Nuclear Energy Nuclear power is a hell of
- Slides: 38
Nuclear Energy “Nuclear power is a hell of a way to boil water. ” - Albert Einstein
The 100 Ton Test � On May 7, 1945, 108 tons of TNT stacked and threaded with radioactive material was detonated in the White Sands desert in New Mexico. � This explosion was meant to calibrate the instruments that would measure the actual nuclear bombs to be tested later. 3
One-Hundred Ton Test, 0. 1 kilotons 4
Atomic Structure �Nuclear technology takes advantage of the power locked in structure of atoms, the basic particle of matter. � The nucleus of an atom contains all of its positively-charged protons and non-charged neutrons. � Negatively-charged electrons orbit the nucleus. �Atoms always contain equal numbers of protons and electrons, , making them electrically neutral. 5
�Atoms can have different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. � Nuclei from the same element with different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. �Most isotopes are stable, but some can spontaneously break apart, emitting energy and particles. � This is radiation. 6
�Nuclear weapons harness a specific type of decay called nuclear fission. � This is the splitting of the nucleus into two smaller fragments. �The fuel used by the first nuclear weapons was Uranium-235, a naturally occurring isotope. � Uranium-235 has an extremely large nucleus that can be split when it is hit with a high-speed neutron. 7
�In a nuclear bomb, a large amount of uranium-235 is clustered together, so that when fission is initiated in one of the atoms, it splits and released more neutrons, which then cause fission in other atoms. � This creates a fission chain reaction. �Each time a nucleus splits, a large amount of energy is released. � Multiplied across the entire chain reaction… 8
Trinity, 21 kilotons 9
Trinity �The first nuclear test detonation used a device that was an exact replica of “Fat Man”, which would later be dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. �The heat of the explosion fused the desert sands together, forming a layer of radioactive green glass. 10
�Two atomic bombs were dropped during World War II – Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. � Each had yields of 15 -21 kilotons of TNT. �These blasts ended World War II. Hiroshima, March 1946. 11
�Following World War 2, additional nuclear weapons testing was moved to part of the Marshall Islands, called the Bikini Atoll (11°N, 165°E). � This testing was codenamed “Operation Crossroads. ” 12
�Two nuclear devices were detonated at sea as part of Operation Crossroads. � The purpose was to study the effects of a nuclear blast on an armada of naval ships. �The first blast, called Shot Able, was dropped from a plane. The second, Shot Baker, was detonated underwater, beneath the ships. �Different species of lab animals were placed on several ships, to test for radiation poisoning following the blast. 13
Shot Able and Shot Baker 14
Operation Crossroads Fallout �Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, called Baker “the world’s first nuclear disaster. ” �The target ships of Shot Baker were all heavily contaminated with radioactive fallout. � Some were so “hot” that they could not be safely decontaminated and had to be sunk. 15
Operation Castle �In 1954, six large nuclear tests were conducted. The largest was code named Castle Bravo. � This tested a new design, called a hydrogen bomb. 16
Castle Bravo, 15 megatons (15000 kilotons) 17
Castle Bravo Fallout �Castle Bravo was a much more powerful blast than expected. � Residents of nearby atolls were exposed to toxic levels of radioactive fallout. � A Japanese tuna fishing boat called the Lucky Dragon 5 was also caught in the blast radius. 18
�Nuclear fallout is dust and ash propelled into the atmosphere following a nuclear blast. �Radiation exposure from fallout is measured in rems. � 100 -200 rems causes mild symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. � 400 -600 rems has about a 50% mortality rate. � 600 -1000 rems will usually cause death. � Over 1000 rems will cause death in a few hours or less. �Interior exposure of fallout, from breathing or ingesting the dust and ash, would have even more severe effects. �An average person will be exposed to about 620 millirems of radiation per year from natural and manmade sources. 19
�Radioactive coral dust fell on the Lucky Dragon 5. � Fishermen touched the dust with their bare skin, inhaled it, and in some cases, tasted it. � One crewmember died from exposure. 20
Atoms for Peace �As the Bikini nuclear testing continued, President Dwight Eisenhower gave a famous speech to the United Nations: “My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. ” “…the United States pledges before you… its determination to help solve the fearful atomic dilemma--to devote its entire heart and mind to find the way by which the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life. " 21
�Equipment and technology were provided to schools, hospitals, and research institutions to help develop nuclear technology towards more peaceful goals. � The primary goal: electricity generation. �Optimism for the new technology was very high. �Lewis Strauss, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, predicted that, “Our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter. ” 22
Nuclear Reactors �The process of converting nuclear energy into electricity is similar to that of using fossil fuels. � Water is boiled, the steam is passed through a turbine, which spins a generator. 23
�As with nuclear bombs, the primary fuel is uranium-235. � Uranium ore is enriched and formed into fuel pellets. � The fuel pellets are stacked into long, cylindrical fuel rods. � Control rods, made of a neutron-absorbing material, are placed amongst the fuel rods. �Can be removed and inserted to adjust the rate of the chain reaction. Withdraw control rods, reaction increases Insert control rods, reaction decreases 24
�One big advantage to nuclear power is that, under normal conditions, it does not release any air pollution, only steam. Cooling Tower in Byron, Illinois 25
Kinds of Reactors Cont’d �Both reactor vessel and steam generator are housed in a special containment building preventing radiation from escaping, and providing extra security in case of accidents. � Under normal operating conditions, a reactor releases very little radioactivity. 26
Summary: How Nuclear Energy Works
�Through the late 1970 s, many new reactors were constructed all over the United States. �Since that initial boom, few new reactors have come online. 28
Nuclear Accidents �In 1979, a movie called “The China Syndrome” was released. � Fictional story about a California nuclear plant that experienced a near-meltdown of its nuclear core. � The title of the movie is an exaggeration of what happens during a meltdown – the nuclear core becomes so hot that it melts, even melting through the floor of the reactor vessel. 29
�Ten days following the movie’s release, the Three Mile Island partial meltdown occurred. � A relief water valve stuck open, allowing water to escape from the core. � A meltdown, when the fuel and control rods physically begin to melt due to the heat surge within the reactor, partially occurred. � No major leak to the environment occurred. 30
�In 1986, a full meltdown occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear plant located in Ukraine (formerly Soviet Union). �A test was being conducted on the reactor to see how the backup water pump generators would respond to a full power outage. � The control rods were fully removed. � At some point, the fission chain reaction began occurring uncontrollably. � An explosion ripped apart the containment building, spreading radioactive fallout throughout the area and into the atmosphere. 31
�There were multiple design flaws at the Chernobyl plant: � The containment building was inadequate. � Graphite was used as a moderator instead of water. When the meltdown occurred, it ignited, releasing more fallout. � A water storage pool was located under the reactor. If the core had melted down into this pool, an even greater explosion would have occurred. 32
�The burning core was eventually extinguished. �The nearby employees’ town, Pripyat, was permanently evacuated. �A 30 km radius around the plant, called the exclusion zone, has been designated as uninhabitable to people. 33
Fukushima �The most recent meltdown occurred following a massive earthquake and tidal wave off the coast of Japan. �The generators powering the water pumps of some of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors were flooded. � Without cooling water, the core overheated and experienced a meltdown. 34
�Contaminated water from the plant leaked into the Pacific. �Top predators, like bluefin tuna, caught in the Pacific have positively tested for small amounts of radioactive fallout. � A single serving of tuna has less than half of the exposure from an arm x-ray. 35
Radioactive Waste Management �About 100, 000 tons of low-level waste (clothing) and about 15, 000 tons of high-level waste (spentfuel) waste is stored in the U. S. from reactor usage. �Spent fuel rods are temporarily placed in deep water pools while they cool down and the fission reaction slows. � Waste is then moved to large casks of metal and concrete near the reactor. 36
�The U. S. Department of Energy announced plans to build a highlevel waste repository near Yucca Mountain, Nevada in 1987. �The facility met three important criteria for long-term waste storage: � Low moisture. � Geologically stable. � Far away from major population centers. �Plans to use Yucca have since been halted, due to objections from Nevada residents. � No long-term storage plan has been accepted by the U. S. 37
�Some alternative methods of nuclear waste disposal have been researched. � Transmutation uses the waste as fuel in a different type of reactor, which converts it to a less-dangerous waste. � Geologic disposal involves depositing the waste deep below the Earth’s crust in stable rock formations. 38
�Nuclear energy makes up only a fraction of our total energy generation. � Its use may increase in the future, as fossil fuels become more scarce or are considered too environmentally damaging. 39
- Hell hell hell
- Considered as a border between upper hell and lower hell.
- No guilt in life no fear in death
- Till on that cross as jesus died
- Lesson 15 nuclear quest nuclear reactions
- Fisión nuclear vs fision nuclear
- Real power formula
- Energy energy transfer and general energy analysis
- Energy energy transfer and general energy analysis
- Pros and cons of fossil fuels
- Ito ang pag aaral sa pinakamaliit na unit ng tunog
- Are nuclear power plants fission or fusion
- Pagaanalisa
- Nuclear power plant
- Learusian
- Vermont yankee nuclear power corp. v. nrdc
- "korea hydro & nuclear power"
- Support nuclear energy
- Nuclear energy in physics
- Types of energy igcse
- Nuclear energy vocabulary
- Nuclear energy examples
- Bill nye potential energy
- Work and energy chart
- Audible and inaudible sound
- Unece nuclear energy
- What is sound energy
- Unece nuclear energy
- Nrel
- Natural sources of radiation
- Nuclear energy facts
- Sun energy fusion
- Nuclear energy
- Uses of nuclear energy
- There is no likelihood
- Five forms of energy
- No more room in hell controls
- Turn hell hound turn
- Vampire squid fun facts