 Principles of nuclear energy  Fission reactions  Nuclear reactor  Nuclear power plants

 Chain reaction occurs when a Uranium atom splits  Different reactions  Atomic Bomb in a split second  Nuclear Power Reactor more controlled, cannot explode like a bomb

1938– Scientists study Uranium nucleus 1941 – Manhattan Project begins 1942 – Controlled nuclear chain reaction 1945 – U.S. uses two atomic bombs on Japan 1949 – Soviets develop atomic bomb 1952 – U.S. tests hydrogen bomb 1955 – First U.S. nuclear submarine

Program to justify nuclear technology Proposals for power, canal-building, exports First commercial power plant, Illinois 1960

 The energy in one pound of highly enriched Uranium is comparable to that of one million gallons of gasoline.  One million times as much energy in one pound of Uranium as in one pound of coal.

 Nuclear energy annually prevents  5.1 million tons of sulfur  2.4 million tons of nitrogen oxide  164 metric tons of carbon  Nuclear often pitted against fossil fuels  Some coal contains radioactivity  Nuclear plants have released low-level radiation

 1964 Atomic Energy Commission report on possible reactor accident  45,000 dead  100,000 injured  $17 billion in damages  Area the size of Pennsylvania contaminated

 17% of world’s electricity from nuclear power  U.S. about 20% (2nd largest source)  431 nuclear plants in 31 countries  103 of them in the U.S.  Built none since 1970s (Wisconsin as leader).  U.S. firms have exported nukes.  Push from Bush/Cheney for new nukes.

 Uranium mining and milling  Conversion and enrichment  Fuel rod fabrication  POWER REACTOR  Reprocessing, or  Radioactive waste disposal  Low-level in commercial facilities  High level at plants or underground repository

 U-235  Fissionable at 3%  Weapons grade at 90%  U-238  More stable  Plutonium-239  Created from U-238; highly radioactive

Life span of least 240,000 years Last Ice Age glaciation was 10,000 years ago Neanderthal Man died out 30,000 years ago

 Largest industrial users of water, electricity  Paducah, KY, Oak Ridge, TN, Portsmouth, OH  Cancers and leukemia among workers  Fires and mass exposure.  Karen Silkwood at Oklahoma fabrication plant.  Risk of theft of bomb material.

 3% enriched Uranium pellets formed into rods, which are formed into bundles  Bundles submerged in water coolant inside pressure vessel, with control rods.  Bundles must be SUPERCRITICAL; will overheat and melt if no control rods. Reaction converts water to steam, which powers steam turbine

 Reactor’s pressure vessel typically housed in 8” of steel  36” concrete shielding  45” steel reinforced concrete

Uses liquid sodium metal instead of water for coolant  Could explode if in contact with air or water  1966 Fermi, Michigan  Partial meltdown nearly causes evacuation of Detroit  1973 Shevchenko, Russia  Breeder caught fire and exploded  Controversial proposals in Europe, U.S.

 Separates reusable fuel from waste  Large amounts of radioactivity released  1960s West Valley, NY  Radiation leaked into Lake Ontario  1970s La Hague, France  Released plutonium plumes into air

 Low-level wastes in commercial facilities  Spent fuel in pools or “dry casks” by plants  Nuclear lab wastes  Hanford wastes leaked radiation into Columbia River  High-level underground repository  Yucca Mountain in Nevada to 2037  Wolf River Batholith in Wisconsin after 2037?  Risks of cracks in bedrock, water seepage

 Disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and weapons facilities by recycling it into household products.  In 1996, 15,000 tons of metal were received by the Association of Radioactive Metal Recyclers. Much was recycled into products without consumer knowledge.  Depleted Uranium munitions for military.

 Nuclear energy has no typical pollutants or greenhouse gasses  Nuclear waste contains high levels of radioactive waste, which are active for hundreds of thousands of years.  The controversy around nuclear energy stems from all parts of the nuclear chain.