Clear Thinking on Nuclear Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions What careers are available? What do we do with nuclear waste? What happened at the nuclear accidents? 1

Careers in Nuclear 2

More nuclear professionals are needed The demand exceeds the supply of graduates trained in nuclear science and technology. Many nuclear professionals are retiring and need to transfer their knowledge to the next generation of experts. Nuclear careers exist in medicine, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, and security. 3

Exciting opportunities in nuclear careers Knowledgeable and experienced professionals serve as instructors and mentors to students entering nuclear careers. Scholarships, awards, and honors exist for student education and research. Nuclear Engineers have the 3 rd highest median income among the engineering professions at $102,000/year. 4

Science education programs: essential to our standard of living Teachers, parents and business leaders must encourage young people to consider rewarding careers in nuclear science and technology. A scientifically literate population, educated in math and science, is essential for our national economy and security. Ensuring a reliable workforce of highly capable people provides opportunities for saving lives, improving our environment, understanding our world and exploring our universe. 5

Spent Nuclear Fuel 6

Currently, ~75,000 metric tonnes is stored at over 100 nuclear power plants. Was planned to be stored at Yucca Mountain in Nevada (licensing was put on hold in 2010) Dry Cask Storage is a likely alternate solution for the short to mid term. The additional cost for storage is very low (< 0.1 ¢/kW-hr). In the future, the waste may be reprocessed, to greatly reduce volume and long-term radioactivity, before being placed in a final geologic repository. At least one repository will still be necessary. All nuclear electricity is taxed at 0.1¢/kW-hr for a disposal fund, which will fully cover all waste transport and disposal costs. (~$500 million/year, >$10 billion accumulated) What Happens to Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel in the U.S.? 7

Experience, planning, and preparedness The US has a half-century of experience transporting radioactive materials with no radioactive materials being released. Over the last 40 years, 3,000 shipments on spent nuclear fuel have navigated more than 1.7 million miles of US roads and railways. In Europe, ~70,000 metric tonnes of spent fuel has already been shipped, with no releases. This is equivalent to the entire (future) Yucca Mtn. shipping campaign. Every shipment is carefully tracked and monitored along public routes that must meet strict safety requirements. 8

Well designed and thoroughly tested containers Shipping packages, or casks, are designed according to rigorous standards established by the Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The casks are about 15 times thicker than a gasoline tank truck shell and they include three to four inches of stainless steel with thick lead radiation shields. Typically, for every ton of fuel, there are more than three tons of protective packaging and shielding. Here’s a short video clip of the casks being tested. 9

Coordinated efforts among federal and local officials The DOT identifies "preferred routes," of interstate highways and bypass routes around cities. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves all transportation security plans. Satellite tracking of all shipped casks is utilized to ensure location, and the dates of shipments are not publicized. Experienced, specially licensed trucking companies handle spent nuclear fuel shipments, in addition to many other hazardous materials, in the United States. 10

Nuclear Accidents 11

What Happened at Three Mile Island? A series of malfunctions and mistakes led to a small loss of coolant Fission stopped, but heat generation from radioactivity continued The event happened over many hours A portion of the core ultimately melted 12

TMI Observations It was an accident that led to severe reactor damage and resulted in many lessons on how to prevent it in the future. It was financially disastrous to the utility (over $2 billion property losses and power costs) It released a very small amount of radioactivity (less than 10 curies of Iodine) and the consequences were small (well within NRC limits) It took a long time for the accident to evolve and allowed operator actions to mitigate its effects (many hours) It made USNRC rethink how it should consider the risk from plants : –Physical processes during a core melt may mitigated releases –Strong containments and passive safety not previously credited There were no deaths, diseases or environmental impacts attributable to this accident 13

What Happened at Chernobyl? Accident occurred during a planned test It resulted from a collection of operator actions in violation of safety procedures The unique design of the RBMK make this type of accident impossible in a Western reactor The damage and a very large radiation release happened over a short time (50,000,000 curies) RMBK Reactor Layout 14 National Geographic For Educational Use

Chernobyl Observations This accident was far worse than the worst case scenario for a western commercial power plant It was financially & environmentally disastrous for USSR It released a large amount of radioactivity and the consequences were large (although lower that anticipated) It took a short time for the accident to evolve and allowed for no human intervention to mitigate the immediate consequences 15

Chernobyl Observations The consequences were: –47 emergency workers died from direct radiation –9 children who were nearby died from cancers –In the general nearby population the consequence is too small to be measured It made the world community reconsider this type of design for use in electrical power production The maximum possible release from a Western plant is a very small fraction of that which occurred at Chernobyl 16

Good Resources ANS Scouting Program Resources – NRC: Animated Diagrams, Other Information – – – Example of Scouting Program on a Univ. site: – Nuclear Energy Institute: Key Issues, Careers, and Statistics on the Industry – Department of Energy: Mission and Statistics – 17