ME165-1

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Week-10.1 Nuclear Energy
2015-2016 / 3T

Prepared By:
Engr. Estelito V. Mamuyac
11 March 2016

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Nuclear power, is it renewable?

Nuclear

power is renewable as it doesn't use fossil fuels or other

non-renewable resources in the production of energy; however it
isn't as renewable as some of the alternatives, such as wind or
solar power, which rely solely on natural phenomena to create
their power.
In the short term it is unlikely that uranium will run out, but
eventually it will.
Therefore we can say that nuclear power is only renewable in the
short term.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear

energy comes from the energy stored inside the nucleus

of an atom.
Atoms are tiny - much too small to be seen even under the most
powerful microscope but they make up everything in the world
around us.
Nuclear energy is produced when an atomic nucleus is split or
when two light atomic nuclei are joined.
The energy released from either process is so enormous and
is the the soure of nuclear power.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Brief History
The pursuit of nuclear energy for electricity generation began soon after the
discovery in the early 20th century that radioactive elements, such as
radium, released immense amounts of energy, according to the principle of
massenergy equivalence. However, means of harnessing such energy was
impractical, because intensely radioactive elements were, by their very
nature, short-lived (high energy release is correlated with short half-lives).
This situation changed in the late 1930s, with the discovery of nuclear
fission.
In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron, which was immediately
recognized as a potential tool for nuclear experimentation because of its
lack of an electric charge.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Brief History (contd.)

In 1934, Frdric and Irne Joliot-Curie discovered induced radioactivity by
bombarding materials with neutrons.
Further work by Enrico Fermi in the 1930s focused on using slow neutrons to
increase the effectiveness of induced radioactivity. Bombarding uranium with
neutrons in his experiments, led Fermi to believe he had created a new,
transuranic element, which was dubbed hesperium.
But in 1938, German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, along with
Austrian physicist Lise Meitner and Otto Robert Frisch, conducted experiments
with the products of neutron-bombarded uranium, as a means of further
investigating Fermi's claims. They determined that the relatively tiny neutron split
the nucleus of the massive uranium atoms into two roughly equal pieces,
contradicting Fermi. The process was dubbed "fission" involved a complete
rupture of the nucleus.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Brief History (contd.)

In 1939, Frdric Joliot-Curie experimentally confirmed and announced the
previous finding that if fission reactions released additional neutrons, a selfsustaining nuclear chain reaction could result. Many countries (including the
United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union)
petitioned their governments for support of nuclear fission research, just on
the cusp of World War II, for the development of a nuclear weapon.
In the United States, the first man-made reactor, known as Chicago Pile-1,
achieved criticality on December 2, 1942. This work became part of the
Manhattan Project, which made enriched uranium and built large reactors to
breed plutonium for use in the first nuclear weapons, which were used on the
cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Brief History (contd.)

After WWII, work in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and USSR
proceeded over the course of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Electricity was generated for the first time by a nuclear reactor in 1951, at the
EBR-I experimental station in Idaho, which initially produced about 100 kW.
Work was also strongly researched in the US on nuclear marine propulsion,
eventually, the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, would launch
in 1955.
In 1953, US President Dwight Eisenhower gave his "Atoms for Peace" speech at
the United Nations, emphasizing the need to develop "peaceful" uses of nuclear
power quickly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfIbBDR3e8

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Brief History (contd.)

This was followed by the 1954 Amendments to the Atomic Energy Act which
allowed rapid declassification of U.S. reactor technology and encouraged
development by the private sector.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Processes
Nuclear

energy is produced naturally and in man-made operations

under human control.
Naturally:

Some nuclear energy is produced naturally.

For example, the Sun and other stars make heat and light by nuclear reactions.

Man-Made:

Nuclear energy can be man-made too.

Machines called nuclear reactors, parts of nuclear power plants, provide electricity for
many cities.
Man-made nuclear reactions also occur in the explosion of atomic and hydrogen
bombs.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Processes (contd.)
Nuclear energy is produced in two different ways. In one method; large nuclei
are split to release energy, known as nuclear fission. In the other method,
small or light nuclei are combined to release energy, known as nuclear fusion.
Nuclear Fission
In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom is split, causing energy to be
released. Inside the nucleus of an atom, some of the mass takes the
form of binding energy, the energy needed to hold the nucleus
together.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
As shown in the diagram,
(1) if a slow-moving neutron strikes a
uranium atom, the atoms nucleus
absorbs the neutron.
(2) The nucleus becomes so unstable that
it breaks apart. The result is two large
fission products, three neutrons and a
burst of energy.
(3) Also, once a uranium nucleus is split,
the multiple neutrons that are
released are used to split other
uranium nuclei.
This phenomenon is known as a chain
reaction.

Schematic Diagram of a
Nuclear Fission/Chain Reaction

NUCLEAR REACTION - FISSION

Uranium-235 (235U) Fission

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Processes (contd.)
Nuclear Fusion
Fusion, the exact opposite of fission, occurs by joining two light nuclei into
one heavier nucleus, and clean nuclear energy is given off when they join.
Fusion could produce a self sustaining energy source. However, fusion, or
a thermonuclear reaction, can starts only at a very high temperature millions of degrees even hotter than the sun.
Such intense heat destroys anything on earth that tries to hold or contain
it, and a heat source that hot is hard to control.
The hydrogen bomb, a fusion reaction designed to explode, needed an
atomic fission bomb to get it started. Clearly, that would not be a safe
trigger for a fusion power station.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
Fusion of deuterium with tritium creating
helium-4, freeing a neutron, and
releasing 17.59 MeV of energy, as an
appropriate amount of mass changing
forms to appear as the kinetic energy of
the products, in agreement with kinetic E
= mc2, where m is the change in rest
mass of particles.

Schematic Diagram of a
Nuclear Fusion

NUCLEAR REACTION - FUSION

Hydrogen Fusion Reactions

TECHNOLOGIES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfIbBDR3e8

Nuclear Reactor

TECHNOLOGIES
Nuclear
The

Reactor

central structure of a nuclear power plant is the reactor.

The reactor in a nuclear power plant does the same thing that a
boiler does in a fossil fuel plant - it produces heat.
The basic parts of a reactor are the core, a moderator, control rods,
a coolant, and shielding.
The core of a reactor contains the uranium fuel. For a light water
reactor with an output of 1,000 megawatts, the core would
contain about 75 tons of uranium enclosed in approximately
200 fuel assemblies.

TECHNOLOGIES

Nuclear Reactor (contd.)

The neutrons produced by fission are travelling at great speeds,
and in most reactors, are deliberately slowed down by a material
known as a moderator.
Slow neutrons are much more likely, when they collide with
the nuclei of U-235, to cause a fission and keep the reaction
going.
A moderator is composed of light atoms and the materials
most commonly used are carbon in the form of graphite, and
water.

TECHNOLOGIES

Nuclear Reactor (contd.)

For more precise control of the chain reaction, control rods are
inserted into the core of the reactor. Pushed in, they absorb
neutrons and slow down the reaction - pulled out they allow it to
speed up again. In this way the chain reaction is controlled.
The rods are usually made of boron, which absorbs neutrons.
A separate set of shutdown rods can be inserted into the core
to stop the reactions quickly if there is an emergency.

TECHNOLOGIES

Nuclear Reactor (contd.)

Fissions occurring in the reactor generate an enormous amount
of heat. A liquid or gas coolant carries this heat away from the
reactor to a boiler where steam is made.
Shielding, typically made of steel and concrete about two metres
thick, is an outer casing that prevents radiation from escaping
into the environment.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

There are several different kinds of nuclear reactors, although they

work in a similar way. Following are some of them:
Pressurize Water Reactors
Boiling Water Reactors
Heavy Water Reactors
High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
Organic-Cooled Reactors
Fast Breeder Reactors

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Pressurize Water Reactor (PWR)
PWR Schematic Diagram

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Pressurize Water Reactors operation
o The PWR has three water loops separated from one another by pipes, so

that water in each loop never touch or sees the water in the other loops
while the heat is transferred from one loop to another.
o In this kind of reactor, water in the first loop flows through the reactor fuel
core, where it is heated by nuclear fission.
The water in this first loop is kept under pressure so that it doesnt boil,
much like the water in a home pressure cooker.
When heated, this pressurized water is sent through a pipe that goes
through a container, called a steam generator, where it heats the water
in the second loop.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Pressurize Water Reactor operation (contd.)
o This water, at a lower pressure than the water in the first loop, boils

into steam which rushes against the turbines blades to produce

electricity.
The high-pressure water is pumped back to the reactor, where it is
heated again.
The steam in the second loop change back into water, as it is
cooled down by the cooling water in the third loop, and is pumped
back to the steam generator again.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

BWR Schematic Diagram

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Boiling Water Reactor (contd.)

In the boiling water reactor, one loop performs both functions of the
first and second loops.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Heavy Water Reactor (HWR)

HWR Schematic Diagram

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Heavy Water Reactor operation

A

Candu reactor is an example of a Pressurized Heavy Water

Reactor (PHWR). Fuel assemblies are placed horizontally in a tank
called a calandria.
Heavy water coolant is pumped through tubes containing the fuel
assemblies to pick up the heat generated from the nuclear
reaction.
The coolant then moves to the steam generators to produce steam
from ordinary water and back to the reactor.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Heavy Water Reactor operation (contd.)

Heavy water is a rare but natural form of water and is the most
effective moderator used in nuclear reactors to maintain
continuous fissioning.
Ordinary water is a combination of one oxygen and two hydrogen
atoms (H2O). Heavy water is virtually identical, except each of the
hydrogen atoms have an extra neutron.
This hydrogen isotope is called deuterium (D). Since heavy water
(D2O) has almost all the extra neutrons it wants, it slows neutrons
in the reactor without significantly absorbing them.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Heavy Water Reactor operation (contd.)

The advantage of heavy water is that it permits the use of
unenriched uranium as fuel. This means two less steps are
required in the conversion process resulting in a more
economical fuel source.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor operation

In

high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), the coolant is

usually helium or carbon dioxide, and graphite is used as the
moderator.
Both helium and carbon dioxide allow the reactor core to heat to
higher temperatures than water (or heavy water) cooled reactors,
so HTGR can make electricity more efficiently than water reactors
and doesnt depend on a water source.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Organic-Cooled Reactor
Organic

cooled reactor (OCR) combines the advantage of HWR,

which can use unenriched uranium for fuel, and HTGR, which can
reach high temperature.
OCR uses an organic liquid (a liquid that must have at least carbon
and hydrogen as components) as a coolant, which is cheaper than
heavy water, but it is flamable, so the danger of fire or explosion is
greater than with other reactors.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Fast Breeder Reactor

The Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) has a core of plutonium surrounded by rods of
U-238.
The U-238 nuclei absorb neutrons from the core and are transformed into
plutonium (P-239).
For every four atoms of plutonium that are used up in the core of the breeder,
five new plutonium atoms are made from the U-238. Therefore, FBRs "breed"
plutonium.
Fast breeder reactors work at such a high temperature that they need a special
coolant such as liquid sodium.
In addition, they are not equipped with a moderator to slow down neutrons, and
for this reason are called "fast" breeders.

KINDS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Fast Breeder Reactor

NUCLEAR ENERGY
REACTOR TYPES IN USE WORLDWIDE

NUCLEAR ENERGY
Nuclear Power Reactors: Typical Characteristics
Type of Reactor

Fuel Form

Coolant

Moderator

BWR

Enriched Uranium Dioxide

Water

Water

PWR

Enriched Uranium Dioxide

Water

Water

PHWR (Candu)

Natural Uranium Dioxide

Heavy Water

Heavy Water

GCR

Natural Uranium

Carbon Dioxide

Graphite

AGR

Enriched Uranium Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide

Graphite

LWGR

Enriched Uranium Dioxide

Water

Graphite

FBR

Plutonium Oxide and

Uranium Dioxide

Liquid Sodium

None

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Uses and applications

Making

Electricity. Nuclear energy can be used to make electricity.

This happens at nuclear power stations.
Sterilization of medical equipment (e.g., bandages)
Foods. Stop food from going stale (e.g., dired spices)
Smoke detectors
Nuclear Energy in Medicine. X-rays, Radiation theraphy for patients
with cancer.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Uses and applications (contd.)

Nuclear-powered Transportation. Some ships and submarines
use nuclear energy to run their engines. Submarines can stay
under water longer when they use nuclear energy to run their
engines.
Nuclear Energy in Space. Some unmanned spacecraft travelling
away from the sun use nuclear energy

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages
The

Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power

plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become
scarce.
Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil
fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced
by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil.
Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air. Well-operated nuclear
power plants do not release contaminants into the environment.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages
One

possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In

such an accident, the fission reaction goes out of control, leading
to a nuclear explosion and the emission of great amounts of
radiation.
In 1979, the cooling system failed at the Three Mile Island
nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Radiation leaked,
forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. The problem was
solved minutes before a total meltdown would have occurred.
Fortunately, there were no deaths.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages (contd.)
In 1986, a much worse disaster struck Russia's Chernobyl
nuclear power plant. In this incident, a large amount of radiation
escaped from the reactor. Hundreds of thousands of people
were exposed to the radiation. Several dozen died within a few
days. In the years to come, thousands more may die of cancers
induced by the radiation.
In 2011, another nuclear disaster in Japans Fukushima Nuclear
facilities has resulted to radiation leaked, forcing thousands of
people living within 50 mile radius from the plant to flee.
Fortunately, no deaths reported that can be tied directly from
the incident.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages (contd.)
Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce nuclear
waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because they could kill people
who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage. Currently,
many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at the nuclear
reactors.
The United States plans to move its nuclear waste to a remote underground
dump by the year 2010.
In 1957, at a dump site in Russia's Ural Mountains, several hundred miles
from Moscow, buried nuclear wastes mysteriously exploded, killing dozens
of people.
Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages (contd.)
The nations of the world now have more than enough nuclear bombs to kill
every person on Earth. The two most powerful nations -- Russia and the
United States -- have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them.
What if there were to be a nuclear war?
What if terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons?
Or what if nuclear weapons were launched by accident?
Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the cells
of the body which can make people sick or even kill them. Illness can strike
people years after their exposure to nuclear radiation.

FUTURE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

Some people think that nuclear energy is here to stay and
we must learn to live with it.
Others say that we should get rid of all nuclear weapons
and power plants.
Both sides have their cases as there are advantages and
disadvantages to nuclear energy.
Still others have opinions that fall somewhere in between.

REFERENCES

Textbooks

Web

Renewable Energy Technologies, Jean-Claude Sabonnadiere, 2009

Energy Conversion, D. Yogi Goswami, Frank Kreith, 2008
Power Plant Engineering, 3rd Edition, PK Nag, 2008, Tata McGraw Hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01335/welcome.htm
http://www.cameco.com/uranium_101/uranium_science/nuclear_reactors/

Youtube Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfIbBDR3e8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdbitRlbLDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vua6uuJO_c