how reliable a nuclear system?

Answer 1

Nuclear electrical generation? As far as I have heard, extremely reliable...

The only real downsides to it for a nations electrical supply are:
1: politics
2: the reactors are exorbantly expensive to build
3: politics

Answer 2

Depends... in the United States commerical nuclear reactors are very reliaible. The Nuclear Regulatory Committee has tight regulations just for people to get licensing to build/operate a reactor. Unlike Chernobyl, reactors in the US and other countries are constructed within what are called containment buildings. These buildings will prevent radioactive material from escaping the enviroment.

Not only was reactor #4 at Chernobyl not contained.... the soviet reactor design was real shaky. What pretty much happened was... During a simulated test run, they cut that power, which in turn kept the water from around the reactor from overheating. When they did, they shut the reactor down by dropping all the control rods. Even during shutdown, the heat continues to raise for them decay of the used up fuel. When they realize it was getting hotter, they released water on it, which create a flash steam blast that threw nuclear fuel and waste everywhere.

These days... with the strict regulation that is unlikely to happen Nothing escaped the containment in Three Mile Island.... and noone within the reactor recived no deadly dose.

Politics and an uneducated public are the real down falls. There is a huge difference between radiation leak and radioactive leak. That is some food for thought.

Answer 3

Ask the inhabitants of Chernobyl. Had the wind been blowing from the north on April 25th, 1986, the city of Kiev (population 2,500,000) would have become a nuclear wasteland. The death toll would have been in the hundred of thousands.

See, that's the problem: every nuclear reactor on earth has to be 100% reliable all the time. We got away with it by pure luck last time, but I wouldn't count on that happening again.

Answer 4

If properly designed, run and maintained then, very reliable. France generates a substantial proportion of its electrical power via nuclear stations. When did you last hear of any problems / disasters from there?

Answer 5

in terms of power output, it is very reliable because it is very efficient!

The more serious problem is the waste product it generates. The radioactive wastes it produces in the process must be disposed properly or we humans must find a more creative solution, safe for humans, animals, trees and environment, for nuclear energy waste disposal or cleaning or destruction or decomposition or rendering it inactive as a radio source.

Answer 6

Very reliable.

Answer 7

Try that again in English sentence format. I need a verb.

Answer 8

very