I'm Radioactive! Radioactive! (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant)

Hello once again readers! We are astounded by the fact that you are enjoying our blog, and for that, and we thank you for your comments! In this post, we'll be discussing the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!

Nuclear Energy

Now, to start off what exactly this site is, we must first discuss what nuclear energy is! Nuclear energy is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei via controlled nuclear reactions. The most common method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay.
(img source, the BNPP!)

What is the difference between nuclear energy and out sources of energy? Well, the advantages are that all equipments are impenetrable; furthermore, it generates a lot of electricity in a small fuel quantity. One pellet of uranium equals to about nine barrels of oil, or three tons of coal. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that it is indeed very dangerous if not maintained properly. An example of this is the Chernobyl incident, where it still lies unlivable due to nuclear radiation. Why don't we ask our bloggers if they are in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power plants?

"I am in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power plants because if maintained correctly, we surely will benefit from it!" - Jinx

"I am in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power plants because we will benefit from getting more electricity, which is efficient because we will be ably to achieve many things with electricity." - Pommy

"I am in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power plants because the supply of electricity we have right now is insufficient for all the citizens of the Philippines. There are scheduled outages, and also unplanned ones. This will result in inconvenience for the people. If we get energy from nuclear power plants, our power supply would be just right or even more than needed for our daily activities." - Daisy

*Due to technical problems, the member AIM was not able to be contacted. Sorry for inconvenience.

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP)

Now, since we know what nuclear energy is, it's about time we tell you the field trip itself!

(img source, The BNPP!)

Before the field trip, We expected to learn the history of the BNPP. Also, about why, how, and when they built this. Not only that, but also why it was never fueled even though the building of this succeeded. 

We learned even more than what we expected: the BNPP, 18 meters above sea level, has never been fueled as stated above; however, it's still maintained. It was the first nuclear power plant in the Philippines, and was formerly known as the Philippine Nuclear Plant - 1. To make you understand how a nuclear power plant generates electricity, let us give you a brief statement about a thermal (steam) power plant. A thermal power plant needs fire to boil water at 320 degrees celsius to produce steam, which generates electricity. The same way a thermal power plant needs fire to produce steam, which eventually generates electricity, a nuclear power plant needs nuclear energy to make steam. Nuclear energy is a fission process, wherein the splitting of atoms takes place. When it continues, it's called a chain reaction. 

(img source, A picture of a Uranium Pellet.)

As stated, one pellet equals to nine drums of oil and three tons of coal, which requires 9 consecutive months for production. Worldwide, there are 433 reactor units of nuclear power plants; in the Philippines, there are 11 sites good for nuclear power plants. Now let's ask our bloggers what was the most interesting part of the BNPP for them.

"The most interesting part for me were the nuclear reactors. These are the ones that produce the thermal energy that can be converted to mechanical energy and ultimately, into electrical energy." - Daisy

"The most interesting part for me was the facade of the building because you can tell there's awesome things in there because it's massive and dour." - Pommy.

"What I found most interesting was the Nuclear Power Plant itself. Personally, it reminded me of the movie "World War Z", but aside from that, it was a really interesting place. It had that aura of it just being massive, and that it's dying to be used." - Jinx

*As stated above, we were not able to contact the member AIM, sorry for inconvenience.

This post was quite radioactive. Hopefully, you'd enjoy this relatively-long post, and that it was not cancerous for you! Thank you for reading, and as they say in France, Au revoir, mes amis!