4. U.S. Department of Energy, Annual Energy Review 1999

5. 4 Fig 1: Nuclear Reactors in the World By the end of 2002: 30 countries 441 reactors 16% of electricity production 7% of primary energy Source : AIEA

6. Types Alpha particles consist of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, and therefore are positively charged Beta particles are negatively charged (electrons) Gamma rays have no mass or charge, but are a form of electromagnetic radiation (similar to X-rays) Sources of natural radiation Soil Rocks Air Water Cosmic rays Radioactivity www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

7. Radioactivity: Nuclear changes in which unstable (radioactive) isotopes emit particles & energy Radioactive decay continues until the the original isotope is changed into a stable isotope that is not radioactive Radioactivity www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

8. cstl-cst.semo.edu/bornstein/BS105/ Energy%20Use%20-%203.ppt Relative Doses from Radiation Sources

9. Genetic damages: from mutations that alter genes Genetic defects can become apparent in the next generation Somatic damages: to tissue, such as burns, miscarriages & cancers Effects of Radiation www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

10. www.geology.fau.edu/course_info/fall02/ EVR3019/Nuclear_Waste.ppt

11. The time needed for one-half of the nuclei in a radioisotope to decay and emit their radiation to form a different isotope Half-timeemitted Uranium 235710 million yrsalpha, gamma Plutonium 23924,000 yrsalpha, gamma During operation, nuclear power plants produce radioactive wastes, including some that remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years Half-Life www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

12. Destructive power: [1] Small towns have been leveled by floods and landslides. [2] The same size town could be leveled by 1,000 tons of chemical explosives. [3] Hiroshima (quarter of a million people) was destroyed by releasing the energy in 40 kg of Uranium We know the least about the strong nuclear force.

13. 11945 ffirst large scale use aatomic bombs were used by the US to knock Japan out of WWII ssince then attention has been given to the peaceful uses of atomic energy

14.  In a conventional nuclear power plant  a controlled nuclear fission chain reaction  heats water  produce high-pressure steam  that turns turbines  generates electricity.

15. www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

16. aapproximately 20,000 times as much heat and energy is released from uranium fuels as from an equivalent amount of coal

17. wwhen a sufficient amount of fissionable material is brought together, a chain reaction occurs splitting atoms and releasing a tremendous amount of heat

18. Nuclear Fission Controlled Fission Chain Reaction neutrons split the nuclei of atoms such as Uranium or Plutonium release energy (heat) www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

19. Fusion and Fission are governed by the nuclear strong force. Fusion: two nuclei stick together (or fuse) to form a new, larger nucleus Two separate nuclei One new nucleus

20. Fission: When a single nucleus splits to form two smaller nuclei. Large nucleus Two smaller nuclei

21. Controlled Nuclear Fission Reaction cstl-cst.semo.edu/bornstein/BS105/ Energy%20Use%20-%203.ppt

22. breed Under appropriate operating conditions, the neutrons given off by fission reactions can " breed " more fuel, from otherwise non- fissionable isotopes, than they consume www.geology.fauwww.geology.fau.edu/course_info/fall02/ EVR3019/Nuclear_Waste.ppt

23. FFusion is combining together tthe atoms are fused together rather than split apart ppossibilities for nuclear fusion are much greater than those for nuclear fission

24. Imagine putting a hydrogen nucleus together instead of pulling it apart. We normally write this in a special way: n + p H 2 1 neutron proton Hydrogen nucleus This reads: a neutron and a proton fuse together to form a hydrogen nucleus. + np

25. n + p H 2 1 + np More energyLess energy Where did the excess energy from the left-hand-side go? There must be energy released in this process!! It comes in the form of Radiant and Thermal energy Nuclear (fusion) Energy Thermal + Radiant Energy

26. ffusion reactors would be fueled by deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen aavailable in almost unlimited supply in sea water

27. Problems: pprocess is so difficult to control that it is questionable whether commercial adaptation will ever be economically feasible

28. ffusion requires extreme pressure and temperatures (as high as 100 million degrees) ssuch heat was achieved by the Hydrogen bomb by first setting off a fission explosion

29.  Concerns about the safety, cost, and liability have slowed the growth of the nuclear power industry  Accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island showed that a partial or complete meltdown is possible

30. Chernobyl April 26, 1986, reactor explosion (Ukraine) flung radioactive debris into atmosphereatmosphere Health ministry reported 3,576 deaths Green Peace estimates32,000 deaths; About 400,000 people were forced to leave their homes ~160,000 sq km (62,00 sq mi) contaminated > Half million people exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity Cost of incident > $358 billion www.bio.miamiwww.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

32. Three Mile Island March 29, 1979, a reactor near Harrisburg, PA lost coolant water because of mechanical and human errors and suffered a partial meltdown 50,000 people evacuated & another 50,000 fled area Unknown amounts of radioactive materials released Partial cleanup & damages cost $1.2 billion Released radiation increased cancer rates. www.bio.miamiwww.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

33. eevacuation of preschool children and pregnant women within five miles of the plant

34. Photos from : The Yucca Mountain Project: http://www.ymp.gov /

35. 1. Low-level radiation (Gives of low amount of radiation) Sources: nuclear power plants, hospitals & universities 1940 – 1970 most was dumped into the ocean Today deposit into landfills 2. High-level radiation (Gives of large amount of radiation) Fuel rods from nuclear power plants Half-time of Plutonium 239 is 24000 years No agreement about a safe method of storage Radioactive Waste www.bio.miamiwww.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

36. Radioactive Waste 1. Bury it deep underground. Problems: i.e. earthquake, groundwater… 2. Shoot it into space or into the sun. Problems: costs, accident would affect large area. 3. Bury it under the Antarctic ice sheet. Problems: long-term stability of ice is not known, global warming 4. Most likely plan for the US Bury it into Yucca Mountain in desert of Nevada Cost of over $ 50 billion 160 miles from Las Vegas Transportation across the country via train & truck www.bio.miamiwww.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

37. Yucca Mountain www.geology.fauwww.geology.fau.edu/course_info/fall02/ EVR3019/Nuclear_Waste.ppt

38. www.bio.miamiwww.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt

39. ““The odds of an American dying from a nuclear power accident are 300 million to one.”

40. Fissile Resources Nuclear Reactor Electricity Intermediate/Low Level Waste Conversion Enrichment Uranium Extraction Fuel Fabrication Interim Storage Encapsulation Waste Disposal High Level Waste Spent Fuel Long-Term Nuclear Energy Depends on an Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle ReprocessingRecycle Recycling TRU In Adv. Reactor Fissile Waste 235 U/ 233 U / 239 Pu Electricity & H 2 Multiple Reactors

41. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle including High level vs. low level Nuclear Waste