Chapter 13 Energy from Nuclear Power

1. Chapter 13 Energy from Nuclear Power Class presentations by Tameka, Sad, Clay, Justin, Richard F. , Chloe, Kayla H. , Courtney, Steven, Curtis, Richard L. , Javan, Renee and Kimaya

2. Presentation Rubric uses a 5 point grading scale • KNOWLEDGE:   • PARTICIPATION: • LENGTH:    • CONTENT:   • DESIGN:     • HANDS-ON ACTIVITY:    

3. Nuclear Energy in Perspective • We are running out of fossil fuels • After WWII, new use for the Atom Bomb • Using nuclear energy to make electricity • In 1975, 53 plants were operating in U.S. • 2003, 104 plants were still working • No new plants are planned

4. Nuclear Energy World Wide • Many nuclear plants are being build world- wide • Nuclear power generates about 17% of the world’s energy • France and Japan leads the world • Followed closely by China and India

5. After Chernobyl • Many have rethought nuclear power • Can we solve the problems? • What are the pros? • What are the cons?

6. How Nuclear Power Works Justin and Clay 5th

7. What is Nuclear Power? • Power is generated by heating pressurized water • Water is heated through Nuclear Fission • When one atom splits in two • Steam is used to power the generator • The Generator supplies energy

8. How it impacts Society? • July 08, 430 operating nuclear power plants • 31 Countries • 15%- Worlds Electricity • 77%- France’s Electricity • 65%-Lithuania Electricity • 20%- United States Electricity

9. Yay!!! • Minimal CO2 emissions • Self dependant cost • Releases less radioactivity in air then coal-burning

10. Neh!!!!! • Mining uranium • Transportation and disposal issues • High building cost • Not safe to house and hold

11. Nuclear Power to Coal. By: Chloe Robertson and Richard Farmer

12. Nuclear • They plants release low levels of radioactive waste gases. • They produce about 250 tons of highly radioactive waste that require safe storage. • They can have accidents that lead to scores of human deaths, untold numbers of cancer, and widespread long lasting environmental contamination. • They don’t produce any acid-forming pollutants or particulates. • Emits no carbon dioxide. • In order to fuel plants less manual work is needed.

13. Coal • Coal plants releases 100 times more radioactivity than nuclear power plants. • They produce about 600,000 tons of ash requiring disposal. • Not prone to major accidents, possibility of fire. • Emits over 300,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that lead up to acid rain. • Emits over 7 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. • My manual labor is need so efficiently supply plants.

14. Nuclear Power Coal • Less work, more energy. • Lots of waste that’s non recyclable or disposable. • More catastrophic disasters if any accidents. • Limited amount of power per year. • Lot of human work just to fuel. • Not a lot of waste but lots of pollutants. • Little harm done if accident occurs. • Large supply of coal.

15. Which prevails??? • Amounts of used in tons:

16. Radioactive Emissions andRadioactive Waste Disposal By, Courtney Ciera Elzy And Kayla Jesse Howard

17. Radioactive Emissions • When uranium or any other element undergoes fission, the split “halves” are called atoms. • These are newly formed atoms called the direct product of the fission, and they are unstable isotopes. • Unstable isotopes are usually called radioisotopes; they can become stable by being spontaneously ejected with subatomic particles, high energy radiation, or BOTH! • Radioactivity is measured in curies, one gram of pure radium-226 gives off one curie per second(approximately 37 billion spontaneous disintegrations into particles and radiation) • Radioactive Emissions are the particles and the radiation. • Radioactive Wastes are indirect products of fission along with the direct products.

18. Biological Effects • Radioactive Emissions can penetrate biological tissue; Sieverts are used to measure the damage that radioactive emissions can do. • The emissions do not leave any physical damage, and you can feel them either. But they are capable of dislodging electrons from atoms so that they strike. • After this ions are left behind, which are charged particles. The emissions are called ionizing radiation. • This process includes breaking chemical bonds or changing the structure of molecules. • In Lower Doses the radiation causes actual damage to the DNA. • Other effects include weakening of the immune system, mental retardation, and development of cataracts.

19. Sources ofRadiation • Uranium and Radon Gas are also a source of radiation besides nuclear power. • Background Radiation is the the MAJOR source of radiation exposure. • The average person in the U.S. receives a dose of about 36 millisieverts per year. • Even when you are close to a nuclear power plant, the radiation levels are much lower than normal background levels. • Measurements have shown that public exposure to radiation from normal operations of a power plant is less than 1% of natural background radiation.

20. Radioactive Wastes • Radioactive Decay is a process in which, as unstable isotopes eject particles and radiation, the become stable, and cease to be radioactive. • When radioactive material is not in contact with humans and other organisms the decay proceeds harmlessly. • The rate of radioactive decay is such that half of the starting amount of a given isotope will decay in a certain period. • In the next equal period, half of the remainder decays and so on. • Half-Life is the time for half of the amount of a radioactive isotope to decay. • The half-lives of various isotopes range from a fraction of a second to many thousands of years.

21. Disposal of Radioactive Wastes • Short term containment allows the radioactive decay of short lived isotopes. In 10 years fission wastes lose more than 97% of their radioactivity. • Long term containment refers to the EPA in which the recommend a 10,000 year minimum, and the National Research Council opted for 100,000 years to provide protection from the long-lived isotopes. • Sort Term; Spent Fuel is stored in a swimming pool like tank, on the sites of the nuclear power plants; the water dissipates waste heat. • It also acts as a shield against the escape of radiation; the pools accommodate 10-20 years of spent fuel. • The capacity of storage pools in the U.S. nuclear plants reach 50% by 2004 and plan to reach 100% by 2015. • 47,000 tons of radioactive waste is in the U.S today(more than that).

22. More Advanced Reactors By Curtis Edmonds And Steven Willis

23. The Conversion • When a 235 U atom fissions, two or three atoms are ejected. • Only one of these neutrons needs to hit a 235 U atom to cause a chain reaction. • The remaining neutrons are absorbed by something else • 238 U usually absorbs the extra neutrons • When this occurs, 238 U converts to Plutonium • This Plutonium is also known as 239 Pu.

25. 239 Pu • 239 Pu can be purified and used as a nuclear feul • SO the 238 U is converted into fissionable 239 Pu • And the good news? • 235 U produces two more atoms than needed for a reaction • So it may produce more fuel than it consumes. • Over 99% of uranium is 238 U, so converting that to 239 Pu effectively increases nuclear reserves • This explains why creating nuclear energy is fast and effective.

27. Breeder Reactors • All of the listed conversions are formed from breeder reactors • There is more security needed for Breeder Reactors because of high Plutonium • 239 Pu can be used to create weapons • More safety for B.R.’s are also needed.

29. Breeder Reactors, cont. • Because the U.S. doesn’t use nuclear energy as much • There is enough un used Uranium • So the use for a Breeder Reactor is unnecesary • B.R.’s are mostly used for military practices because of Plutonium’s ability to create weapons • France, Russia, and Japan are the only countries to use Breeder Reactors commercially.

30. Safety and Terrorism and Nuclear Power By Javan & Richard

31. Safety • Safety is closely linked with Security. • It relates mainly to intrinsic problems or hazards. • It relates mainly to external threats to materials or facilities. • Many plants are not safe. • Which could lead to injury or even death.

32. Meltdowns • Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are to good examples of meltdowns. • Meltdowns are accidents in a nuclear reactor. • These meltdowns can be dangerous • Three mile island the reactor was severely damaged • The radiation was contained no one was hurt • At Chernobyl the reactor exploded • Leaving 56 people dead and others injured

33. Terrorism • Nuclear power plants can make easy targets. • They can easily attacked by planes if planned right. • When September 11th occurred the U.S. Realized • The opportunities of terrorism in the U.S. with nuclear power • that is why it is a debates about what to do with the plants

34. Quiz • What is safety closely related to? • What is the worst thing that can happen in a plant? • What happened at Chernobyl?

35. The Future of Nuclear Kimaya Davis Renee Mitchell

36. Opposition to Nuclear Power • People have a distrust of technology they don’t understand. • Observers are critical of the way nuclear technology is being managed. • Lax safety, operator failures, and cover-ups by nuclear plants. • High costs of construction & unexpectedly short operational lifetimes. • Disposing of nuclear waste. • Nuclear power plants are a target for terrorist attacks. • When accidents happens , probabilities become realities.

37. “If”….“Then”….“But” (nuclear power) • In the United States the main problem is that there will eventually be a shortage of crude oil for transportation. • If we were moving toward a total electric economy, then nuclear –generated electricty could be substituted for oil based fuels. • Nuclear power competes with coal fired power in meeting the demands for base-load electrical power. • There are financial risk of nuclear power, and coal is cheaper. • There are still environmental problems of mining and burning coal that results in global climate change.

38. Rebirth of nuclear power? • The continued use of fossil fuels may have been so damaging to the atmosphere that we have to result to another source. • If the rebirth of nuclear power is to come then it is agreed that a number of changes will have to be made. • Political leadership will be required to accomplish all of the developments

39. Where it starts • George W. Bush has made expanding nuclear energy a major component of his energy policy. • Vice President Cheney’s National Energy Policy report includes various steps that led to Bush’s expansion in his policy. • Proposing the Nuclear power 2010 program, could become operational by 2010 • By approving the Yucca Mountain site for repository could be moving toward a resolutionof nuclear waste.

40. The End