Nuclear Power Station

In the US, 20% of our electricity is produced by

nuclear power.

There are 103 US nuclear power plants.

NUCLEAR FUEL

uclear fuel is any !aterial that can be

consu!ed to deri"e nuclear ener#y.

The !ost co!!on type of nuclear fuel is fissile

ele!ents that can be !ade to under#o nuclear
fission chain reactions in a nuclear reactor

The !ost co!!on nuclear fuels are 23$U and

23%&u.

ot all nuclear fuels are used in fission chain

reactions
California Nuclear energy

'ach of the fi"e reactors produces about 1,100

!illion watts (!e#awatts) of electricity

This is enou#h to power one !illion ho!es per

reactor

'ach reactor*s production is e+ui"alent to 1$ !illion

barrels of oil or 3.$ !illion tons of coal a year.

The total $,$00 reactor produced !e#awatts is out

of a pea, state electrical power of 30,000 - .0,000
!e#awatts.
Worldwide Nuclear Power Reactors

There are ..0 nuclear power reactors in 31

countries.

30 !ore are under construction.

They account for 1/% of the world*s

electricity.

They produce a total of 3$1 #i#awatts (billion

watts) of electricity.
0orld uclear &ower &lants
uclear 'lectricity &roduction by 1ountries
and 2e#ions in 3i#awatts (0orld Total 3$0
3i#awatts) and percent of electricity
US %4 Trend5 declinin#
North America Region 10%
6rance /3 Increasin#
3er!any 21 7ein# phased out
U. 8. 12
Western Europe Region 12/
9apan .. Increasin#
Asia Region // Increasin#
Eastern Europe Region 11
Former Soviet U. Region 3.
How a Nuclear Reactor works

23$
U fissions by absorbin# a neutron and
producin# 2 to 3 neutrons, which initiate on
a"era#e one !ore fission to !a,e a controlled
chain reaction

or!al water is used as a !oderator to slow the

neutrons since slow neutrons ta,e lon#er to
pass by a U nucleus and ha"e !ore ti!e to be
absorbed

The protons in the hydro#en in the water ha"e

the sa!e !ass as the neutron and stop the! by
a billiard ball effect
How a Nuclear Reactor works

The e:tra neutrons are ta,en up by protons to

for! deuterons

23$
U is enriched fro! its 0.4% in nature to about
3% to produce the reaction, and is contained in
rods in the water

7oron control rods are inserted to absorb

neutrons when it is ti!e to shut down the reactor

The hot water is boiled or sent throu#h a heat

e:chan#er to produce stea!.

The stea! then powers turbines.

Nucleons more tigtly !ound in Fission
Product Nuclei " #i$es %&& 'e$ Energy (er
Fission
NUCLEAR F)SS)*N

0hen a neutron stri,es an ato! of uraniu!, the

uraniu! splits into two li#hter ato!s and
releases heat si!ultaneously.

6ission of hea"y ele!ents is an e:other!ic

reaction which can release lar#e a!ounts of
ener#y both as electro!a#netic radiation and as
,inetic ener#y of the fra#!ents
NUCLEAR CHA)N REAC+)*NS

; chain reaction refers to a process in which

neutrons released in fission produce an
additional fission in at least one further nucleus.

This nucleus in turn produces neutrons, and the

process repeats.

If the process is controlled it is used for nuclear

power or if uncontrolled it is used for nuclear
weapons
NUCLEAR CHA)N REAC+)*NS

U%,- < n = fission < 2 or 3 n < 200 >e?

If each neutron releases two !ore neutrons,

then the nu!ber of fissions doubles each
#eneration.

In that case, in 10 #enerations there are 1,02.

fissions and in @0 #enerations about / : 10 %, (a
!ole) fissions.
Nuclear Fission from Slow Neutrons
and Water 'oderator
'ain Parts of Nuclear Reactor
NUCLEAR REAC+*R

; nuclear reactor is a de"ice in which nuclear

chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and
sustained at a steady rate,

as opposed to a nuclear bo!b, in which the

chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second
and is uncontrolled causin# an e:plosion.
C*N+R*L R*.S

1ontrol rods !ade of a !aterial that absorbs

neutrons are inserted into the bundle usin# a
!echanis! that can rise or lower the control
rods.

The control rods essentially contain neutron

absorbers li,e, boron, cad!iu! or indiu!.
S+EA' #ENERA+*RS

Stea! #enerators are heat e:chan#ers used to

con"ert water into stea! fro! heat produced in
a nuclear reactor core.

'ither ordinary water or hea"y water is used as

the coolant.
S+EA' +UR/)NE

; stea! turbine is a !echanical de"ice that

e:tracts ther!al ener#y fro! pressuriAed stea!,
and con"erts it into useful !echanical

?arious hi#hBperfor!ance alloys and super

alloys ha"e been used for stea! #enerator
tubin#.
C**LAN+ PU'P

The coolant pu!p pressuriAes the coolant to

pressures of the order of 1$$bar.

The pressure of the coolant loop is !aintained

al!ost constant with the help of the pu!p and a
pressuriAed unit.
FEE. PU'P

Stea! co!in# out of the turbine, flows throu#h

the condenser for condensation and recirculated
for the ne:t cycle of operation.

The feed pu!p circulates the condensed water

in the wor,in# fluid loop.
C*N.ENSER

1ondenser is a de"ice or unit which is used to

condense "apor into li+uid.

The obCecti"e of the condenser are to reduce the

turbine e:haust pressure to increase the
efficiency and to reco"er hi#h +uality feed water
in the for! of condensate D feed bac, it to the
stea! #enerator without any further treat!ent.
C**L)N# +*WER

1oolin# towers are heat re!o"al de"ices used to

transfer process waste heat to the at!osphere.

0ater circulatin# throu#h the condenser is ta,en

to the coolin# tower for coolin# and reuse
A.0AN+A#ES

uclear power #eneration does e!it relati"ely

low a!ounts of carbon dio:ide (1E2).

The e!issions of #reen house #ases and

therefore the contribution of nuclear power
plants to #lobal war!in# is therefore relati"ely
little.

This technolo#y is readily a"ailable, it does not

ha"e to be de"eloped first.

It is possible to #enerate a hi#h a!ount of

electrical ener#y in one sin#le plant
.)SA.0AN+A#ES

The proble! of radioacti"e waste is still an unsol"ed

one.

Fi#h ris,s5 It is technically i!possible to build a plant

with 100% security.

The ener#y source for nuclear ener#y is Uraniu!.

Uraniu! is a scarce resource, its supply is esti!ated to

last only for the ne:t 30 to /0 years dependin# on the
actual de!and.

uclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be

preferred tar#ets for terrorist attac,s..

Gurin# the operation of nuclear power plants, radioacti"e

waste is produced, which in turn can be used for the
production of nuclear weapons.
)nside a Nuclear
Reactor

Stea! outlet

6uel 2ods

1ontrol 2ods
Energy +aken out !y Steam +ur!ine
Production of Plutonium 1Pu2 in
Nuclear Reactors

23%
&u is produced in nuclear reactors by the
absorption of a neutron on
23@
U, followed by two beta
decays

23%
&u also fissions by absorbin# a ther!al neutron,
and on a"era#e produces 1H3 of the ener#y in a fuel
cycle.

23%
&u is relati"ely stable, with a half life of 2.
thousand years.

It is used in nuclear weapons

It can be bred for nuclear reactors

Nuclear Wea(ons to Reactor Fuel

US is buyin# hi#hly enriched uraniu! (20%

23$
U)
fro! the for!er So"iet Union*s nuclear weapons
for 20 years fro! 1%%3BB2013

1on"ertin# it to low enriched uraniu! (3%

23$
U)
for reactor fuel

It will satisfy % years of US reactor fuel de!and

It co!es fro! /,@$$ So"iet nuclear warheads so

far
Nuclear Plant Future

The countries of the world are each plannin# their own

course of nuclear plant de"elop!ent or decline

uclear power is co!petiti"e with natural #as

It is nonBpollutin#

It does not contribute to #lobal war!in#

Ebtainin# the fuel only ta,es $% of the ener#y output

&lant licenses ha"e been e:tended fro! 20 years to an

additional 20 years
Nuclear Plant Future

ewer desi#ns are bein# sou#ht to !a,e the! !ore

econo!ical and safer

&reappro"al of a few desi#ns will hasten de"elop!ent

Gisposal of hi#h le"el radioacti"e waste still bein#

studied, but scientists belie"e deep burial would wor,

7ecause they are ha"e lar#e electrical output, their cost

at I2 billion is hard to obtain and #uarantee with ban,s

2eplacin# plants !ay be cheaper usin# the sa!e sites

and contain!ent "essels
Nuclear Pro!lems and Solutions

Three >ile Island 1%4%

$0% core !eltdown, stuc, "al"e with no indicator released

water, but contain!ent "essel held

>ore sensors added, better co!!unication to e:perts in

0ashin#ton, don*t turn off e!er#ency coolin#

2@ year US safety record since accident

1hernobyl 1%@/

Fu!an stupidity turned off coolin# syste!

&oor stea! coolin# reactor desi#n allowed unstable stea!

poc,et to e:plode

3raphite cau#ht fire

Gesi#n not used in other countries

3ucca 'ountain Pro4ect5 Nuclear Fuel
and Hig Le$el Waste Re(ository

>uch !ore secure repository than lea"in# hi#h le"el waste at

/0 reactor sites around the country.

En old ato!ic bo!b testin# base, inside a !ountain.

The stora#e is abo"e the water table.

The Jucca >ountain site would be /0% filled by present

waste.

US has le#al co!!it!ent to the reactor industry.

Site has been studied e:tensi"ely by scientists for o"er 20

years.

0ill store waste durin# its 10,000 year decay ti!e.

Kuestions of how to deflect drippin# water around and under

the stora#e "essels.

Kuestions of radioacti"e decay wea,enin# stora#e containers.

; solution would be to build containers that can be opened

and reincased, or to which surrounded casin#s could be
added.
Li6uid 'etal Fast /reeder Reactor

Uses the fast neutrons fro!

23$
U fission on
surroundin#
23@
U to produce
23%
&u

In 10B20 years, enou#h &u is produced to power

another reactor

o !oderators are allowed

o water, !ust use li+uid sodiu! coolant

U !ust be at 1$%B30% enrich!ent to #enerate

power with fast neutrons while breedin# &u

This is at weapons #rade enrich!ent, howe"er

SuperB&heni: in 6rance has operated for 20 years

Nuclear Power Pro(osed
Solution7

2ichard 3arwin , >IT and industry propose5

If $0 years fro! now the world uses twice as !uch ener#y, and half
co!es fro! nuclear power

eed .,000 nuclear reactors, usin# about a !illion tons of Uraniu! a

year

0ith hi#her cost terrestrial ore, would last for 300 years

7reeder reactors creatin# &lutoniu! could e:tend the supply to 200,000

years

onpollutin#, nonB1E2 producin# source

eed !ore trained nuclear en#ineers and sites

Study fuel reprocessin#, waste disposal, and safer desi#ns.

0hile nuclear reactors ha"e to be on all day and ni#ht, and power use
is less at ni#ht, they could be used to char#e up electric cars.

Until electric cars or a hydro#en #eneration econo!y, they !i#ht only

be used for the .0% of #eneration used at ni#ht, up fro! the present
20% that they #enerate.
Fusion Reactors

6usion easiest for Geuteron (G) < Tritiu!(T)5

G(p,n) < T(p,nn)
4
Fe(pp,nn) < n
in a hi#h te!perature plas!a.

2eplace!ent T created fro! Li blan,et around reactor

n <
/
Li
4
Fe < T

6usion reactors

International IT'2 in 2012 for research for a decade, costin# I$

billion

1urrent stale!ate o"er sitin# in 6rance or 9apan

6ollowed by G'>E for a functionin# plant, ta,in# another 10

years.

Gesi#n and co!pletion of a co!!ercial plant not until 20$0.

US Lithiu! supply would last a few hundred years.

Still would be a radioacti"e waste disposal proble!.

)nternational +ermonuclear
E8(erimental Reactor 1)+ER2