,释放出大量能量。

    How Nuclear Power Plants Work
    ::核电厂如何运作

    Nuclear power plants use uranium that has been concentrated in  fuel  rods ( Figure   ). The uranium atoms are split apart when they are hit by other extremely tiny particles. Nuclear power plants use the energy they produce to  heat   water . The water turns into steam, which causes a  turbine  to spin. This, in turn, produces electricity. To avoid the release of radiation into the surrounding environment, this process is regulated carefully by the systems in the power plant and can be quickly stopped in the event of dangerous conditions.
    ::核电厂使用浓缩在燃料棒中的铀(图)。当铀原子受到其他极小微粒的打击时,铀原子就会分裂。核电厂用其生产的能源来加热水。水会变成蒸汽,导致涡轮机旋转。这反过来又能产生电力。为了避免辐射释放到周围环境,该过程由发电厂的系统进行仔细管理,一旦出现危险情况,可以迅速停止。

    Cooling towers of a nuclear power plant releasing steam into the atmosphere.
     
    Nuclear power plants like this one provide France with almost 80% of its electricity. The only thing they release into the atmosphere is clean, non-radioactive steam.

    Nuclear Power as a Resource
    ::核能作为一种资源

    Many countries around the world use nuclear energy as a  source  of electricity. For example, France gets about 80% of its electricity from nuclear energy. In the United States, a little less than 20% of electricity comes from nuclear energy.
    ::全世界许多国家将核能作为电力来源。 比如,法国80%的电力来自核能。 在美国,略低于20%的电力来自核能。

    Nuclear energy does not pollute. If there are no accidents, a nuclear power plant releases nothing but steam into the air. But nuclear energy does create other environmental problems. Splitting atoms creates dangerous  radioactive  waste. These wastes can remain dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years. Scientists and engineers are still looking for ways to keep this waste safely away from people.
    ::核能不会污染核能。 如果没有事故,核电厂只能将蒸汽排放到空气中。但核能确实造成了其他环境问题。 原子的分裂产生了危险的放射性废物。 这些废物可能持续数十万年的危险。 科学家和工程师们仍在寻找办法让这些废物远离人类。

    Consequences of Nuclear Power
    ::核动力的后果

    Nuclear power is clean. It does not pollute the air. However, the use of nuclear energy does create other environmental problems. Uranium must be mined ( Figure  ). The process of splitting atoms creates radioactive waste. This waste may be dangerous for thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. As yet, there is no long-term solution for storing the radioactive waste.
    ::核能是清洁的,它不会污染空气,但核能的使用确实造成了其他环境问题。必须开采铀(图 ) 。分裂原子的过程会产生放射性废物。这种废物在数千年或数十万年中可能是危险的。迄今为止,储存放射性废物还没有长期的解决办法。

    Open pit uranium mine with a blue water-filled depression at the base.
     
    Uranium mine in the Czech Republic.

    For three decades new nuclear power plants were not built in the U.S. Accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, Ukraine made people nervous about harnessing nuclear power ( Figure  ).
    ::30年来,美国在三里岛和切尔诺贝利事故中都没有建造新的核电站, 乌克兰在利用核电问题上让人民感到紧张(图)。

    Abandoned gymnasium with decaying walls and debris, showcasing post-disaster neglect.
     
    Abandoned bunker near the site of the Chernobyl disaster.

    Because nuclear energy is clean, nuclear power was making a comeback. But the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan changed attitudes back. This accident seems to have resulted in a new fear of nuclear power. The disaster was caused by a 9.0 magnitude   and  . These events seriously damaged the plant.
    ::由于核能是清洁的,核能正在回升。 但2011年日本福岛第一核电厂的灾难改变了人们的态度。 这次事故似乎导致了对核能的新恐惧。 这场灾难是由9.0规模和9.0规模造成的。 这些事件严重损害了核电厂。

    Nuclear power is a controversial subject. Nuclear power has no pollutants. Nuclear power does not produce  greenhouse gases . However, accidents do happen, and they can be devastating. The long-term disposal of wastes is a problem that has not yet been solved. The future of nuclear power is murky.
    ::核能是一个有争议的问题,核能没有污染物,核能不会产生温室气体,但是,事故确实发生,并且可能具有破坏性。 废物的长期处置是一个尚未解决的问题。 核能的未来是模糊的。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Nuclear energy is released when the nucleus of an atom is split.
      ::当原子核心被分割时,核能就会释放出来。
    • Nuclear power plants use uranium in fuel rods. The fuel rods become nuclear waste. Nuclear waste can be dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years.
      ::核电厂在燃料棒中使用铀,燃料棒成为核废料,核废料在数以万计的年月中可能很危险。
    • Periodic accidents involving nuclear power plants scare people. These accidents slow down the development of nuclear power in many countries.
      ::核电厂经常发生的事故吓唬人们,这些事故使许多国家的核电发展减慢了速度。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. How is nuclear energy generated?
      ::核能是如何产生的?
    1. Why is the waste from nuclear power plants dangerous for so long?
      ::为什么核电站产生的废物有这么长时间的危险?
    1. Why should nuclear power be developed?
      ::为什么要发展核能?
    1. Why should nuclear power not be developed?
      ::为什么不应发展核能?

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    1. How many countries use nuclear power?
      ::有多少国家使用核能?
    1. How is electricity produced in these power plants?
      ::这些发电厂是如何发电的?
    1. What releases the heat in nuclear plants?
      ::什么释放了核电厂的热量?
    1. What is used as the fuel?
      ::用什么作为燃料?
    1. What are the two types of reactors?
      ::这两类反应堆是什么?
    1. What is the function of the control rods?
      ::控制棒的作用是什么?