Post #4: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant + Nuclear Energy = Safe and Sound-ish

      Hello! Welcome back to the Eco-Spot! We hope you are having a wonderful day! So far we are now on our 4th post which is about the Eco-Spot going to our last destination in Bataan, THE BATAAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (BNPP)!!! Electrifying!!!

      Before we narrate what we saw in BNPP, you must know what Nuclear Energy is. Nuclear Energy is energy from the atomic nucleus. It is usually made by nuclear fisson, fusion, or radioactive decay. 

     Oh yeah, I forgot, like what Beauty said, there are advantages and disadvantages of Nuclear Energy:

ADVANTAGES:

• Nuclear power plants don't require a lot of space.
• It does not produce smoke particles to pollute the atmosphere.
• Nuclear energy is by far the most concentrated form of energy - a lot of energy is produced from a small mass of fuel. This therefore reduces transport costs.
• It is reliable. It does not depend on the weather. It is relatively easy to control the output.
• It produces a small volume of waste.
• Nuclear power plants are Eco-friendly (WOOHOO!) since fire is not used to produce power. 
• Nuclear energy has no carbon emission, also called green house gases, which absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. It therefore does not contribute to global warming (yey!)

DISADVANTAGES:

• Disposal of nuclear waste is very expensive. It is radioactive and has to be disposed of in such a way that it will not be harmful environment.
• Nuclear accidents can spread radiation producing particles over a wide area. Natural disasters like a tsunami or earthquake can trigger nuclear accidents which can spread radiation-producing particles.  The effects can be very  harmful to humans and the environement.  The radiation harms the cells of the body which can make humans sick or even cause death. Illness can appear or strike people years after they were exposed and even the next generations can be affected.
• A possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In a meltdown, the fission reaction of an atom goes out of control, which leads to a nuclear explosion releasing great amounts of radioactive particles into the environment.

BNPP Rooftop

    For the trip chart (Remember the trip chart?) question asking "Are you in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power?, our answer is ,"We are willing to harness energy from the nuclear energy since the advantages outnumber the disadvantages.  It does not emit carbon emission, thus preventing global warming."

       Another question question in our trip chart is "What are your expectations in BNPP?". Beauty answered,  Because I want to learn how nuclear power plants work, and its advantages and disadvantages to the environment.".  When we went to BNPP, we had a lecture about nuclear power plants, and that is how we started our tour of the facilities!

Inside BNPP

Do you know...

- that the BNPP is the first nuclear power plant in the Philippines?
- that BNPP was NEVER put in service?
- that the difference between a nuclear power plant and a thermal (steam) power plant is that the Thermal plant boils water and produces steam to generate power while the Nuclear plant uses nuclear energy to generate power?
- that the BNPP was originally created to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and decreasing dependence on imported oil?

Batch Tour

      After the tour ended, we then left BNPP and went back to the bus to leave Bataan *cry*. In the trip chart, it ask what our favorite part of the BNPP was, and we all agreed when Browser answered ," EVERYTHING!!! Each room has a purpose to prevent the BNPP from exploding.".


Thank you again for reading our posts! Stay tuned for the next posts! God bless!

Power plant background (focus on the BG)

Selfie Pic

External Sources:  http://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/nuclear/advantages_disadvantages_nuclear_power.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Nuclear_Power_Plant