How Nuclear Power Works

The document provides a comprehensive overview of nuclear power, detailing the process of fission and the operation of pressurized and boiling water reactors. It examines the uranium fuel cycle, noting that the U.S. relies heavily on imports from countries like Russia and Canada. The text also addresses the challenges of radioactive waste storage, specifically mentioning Yucca Mountain, and analyzes the economic decline of the U.S. nuclear industry following the 1970s due to cost overruns, declining energy demand, and public opposition.

• Nuclear power generates electricity through fission, where neutrons collide with uranium atoms to split them, releasing energy that heats water to approximately 520 degrees Fahrenheit to spin turbines.
• Uranium is highly energy-dense, with one pound providing as much energy as three million pounds of coal, though it is rare in the earth's crust at two parts per million.
• The United States has a significant trade deficit in nuclear fuel; as of 2012, more than 80% of uranium used in civilian reactors was imported from suppliers including Russia, Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan, and Namibia.
• U.S. commercial reactors are primarily 'light water' designs, split between pressurized water reactors (PWR), which make up two-thirds of the fleet, and boiling water reactors (BWR).
• The U.S. faces a long-term nuclear waste crisis, with over 67,000 metric tons of highly radioactive waste produced by the end of 2011, increasing by 2,000 metric tons annually, with Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the primary studied burial site.
• The boom in U.S. nuclear power ended in the 1970s and 1980s due to a combination of massive cost overruns, high inflation, declining electricity demand growth, and increased public opposition.
• Between 1972 and 1990, the U.S. nuclear industry saw 120 plants canceled, which was more than the number of plants actually built during that period.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). How Nuclear Power Works. https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. How Nuclear Power Works. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=How Nuclear Power Works |date=27 July 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010how, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{How Nuclear Power Works}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-nuclear-power-works}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }