1. Topic: Nuclear Chemistry
Aim: What are real examples of artificial transmutations?
Do Now: compare and contrast natural and artificial transmutations.
HW: text p. 891 #18-23

2. Nuclear Energy Mass is converted into energy
Energy yield is approx. 10 million times the energy released when the same amt of a fossil fuel is burned!

3. Nuclear Power 441 nuclear power plants in 32 countries
Supply ~21.2% of world's electricity
Energy released is 10 million times greater than energy released from burning 1 atom of carbon from a fossil fuel
1 gram of Uranium has energy equivalent to approximately 3 tons of coal.
We need to consume about 3 million times less material with Nuclear Power compared to using Coal or any other fossil fuel

4. Power plants in US & years of operation
From Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2011

5. Source: Clean and Safe Energy Coalition
Nuclear Power in NYS
Source: Clean and Safe Energy Coalition

6. Indian Point Power Plant

7. Nuclear Power Plant
Purpose: generate heat, boil water to produce electricity
NPPs (& burning fossil fuels) convert water to steam
Steam spins blades of a turbine  spins shaft of generator.
Inside generator, coils of wire and magnetic fields interact to create electricity.

8. Reactor Fuel Assembly
Uranium radioisotopes formed into fingertip-sized pellets
Pellets inserted into long fuel rods in the reactor
fuel rods per assembly, assemblies per reactor with spaces between them for water to flow
Fuel Rod

9. Nuclear Reactor Heart of power plant Where water is heated 4 parts
Fuel assemblies (contain Uranium)
Control rods
Coolant/moderator (water)
Pressure vessel
From last slide

10. Nuclear Reactor
Can’t throw Uranium into reactor like coal into a furnace.
Uranium undergoes FISSION, which produces smaller, more stable nuclei & what other particles?
Neutrons
These can then collide with other Uranium nuclei, fueling a chain reaction
FISSION

11. Chain Reaction Splitting nuclei generate HEAT inside fuel assembly
Heats water in pressure vessel
Water turns to steam, passes to steam generator

12. Nuclear Reactor These reactions generate a LOT of heat
Cooled by water in the pressure vessel
What if temp gets too high?
What if reaction progresses too quickly?

13. Nuclear Reactor Control rods
Made of boron carbide, silver, indium, cadmium, or hafnium
Job is to absorb excess neutrons produced during fission
This SLOWS or STOPS the chain reaction!

14. Control Rods
Rods will slide between fuel assemblies in varying degrees to absorb excess neutrons, slowing the reaction & regulating temperature

15. Generator
Steam generator builds pressure, steam turns blades of turbine
Wire coils & magnets interact to generate electricity

16. Nuclear Reactor

17. FYI
On a cross-country flight, you will receive an average of 3-5 millirems of radiation. This is more than you would receive standing at the gate of a nuclear power plant 24 hours a day for a year.   (Source: DOE)
The energy in one uranium fuel pellet – the size of the tip of your little finger – generates the same amount of electricity as 1,780 pounds of coal, 149 gallons of oil, and 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

18. What happened in Japan? CNN 3 minutes
vlog brothers 7 minutes
rachel maddow explaining function of nuclear power plants in simple terms! (re: japan in march)
(13 minutes)
another rachel maddow - showing model of fuel rods - again, easy to understand.
minutes) 
rachel maddow - 15 minutes