1. Nuclear Energy
Anna Conrad

2. The word “nuclear,” has an emotional response
Bombing of Hiroshima
Nuclear Weapons
Radioactive waste
Incident at Chernobyl
April 26, 1986
Incident at 3 Mile
Island-March,1979
Japan- March 11, 2011

3. The Science behind Nuclear Energy
Fission
E=mc2
1938-Otto Hahn & Fritz Strassmann
10n U [23692U]  14156Ba Kr n
U-238 (99.3%); U-235 (0.7%)
0.1% mass Reactants: Products

4. What initiates nuclear fission of U-235?
23894Pu U +42He
A heavier element releases alpha particles.
42He + 94Be 126C + 10n +00y
Alpha particle hits Be and produces a neutron
10n U [23692U]  14156Ba Kr n
Neutron initiates fission of U-235

5. How do Nuclear Reactors Work?

6. Another perspective… E=mc2
How much energy would be released if all nuclei in 1 gram of U-235 were to undergo fission?
Equal to an explosion of 33,000 tons of TNT
Raise about 700,000 cars 6 miles into the sky

7. Nuclear Power Generation since 1973
Increase production
Increase efficiency

8. No New Nuclear Plants Since 1978

9. Nuclear Energy & The US

10. Nuclear Power Worldwide-2005
16% of world electricity is from 440 nuclear power plants

11. US vs. the World 20% of electric power US has most nuclear reactors
1/3 are >30 y/o
France is a leader in nuclear energy

12. Yucca Mountain

13. Types of Nuclear Radiation

16. Nuclear Waste is Here to Stay
T1/2 of Pu-239: 24,110 years

17. Pros Using a small amount of U-235 to produce a lot of energy
Cheap to keep operating
No release of CO2
No SOx and NOx emissions
Reduce acid rain

18. Percent of Overall Costs

19. Cons Faulty plant design Human error Political instability
Safety violations among neighboring nations
Radioactive waste disposal
Terrorism; using Pu-239 for nuclear bombs
Nuclear meltdown & human exposure

21. Future of Nuclear Energy
Can we reprocess fuel for medical purposes?

22. Sources
Eubanks, Lucy, etal. Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2006.
List of Power Reactor Units. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 19 April Online [Available]
Radiation Protection. U.S Environmental Protection Agency. 4 April Online [Available]