What are the Different Forms of Energy?

Energy is the basic requirement for doing any kind of work. To the economist, energy is a synonym for fuel, but for a scientist, it is one of the fundamental modes of existence relating to inter convertible of matter.

            It is energy that moves trains or cars, produces light from a bulb, makes rivers flow, etc. energy exists in eight forms- (i) Mechanical Energy (ii) Heat Energy (iii) Light Energy (iv) Electrical Energy (v) Sound Energy (vi) Magnetic Energy (vii) Chemical Energy and (viii) Atomic or Nuclear Energy.

            The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed. The total energy content of the universe is constant. It means that the total amount of mass energy in the universe or in isolated system forming part of the universe cannot be changed. It can be simply transformed form one form to another.

            Now the question arises- what are the different transformations of energy?

            The motion of trains, buses, cars and scooters involves the change of heat energy into mechanical energy. The chemical energy associated with petrol, diesel or coal changes into heat energy on burning. In an electric bulb, the electrical energy is converted into heat and light energy. When we speak on a telephone, the sound energy changes into electrical energy and at the receiving in to electrical energy and energy transformed into sound energy again. Atomic energy is coveted into electrical energy in a nuclear power plant. Chemical reaction in our body produces heat energy to keep it warm. These are all examples of energy transformation that take place in daily life.

Can Matter be converted into Energy?

            In 1995 Albert Einstein established a relationship between mass and energy which is known as the mass-energy relation formula. According to this formula if a mass m is converted into energy, then e=mc2 where E is the energy released and C is the velocity of light. According to this formula the energy available by the conversion of half a pound of matter will be equal to that produced by exploding 7 million tones of dynamite.

Atom Bomb converts Matter into Energy

            Scientists realized the real importance of the mass energy relationship in 1945, when the first atom bomb converting uranium into energy was exploded by U.S.A. on 6 august 1945, the uranium atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japanese. There days later a plutonium atom bomb killed millions of Nagasaki. These bombs killed millions of people. Scientists realized the true potential of unclear energy. Subsequently on the basis of this formula, more powerful hydrogen bombs were developed.

             After seeing the great destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki scientists thought of tapping this energy for peaceful purposes. Nuclear power plants have been developed to generate electricity on the basis of this formula. Heat energy produced in reactors by the fission of uranium is used for converting water into steam to run turbines which in turn run generators. These generators produce millions of megawatts of electric power. Einstein mass energy relationship and its subsequent practical applications have proved to be a great boon to mankind. About 1% energy needs of the world are now met by nuclear energy.

What is Nuclear Reactor?

            Fission, in physics, is the process of splitting of heavy atomic nucleons into two or more fragments. A team of scientist in Chicago, USA, led by the famous physicist Enrico Fermi, was the first to successfully demonstrate controlled nuclear fission. Under his direction, the so-called atomic pile or reactor was established in 1942 to release nuclear energy in a controlled manner.

Nuclear Reactor

            Do you know what nuclear reactors are? The nuclei of uranium are used as the main fuel to induce the split that release a large amount of heat energy. Nuclear reactors are the key unit’s nuclear power stations in which nuclear energy are produced in a controlled manner where fission takes place.

            Broadly, there are three types of reactors thermal, fast-breeder and fusion.

            In thermal reactors, controlled emission of neutrons to the core, by using moderators such as carbon or graphite increases the efficiency of fission process. They surround the neutron absorbing rods in the reactor made out of boron to release heat energy.

            Fast-breeding reactors have no moderators. In these cases, neutrons bring about fission and a mixture of plutonium and uranium oxide is used as fuel. While in operation, uranium is converted into plutonium. The plutonium is extracted and reused later as fuel. It is called fast-breeder because it produces more plutonium than it consumes. Fast-breeder reactors can extract about 60 times the amount of energy extracted from uranium in the thermal reactors.

            Fusion reactors are not yet in commercial production. Instead of splitting heavy atoms, they force very light atoms together.

            In all types of nuclear reactors, there is a coolant system in which ordinary water or gas like carbon dioxide is used. The heat produced in the reactors turns the water into steam that drives the generators to produce electricity.

            The greatest advantage of nuclear energy is that it producers a large amount of useful energy form a very small amount of fuel. It does not produce gases contributing to the ‘greenhouse effect’. The disadvantage is that the radioactive nuclear waste produced is harmful to human beings and is difficult to store. There is always a risk of accident, which can be dangerous.