/sci/ - Science & Math

>The Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant produces approximately 10.5 TWh of electricity.
>According to statistics from 2012, the world consumes approximately 20.9 PWh of electricity each year.
>If these statistics are correct, we could power the entire world with only about 2000 nuclear power plants.

>"What about nuclear meltdowns?"
Out of the hundreds of nuclear power plants that have been built, only around 5 of them have ever caused serious accidents with great consequences.
Plus we could put these power plants in places that aren't harmful to nearby communities, like in a desert or something.

>"What about nuclear waste and pollution?"
Nuclear waste is containable and can be stored in places until we have a use for it, unlike coal power plants which just tosses carbon dioxide into the air for the ozone layer to be damaged by it. Once we're confident enough in our ability to launch rockets into space without failure, we can just send that shit straight into the sun so it doesn't do any harm to anyone.

tl;dr Nuclear energy is the future of power.

I find it sad that nobody here has actually explained yet how your average nuclear reactor works.

They're basically a modification of the steam engine. This basic technology hasn't increased by leaps and bounds in hundreds of years. You still pump steam into an engine to generate energy.
The difference with nuclear energy, is you use the heat of nuclear processes to create massive amounts of steam.
THE REASON we can't do it in space is because for this to operate you need a constant flow of massive amounts of water. That doesn't exist in space. Also, the water has to be treated and monitored for hardness and things like that, which compared to finding the water wouldn't be that hard, but still presents a barrier.

I'm not sure where we're at on the cutting edge of this technology, if there are ways to get around using water and still maintaining high energy output or whatever. I'd say look at nuclear submarines for how to keep it contained in a small vessel.

I work with some seriously smart people. I mean, even the dumb ones (like me) aren't really that dumb at all. I've had jobs in the past where I was the smartest person around (and that's not saying much), and it was extremely frustrating. But having a conversation with people that can actually /carry/ a conversation is refreshing.

And believe me: I ain't that bright. In only made a 1260 on the SAT, so I'm barely above average. Have any of you ever worked in a job where you were the smartest person around, but low man on the totem pole? How did you deal with it?

FWIW, I'm a Chemistry Specialist at nuclear power plant. I've been there for a little over a year, and obviously still in training. I can truly say I love my job and can see myself being there for the rest of my life.

>>3755038
Look. Look at it. This is a diagram of a pressurized water reactor. Notice how it has a turbine. Notice how that turbine is driven by steam. Notice how that steam is generated by the nuclear reactor.