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Geography Project: Nuclear Energy

Project that Sam& me made

Matt Rick

on 5 September 2013

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Transcript of Geography Project: Nuclear Energy

Geography Project: Nuclear Energy
By: Sam and Matthias
This presentation will cover:
-What is nuclear energy?
-Advantages and disadvantages
-The future of Uranium/Video
-L.F.T.R Reactors
-Nuclear fusion
What is Nuclear Power?
-Nuclear power is the power gained from a nuclear plant
-Similar to thermal plants except the source of heat
-Heat comes from radio-active breakdown (fission) of uranium atoms
-Core/reactor is where the nuclear breakdown happens
-Control rods are used to maintain the fission breakdown and control it
-Heat goes to stream generator along with water to create steam
-Water or other coolant prevents the core from overheating
-Pressurizer that condense the heated water and pressurized water heats the lower pressure water, creating steam
-Stream turns turbines
-Turbines turn the generator, providing power for the transformer that creates electricity
-Electricity is then distributed through electrical lines, providing power
-Costs are relatively high to construct the plant
-Materials are radioactive, highly hazardous to human health and must be handled with extreme care
-Accidents can impact the environment greatly and may take the lives of many
-Waste produced may take at least 100,000 years to break down
-Currently no known permanent way to deal with the waste of a normal fission reactor
-Useful time span of the plants was less than expected
Disadvantage Cont.
-Long construction time for the plants
-In order to start a Nuclear Plant, it takes a lot of investments initially
-Occasionally the plant becomes a target for attacks, as people think the environmental impact is greater than other things
-Nuclear Reactor only utilize around 0.5-0.7% of the energy available
-A lot of work to build and manage
-Very Versatile in terms of placement
-In Canada, an abundance of Uranium, sufficient amount around the world
-Nuclear plants don't create any air pollution
-Most Nuclear plants take up less space than most other form of energy (i.e Hydro, Wind, etc)
-Disrupts the environment less
-Energy produced by Nuclear Plants is greater than most other forms of producing energy
-People are “mutated” by being next to a power plant
-Power plants are walking time bombs
-Extremely hazardous to the environment
-Nuclear energy is dangerous to one’s health
-No solution for the amount of waste being stored
-Everyone dislikes nuclear power
-There might be another Chernobyl here is North America
-Nuclear waste can not be safely transported
-Used Nuclear Waste will be deadly for thousands of years
The Truth
The Truth
-Fact is, only 0.005% of radiation comes from nuclear plants
-It is impossible for a nuclear station to explode similar to a nuclear bomb
-Emits no greenhouse gases, as well as produce next as much pollution as other forms of renewable energy
-Nuclear energy is safe or safer than most other forms of energy
-Scientists are actually trying to create a way to recycle the waste (L.F.T.R)
-It is found, that 70% of americans actually support the usage of nuclear energy
-Chernobyl couldn't happen due to the type of reactors being different
-Currently, thousands of shipments of used fuel are being transported with no known leaks or spillages
-As well as only 1% of the waste will remain radioactive during the time it breaks down
The Future
What is a L.F.T.R?
A L.F.T.R or liquid fluoride thorium reactor is as its name indicates a thermal breeder reactor that uses a thorium fuel cycle in molten fluoride-based salt fuel.
Advantages of a L.F.T.R
-Thorium reactors are more efficient than uranium fission
-It is virtually impossible for a L.F.T.R to have a meltdown
-Does not produce toxic waste
-Uranium can also be used in a L.F.T.R and as it breaks down the waste will also be use as fuel this is why the L.F.T.R is so efficient
-Uses 99% of the fuel, thus it doesn't make transuranic waste like plutonium-239
-The other 1% is plutonium-238 which is in high demand because it is needed by NASA
-Can create molybdenum-99 which is needed for medical diagnostics
Nuclear Fusion
Fun Facts
Do you think that nuclear energy is a viable source of energy?
A Quick Question
Change of Heart
Did your perspective of nuclear energy change after listening to this presentation?
- Sources of energy similar to geothermal use the decay of thorium to create heat
-It is the same so a reactor could harness the same heat, but create significantly more energy
Diagram of How it Works
In conclusion, we hope that you have learned something new about nuclear energy and that this presentation changed your perspective about nuclear energy as well.
-In 1905, Einstein discovered that mass can changed into energy
-In 1918, Sir Ernest Rutherford proved atoms could be split
-By 1942, the world had its first nuclear reactor
-Globally, there are over 430 commercial nuclear power reactors in 31 countries
-During the Middle Ages, craftspeople used it to color glass yellow or certain shades of green
-Canada is the number 1 producer of Uranium
-laws, and Rules. "ANS / Public Information / Resources / Top 10 Myths and Nuclear Energy." American Nuclear Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. http://www.new.ans.org/pi/resources/myths/>.
-Martin, Richard. Superfuel: thorium, the green energy source for the future. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.
-Morris, Neil. Nuclear power. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media, 2007. Print.
-"Nuclear Energy: Pros and Cons." The Triple Bottom Line: Sustainable Business, Social Entrepreneurs, CSR and more.... N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/02/nuclear-energy-pros-and-cons/>.
-Clark, Bruce, John K. Wallace, and Kim Earle. Making connections: Canada's geography. Toronto: Pearson Education, 2006. Print.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9M__yYbsZ4 16:35
Magnetic Confinement
-There would be a machine that contains a magnetic field
-Used to contain the charged particles in the plasma to keep it away from the chamber walls
-Based solely on the fact that the plasma will travel along the path of the magnetic field
-The plasma can be heated while being held
-Where afterward, energy would be forced out from the plasma, where the chamber would absorb by the blanket
Inertial Confinement
-This method is used to contain plasma for a long time
-Involves imploding a small fuel pellet (50/50 mixture of deuterium and tritium)
-Compressed hard enough, will create a reaction that increases the density and temperature
-Energy drivers compress the pellet, usually a laser of some sort
-This causes an explosion that releases a shock-wave
-Eventually the shock-wave will compress and heat the core
-The compressed fuel then burns, releasing energy and expanding
-This behavior is known as inertia
-Results in an inertial confinement fusion reaction
-Two types of fusion, magnetic confinement and inertial confinement
Full transcript