Principles of nuclear energy Fission reactions Nuclear reactor Nuclear power plants

Chain reaction occurs when a Uranium atom splits

Different reactions Atomic Bomb in a split second Nuclear Power Reactor more controlled,

cannot explode like a bomb

1938– Scientists study Uranium nucleus1941 – Manhattan Project begins1942 – Controlled nuclear chain reaction1945 – U.S. uses two atomic bombs on

Japan1949 – Soviets develop atomic bomb1952 – U.S. tests hydrogen bomb1955 – First U.S. nuclear submarine

Program to justify nuclear technology

Proposals for power, canal-building, exports

First commercial power plant, Illinois 1960

The energy in one pound of highly enriched Uranium is comparable to that of one million gallons of gasoline.

One million times as much energy in one pound of Uranium as in one pound of coal.

Nuclear energy annually prevents 5.1 million tons of sulfur 2.4 million tons of nitrogen oxide 164 metric tons of carbon

Nuclear often pitted against fossil fuels Some coal contains radioactivity Nuclear plants have released low-level

radiation

1964 Atomic Energy Commission report on possible reactor accident

45,000 dead 100,000 injured $17 billion in damages Area the size of Pennsylvania contaminated

17% of world’s electricity from nuclear power U.S. about 20% (2nd largest source)

431 nuclear plants in 31 countries 103 of them in the U.S. Built none since 1970s (Wisconsin as leader). U.S. firms have exported nukes. Push from Bush/Cheney for new nukes.

Uranium mining and milling Conversion and enrichment Fuel rod fabrication POWER REACTOR Reprocessing, or Radioactive waste disposal

Low-level in commercial facilities High level at plants or underground

repository

U-235 Fissionable at 3% Weapons grade at 90%

U-238 More stable

Plutonium-239 Created from U-238; highly radioactive

Life span of least 240,000 years

Last Ice Age glaciation was 10,000 years ago

Neanderthal Man died out30,000 years ago

Largest industrial users of water, electricity Paducah, KY, Oak Ridge, TN, Portsmouth, OH

Cancers and leukemia among workers Fires and mass exposure. Karen Silkwood at Oklahoma fabrication plant.

Risk of theft of bomb material.

3% enriched Uranium pellets formed into rods, which are formed into bundles

Bundles submerged in water coolant inside pressure vessel, with control rods.

Bundles must be SUPERCRITICAL; will

overheat and melt if no control rods. Reaction converts water to steam, which powers steam turbine

Reactor’s pressure vessel typically housed in 8” of steel

36” concrete shielding

45” steel reinforced concrete

Uses liquid sodium metal instead of water for coolant Could explode if in contact with air or water

1966 Fermi, Michigan Partial meltdown nearly causes evacuation of

Detroit

1973 Shevchenko, Russia Breeder caught fire and exploded

Controversial proposals in Europe, U.S.

Separates reusable fuel from waste Large amounts of radioactivity released

1960s West Valley, NY Radiation leaked into Lake Ontario

1970s La Hague, France Released plutonium plumes into air

Low-level wastes in commercial facilities

Spent fuel in pools or “dry casks” by plants

Nuclear lab wastes Hanford wastes leaked radiation into Columbia

River

High-level underground repository Yucca Mountain in Nevada to 2037 Wolf River Batholith in Wisconsin after 2037? Risks of cracks in bedrock, water seepage

Disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and weapons facilities by recycling it into household products.

In 1996, 15,000 tons of metal were received by the Association of Radioactive Metal Recyclers . Much was recycled into products without consumer knowledge.

Depleted Uranium munitions for military.

Nuclear energy has no typical pollutants or greenhouse gasses

Nuclear waste contains high levels of radioactive waste, which are active for hundreds of thousands of years.

The controversy around nuclear energy stems from all parts of the nuclear chain.