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Nuclear Energy
Jovan Lee, Daryl Wong, Davin Chua, Li Ying Ming, Weng Pei He
How does nuclear energy work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfIbBDR3e8
How does nuclear energy work?
Nuclear plants produce energy through nuclear fission
Process of splitting an atom into two
Generating an intense amount of energy in the process,
Older power plants burn coal.
Uranium undergoes nuclear fission daily at an extremely slow pace
Thus emitting radiation
How does nuclear energy work?
Suitable for nuclear power plants
Which require induced fission.
Uranium of the variety U-235
Crucial for nuclear power plant energy production
U-235 undergoes natural alpha radiation
The throwing off a alpha particle
How does nuclear energy work?
Using free neutron,
U-235 nucleus absorb the neutron and split immediately (induced nuclear fusion)
Splitting an atom releases intense heat and gamma radiation,
However, scientists have to first enrich uranium
So it contains approximately 3% of U-235 uranium,
Sufficient for a nuclear power plant.
Advantages of nuclear energy
Lowest Impact on the Environment
Nuclear energy produced no controlled air pollutants because it does not require burning
Highest energy production relative to environmental impact
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
Operation
Nuclear Reactors designed to run for a long time before needing to be shut down for quality checks and maintenance.
Operate continuously for an average of 540 days.
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
Cost
Generally low-cost and produce predictable levels of energy
Comparison with other generators
Name Cents/kilowatt-hour
Nuclear 1.83
Coal 2.07
Oil 3.24
Gas 3.52
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
Safety
Working in Nuclear Power Plants actually very safe
Number of fatalities per 200,000 worker hours for nuclear industry is 0.26 while the fatalities for the private industry is 3.1 per 200k worker hours.
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
Radiation
Living next-door to a nuclear power plant for a year would result in less radiation exposure than a than a flight from NYC to LA.
It would take 2000 years living next to a reactor to be exposed to the same amount of radiation in an x-ray.
Contribution to world’s fuel consumption
About 11-12% of the world’s energy source is nuclear.
About 30 countries are operating over 430 nuclear reactors.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
Disposal
Disposing waste PERMANENTLY is very difficult
Waste remains radioactive for thousands of years
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
Leakages
Common occurance
Higher than normal lvl of radioactivity recorded in Irish Sea
Due to leakages from Nuclear Waste Disposal Plant at Sellafield in England
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
Major Accidents or Explosion at Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear can be used for destructive purposes
Case Study- India
Growth rate 1.7%/year
Rising Demand for Energy
India to expand Nuclear Energy Programme
Case Study- India
Why Nuclear?
High Cost of Coal
High Emission of CO2 & Greenhouse gases from Fossil Fuels Power Stations
Has large reserves of Thorium, fuel similar to Uranium
Necessary Raw Materials
Case Study- India
14 Operating Reactions in 5 different locations
Operated by State Run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)
3% India Energy from Nuclear
Plans 7-10% supply by 2020
Case Study- India
Radioactive Leak from Tarapur Nuclear Plant in 1992
Released 12 Curies of Radioactivity
2009, 55 employers consumer radioactive materials from waters
Untreated waters found its way to a water cooler in a Nuclear Plant