Set up your paper like thisPro-nuclear Arguments Anti-nuclear Arguments

My opinion is that ______nuclear won this debate. The most compelling argument to me was ______________.

https://www.ted.com/talks/debate_does_the_world_need_nuclear_energy

Nonrenewable Energy

Ch. 15 - Nuclear Energy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bZo9FbJq_4

How does nuclear energy work?

The process of producing the heat to boil water is the

complex part–A nuclear

fission reaction is used

Step 1: mine uranium ore from the earth’s crust– Pretty common in the crust (40X more common than

silver; 500x more common than gold)

– Atomic number 92– Most common isotopes: 238U (99.7%) and

235U (0.7%)Uranium mine in Moab, Utah

Uranium ore

Step 2: Enrich the uranium ore to increase the concentration of 235U (from 0.7% to ~ 3%) –this is the form that is

capable of the fission chain reaction needed for nuclear energy

Step 3: produce pellets of uranium dioxide – each has the same energy as 1 ton of coal

Step 4: pipes called fuel rods– These go into the core of the reactor - the

place where the fission reaction takes place

The nuclear fission chain reaction

VERY VERY exothermic

Step 5: control the reaction with control rods– These absorb neutrons to help regulate the

rate of fission and the amount of energy produced

Step 6: add a coolant (water) to circulate through the reactor to remove excess heat (otherwise the rods will melt and released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment)

Step 7: encase the reactor in a containment shell– Thick, steel reinforced, concrete walls– Meant to withstand tornadoes, etc– Also meant to contain radioactive waste in

the event of an explosion inside the core

Spent fuel rodsEventually, most or all of the 235U is gone from the fuel rod

The remaining material is still VERY hot and dangerously radioactiveSpent rods are removed and stored in either water-filled pools or in dry casks– Not as well protected

The plan is to move these to some long term underground facility for long term storage (10,000-250,000)

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor in California

Nuclear Reactor Stats

Highly inefficient: lose 83% of their potential energy as heat to environment

The Nuclear Fuel CycleMine the Mine the uranium oreuranium ore

Process and enrich the uranium to make fuel

Use it in a reactor

Store spent fuel rods until no longer radioactive

Decomission nuclear power plant after 15-60 years

Each step adds to the cost of the fuel and reduces the net energy gain

The whole nuclear fuel cycle is very inefficient - 92% of the energy content is wasted

Decommissioning a nuclear power plant

After 40-60 years, the life of a reactor comes to an endCan’t just shut it down and leave due to intensely radioactive material on site

Decommissioned nuclear power plant in Rancho Seco

Nuclear Power - the background story

In 1950s, it was predicted that by now, at least 1/4 of the world’s energy would come from nuclear powerIn reality, just 6% doesEXCEPT…France gets 77% of its energy from nuclearJapan and South Korea each get 39% of their energy from nuclear

World’s slowest growing energy resource

Why?1. High operating costs2. Low net energy3. More expensive to

produce than coal, natural gas, wind

4. Requires huge amounts of fresh water that must be taken from nearby rivers/lakes

5. Public concern about safety

Nuclear Reactor DisastersThree mile island 3-29-1979PennsylvaniaOne of the reactors lost its coolant waterSuper hot radioactive core meltedContainment building kept in most, but some radioactivity escaped into atm.Mostly scared people

Nuclear Reactor DisastersChernobyl4-26-1986Series of explosions blew the roof off a reactor in UkraineReactor melted, fire burned for 10 daysReleased more than 100x the radiation at the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and NagasakiRadioactive cloud spread over Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, worldStill experiencing effects

ChernobylPoor reactor designMany people died in the explosionMany people died later from radiation exposure350,000 people had to abandon their homes and all that was in them due to contaminationIn some places, it is still unsafe to drink the water or eat the plants or animalsIn contaminated areas, high rates of birth defects, mental retardation, thyroid cancer, leukemia, immune system disease

This man and boy will wear their “Chernobyl necklace” for life

Fukishimia

Pros and Cons of nuclear power

We experience cave-ins at coal excavation sites fairly frequently, resulting in the loss of human life.

If you had to choose between the risks of mining coal and the risks of nuclear energy, which would you choose and why?