Nuclear Power and our Future

By Dan SantaLucia

The Basis Of Nuclear Power

• Nuclear power takes advantage of the manipulation of nuclear fission, which releases energy when isotopes of heavy atoms are split.

• Isotopes commonly used (though there are a lot more!):Uranium-235Plutonium-239

Nuclear Reactions of Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239

• A reaction of U-235:

• A reaction of Pu-239:

• Note: These are simply examples of reactions that could occur, but there are many reactions that do occur and these reactions only account for a very small percentage of the products that are produced.

nKrBaU

UUn10

8936

14456

23692

23692

23592

10

3

nXeZrPu

PuPun10

13854

10040

24094

24094

23994

10

2

Nuclear Chain Reaction

• The neutrons released from the first reaction are used to split other atoms of the heavy isotopes, continuing the fission process, allowing more energy to be released.

Nuclear Fuel• First, Uranium ore is mined, which is mainly made up of the most

abundant natural isotope of Uranium, which is U-238. This has a very small percentage of U-235 present within. “Yellowcake Uranium,” which is mainly U3O8. They use this to create UF6, allowing them to separate the isotopes of Uranium by gaseous diffusion. The isotope enriched Uranium is then used to make UO2 pellets, which are used in nuclear reactors as fuel. The pellets are then stacked and sealed within Zirconium tubes called fuel rods.

Reactor Vessel• The nuclear fuel rods are then placed within a reaction vessel,

where they are surrounded by water or “heavy water”. Control rods, made of cadmium, are also present within the vessel in order to control the speed at which the fission reactions occur. The control rods are responsible for absorbing neutrons. The control rods can be retracted or inserted into the reaction vessel to control how fast the reaction happens.

How it works on a larger scale• When the fuel rods undergo the fission process, thermal

energy is released. This thermal energy then heats the surrounding water, turning it into steam. The steam then leaves the vessel and turns a turbine, which turns a generator that produces electricity. The steam is then condensed by cooling it with seawater, and then pumped back into the reaction vessel where the process repeats.

Containment• In the event of an accident, the reactor vessel is contained

within what is known as the containment vessel. This is present to make sure that no radiation or radioactive isotopes are introduced into the environment in case there is an accident. The containment vessel consists of 12 ft. thick reinforced concrete and steel.

Safety• It is a common myth that nuclear power plants are ticking time bombs (literally)

that are generally unsafe. • This myth is due to the media hype of a few isolated incidents such as Fukushima

or Chernobyl. • We simply need to learn from the mistakes that happened in these accidents; in

Chernobyl, human-error was the primary cause, whereas Fukushima, natural disaster was the primary cause of failure.

• If the proper precautions are taken, then nuclear power is very safe.• Nuclear power plants are much more safe with current regulations, maintenance,

and nuclear waste storage protocols.

Safety: The Numbers Speak for Themselves

• Let’s take a look at coal-power, which supplies the majority of our power.

• In the coal-mining industry, “more than 5,000 coal-mining deaths ... occur worldwide every year" (Moore).

• The Chernobyl incident occurred in 1986, so that means since then, around 130,000 people have died in the coal-mining industry.

• Compare that to how many people died in the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. 56 people died in the Chernobyl accident, and 0 people died at Fukushima.

• 56 is much smaller than the estimated 130,000 deaths• Conclusion: Nuclear power is a vast improvement in safety.

Efficiency and Environmental Impact

• A pound of Uranium-235 in a fission reaction produces "2.7 million times more energy per pound than coal" (Morris).

• If we were to shut down 600 coal-burning plants in the US, and replace them with an equivalent number of nuclear power plants, we could reduce the USA’s carbon footprint by 36%.

• Most of the nuclear waste produced can actually be reused in the fission reactions within the reactor.

• The remaining, unusable nuclear waste can be stored harmlessly and cost-efficiently below ground.

Solving our Future Energy and Environmental Problems

• If we want to have an efficient and safe energy source, then nuclear power is the way to go.

• Nuclear power will vastly reduce the harmful environmental impacts brought upon by humans.