NATS 1945 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Electrical Energy, Radioactive Waste
6 Feb 2017
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Electrical energy released from a chemical reaction. Voltage is created by a charge imbalance, the greater the imbalance the greater the voltage. Less energy per gram than other fuels. Has a finite lifetime. (must be recharged to reset the chemical reaction, and the number of charges is limited by the lifetime of the chemical s within. ) The energy released from breaking apart of atomic nuclei. (fission) More energy per gram than all other fuel and comparable or cheaper than the cost of fossil fuels. Radioactive waste can last 1000s of years. Accidents are rare but are much more damaging than other fuels. Air flow from different temperatures drives a turbine. Large space requirements. (turbines must be far apart so airflow is not disturbed). Less energy per dollar than most fuels due to high operation cost and unreliable flow. Sun delivers about 1kw of power per square metre.
