BY DR. WOODWARD

Nuclear Power 2011

Today’s Agenda Grading your Essay Prompt. Make up Quizzes? -If you miss exam day,

you get a different essay question. Congratulations! The class is finally in sync

and grades are going up. In the News…… New York. Clean Air Act & Kyoto Protocol Benzene, Tritium Introduction to Nuclear Power (Nuclear

History 101) Textbooks are now available (Chapter 19) Turn in your composition book and study

guide.

Legislation that you should know:(1) The Clean Air Act(2) The Kyoto Protocol

The Clean Air ActA. The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the

comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary (factories) and mobile sources.

B. Among other things, this law authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants.

The Clean Air Act

c. The Clean Air Act addresses emissions of hazardous air pollutants.

Phase-Out of Ozone Depleting and Chemicals The production of CFCs for air

conditioning and refrigeration in the United States was banned in 1995. CFCs are much more harmful to the environment than HCFCs, but HCFCs are next in line for elimination.

Kyoto Protocol

A. An international agreement to reduce green house gas emissions.

Kyoto Protocol

B. Under the Protocol, 37 countries commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (GHG) :

1. carbon dioxide2. methane 3. nitrous oxide4. sulfur hexafluoride

In the News: November 10, 2011 Tonawanda Coke Corp., a dilapidated relic of the industrial age that since 1917 has turned coal into material needed for casting iron and making steel.

In the News: Regulators officially blamed

Tonawanda Coke for high levels of benzene and started to aggressively enforce the Clean Air Act.

In the News: The plant’s yearly benzene

emissions are 90.8 tons.

The Clean Air Act Under the federal Clean Air

Act, facilities that emit more than 10 tons of a single air toxic such as benzene, or 25 tons per year of a combination of air toxins, are considered a major source of hazardous air pollutants, according to the EPA.

In the News: EPA Study

The study found airborne benzene present in concentrations up to 75 times higher than permitted in neighborhoods around the plant.

What is Benzene? (1) Benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet

odor. It evaporates quickly when exposed to air. Benzene is formed from natural processes, such as volcanoes and forest fires, but most exposure to benzene results from human activities.

(2) Benzene is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. a. It is used mainly as a solvent (a substance that can dissolve or extract other substances) and as a starting material in making other chemicals. In the past it was also commonly used as a gasoline additive, but this use has been greatly reduced in recent decades.

(3) Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.

-Source: American Cancer Society 2011

Exposure to Benzene: Known cause of leukemia May lead to anemia, cancers and

can damage the body’s immune system by reducing white blood cells.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Benzene Leakage… In addition to the sheer tonnage,

the EPA tests showed that the majority of benzene emitted from the plant comes from leaks in the process area, not the smoke stacks.

Here is how they polluted the air:

A. Every 20 to 30 minutes the plant released untreated gas from the ovens into the atmosphere through a valve that was only supposed to go off in emergencies only.

-This has been going on for over 30 years.

Here is how they polluted the air: "That's been spewing into the

atmosphere for 25 or 30 years," Ron Synder (Whistle Blower) .

“During on site inspections the [New

York Department of Environmental Conservation] and the EPA would, apparently, just walk right past the valves spewing toxic fumes."

Here is how they polluted the air: In April 2009 during a surprise inspection by regulators, they found many violations of clean air, clean water, and toxic waste laws.

The Air Quality of the O.C.

The O.C.

Nuclear Power in 2011

Today’s Agenda:

Quote of the day, “Out with the old, and in with the nuclear.”

Journal Question: Which country has the most nuclear power plants?

(1) *Lecture I: Nuclear History 101 & Nuclear News of 2011

Nuclear Power Around the World

Nuclear Power in the United States

Which Country has the Most Nuclear Power Plants?

Nuclear Power in 2011 A. There are currently 104 nuclear

power plants operating in the United States.

What percentage of electricity comes from nuclear power?

Nuclear History 101

A. The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s.

Nuclear History 101B. There are now over 440

commercial nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries around the world.

Nuclear History 101 C. Nuclear power provides

about 14% of the world's electricity.

Nuclear History 101D. 56 countries operate a total of

about 250 research reactors and a further 180 nuclear reactors power some 140 ships and submarines.

Nuclear History 101

E. Nuclear power does not contribute to global warming.

Nuclear History 101F. Nuclear technology uses the

energy released by (fission) splitting the atoms of certain elements.

a. It was first developed in the 1940s, and during the Second World War research initially focused on producing bombs by splitting the atoms of either uranium or plutonium.

Nuclear History 101G. Today, only eight countries are

known to have a nuclear weapons capability.

Nuclear History 101H. The Nuclear Reactor and generating

electricity

Nuclear History 101This is how it works:

Nuclear News of 2011(1) On March 11, 2011, an

earthquake and tsunami struck Japan affecting several reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi site.

Nuclear News of 2011

Nuclear News of 2011 a. The No. 3 reactor building of the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant burned Monday after a blast following an earthquake and tsunami in this satellite image:

Nuclear News of 2011

Nuclear News of 2011(2) On August 23, 2011 central Virginia

experienced a 5.8 earthquake on the Richter Scale with the epicenter in Mineral, Virginia, a few miles from the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant operated by Dominion Virginia Power.

Nuclear News of 2011a. The epicenter was 12 miles away from

the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in Luisa County Virginia.

b. Because of the earthquake the Nuclear Power Plant had to shut down.

c. That is the first time they have ever had to shut down a plant in this country.

d. They have never had to shut down a nuclear reactor after an earthquake.

Nuclear News of 2011e. The reactor is still shut down (off

line) today (November 2011).f. The public was told that the

plant was shut down due to being knocked off the electrical grid when power went out in the area due to the quake.

Nuclear News of 2011g. It turns out that the public may have

been misinformed. The plant was shut down due to all of the shaking which caused the power in the plant to go off.

h. The earthquake shake had exceeded the structural design of the reactor.

i. Eight seconds after the power went off the backup generators kicked in.

Nuclear News of 2011j. Three diesel generators kicked in. k. One of the four generators tried to

kick in and failed. l. The Federal law states that nuclear

power plants must have back up generator capability for at least four hours before off site power is restored.

Nuclear News of 2011 The question that you should

be asking yourself: “What if it takes more than

four hours to get the power back on?”

Nuclear News of 2011m. The bottom line: If you can not

keep the generators on to keep the cooling systems operational then you have an incident like the one that happened in Fukashima.

No Operational Cooling System Will Result in a “Melt” Down.

Nuclear News of 2011

(3) (September 27, 2011) Palisades plant in south western Michigan was shut down for a week because a mechanical glitch caused a release of radioactive tritium into the air.

Tritium Fun Facts

1. Reports have it that only 20 kilograms of tritium remain here on earth.

2. Today’s prices are about $30 million per kilogram.

3. Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen .

Nuclear News of 2011(4)(October 1, 2011) Radioactive water

was found leaking under a Georgia Nuclear Power Plant. a. Officials say the water containing tritium has not spread beyond a small area.

Nuclear News of 2011(5) The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

in New Hampshire was shut down automatically after a faulty water pump caused a low level within its steam generator.

Nuclear News of 2011(6) (October 23, 2011) A nuclear power plant

in Ohio demonstrated more structural cracks in the concrete shield building. This shield is supposed to protect the reactor from wind and tornados.

a. These cracks were found accidently during a renovation. b. 30-foot hairline crack discovered in concrete at an Ohio nuclear plant.

Nuclear News of 2011(7) (November 1, 2011) Non-

radioactive ammonia leak at our own San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant in Southern California.

a. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can cause irritation, serious burns, lung damage, and even death.

Old Nuclear News of 2010 On Jan. 7, 2010 : Vermont Yankee

officials announced that the plant was leaking tritium into the groundwater.

Nuclear History 101 Continued(1) General Electric Hitachi Nuclear

Energy stated that of the 35 reactors that they have built within the last 40 years these reactors may not shut down properly during an earthquake.

a. These reactors are located on the east coast from New York to Washington.

Nuclear History 101 Continued(2) The company is recommending

testing now to see how much of a jolt it would take to stop the nuclear fission process during an earthquake in one of those plants.

Nuclear History 101 Continued(3) They are only now recommending

testing 40 years after the construction of these nuclear power plants.

a. The reason they are recommending testing is because they do not know if their reactors will successfully shut down after an earthquake.

Nuclear History 101 Continued4. Should the public be concerned?

We are just now getting around to determine what size earthquake would change a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe.

All of our nuclear power plants are decades old and they are constantly being subject to poorly understood and unprecedented mechanical failure.

Nuclear History 101 Continued5. Nuclear power plant construction is

on the decline in the United States, but on the rise in China.

California 2011

California’s Nuclear EnergyA. Each of the five reactors in California

produces about 1,100 million watts (megawatts) of electricity.

B. This is enough to power one million homes per reactor.

C. Each reactor’s production is equivalent to 15 million barrels of oil or 3.5 million tons of coal a year.

D. Current Population of California: 37 Million

The Population of Los Angeles Does it feel crowded here? As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county

had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States.

Global Potential Nuclear Energy

France’s Nuclear EnergyFrance has 59 nuclear power plants

and 87.5% of its electricity is generated by nuclear power.

How Nuclear Power Works: A. Power plants use steam-driven

turbines to generate most electricity.

How Nuclear Power Works:B. Nuclear plants make steam

using the heat produced by splitting atoms.

How Nuclear Power Works:C. Atomic particles called

neutrons strike each other, splitting atoms into fragments. These fragments strike other atoms, releasing energy.

How Nuclear Power Works: D. The heat produced by the splitting

(fission) of uranium atoms turns water into steam.

E. The steam pressure spins a series of windmill-like devices called turbines, which are connected to an electric generator that produces electricity.

An Old Science Turned NewA steam engine is a machine that converts the

heat energy of steam into mechanical energy. A steam engine passes its steam into a cylinder, where it then pushes a piston back and forth. It is with this piston movement that the engine can do mechanical work. The steam engine was the major power source of the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Old Science Turned New The Concept:

Old Science Turned New

New Science: Fusion Reactors

Fusion Reactors