TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

938 Aurora Blvd, Cubao, Quezon City

College of Engineering and Architecture

Mechanical Engineering Department

ME 515
Energy Management in Industrial Plants and Buildings
NUCLEAR POWER REPORT

Submitted by:
Comia, John Angelo D.

Submitted to:
Engr. Armando S. Emata PME
Industry Lecturer

December 2017

INTRODUCTION
Energy is quite essential in helping things work. For machines to work in an industry there is need of energy. There are
different forms of energy including solar, coal, electricity, gas, oil and nuclear energy among others due to industrialization and
global warming. There has been increased research on the development of new forms of energy, nuclear energy sources are
one of these forms that resulted from research. Nuclear energy is mainly found in atoms, everything in the world is made up
atoms that are so tiny to be seen. They store energy at the center and produce energy when they split. This energy stored in the
atoms is known as nuclear energy.

HISTORY
The discovery of nuclear energy began in 1934 in the United States and Rico family who was a physicist to discover
this through bombarding of uranium atoms with neutrons.

The discovery and exploitation of new sources of energy has been central to human progress from the early struggle
for biological survival to today's technological world. The first step was learning to control fire with wood or other biomass as fuel.
This was followed by harnessing of wind for ships and windmills. The use of water power from rivers and mostly much later
exploitation of chemical energy from burning of coal oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy, which first emerged in the middle of the
20th century, is the latest energy source to be used on a large scale. However, it is imperative to note that nuclear energy began
with a more destructive thing, the atomic bomb, scientists discovered the potential of nuclear energy after World War two. La
Janovic and Meelo Rod explicate a series of investigations in atomic and nuclear physics in the period 1879 - 1939 led to the
discovery of fission, new knowledge was developed about particles and raised radioactivity and the structures of the atom in the
nucleus.

A very important and indispensable stage in the development of the nuclear bomb was the creation of the constant
nuclear reaction. This vision was realized in 1942 when Enrico Fermi managed to establish the first nuclear reactor that could
react on its own without control by scientists and Chicago University Jeremy and Leo Szilard assumed that if abundant uranium
and graphite were put together in a cube container then fission reaction would take place automatically.

PROCESSes
 Nuclear reactors

In a boiling water reactor, shown below, the water is allowed to boil into steam, and is then sent through a turbine to
produce electricity.

In pressurized water reactors, shown below, the core water is held under pressure and not allowed to boil. The heat is
transferred to water outside the core with a heat exchanger (also called a steam generator), boiling the outside water, generating
steam, and powering a turbine. In pressurized water reactors, the water that is boiled is separate from the fission process, and
so does not become radioactive.
 After the steam is used to power the turbine, it is cooled off to make it condense back into water. Some plants use
water from rivers, lakes or the ocean to cool the steam, while others use tall cooling towers. The hourglass-shaped cooling towers
are the familiar landmark of many nuclear plants. For every unit of electricity produced by a nuclear power plant, about two units
of waste heat are rejected to the environment.

 Mining and processing nuclear fuels

An open pit uranium mine in Namibia.

Uranium is one of the least plentiful minerals—making up only two parts per million in the earth's crust—but because
of its radioactivity it is a plentiful supply of energy. One pound of uranium has as much energy as three million pounds of coal.

Radioactive elements gradually decay, losing their radioactivity. The time it takes to lose half of its radioactivity is called
a "half life." U-238, the most common form of uranium, has a half life of 4.5 billion years.

Uranium is found in a number of geological formations, as well as sea water. To be mined as a fuel, however, it must
be sufficiently concentrated, making up at least one hundred parts per million (0.01 percent) of the rock it is in.
 The mining process is similar to coal mining, with both open pit and underground mines. It produces similar
environmental impacts, with the added hazard that uranium mine tailings are radioactive. Groundwater can be polluted not only
from the heavy metals present in mine waste, but also from the traces of radioactive uranium still left in the waste. Half of the
people employed by the uranium mining industry work on cleaning up the mines after use.

Uranium comes in two forms, U-235 and U-238. As found in nature, uranium is more than 99 percent U-238;
unfortunately, U-235 is what is used in power plants. U-238 can also be processed into plutonium, which is also fissionable.

Once mined, the uranium ore is sent to a processing plant to be concentrated into a useful fuel. There are 16 processing
plants in the US, although eight are inactive. Most uranium concentrate is made by leaching the uranium from the ore with acids.
(Sometimes the concentrate is made underground, without removing the uranium ore.) When finished, the uranium ore is turned
into U3O8, the fuel form of uranium, and shaped into small pellets.

The pellets are then packed into 12-foot long rods, called fuel rods. The rods are bundled together into fuel assemblies,
ready to be used in the core of a reactor.

 Nuclear waste

Experimental tunnels at the Yucca mountain waste repository site.

Since a by-product of reprocessing is plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. Reprocessing also had
a difficult time competing economically with new uranium fuel.

Meanwhile, radioactive waste is being stored at the nuclear plants where it is produced. The most common option is
to store it in spent fuel cooling pools, large steel-lined tanks that use electricty to circulate water. As these pools fill up, some fuel
rods are being transferred to large steel and concrete casks, which are considered safer.

In addition to the spent fuel, the plants themselves contain radioactive waste that must be disposed of after they are
shut down. Plants can either be disassembled immediately or can be kept in storage for a number of years to give the radiation
some time to diminish. Most of the plant is considered "low level waste" and can be stored in less secure locations.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OVER FOSSIL FUELS

 ADVANTAGES
Clean: Nuclear energy produces almost no carbon dioxide, and no sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides whatsoever. These gases
are produced in vast quantities when fossil fuels are burned.

The generation of electricity through nuclear energy reduces the amount of energy generated from fossil fuels (coal
and oil). Less use of fossil fuels means lowering greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and others).

Currently, fossil fuels are consumed faster than they are produced, so in the next future these resources may be
reduced or the price may increase becoming inaccessible for most of the population.

Nuclear waste: One gram of uranium yields about as much energy as a ton of coal or oil - it is the famous “factor of a million”.
Nuclear waste is correspondingly about a million times smaller than fossil fuel waste, and it is totally confined.

Another advantage is the required amount of fuel: less fuel offers more energy. It represents a significant save on raw
materials but also in transport, handling and extraction of nuclear fuel. The cost of nuclear fuel (overall uranium) is 20% of the
cost of energy generated. The production of electric energy is continuous.

Reliable: A nuclear power plant is generating electricity for almost 90% of annual time. It reduces the price volatility of other fuels
such as petrol. Most reactors are designed for a life of 40 years; many are reaching that age in good condition and extensions of
20 years have usually been granted.

Compact: A nuclear power station is very compact, occupying typically the area of a football stadium and its surrounding parking
lots. Solar cells, wind turbine farms and growing biomass, all require large areas of land.

This continuity benefits the electrical planning. Nuclear power does not depend on natural aspects. It's a solution for
the main disadvantage of renewable energy, like solar energy or eolic energy, because the hours of sun or wind does not always
coincide with the hours with more energy demand.

It's an alternative to fossil fuels, so the consumption of fuels such as coal or oil is reduced. This reduction of coal and
oil consumption benefits the situation of global warming and global climate change. By reducing the consumption of fossil fuels,
we also improve the quality of the air affecting the disease and quality of life.

 DISADVANTAGE

Accidents: Most accidents occur when there is a meltdown of nuclear reactors, if radiation from such accidents becomes airborne
not only will large number of people be exposed to toxic levels of radiation but it will contaminate crops and livestock creating a
public health crisis impacting entire populations.

Despite the high level of sophistication of the safety systems of nuclear power plants the human aspect has always an
impact. Two good examples are Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The Chernobyl nuclear accident is, by far, the worst nuclear accident in the history. Estimates conclude that somewhere
between 15 000 and 30 000 people lost their lifes in the Chernobyl aftermath and more than 2.5 million Ukrainians are still
struggling with health problems related to nuclear waste. Different wrong decisions during the management of the nuclear plant
caused a big nuclear explosion.

Referring to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the operations done by the staff were highly questionable. Fukushima
nuclear accident is the second worst accident in the history.

The radioactive waste can possess a threat to the environment and is dangerous for humans.

INSTALLATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Under a regime of martial law, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in July 1973 announced the decision to build a
nuclear power plant. This was in response to the 1973 oil crisis, as the Middle East oil embargo had put a heavy strain on the
Philippine economy, and Marcos believed nuclear power to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and
decreasing dependence on imported oil.
 Construction on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant began in 1976. Following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the
United States, construction on the BNPP was stopped, and a subsequent safety inquiry into the plant revealed over 4,000 defects.
Among the issues raised was that it was built near major faults and close to the then dormant Pinatubo volcano.

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant, completed but never fueled, on Bataan Peninsula, 100 kilometres
(62 mi) west of Manila in the Philippines. It is located on a 3.57 square kilometre government reservation at Napot Point in Morong,
Bataan.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Clean Air: Nuclear power plants play a major role in overall compliance with the Clean Air Act, which set standards to improve
the nation's air quality. Because they generate heat from fission rather than burning fuel, they produce no greenhouse gases or
emissions associated with acid rain or urban smog. Using more nuclear energy gives states additional flexibility in complying with
clean air requirements.

Nuclear plants produce nearly two-thirds of all electricity that doesn't emit greenhouse gases in the process of
generating power for homes and businesses.

Carbon dioxide—the principal greenhouse gas—is a major focus of policy discussions to reduce emissions. Nuclear
power plants, which do not emit carbon dioxide, account for the majority of voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in
the electric power sector.

Nuclear power plants also do not produce criteria pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), a precursor of ground-
level ozone and smog; sulfur dioxide, which produces acid rain; particulate matter, such as smoke and dust; and mercury.

Ecology: Nuclear energy has one of the lowest impacts on the environment of any energy source because it does not emit air
pollution, isolates its waste from the environment and requires a relatively small amount of land.

A radiological environmental monitoring program begins even before the plant starts producing electricity. This program
monitors air, surface and ground water, milk from local dairies, and vegetation. Plant operators also send samples to state and
federal regulators for independent verification.
 Additionally, many plants have created special nature parks or wildlife sanctuaries to monitor and protect endangered
and threatened species.

Finally, nuclear energy produces more electricity, more electricity on less land than other carbon-free technologies.

Life-Cycle Emissions Analyses: Nuclear power plants do not emit criteria pollutants or greenhouse gases when they generate
electricity, but certain processes used to build and fuel the plants do. However, numerous studies demonstrate that nuclear
energy’s life-cycle emissions are comparable to renewable forms of electricity generation, such as wind and hydropower, and
are far less than those of coal- or natural gas-fired power plants.

OUTLOOK

Nuclear technology uses the energy released by splitting the atoms of certain elements. It was first developed in the
1940s, and during the Second World War to 1945 research initially focussed on producing bombs which released great energy
from the atoms of particular isotopes of either uranium or plutonium.

In the 1950s attention turned to the peaceful purposes of nuclear fission, controlling it for power generation. Today, the
world produces as much electricity from nuclear energy as it did from all sources combined in the early years of nuclear power.
Civil nuclear power can now boast more than 17,000 reactor years of experience and supplies almost 11.5% of global electricity
needs, from reactors in 31 countries. In fact, through regional transmission grids, many more than those countries depend on
nuclear-generated power.

Many countries have also built research reactors to provide a source of neutron beams for scientific research and the
production of medical and industrial isotopes.

Today, only eight countries are known to have a nuclear weapons capability. By contrast, 55 countries operate about
250 civil research reactors, over one-third of these in developing countries. Now 31 countries host some 447 commercial nuclear
power reactors with a total installed capacity of over 390,000 MWe. This is more than three times the total generating capacity of
France or Germany from all sources. About 60 further nuclear power reactors are under construction, equivalent to 16% of
existing capacity, while over 160 are firmly planned, equivalent to nearly half of present capacity.

Sixteen countries depend on nuclear power for at least a quarter of their electricity. France gets around three-quarters
of its power from nuclear energy, while Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia
and Ukraine get one-third or more. South Korea and Bulgaria normally get more than 30% of their power from nuclear energy,
while in the USA, UK, Spain, Romania and Russia almost one-fifth is from nuclear. Japan is used to relying on nuclear power for
more than one-quarter of its electricity and is expected to return to that level. Among countries which do not host nuclear power
plants, Italy and Denmark get almost 10% of their power from nuclear.

In electricity demand, the need for low-cost continuous, reliable supply can be distinguished from peak demand
occurring over few hours daily and able to command higher prices. Supply needs to match demand instantly and reliably over
time. There are number of characteristics of nuclear power which make it particularly valuable apart from its actual generation
cost per unit – MWh or kWh. Fuel is a low proportion of power cost, giving power price stability, and is stored onsite (not depending
on continuous delivery). The power from nuclear plants is dispatchable on demand, can be fairly quickly ramped-up, contributes
to clean air and low-CO2 objectives, and gives good voltage support and frequency control for grid stability. Reactors can also
be made to load-follow. These attributes are mostly not monetised in merchant markets, but have great value which is increasingly
recognised where dependence on relatively unpredictable and intermittent sources has grown.

In the 'planned' category, this table includes only those future reactors envisaged in specific plans and expected to be
operating by the late 2020s.

The World Nuclear Association country profiles linked to this table cover both areas: near-term developments and the
prospective long-term role for nuclear power in national energy policies. They also provide more detail of what is tabulated here.

REACTORS URANIU
NUCLEAR REACTORS UNDER REACTORS REACTORS M
ELECTRICITY OPERABLE CONSTRUCTIO PLANNED PROPOSED REQUIRE
GENERATION N D
COUNTRY 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017
2016
1 Dec 2017 2017

No MWe No MWe No MWe No MWe tonnes

TWh % e
. net . gross . gross . gross U

Argentina 7.7 5.6 3 1627 1 27 2 1950 2 1300 195

Armenia 2.2 31.4 1 376 0 0 1 1060 0 0 77
Banglades
0 0 0 0 1 1200 1 1200 0 0 0
h
Belarus 0 0 0 0 2 2388 0 0 2 2400 0
Belgium 41.3 51.7 7 5943 0 0 0 0 0 0 987
Brazil 15.9 2.9 2 1896 1 1405 0 0 4 4000 321
Bulgaria 15.8 35.0 2 1926 0 0 0 0 1 1200 327
Canada 97.4 15.6 19 13,553 0 0 2 1500 0 0 1592
Chile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4400 0
210. 14 164,00
China 3.6 37 33,657 20 22,006 40 46,700 8289
5 3 0
Czech
22.7 29.4 6 3904 0 0 2 2400 1 1200 649
Republic
Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2400 2 2400 0
Finland 22.3 33.7 4 2764 1 1720 1 1250 0 0 494
384.
France 72.3 58 63,130 1 1750 0 0 0 0 9502
0
Germany 80.1 13.1 8 10,728 0 0 0 0 0 0 1480
Hungary 15.2 51.3 4 1889 0 0 2 2400 0 0 349
India 35.0 3.4 22 6219 6 4350 19 17,250 46 52,000 843
 REACTORS URANIU
NUCLEAR REACTORS UNDER REACTORS REACTORS M
ELECTRICITY OPERABLE CONSTRUCTIO PLANNED PROPOSED REQUIRE
GENERATION N D
COUNTRY 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017
2016
1 Dec 2017 2017

No MWe No MWe No MWe No MWe tonnes

TWh % e
. net . gross . gross . gross U

Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 30 4 4000 0
Iran 5.9 2.1 1 915 0 0 4 2200 7 6300 157
Israel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1200 0
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Japan 17.5 2.2 42 39,952 2 2756 9 12947 3 4145 662
Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2000 0 0 0
Kazakhsta
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1800 0
n
Korea
DPR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 950 0
(North)
Korea RO 154.
30.3 24 22,505 3 4200 2 2800 6 8800 4730
(South) 2
Lithuania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2700 0
Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2000 248
Mexico 10.3 6.2 2 1600 0 0 0 0 3 3000 0
Netherland
3.8 3.4 1 485 0 0 0 0 0 0 82
s
Pakistan 5.1 4.4 5 1355 2 2322 0 0 0 0 217
Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6000 0 0 0
Romania 10.4 17.1 2 1310 0 0 2 1440 0 0 183
179.
Russia 17.1 35 26,865 7 5904 26 28,390 22 21,000 5380
7
Saudi
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 17,000 0
Arabia
Slovakia 13.7 54.1 4 1816 2 942 0 0 1 1200 651
Slovenia 5.4 35.2 1 696 0 0 0 0 1 1000 141
South
15.2 6.6 2 1830 0 0 0 0 8 9600 279
Africa
Spain 56.1 21.4 7 7121 0 0 0 0 0 0 1275
Sweden 60.6 40.0 8 8376 0 0 0 0 0 0 1188
 REACTORS URANIU
NUCLEAR REACTORS UNDER REACTORS REACTORS M
ELECTRICITY OPERABLE CONSTRUCTIO PLANNED PROPOSED REQUIRE
GENERATION N D
COUNTRY 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017 1 Dec 2017
2016
1 Dec 2017 2017

No MWe No MWe No MWe No MWe tonnes

TWh % e
. net . gross . gross . gross U

Switzerlan
20.3 34.3 5 3333 0 0 0 0 3 4000 497
d
Thailand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5000 0
Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4800 8 9500 0
Ukraine 81.0 52.3 15 13,107 0 0 2 1900 11 12,000 1944
UAE 0 0 0 0 4 5600 0 0 10 14,400 627
United
65.1 20.4 15 8883 0 0 11 15,600 2 2300 1772
Kingdom
805.
USA 19.7 99 99647 2 2500 14 3100 21 30,000 18,996
3
Vietnam 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4800 6 7100 0
WORLD* 2,49 c 10. 44 392,33 15 164,11 35 401,89
57 61,770 65,014
* 0 6 7 5 9 7 1 5
TWh %e No. MWe No. MWe No. MWe No. MWe tonnes U

ECONOMICS

 FUTURE COST COMPETITIVENESS

The future competitiveness of nuclear power will depend substantially on the additional costs which may accrue to
coal-fired generation, and the cost of gas for gas-fired plants. It is uncertain how the real costs of meeting targets for reducing
sulphur dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions will be attributed to fossil fuel plants.

Understanding the cost of new generating capacity and its output requires careful analysis of what is in any set of
figures. There are three broad components: capital, finance and operating costs. Capital and financing costs make up the project
cost.

Capital cost may comprise several things: the bare plant cost (usually identified as engineering-procurement-construction - EPC
- cost), the owner's costs (land, cooling infrastructure, administration and associated buildings, site works, switchyards, project
management, licences, etc), cost escalation and inflation. (Owner's costs may include transmission infrastructure, though strictly
this is extrinsic.) The term "overnight capital cost" is often used, meaning EPC plus owners costs and excluding financing,
escalation due to increased material and labour costs, and inflation. Construction cost – sometimes called "all-in cost", adds to
overnight cost any escalation and interest during construction and up to the start of construction. It is expressed in the same units
as overnight cost and is useful for identifying the total cost of construction and for determining the effects of construction delays.

Financing costs will depend on the rate of interest on debt, the debt-equity ratio, and if it is regulated, how the capital costs are
recovered.
Operating costs include operating and maintenance (O&M) plus fuel, and need to allow for a return on equity.

Any capital cost figures from a rector vendor, or which are general and not site-specific, will usually just be for EPC
costs. This is because owner's costs will vary hugely, most of all according to whether a plant is Greenfield or at an established
site, perhaps replacing an old plant.

A comparative study published in January 2008 for a Connecticut Integrated Resource Plan, USA, assumed that
nuclear at $4038/kW was most expensive in overnight capital cost but even so it produced the least expensive electricity:

Bringing together the above studies to 2007 and attempting to present them on a comparable basis, the following
figures emerge:

 THE COST OF FUEL

From the outset the basic attraction of nuclear energy has been its low fuel costs compared with coal, oil and gas fired
plants. Uranium, however, has to be processed, enriched and fabricated into fuel elements, and about half of the cost is due to
enrichment and fabrication. Allowances must also be made for the management of radioactive spent fuel and the ultimate disposal
of this spent fuel or the wastes separated from it.

In January 2007, the approx. US $ cost to get 1 kg of uranium as UO2 reactor fuel at likely contract prices (about one
third of current spot price):

Process Amount required x price* Cost Proportion of total

Uranium 8.9 kg U3O8 x $68 $605 43%
Conversion 7.5 kg U x $14 $105 8%
 Process Amount required x price* Cost Proportion of total
Enrichment 7.3 SWU x $52 $380 27%
Fuel fabrication per kg $300 22%
Total $1390

At 45,000 MWd/t burn-up this gives 360,000 kWh electrical per kg, hence fuel cost: 0.50 c/kWh.

If assuming a higher uranium price, say two thirds of current spot price: 8.9 kg x 108 = 961, giving a total of $2286, or
0.635 c/kWh.

But even with these included, the total fuel costs of a nuclear power plant in the OECD are typically about a third of
those for a coal-fired plant and between a quarter and a fifth of those for a gas combined-cycle plant.

Fuel costs are one area of steadily increasing efficiency and cost reduction. For instance, in Spain nuclear electricity
cost was reduced by 29% over 1995-2001. This involved boosting enrichment levels and burn-up to achieve 40% fuel cost
reduction. Prospectively, a further 8% increase in burn-up will give another 5% reduction in fuel cost.

CLOSURE

Utilizing Nuclear Energy is needed if humanity is to continue its advancement. It has great potential to be quite a useful
and beneficial part of humanity’s growth and development in the decades to come. The problem is when we lose our respect,
caution, and give in to our naivety and arrogance, a devastating disaster awaits us, and it is callous in the destruction it causes.
It is extremely important that Nuclear Power plants be held to stringent safety standards. Nuclear weapons such as America’s
“Trident D5” and Russia’s “RS-28 Sarmat” need to be well maintained and kept secured to prevent disasters. Despite these
risks, we should not rule out the use of Nuclear Fission, and potentially Nuclear Fusion in the future, as impractical. The ability to
treat disease and generate tremendous amounts of electricity with relatively very little fuel is not insignificant. Their applications
to science and mankind’s future space travels as well as more diverse applications such as nuclear desalination plant is too great
to be overlooked. As a world, it is imperative that we work to expand the use of nuclear energy, all the while remaining cautious
of its destructive potential.

Sources:

Reactor data: World Nuclear Association

International Atomic Energy Agency Power Reactor Information System – for nuclear electricity production & percentage of
electricity (% e)

World Nuclear Association, The Nuclear Fuel Report (September 2017, reference scenario) – for U
World Nuclear Association, data to publication date

International Atomic Energy Agency

Nuclear Engineering International, (load factors)

OECD International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook 2016