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Nuclear Power:

Nuclear Power:. Our Misunderstood Friend. Overview. Growing Demand for Energy Comparison of Nuclear with Other F orms of Energy Disposal of Waste Safety of Nuclear Energy. Growing Demand for Electricity. Steady increase in demand Impact of electric drive vehicles on demand

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Nuclear Power:

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  1. Nuclear Power: Our Misunderstood Friend

  2. Overview • Growing Demand for Energy • Comparison of Nuclear with Other Forms of Energy • Disposal of Waste • Safety of Nuclear Energy

  3. Growing Demand for Electricity • Steady increase in demand • Impact of electric drive vehicles on demand • Impact of EGU MACT legislation on demand

  4. Chevy Volt • Can drive 35 miles before gasoline engine starts • Takes 10 hours to charge on a 120 volt line • Takes 4 hours to charge on a 240 volt line

  5. EGU MACT legislation: Could close 20-30% of plants

  6. Nuclear as compared with other technologies: How does it stack up?

  7. Better for the environment because it is renewable Generates at a capacity of 20-40% Rate of Injury of Workers Wind

  8. Solar • Better for the environment because it is renewable • Can only generate at a capacity of 20-40% • Battery technology

  9. Nuclear vs. Coal Nuclear Coal 80% of electricity generated by DTE Emissions Mining, transport, burning Low energy content Large fluctuations in cost of fuel High cost lies in fuel • About 19% of electricity generated by DTE • Radioactive waste • Less than 0.00001% fuel of coal • High energy content • Less susceptible to fluctuation • High initial cost

  10. *CCGT is a type of coal powered plant

  11. Nuclear Power in France • 75% electricity from nuclear • 17% electricity from recycled nuclear power • Generate 3 billion euro annually by selling to the rest of Europe

  12. Disposal of Waste • Types of Nuclear Waste • Disposal of Nuclear waste • Amount Generated • Repository

  13. Types of Waste • Gaseous

  14. Types of Waste • Liquid

  15. Types of Waste • Solid

  16. Disposal of Nuclear Waste • On Site Repository

  17. Disposal of Nuclear Waste in Yucca Mountain

  18. Disasters • Chernobyl • 3 Mile Island • Japan

  19. Chernobyl

  20. What Happened • Failed Experiment • Ignored Warnings • Explosion • Runaway Nuclear Reactor

  21. Effects of Chernobyl • 100,000 km2 of contamination • Rise in Thyroid Cancer • Treatment 96% Effective. • Could have been prevented. • Liquidators and Acute Radiation Sickness • Firefighters in the Plant. • Cancer Rates in Highly Contaminated Group • 4000 Extra Cancer Deaths among 600,000 People. • Cancer Rates of People in Contaminated Zones • 5000 Extra Cancer Deaths among 5 Million People

  22. How Modern Reactors Differ From Old Soviet Reactors • RBMK Reactor • Water Cooled • Graphite Rod Moderators • No Containment Vessel • Light Water Reactor • Water Cooled • Water Moderated • Steel and Concrete Containment Vessel

  23. 3 Mile Island

  24. Effects • Average Dose of Radiation • 1 millirem • 1/6th radiation produced by a chest x-ray • Maximum Dose of Radiation • Less than 100 millirem • Background Radiation 100 to 125 millirems per year • Radioactive Isotopes • Very Low Levels Detected • Radiation Contained • Containment vessel was not breached

  25. Aftermath • NRC given more control of power plants • Human Error • Operator training improved by lessons learned. • 2 Full Time inspectors at each site. • Design Problems • Improved controls and indicators. • Piping system revamped. • Component Failures • Auxiliary Coolant Systems. • Automatic Shutdown.

  26. Fukushima Daiichi

  27. What Happened • Earthquake • Tsunami • Systems Offline • Meltdown

  28. Effects • No Containment Breaches • Release of Iodine 131 and Cesium 137 • Evacuation around the plant • Contaminated food • No deaths caused by the accident

  29. Overview • Growing Demand for Energy • Comparison of Nuclear with Other Forms of Energy • Disposal of Waste • Safety of Nuclear Energy

  30. Our No Longer Misunderstood Friend Nuclear Power:

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