This document provides an overview of how nuclear energy works in 7 steps: 1) Mining uranium ore from the earth's crust. 2) Enriching the uranium ore to increase the concentration of Uranium-235. 3) Producing uranium dioxide pellets that go into fuel rods. 4) Inserting the fuel rods into the nuclear reactor core where fission occurs. 5) Controlling the fission reaction with control rods. 6) Circulating water through the reactor as a coolant to remove excess heat. 7) Enclosing the reactor in a containment shell to protect from hazards.

2. Set up your paper like this
Pro-nuclear Arguments Anti-nuclear Arguments
My opinion is that ______nuclear won this debate. The most
compelling argument to me was ______________.
https://www.ted.com/talks/debate_does_the_world_need_nuclear_e

3. Nonrenewable Energy
Ch. 15 - Nuclear Energy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bZo9FbJq_4

4. How does nuclear energy
work?

6. The process of
producing the heat
to boil water is the
complex part
–A nuclear
fission reaction
is used

7. Step 1: mine uranium ore from the
earth’s crust
– Pretty common in the crust (40X more common than
silver; 500x more common than gold)
– Atomic number 92
– Most common isotopes: 238
U (99.7%) and 235
U
(0.7%)
Uranium mine
in Moab, Utah
Uranium
ore

8. Step 2: Enrich the
uranium ore to increase
the concentration of 235
U
(from 0.7% to ~ 3%)
–this is the form that is
capable of the fission
chain reaction needed for
nuclear energy

9. Step 3: produce pellets of uranium
dioxide
– each has the same energy as 1 ton of coal

10. Step 4: pipes called fuel rods
– These go into the core of the reactor - the
place where the fission reaction takes
place

11. The nuclear
fission chain
reaction
VERYVERY
exothermic

12. Step 5: control the reaction with control
rods
– These absorb neutrons to help regulate the
rate of fission and the amount of energy
produced

13. Step 6: add a coolant (water) to
circulate through the reactor to remove
excess heat (otherwise the rods will
melt and released massive amounts of
radioactive material into the
environment)

14. Step 7: encase the reactor in a
containment shell
– Thick, steel reinforced, concrete walls
– Meant to withstand tornadoes, etc
– Also meant to contain radioactive waste in
the event of an explosion inside the core

15. Spent fuel rods
Eventually, most or all of the 235
U
is gone from the fuel rod
The remaining material is
still VERY hot and
dangerously radioactive
Spent rods are removed and stored in
either water-filled pools or in dry casks
– Not as well protected
The plan is to move these to some
long term underground facility for
long term storage (10,000-250,000)

16. Diablo Canyon Nuclear
Reactor in California

17. Nuclear Reactor
Stats
Highly inefficient: lose 83% of their
potential energy as heat to environment

18. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Mine theMine the
uranium oreuranium ore
Process and
enrich the uranium
to make fuel
Use it in a reactor
Store spent fuel
rods until no
longer
radioactive
Decomission
nuclear power
plant after 15-60
years
Each step adds
to the cost of
the fuel and
reduces the net
energy gain
The whole
nuclear fuel cycle
is very inefficient -
92% of the energy
content is wasted

20. Decommissioning a nuclear
power plant
After 40-60 years, the life of a reactor
comes to an end
Can’t just shut it down and leave due to
intensely radioactive material on site
Decommissioned nuclear
power plant in Rancho Seco

21. Nuclear Power - the
background story
In 1950s, it was predicted
that by now, at least 1/4 of
the world’s energy would
come from nuclear power
In reality, just 6% does
EXCEPT…
France gets 77% of its energy from
nuclear
Japan and South Korea each get
39% of their energy from nuclear

22. World’s slowest growing energy
resource

23. Why?
1. High operating costs
2. Low net energy
3. More expensive to
produce than coal,
natural gas, wind
4. Requires huge
amounts of fresh
water that must be
taken from nearby
rivers/lakes
5. Public concern
about safety

24. Nuclear Reactor Disasters
Three mile island
3-29-1979
Pennsylvania
One of the reactors lost
its coolant water
Super hot radioactive
core melted
Containment building
kept in most, but some
radioactivity escaped
into atm.
Mostly scared people

25. Nuclear Reactor Disasters
Chernobyl
4-26-1986
Series of explosions blew the roof off
a reactor in Ukraine
Reactor melted, fire burned for 10
days
Released more than 100x the
radiation at the atomic bombs at
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Radioactive cloud spread over
Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Europe,
world
Still experiencing effects

27. Chernobyl
Poor reactor design
Many people died in the explosion
Many people died later from radiation
exposure
350,000 people had to abandon their
homes and all that was in them due
to contamination
In some places, it is still unsafe to
drink the water or eat the plants or
animals
In contaminated areas, high rates of
birth defects, mental retardation,
thyroid cancer, leukemia, immune
system disease

28. This man and boy will wear their
“Chernobyl necklace” for life

32. Fukishimia

33. Pros and Cons of
nuclear power
We experience cave-
ins at coal excavation
sites fairly frequently,
resulting in the loss of
human life.
If you had to choose
between the risks of
mining coal and the
risks of nuclear energy,
which would you
choose and why?