Chapter 15- Nuclear Power

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-1-10 pg. 391

-11-15 (Extra Credit)

Nuclear Power

• Fission vs. Fusion

• Peace vs. War

• Chernobyl vs.

Japan

Sixth time could be the charm for N.J.

nuclear power subsidy billBy

•Phil GregoryFebruary 26, 2018

Salem Nuclear Power Plant

A bill to provide subsidies for nuclear plants and renewable power incentives is scheduled for

a vote in the New Jersey Senate on Monday. It’s not clear whether it has enough support to

pass.

How did the public view nuclear power…

•In the 50’s and 60’s?

• In the 70’s and 80’s?

•Today?

Nuclear energy is the energy released by a fission or fusion reaction. It represents the binding energy of the atomic nucleus.The forces that hold together a nucleus of an atom are more than 1 million times stronger than the chemical bonds between atoms.

Fission: Splitting Atoms

In nuclear power plants, atoms of the element

uranium are used as the fuel.

Did You Know. . .?•On a cross-country flight, you will receive an average of 3-5 millirems of radiation. This is more than you would receive standing at the gate of a nuclear power plant 24 hours a day for a year. (Source: DOE)•The energy in one uranium fuel pellet – the size of the tip of your little finger – generates the same amount of electricity as 1,780 pounds of coal, 149 gallons of oil, and 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas

Nuclear fission is is the splitting of the nucleus of a large atom into two or more

fragments.

The nuclei of uranium atoms are bombarded with atomic particles called neutrons.

These collisions cause the nuclei to split in a process called nuclear fission.

Nuclear fission releases a tremendous amount of energy and more neutrons, which in turn collide with more uranium nuclei.

How Nuclear Energy Works

…Similar to a Coal/Oil-Fired Power Plant.

Nuclear power vs. coal-fired power

Both methods of generating electricity have environmental

pros and cons© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Nuclear Energy• In the 1950s and 1960s, nuclear power plants

were seen as the power source of the future because the fuel they use is clean and plentiful.

• In the 1970s and 1980s, however, many planned nuclear power plants were cancelled and others under construction were abandoned.

• Today, nuclear power accounts for 17% of the world’s electricity.

Fission: Splitting Atoms• Nuclear power plants get their power from

nuclear energy. • Nuclear energy is the energy released by a fission

or fusion reaction. It represents the binding energy of the atomic nucleus.

• The forces that hold together a nucleus of an atom are more than 1 million times stronger than the chemical bonds between atoms.

• In nuclear power plants, atoms of the element uranium are used as the fuel.

Fission: Splitting Atoms• The nuclei of uranium atoms are bombarded with

atomic particles called neutrons. These collisions cause the nuclei to split in a process called nuclear fission.

• Nuclear fission is is the splitting of the nucleus of a large atom into two or more fragments.

• Nuclear fission releases a tremendous amount of energy and more neutrons, which in turn collide with more uranium nuclei.

Fission: Splitting Atoms

How Nuclear Energy Works• The heat released during nuclear reactions is

used to generate electricity in the same way that power plants burn fossil fuels to generate electricity.

• The energy released from the fission reactions heats a closed loop of water that heats another body of water.

• As the water boils, it produces steam that drives a turbine, which is used to generate electricity.

Is nuclear power the answer to the worlds energy problems?

Nuclear share of electrical power generation

Countries lacking fossil fuel reserves are the most eager to use

nuclear power© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

About 20% of electricity in the U.S. is generated by nuclear power

U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

*According to the World Nuclear Association….

• The USA is the world's largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30% of worldwide nuclear generation of electricity.

• The country's 104 nuclear reactors produced 799 billion kWh in 2009, over 20% of total electrical output.

• Following a 30-year period in which few new reactors were built, it is expected that 4-6 new units may come on line by 2018

• Government policy changes since the late 1990s have helped pave the way for significant growth in nuclear capacity.

• Government and industry are working closely on expedited approval for construction and new plant designs.

*According to the World Nuclear Association….

• The USA has 104 nuclear power reactors in 31 states, operated by 30 different power companies. • In 2008, the country generated 4,119 billion kWh net of electricity, 49% of it from coal-fired plant,

22% from gas and 6% from hydro.• Electricity demand is projected to increase to 5000 billion kWh in 2030. Annual per capita

electricity consumption is currently around 12,400 kWh.• There are 69 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) with combined capacity of about 67 GWe and 35

boiling water reactors (BWRs) with combined capacity of about 34 GWe – for a total capacity of 101,263 MWe (see Nuclear Power in the USA Appendix 1: US Operating Nuclear Reactors).

• Almost all the US nuclear generating capacity comes from reactors built between 1967 and 1990. • There have been no new construction starts since 1977, largely because for a number of years gas

generation was considered more economically attractive and because construction schedules were frequently extended by opposition, compounded by heightened safety fears following the Three Mile Island accident in 1979

• While there are plans for a number of new reactors (see section on Preparing for new build below), the prospect of low natural gas prices continuing for several years has dampened these plans and probably no more than four new units will come on line by 2020

How much of NJ’s power is nuclear?

• Nuclear power dominates New Jersey’s electricity market, typically supplying more than one-half of the state’s generation. New Jersey’s five nuclear power plants were responsible for generating 32,567,885 MWh of electricity.

Are there any nuclear plants in NJ?

How Nuclear Energy Works

How much oil is left?

The Advantages of Nuclear Energy• Nuclear fuel is a very concentrated energy

source.• Nuclear power plants do not produce air-

polluting gases.• Nuclear power plants release less radioactivity

than coal-fired power plants do, when operated properly.

• Countries with limited fossil-fuel resources rely heavily on nuclear plants to supply electricity.****i.e. Japan

According to US Dept. of Energy

• According to ‘Nuclear Fissionry’ April

Production includes obtaining fuel

… From ‘nukepills.com’….

What is a ‘Nuke Pill’

•Function of the Thyroid

•Radioactive Isotopes

•KI

•Chernobyl

Thyroid protection due to nuclear accidents and emergencies

In 1982, the US FDA approved potassium iodide to protect thyroid glands

from radioactive iodine involving accidents or fission emergencies. In an

accidental event or attack on a nuclear power plant, or in nuclear bomb

fallout, volatile fission product radionuclides may be released. Of these

products, 131I is one of the most common and is particularly dangerous to

the thyroid gland because it may lead to thyroid cancer. By saturating the

body with a source of stable iodide prior to exposure, inhaled or ingested 131I tends to be excreted, which prevents radioiodine uptake by the

thyroid. The protective effect of KI lasts approximately 24 hours. For

optimal prophylaxis, KI must be dosed daily until a risk of significant

exposure to radioiodine by either inhalation or ingestion no longer

exists.Potassium iodide cannot protect against any other causes of

radiation poisoning, nor can it provide any degree of protection against

dirty bombs that produce radionuclides other than radioisotopes of

iodine. See fission products and the external links for more details

concerning radionuclides.WHO Recommended Dosage for Radiological

Emergencies involving radioactive iodine[25]Age KI in mg per day

Over 12 years old130

3 – 12 years old 65*

1 – 36 months old32

< 1 month old 16

The thyroid controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins,

and controls how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.The

thyroid gland participates in these processes by producing thyroid

hormones, the principal ones being triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).

These hormones regulate the rate of metabolism and affect the growth and

rate of function of many other systems in the body. T3 and T4 are

synthesized utilizing both iodine and tyrosine. The thyroid gland also

produces calcitonin, which plays a role in calcium homeostasis.

What is a Geiger counter?

What about the waste?

Waste Storage Sites?

Yucca MountainIn 2010 the future of the proposed waste site was threatened by government action which could leave the United States without any long term solution for its nuclear waste, currently stored on-site at various facilities around the country.

“Where shall we put it?”

• Building and maintaining a safe reactor is very expensive.

• This makes nuclear plants no longer competitive with other energy sources in many countries.

• The actual cost of new nuclear power plants is uncertain, so it is difficult to predict whether investors will build new plants in the United States.

Why Aren’t We Using More Nuclear Energy?

Storing Waste

• The greatest disadvantage of nuclear power is the difficulty in finding a safe place to store nuclear waste.

• The fission products produced can remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years.

• Storage sites for nuclear wastes must be located in areas that are geologically stable for tens of thousands of years.

• Scientists are researching a process called transmutation, that would recycle the radioactive elements in nuclear fuel.

Safety Concerns• In a poorly designed nuclear plant, the fission

process can potentially get out of control.• The Chernobyl reactor was destroyed in 1986

when an unauthorized test caused explosions and blasted radioactive materials into the air.

• Hundreds of people in the Ukraine died from radioactive exposure from this explosion.

• Even today, parts of northern Europe and the Ukraine remain contaminated from this disaster.

Safety Concerns• The most serious nuclear accident in the United States

occurred in 1979 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

• Human error, along with blocked valves and broken pumps, was responsible for this accident.

• Fortunately, only a small amount of radioactive gas escaped.

• Since that accident, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has required more than 300 safety improvements to nuclear plants.

The Future of Nuclear Power

• One possible future energy source is nuclear fusion.

• Nuclear fusion is the combination of the nuclei of small atoms to form a larger nucleus. Fusion releases tremendous amounts of energy.

• It is potentially a safer energy source than nuclear fission is because it creates less dangerous radioactive byproducts.

The Future of Nuclear Power

The Future of Nuclear Power• Although the potential for nuclear fusion is great, so is the

technical difficulty of achieving that potential.

• For fusion to occur, three things must occur simultaneously:

• Atomic nuclei must be heated to extremely high temperatures (about 100,000,000ºC or 180,000,000ºF).

• The nuclei must be maintained at very high conditions.

• The nuclei must be properly confined.

• The technical problems are so complex that building a nuclear fusion plant may take decades or may never happen.

What about the tragedy in Japan?

Three Mile Island- PA!!!!

• Close to home… too close…

Who regulates this stuff…in the U.S.?

• Energy Reorganization Act of 1974

– Created NRC and DoE

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission

– Regulates reactors; use of nuclear materials; movement, storage, and disposal of nuclear materials and waste

• Department of Energy

– Oversight of nuclear weapons; public relations side of nuclear energy

Int’l Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• Part of U.N.– Oversees global energy security, scientific

concerns

• Origin

– Eisenhower’s “Atoms for

Peace”

– Formed in 1957

– Promote peaceful

nuclear use

IAEA Today

– Forum for scientific cooperation

– Institutes safety measures

– Promotes non-proliferation

– Featured prominently in recent news• Iraq/Iran/no.Korea inspections

– Yukiya Amano• Head of IAEA

• 2005 Nobel PeacePrize Winner

• Why did President Obama win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010?

U.S. Warns Of 'Extremely High' Radiation At Crippled Japanese Nuclear Plant

The chief U.S. nuclear regulator said Wednesday that a new failure at one of the six reactors at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant may make it impossible to keep the crippled plant from deteriorating further. "We believe radiation levels are extremely high," he said.

Chernobyl

• Chernobyl WAS a city in northern Ukraine• The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor

accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history resulting in a severe release of radioactivity into the environment following a massive power excursion which destroyed the reactor.

• Two people died in the initial steam explosion, but most deaths from the accident were attributed to fallout

Questions?