A detailed overview of Nuclear Science & Technology. myths, nuclear power, fuel cycle, nuclear disaster, chernobyl, fukushima, tsunami, effects.

2. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Our challenge: The world’s energy
needs will be growing much more
steeply from now than at any time
since the beginning of the industrial
revolution. There is no doubt that we
will need much more energy in 2050
than now. Where is this energy going
to come from?

3. Three Choices:
• Renewables
• Fossil fuels
• Nuclear Fission
Bottom Line - A reasonable goal for 2050 is a
three-way mix of all.
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

4. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NUCLEAR FISSION
Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition, American Nuclear Society

5. Fission Advantages ::
• Energy Output Per Atom
‘burning’ one uranium atom provides nearly
100,000,000 times as much energy as burning
one carbon atom.
• Neutrons – Chain Reaction
One neutron causing a fission can produce more
than one new neutron so with proper design and
control, a self-sustaining chain reaction can be
achieved.
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

6. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
One truck load per month (2,000 kilograms) versus 25
trainloads of coal per month (260,000,000 kilograms)
Source: Erik Arroyo – University of Pittsburgh

7. Fission Disadvantages ::
• Fission Products
1.Radiation and heat continue to be emitted after
the fission reaction
2.Containment required
• Prompt Fission Radiations ::
1.Generated at the time of fission
2.Emit radiation and heat
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

8. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Uranium-Resources/Supply-of-Uranium/#.UW9VSkrSkrk

9. MYTHS ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY::
Myth # 1: A nuclear reactor can explode like a nuclear bomb.
Truth: It is impossible for a reactor to explode like a nuclear weapon; these weapons
contain very special materials in very particular configurations, neither of which are
present in a nuclear reactor
Myth #2: Nuclear energy is bad for the environment.
Truth: Nuclear reactors emit no greenhouse gasses during operation. Over their full
lifetimes, they result in comparable emissions to renewable forms of energy such as
wind and solar. Nuclear energy requires less land use than most other forms of
energy.
Myth #3: Nuclear energy is not safe.
Truth: Nuclear energy is as safe or safer than any other form of energy available. No
member of the public has ever been injured or killed in the entire 50-year history of
commercial nuclear power in the U.S. In fact, recent studies have shown that it is
safer to work in a nuclear power plant than an office.
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

10. Myth # 4: Nuclear waste cannot be safely transported.
Truth: Used fuel is being safely shipped by truck, rail, and cargo ship today. To date,
thousands of shipments have been transported with no leaks or cracks of the
specially-designed casks.
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

11. GENERAL FUEL CYCLE
(for ALL consumable fuels: oil, gas, coal, uranium)
EXPLORATION (to find the resource)
MINING (to make the raw resource available)
PROCESSING (to convert raw resource to usable form)
USE (to consume for energy production)
WASTE (to dispose of wastes generated)
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
TRANSPORTATION (to move materials between various steps of the cycle)

12. LWR FUEL CYCLE
“OPEN”
FRONT END
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition, American Nuclear Society

13. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LWR FUEL CYCLE
“OPEN”
BACK END
Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition, American Nuclear Society

14. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LWR FUEL
CYCLE
“CLOSED”
Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition, American Nuclear Society

15. Unique Elements of the Light Water
Reactor (LWR) “Uranium” Fuel Cycle
• Reprocessing
– Separate Fission Products from Heavy Metal
– Separate Uranium & Plutonium
• Waste Management
– Low-Level Operating Wastes
– High-Level Reprocessing Wastes
– Geologic Repository
• Recycle
– Residual 235U
– Plutonium
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

16. Nuclear Fuel Cycle
• The 4-5 years that nuclear fuel spends in a
reactor generating power is only a small part of
the story.
• Fuel Cycle (the big picture)
– Front end: processing to produce fuel for a reactor
– Reactor operations: receiving, shipping, storing, loading,
and consuming fuel in a reactor facility
– Back end: processing / disposal of spent fuel
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

17. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SPENT FUEL REPROCESSING:: Plutonium does not occur in nature, but
is instead produced from irradiation of 238U in a reactor.

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http://hrcweb.nevada.edu/rsatg/atw/pdffiles/Microsoft PowerPoint - Goldner.pdf

19. Primary Objectives of Reactor Safety :
• The primary objectives of reactor safety are:
– Shutdown the reactor
– Maintain it in a shutdown condition
– Cool the core
– Contain the radioactive material
• How are these objectives accomplished in today’s
reactors?
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

20. Reactor Safety Fundamentals:
• What is the biggest risk to the public that is unique to nuclear
power reactors?
– Release of radioactive materials.
• Operating reactors contain an enormous inventory of radioactive
products (fuel, fission products, activation products)
• Release is prevented by Multiple-Barrier Design
– Pellet
– Cladding
– Reactor Primary Coolant System
– Containment / Safety Systems
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

21. 1st & 2nd Barriers 3rd Barrier 4th Barrier
Pellet & Cladding Primary-System Boundary Reactor Containment
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

22. Have Accidents Ever Happened?
Unfortunately, YES!
– There have actually been ~100 reactor accidents over the
last 70 years
• Many in Russia, but a surprisingly large number in
the US (mostly in research reactors during the first two
decades)
• Most were minor, with a small amount of fuel
damage (most reactors were refueled and returned to
service)
– Four events stand out above the rest
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

23. 2
SL-1 (Idaho)
• Critical excursion
• Destroyed reactor and killed three operators.
• Little release of contamination in spite of the fact that SL-1 did not have
containment.
Three Mile Island (Pennsylvania)
• 50-80% of fuel in core melted.
• Reactor core and vessel were total losses.
• Containment held.
• No fatalities.
Chernobyl (Russia)
• Positive void coefficient caused reactivity excursion which created a
• steam explosion and destroyed the plant.
• “Containment” was destroyed
Fukushima (Japan)
• Natural disaster of tsunami overwhelmed emergency systems.
• Suspect reactor core damage.
• No known fatalities.
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

24. Chernobyl Nuclear Station
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:View_of_Chernobyl_taken_from_Pripyat_zoomed.JPG

25. Reactor Damage
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Chernobyl and Its Legacy," EPRI Journal, vol. 12, no. 4, June 1987, pp.4-21

26. ACCIDENT CAUSES & LESSONS LEARNED
DESIGN DEFICIENCIES
– Positive Coolant-Void Feedback
– Slow Reactor Trip
– No Fission-Product Control or Containment
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DEFICIENCIES
– Test Aborted by Dispatcher
– Test Continued from Unplanned Conditions
– Approval to Override Safety Systems
– Test w/o Understanding of Reactor Safety
– No Simulator Training
– No Anticipation of Event Type by Designers,
Management or Operators
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27. .....and the Tsunami
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
•Inundated 420 miles of
eastern coast of Japan
• Arrived 10-60 minutes
after earthquake
• Affected entire Pacific
Design basis – 5.7 m
Reactors and safety
systems at 13 m
Observed height: 14 m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:SendaiAirportMarch16.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011Sendai-NOAAEnergylhvpd9-05.jpg

28. FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI DISASTER
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

29. Penetrating Properties of Radiation
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Diagram_human_cell_nucleus_no_text.png

30. Short-Term Radiation Effects
Immediate Effects (hours to days)
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

31. Long-Term Radiation Effects (months to years)
• Cancer / leukaemia
• Cataracts
• Genetic defects
• Blood disorders
• Lifespan shortening
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

32. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Universal radiation dose limits (annual)*
• Public = 0.1 rem (1 mSv)
Special situations
• 25 rem “Lifesaving”
• 10 rem “Equipment saving”

33. U.S. Electricity Production Costs
1995-2011, cents per kilowatt-hour
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Production Costs = Operations and Maintenance Costs + Fuel Costs
http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/documentlibrary/reliableandaffordableenergy/graphicsandcharts/uselectricityproductioncosts/

34. Nuclear Power in India:
• India has a flourishing and largely indigenous nuclear power program and
expects to have 14,600 MWe nuclear capacity on line by 2020. It aims to
supply 25% of electricity from nuclear power by 2050.
• Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its
weapons program, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear
plant or materials, which has hampered its development of civil nuclear
energy until 2009.
• Due to these trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely
been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.
• Now, foreign technology and fuel are expected to boost India's nuclear
power plans considerably. All plants will have high indigenous engineering
content.
• India has a vision of becoming a world leader in nuclear technology due to
its expertise in fast reactors and thorium fuel cycle.
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

35. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Source: World Nuclear association

36. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

37. Manufacturing Glass Could Reduce Nuclear Waste By 90%
Nov.7 2013 by Professor Neil Hyatt
The incredible volume reduction comes from combining the plutonium waste with ground
granulated blast furnace slag, a byproduct from manufacturing steel and iron. The result is a
glass that stabilizes the plutonium so it can be stored safely.
The result is a durable black silicate glass that can safely store harmful plutonium.
The melting process does not produce a violent reaction and the glass product is only 5-20%
of the volume of the starting materials.
Because the process happens with very few steps, the research team hopes that it could
eventually be used in in the clean up effort from the Fukushima Plant that was damaged from
the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.
Around the globe, over 200,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste from nuclear operations is
generated each year. Transforming it into a glass that can be safely buried will significantly
reduce disposal costs. Because this technique is much more safe, it could alleviate concerns
among the public about burial disposal.
MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Manufacturing Glass Could Reduce Nuclear Waste By 90%
Nov.7 2013 by Professor Neil Hyatt

38. RESOURSES:
• American Nuclear Society. Nuclear Engineering – Theory and Technology of
Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition. Copyright
2008 by the American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois. Figure 19-1.
• Goldner, F. (2003). Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) - DOE Nuclear
Energy International Programs - ADS Related Activities. International
Meeting on Accelerator Driven Transmutation System Technologies, Las
Vegas, Nevada.
• World Nuclear Association.
• USNRC. http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/research/soar/soarca-
accident-progression.html
• http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/manufacturing-glass-could-reduce-
nuclear-waste-90#sthash.w96uBArZ.dpuf
• http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q3092.html
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

39. MALAVIYA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Thank You for listening !
Queries ?
Nuclear Science and Technology
Mayank Mehta
Department of Chemical Engineering
19-11-13