ETF Nuclear power debate - Engineering the Future

1Engineering the Future

The Nuclear Power DebateS4

Scottish Charity Number SC004401 Scottish Charity Number SC015263

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www.engineeringthefuture.info

The Nuclear Power DebateEngineering Activity Teacher Guide


ContentsIntroduction

Outline of engineering activity

Engineering and learning principles

Learning outcomes

Curricular links

Structure and timing

Key resources

Activity 1: Discussion of advantages/

disadvantages of nuclear power

Activity 2: Introduction to Cause and

Different Types of Radiation

Activity 3.1: What is radioactivity?

Activity 3.2: How do we measure the effect

of radiation on living things?

Activity 3.3: What are the long term safety

implications of radiation?

Activity 3.4: How does a nuclear power

station work?

Activity 4: Feedback carousel

Activity 5: Nuclear Power Station

Competition

Activity 6: Final Debate

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Also included:

1. Pupil resources

pupil guide•

newspaper article•

discussion support sheet•

experiment 3.1 instruction•

experiment 3.2a & 3.2b instruction•

experiment 3.2a information•

discussion report sheet•

questionnaire•

2. Downloaded video and

PowerPoint files

David Shand PP presentation •

radioactivity

IOP Medical Physics and Radioactivity 1•

IOP Medical Physics and Radioactivity 2•

IOP Medical Physics in the •

electromagnetic spectrum

IOP Medical Physics Radiotherapy•

IOP Medical Physics Tracers•

IOP Medical Uses of Ultrasound•

Nuclear Fission Reactor•

Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction1•

Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction2•



Unless otherwise stated, all content in this document is copyright (Copyright © 2009 University of Strathclyde and Copyright © 2009 University of Glasgow).

All rights are expressly reserved with the exception that a non-exclusive perpetual licence is granted to access, print, copy and use, without adaptation, the content available in this document for educational non-commercial activities only. Any content accessed, printed and copied must be accompanied by an acknowledgment of copyright.

It is forbidden to alter or adapt the content of the materials without the express permission of The University of Strathclyde and The University of Glasgow. This is to prevent inaccurate, misleading or inappropriate legal information being associated with either University.

It is forbidden to sell, license, copy or reproduce the contents of this document in whole or in part, in any manner, for commercial purposes, without the prior written consent of The University of Strathclyde and The University of Glasgow.

For further information or for queries please contact Research and Innovation at The University of Strathclyde, 50 George St, Glasgow, G1 1QE (www.strath.ac.uk/ri) or email [email protected].

Nuclear radioactive decay curve•

Nuclear radioactive random1•



chainreaction,fission,fusion•



IntroductionThe materials in this pack form one of a series of units which promote the teaching and learning of engineering in the secondary school curriculum.

The project was developed by a school-university partnership involving St. Aloysius’ College, Glasgow (James Cluckie) and the University of Strathclyde Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (Victoria Catterson and Gordon Jahn).

This school-university partnership was one of a number of collaborative networks of school and university staff in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) created by the Engineering the Future project. These enabled staff and students from schools and universities to work together to create exciting and innovative programmes for school pupils, supported by world leading engineering research groups. These materials have already been trialled successfully in secondary schools across Scotland.

In the words of pupils involved: ‘It’s more fun, so you want to know more about physics.’ – ‘A lot of work: challenging but you’ve accomplished something, it ‘clicks’ and you remember it.’ – ‘… instead of being told step by step what to do you get to vary it yourself.’ – ‘…it just made you feel really smart once you’d done it.’

Engineering the Future is a 3-year project funded by a major grant from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which is running from October 2006 to early 2010. It involves staff from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in the University of Strathclyde and from the Departments of Electronics and Electrical Engineering and of Educational Studies in the University of Glasgow and science teachers in some 20 secondary schools in 9 education authorities in Scotland and in 2 independent schools. The financialsupportaffordedtotheprojectbyEPSRCisgratefullyacknowledged as are the advice and encouragement provided by EPSRC and by the Universities of Strathclyde and of Glasgow.

Engineering the Future was planned in response to the general recognition that engineering in this country, in particular electrical/electronic engineering, faces serious challenges. The number of young people taking up university engineering



Science

MathsTechnology

Creativity & Innovation

Leisure

Health

Wealth Creation

Society

Industry

Infrastructure

Engineering

courses is low and becoming lower. Many young people – including ambitious high achievers – have very limited or distorted ideas about what engineering involves. In particular, they do not associate a creative, inventive, problem-solving and entrepreneurial approach to life and work with their science and mathematics work – an approach essential for equipping individuals with the skills necessary to meet the needs of today and the demands of tomorrow.

This is not a matter of academic interest. Engineers use science and mathematics, in conjunction with the tools of technology, to create new systems, infrastructures, devices, products and commoditiesfortheoverallbenefitofsociety. There is an urgent economic need to embed and highlight engineering in the school curriculum. Engineering, the applicationofscientificandmathematicalknowledgetopractical issues, needs and problems, is fundamental to the creation of new technologies and sustainable industries. Engineering requires and supports the development of high levelsofscientificandmathematicalcompetenceintheservice of useful design, creativity, innovative thinking and problem-solving.Itrequiresandfosterstheconfidence,drive, determination to succeed, teamwork and business acumen necessary to promote economic enterprise. There is an economic need for a larger number of engineers, high level engineering graduates and very capable technician engineers, Outline of engineering activity

Wehopethatyoufindthesematerialsuseful.



Teacher GuideOutline of engineering activity

Pupilsarefirstlygivenamocknewspaperarticleabouta1. proposal to build a nuclear power station near their school. They are asked for their immediate response and to debate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.

They are then asked to take on the role of members of a 2. team of scientists and engineers who will advise the public on nuclear power. To do this in an informed way they will need to understand the science of radioactivity and the engineering required to manage nuclear power. They are provided with an introduction to the causes and different types of radiation.

The pupils are now split into four parallel working groups 3. each of which investigates one of the following questions:

What is radioactivity? •

How do we measure its effect on living things? •

What are the long term safety implications? •

How does a nuclear power station work? (This work can •include simulation of a nuclear power plant in which the pupils act as process engineers in charge of the control rods and coolant pumps.)

After this activity, the pupils are then reorganised into 4. discussion groups, each of which includes one member from each of the previous working groups.

Pupilsfeedbackthefindingsoftheiroriginalworkinggroup5. to their discussion group.

Thereafter the pupils complete their work in these 6. discussion groups.

Afinalinformeddebatecanthentakeplace.7.



Most radioactivity experiments need to be performed by a 8. teacher rather than pupils, so there will be times when the teacher will need to demonstrate experiments, with as much involvement of the pupils as possible.

The four tasks in point 3 are closely aligned to the four 9. section of the SQA Intermediate 2 Physics learning outcomes but some of section 1 (Ionising Radiation) has been moved into section 2 (Dosimetry) to ensure a more even balance of content in terms of both practical work and time.

Engineering and learning principlesIn these activities pupils will take on the role of engineers and use their science knowledge to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power. The engineering content is most explicit in:

Using tracers in industry•

Building your own detector•

Acting as a process engineer in a (simulated) nuclear power •station

A project engineering approach is taken: the project is broken down into tasks and teams of pupils investigate each part cooperatively before feeding back to the whole class. Cooperative learning principles and thinking skills are involved in this active learning. Pupils performing their own learning is also a vital part of the activity.

In any of these scenarios it is envisaged that further consolidation work would take place using the normal resources available.

Learning outcomes

The overall learning outcomes are:

Work effectively as a team.1.

Understand key aspects of the science and engineering of 2. the practical application of nuclear power and contribute to informed debate.

All the learning outcomes from the SQA Intermediate 2 3. Radioactivity module



Curricular linksNational Qualifications

SQA Intermediate 2 Physics: Radioactivity Module.

There is also some overlap with SQA Standard Grade Physics.

Curriculum for Excellence

SciencesThe project relates to, and extends, the following experiences and outcomes:

SCN 3-11b By exploring radiations beyond the visible, I can describe a selected application, discussing the advantages and limitations.

SCN 4-11b By carrying out a comparison of the properties of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum beyond the visible, I can explain the use of radiation and discuss how this has impacted upon society and our quality of life.

Structure and timingThere is some initial teacher input in the form of context setting and a basic introduction to radioactivity. The pupils then work inparallelgroupstoresearchaspecificaspect.Nexttheyfeedback to groups made up of three individual members of the other co-operative learning groups and complete consolidation work.Afinalinformedclassdebatetakesplace.

The Intermediate 2 unit has an allocation of 20 hours. In practice this work can be done much more quickly. The introduction and research phases take about 4/5 hours, the feedbackandconsolidationanother5/6hours.Thefinaldebatewould take another period or two. In total this might require, overall, about 10 hours.



Key resources Although none of these is essential, the activities are certainly enhanced if they are available:

GM Tube & counter•

alpha, beta & gamma Sources•

Absorbing Materials•

Radioactive Tracers demonstration board•

Home made Detector or materials to allow pupils to build •this themselves

Jenga game (or similar)•

Half Life simulation using dice•

Half life experiment (either practical with a short lived •source, simulation or on video)

Nuclear power station simulation on suitable ICT equipment•

The package contains a considerable number of videos and PowerPoints relevant to different sections of the work. These areidentifiedattheappropriatepointsinthepupilinstructionsheet. This instruction sheet also contains a number of hyperlinks to relevant sites.



Activity 1Discussion of advantages/disadvantages of nuclear power

Time required30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how full the debate is.

Resources requiredMock newspaper article – "Nuclear College newspaper"

PreparationHave copies of the mock newspaper article available for groups to consider.

ProcedureThe pupils are given the mock newspaper article about a 1. nuclear power station being built near a school.

They are asked their immediate response to this and to 2. debate some of the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.

The pupils make a list of what they consider to be the 3. advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.



Activity 2Introduction to Cause and Different Types of Radiation Some simple experiments are performed to introduce the differenttypesofradiationandwhatcausesitinthefirstplace.Background radiation is introduced and safety is stressed through the modelling of good practice.

Time requiredAbout 30 minutes

Resources requiredGM Tube & counter1.

alpha, beta & gamma Sources2.

Absorbing Materials3.

Jenga game (or similar) (Wikipedia provides a clear account 4. of this, if needed)

PreparationGM Tube and counter should be set up.

Standard school procedures for accessing radioactive sources should be followed.



ProcedureIntroduction to Background Radiation: the GM tube is switched on and no source is present. Discussion with pupils as to why there might be a reading.

Standard teacher demonstrations of absorption in air and by materials of alpha, beta and gamma sources. Emphasis on safety procedures by modelling when performing these experiments.

Use the Jenga game to discuss the concept of instability. What makes the tower unstable? Can you predict precisely when it will fall? How could you return it to a more stable configuration?Extendthistotheideathatsomeelements/isotopes are inherently unstable.



Phase .13Pupil Task 1 – What is radioactivity?Pupil research:

What is radioactivity? •

What effect does radiation have on individual atoms? •

How is this used in detectors? •

Does it have any uses other than nuclear power?•

Some suggested topics:

Geiger Muller Tube •

Film Badges•

Scintillation Counters•

Smoke Detector•

This relates to the SQA Intermediate Physics Content Statements: 4.1.1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10

Time Required1.5 to 2 hours

Resources requiredHome-made detector or materials to allow pupils to do this •themselves (see experiment sheet 3.1 for more details);

alpha source for demonstration use with detector.•



PreparationResearch materials will need to be available. These could be the text book, your standard notes or access to the internet. The pupil sheets include some suggested links. Files downloaded from the internet into this pack could be placed on a school intranet or VLE.

ProcedurePupils should work as an independent group with the teacher intervening as appropriate to give guidance and support.

Once they have built their detector (or are ready to use a prefabricated one) then the teacher will have to demonstrate the effect of bringing an alpha source near to it.



Phase .23

Pupil Task 2 – How do we measure the effect of radiation on living things?

Pupil research:By considering the case of Alexander Litvinenko pupils are introduced to the concepts behind the effects of radiation.

What effect can radiation have on living cells? Can this be •put to use? Some suggested topics: Sterilisation, Gamma Camera, Radiotherapy

How do we measure how strong a source is? What is •the relevant formula? How do we measure the effects of radiation on human beings? What are the relevant formulae? What has a bearing on the effects? How do we decide what is a dangerous amount? Are there natural amounts of radiation we can compare it to? Where do these come from?

This relates to the SQA Intermediate Physics Content Statements: 4.1. 8-10; 4.2.1-8




Resources requiredRadioactive Tracers demonstration board (see task sheets •3.2a & 3.2b for more details). Copy the pictures in the experiment sheets then blow up in a photocopier to A3. Place an arrangement of straws behind the crosses. At points whereyouwishareadingyoufillthestrawwithpotassiumchloride.Attheotherpointsyoufillwithsodiumchloride(toprevent cheating!).

GM Tube & counter•

PreparationResearch materials will need to be available. These could be the text book, your standard notes or access to the internet. The pupil sheets include some suggested links. Files downloaded from the internet into this pack could be placed on a school intranet or VLE. http://www.insidestory.iop.org/insidestory_flash1.htmlisaparticularlyusefulradiotherapysimulationwhich allows the pupils to interact with a model.


When they are ready they can complete the Radioactive Tracers experiment (3.2a and 3.2b) on their own but some initial teacher input in this may be useful.



Phase . 3 3Pupil Task 3 – What are the long term safety implications of radiation?

Pupil research:Does a radioactive source remain radioactive forever? Why •not? This will involve a teacher demonstration or video of a short lived source.

Why does a source not remain radioactive forever? What •happens to it as time passes? How is this measured? Can you calculate what the activity of a particular source will be at any point in time?

What precautions must be taken when dealing with •radioactive sources? How can we reduce the risk?

This relates to the SQA Intermediate Physics Content Statements: 4.3.1-7;


Resources requiredHalf life simulation using dice•

Half life experiment (either practical, simulation or on •video)




ProcedurePupils will probably need immediate teacher input in the form of the dice simulation and the half life experiment. Thereafter they should work as an independent group with the teacher intervening as appropriate to give guidance and support.



Phase . 3 4Pupil Task 4 – How does a nuclear power station work?

Pupil research:Whatisnuclearfission?Whatisachainreaction?Howisit•controlled? What are the important parts of a nuclear power station? How is nuclear waste disposed of?

Experiment 3.4a – Nuclear Power Station Simulators. One •method of achieving this is to run a simulation of a nuclear power plant where they are put in the position of process engineers in charge of the control rods and coolant pumps.

This relates to the SQA Intermediate Physics Content Statements: 4.4.2-5


Resources requiredNuclear power station simulation on suitable ICT equipment. This software is available from http://www.ae4rv.com/ at a very reasonable price. There are also some free versions available.



PreparationResearch materials will need to be available. These could be their text book, your standard notes or access to the internet. The pupil sheets include some suggested links. Files downloaded from the internet into this pack could be placed on a school intranet or VLE.




Phase 4

Feedback carouselPupils now form discussion groups, each of which includes one member from each working group. Each group member explainsthefindingsfromtheirowntaskinturn.Theresources they have used should be available to enable them todemonstratetheirfindings.Lastlypupilscompleterelevantconsolidation examples as normally used.

Time Required5 to 6 hours

Resources requiredIdeally all of the equipment used above in the research •stages.

Standard consolidation examples.•


ProcedureOnce again the pupils should work as independent groups with the teacher intervening as appropriate to give guidance and support.

Ideally the teacher will also be available to demonstrate again some of the experiments done with the individual groups. The teacher may chose to organise these as whole class demonstration using the relevant group members as experts.



Phase 5Nuclear Power Station CompetitionIfavailable,afinalrunofthenuclearpowersimulationcanbecompleted by each discussion group, introducing a competitive element since pupils are trying to generate as much money as possible from the available fuel rods.

Time Required0.5 hours

Resources requiredNuclear power station simulation on suitable ICT equipment. This software is available from http://www.ae4rv.com/ at a very reasonable price. There are also some free versions available.

PreparationPossibly buy a small prize.

ProcedureThe groups have half an hour to achieve the maximum return from their fuel rods.



Phase 6Final DebateHaving now investigated the science and engineering behind nuclear power, pupils can engage in a more informed debate on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power. Pupils thenrevisittheirlistproducedinactivity1andproduceafinalversion of advantages and disadvantages.

Time Required1 to 2 hours

Resources requiredIf time and resources allow there are further links available to investigate opinions on nuclear power.

ProcedureAssign two discussion groups each to be pro and anti nuclear power. The two groups on the same side can then critique each others’ arguments. Each side then allocates three members to be their team and a full debate takes place.

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ETF Nuclear power debate - Engineering the Future