Class presentations by Tameka, Sad, Clay, Justin, Richard

F. , Chloe, Kayla H. , Courtney, Steven, Curtis, Richard L. , Javan,

Renee and Kimaya

Presentation Rubric uses a 5 point grading scale KNOWLEDGE:  PARTICIPATION:LENGTH:   CONTENT:  DESIGN:     HANDS-ON ACTIVITY:    

Nuclear Energy in PerspectiveWe are running out of fossil fuelsAfter WWII, new use for the Atom BombUsing nuclear energy to make electricity In 1975, 53 plants were operating in U.S.2003, 104 plants were still workingNo new plants are planned

Nuclear Energy World WideMany nuclear plants are being build world-

wideNuclear power generates about 17% of the

world’s energyFrance and Japan leads the worldFollowed closely by China and India

After ChernobylMany have rethought nuclear powerCan we solve the problems?What are the pros?What are the cons?

Justin and Clay5th

What is Nuclear Power?Power is generated by heating

pressurized water

Water is heated through Nuclear Fission

When one atom splits in two

Steam is used to power the generatorThe Generator supplies energy

How it impacts Society?July 08, 430 operating nuclear power plants 31 Countries15%- Worlds Electricity77%- France’s Electricity65%-Lithuania Electricity20%- United States Electricity

Yay!!!Minimal CO2 emissionsSelf dependant costReleases less radioactivity in air then coal-

burning

Neh!!!!!Mining uranium Transportation and disposal issuesHigh building costNot safe to house and hold

By: Chloe Robertson andRichard Farmer

NuclearThey plants release low levels of radioactive waste

gases.They produce about 250 tons of highly radioactive

waste that require safe storage.They can have accidents that lead to scores of human

deaths, untold numbers of cancer, and widespread long lasting environmental contamination.

They don’t produce any acid-forming pollutants or particulates.

Emits no carbon dioxide.In order to fuel plants less manual work is needed.

CoalCoal plants releases 100 times more radioactivity

than nuclear power plants.They produce about 600,000 tons of ash

requiring disposal.Not prone to major accidents, possibility of fire.Emits over 300,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and

other pollutants that lead up to acid rain.Emits over 7 million tons of carbon dioxide into

the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change.

My manual labor is need so efficiently supply plants.

Nuclear Power CoalLess work, more

energy.Lots of waste that’s

non recyclable or disposable.

More catastrophic disasters if any accidents.

Limited amount of power per year.

Lot of human work just to fuel.

Not a lot of waste but lots of pollutants.

Little harm done if accident occurs.

Large supply of coal.

Which prevails???Amounts of used in tons:

By, Courtney Ciera Elzy

AndKayla Jesse Howard

Radioactive EmissionsWhen uranium or any other element undergoes fission,

the split “halves” are called atoms.These are newly formed atoms called the direct

product of the fission, and they are unstable isotopes. Unstable isotopes are usually called radioisotopes; they

can become stable by being spontaneously ejected with subatomic particles, high energy radiation, or BOTH!

Radioactivity is measured in curies, one gram of pure radium-226 gives off one curie per second(approximately 37 billion spontaneous disintegrations into particles and radiation)

Radioactive Emissions are the particles and the radiation.

Radioactive Wastes are indirect products of fission along with the direct products.

Biological EffectsRadioactive Emissions can penetrate biological

tissue; Sieverts are used to measure the damage that radioactive emissions can do.

The emissions do not leave any physical damage, and you can feel them either. But they are capable of dislodging electrons from atoms so that they strike.

After this ions are left behind, which are charged particles. The emissions are called ionizing radiation.

This process includes breaking chemical bonds or changing the structure of molecules.

In Lower Doses the radiation causes actual damage to the DNA.

Other effects include weakening of the immune system, mental retardation, and development of cataracts.

Sources of Radiation Uranium and Radon Gas are also a source of radiation

besides nuclear power. Background Radiation is the the MAJOR source of

radiation exposure. The average person in the U.S. receives a dose of about 36

millisieverts per year.Even when you are close to a nuclear power plant, the

radiation levels are much lower than normal background levels.

Measurements have shown that public exposure to radiation from normal operations of a power plant is less than 1% of natural background radiation.

Radioactive WastesRadioactive Decay is a process in which, as unstable

isotopes eject particles and radiation, the become stable, and cease to be radioactive.

When radioactive material is not in contact with humans and other organisms the decay proceeds harmlessly.

The rate of radioactive decay is such that half of the starting amount of a given isotope will decay in a certain period.

In the next equal period, half of the remainder decays and so on.

Half-Life is the time for half of the amount of a radioactive isotope to decay.

The half-lives of various isotopes range from a fraction of a second to many thousands of years.

Disposal of Radioactive WastesShort term containment allows the radioactive decay of short

lived isotopes. In 10 years fission wastes lose more than 97% of their radioactivity.

Long term containment refers to the EPA in which the recommend a 10,000 year minimum, and the National Research Council opted for 100,000 years to provide protection from the long-lived isotopes.

Sort Term; Spent Fuel is stored in a swimming pool like tank, on the sites of the nuclear power plants; the water dissipates waste heat.

It also acts as a shield against the escape of radiation; the pools accommodate 10-20 years of spent fuel.

The capacity of storage pools in the U.S. nuclear plants reach 50% by 2004 and plan to reach 100% by 2015.

47,000 tons of radioactive waste is in the U.S today(more than that).

By Curtis EdmondsAnd Steven Willis

The ConversionWhen a 235 U atom fissions, two or three atoms are

ejected.Only one of these neutrons needs to hit a 235 U atom

to cause a chain reaction.The remaining neutrons are absorbed by something

else238 U usually absorbs the extra neutronsWhen this occurs, 238 U converts to Plutonium This Plutonium is also known as 239 Pu.

239 Pu239 Pu can be purified and used as a nuclear feulSO the 238 U is converted into fissionable 239 PuAnd the good news?235 U produces two more atoms than needed for a

reactionSo it may produce more fuel than it consumes.Over 99% of uranium is 238 U, so converting that to

239 Pu effectively increases nuclear reservesThis explains why creating nuclear energy is fast and

effective.

Breeder ReactorsAll of the listed conversions are formed from

breeder reactorsThere is more security needed for Breeder

Reactors because of high Plutonium239 Pu can be used to create weaponsMore safety for B.R.’s are also needed.

Breeder Reactors, cont.Because the U.S. doesn’t use nuclear energy

as muchThere is enough un used UraniumSo the use for a Breeder Reactor is unnecesaryB.R.’s are mostly used for military practices

because of Plutonium’s ability to create weapons

France, Russia, and Japan are the only countries to use Breeder Reactors commercially.

By Javan &

Richard

Safety• Safety is closely linked with Security.• It relates mainly to intrinsic problems or

hazards.• It relates mainly to external threats to

materials or facilities.• Many plants are not safe.• Which could lead to injury or even death.

Meltdowns• Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are to good

examples of meltdowns.• Meltdowns are accidents in a nuclear reactor.• These meltdowns can be dangerous• Three mile island the reactor was severely

damaged• The radiation was contained no one was hurt• At Chernobyl the reactor exploded• Leaving 56 people dead and others injured

Terrorism• Nuclear power plants can make easy targets.• They can easily attacked by planes if planned

right.• When September 11th occurred the U.S.

Realized• The opportunities of terrorism in the U.S.

with nuclear power• that is why it is a debates about what to do

with the plants

QuizWhat is safety closely related to?What is the worst thing that can happen in a

plant?What happened at Chernobyl?

Kimaya DavisRenee Mitchell

Opposition to Nuclear Power People have a distrust of technology they don’t understand.

Observers are critical of the way nuclear technology is being managed.

Lax safety, operator failures, and cover-ups by nuclear plants.

High costs of construction & unexpectedly short operational lifetimes.

Disposing of nuclear waste. Nuclear power plants are a target for

terrorist attacks. When accidents happens , probabilities

become realities.

Rebirth of nuclear power?The continued use of fossil fuels may have

been so damaging to the atmosphere that we have to result to another source.

If the rebirth of nuclear power is to come then it is agreed that a number of changes will have to be made.

Political leadership will be required to accomplish all of the developments

Where it startsGeorge W. Bush has made expanding nuclear

energy a major component of his energy policy.Vice President Cheney’s National Energy

Policy report includes various steps that led to Bush’s expansion in his policy.

Proposing the Nuclear power 2010 program, could become operational by 2010

By approving the Yucca Mountain site for repository could be moving toward a resolution of nuclear waste.