Chapter 8 Nuclear Energy
The cost of a new plant can exceed _____ dollars and take ____ or more years to build
$10 billion 10 years
What are the social cost of nuclear plants ?
-250,000 year life -no permanent storage -terrorism
At a current rate of use the U.S. should have a ____ year of supply, with a similar figure for global supplies
100
As an example, the AEC promoted the _____, which limited the liability of nuclear firms in the event of a n accident as necessary so that a fledging industry would be able to find private financing
1957-Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act
Watts Bar 1 began in _____, the last nuclear plant to do so
1996
Nuclear energy provides about _______ percent of U.S. electricity generation, the third largest source
20%
High Level Radioactive Waste can remain active for ____ years
250,000
How many reprocessing plants have been built in the US?
3
How long does it take after a plant has ceased operations for it to be safe to began decommissioning?
30 years
The NRC originally pronounced this temporarily solution as safe for 30 years but recently extended it to ____ years
60 years
A fusion reaction initially requires _____ and then uses some of the energy released to fuse additional atoms
A large amount of energy from a fission reaction to begin
Stigler expected that industry, which has concentrated interest, would have a greater incentive to influence regulators than the public, which has dispersed interests
Capture Theory of Regulation
The AEC's actions are consistent with Stiglers (1971) _____
Capture theory of Regulation
What reinforced the common view that nuclear plants were unsafe ?
Chernobyl
For the first time in decades, the NRC approved funding in March of 2012 for the _____
Construction of 4 new nuclear plants (Vogtle 3 and 4 and summer 2 and 3)
_____ won the Noble Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for discovering the half-life of radioactive substances and went on in 1911 to propose a new model of the atom
Ernest Rutherford
The ____ then collide with and split additional heavy-element atoms which in turn releases energy and at least two neurons
Extra neutrons
Since nuclear energy inception as a source of electricity generation, what has happened ?
It's cost has escalated despite prophecies that as we gained experience with constructing and operating these plants, cost would decrease
____ is a way to compare the cos of fuels
Legalized cost
"Electrical energy is to cheap to meter"
Lewis Strauss the chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission
The energy generated in a fusion reaction requires a _____ or ______, as its too hot for any material container
Magnetic or plasma field
Fermi was among the scientist who worked on the top secret _____, culminating in dropping fission process atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
Manhattan Project
_____ contains different isotopes, configurations of the element with the sam Number of protons but different numbers of neurons
Natural uranium
_____ refers to the process of suing atoms of lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium together
Nuclear fusion
With the end of World War 2 and the begging of the Cold War, the US government sought _____ in order to maintain a ready supply of trained nuclear physicist and engineers and justify the continued experimentation with atomic weapons and nuclear power
Peaceful uses for nuclear energy
In US, electric utilities pay a fee towards ____ that has yet to be established
Permanent repository
In 1977, President Jimmy Crater banned reprocessing dues to the fears of creating _____, which can be used to make nuclear weapons
Plutonium
The air around the explosion is compressed
Pressure waves
Nuclear plants generate ____ as a by-product of electricity generation
Radioactive waste
The peaceful use of nuclear energy for electricity generation controls the _____
Reactor chain reaction to prevent an explosion
Only about 0.7% is _____, the type that works best in conventional nuclear reactors
U235
___ fissions relatively easily, Nuclear plants control the reaction by including a moderator to the control the reaction and a cooling system to keep the reactor core from over heating
U235
Over 99% of natural uranium is composed of _____, with the subscript representing the atomic weight of the nucleus
U238
In 2005, the ______ aimed to propel the nuclear renaissance
US Energy Policy Act
What countries reprocess spent fuel ?
US, France, UK, Japan, India and Russia
_____, the predominant fuel used in nuclear reactors, serves the same purpose as fossil fuels, to create heat and steam to power a turbine to generate electricity without the emissions associated with fossil fuels
Uranium
Fermi's technology of using uranium and rods was similar to today's nuclear reactor but was Fermi's immediate interest ?
Was in building a bomb to defeat Germany and the axis powers and win world war 2
The ____ may continue to require on-site attention in the absence of a permanent depository
Waste
What is the main problem with countries that use nuclear power ?
The lack of a solution for long term storage of nuclear waste
What did the NRC also approve of in March of 2012?
The permission of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to complete the construction of Watts Bar Unit 2 so it can begin operations
What is the major disadvantage of nuclear plants over fossil fuel plants ?
The possibility of the release of radiation and radioactive particles
What is the major advantage of nuclear plants over fossil fuel plants ?
There is no carbon, NOx or sulfur emissions
What happens if the cooling system fails ?
There should be a back up cooling system
What happens if the backup cooling system fails ?
There should be a containment building to enclose the reactor core
After the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) succeeded the AEC, what did critics of the AEC say?
There standards were lax in several areas including radiation protection, reactor safety, plant siting and environmental protection
What about Chernobyl ?
There was no containment building resulting in the release of large amounts of radiation in the atmosphere
T/F: The amount of energy from a. Nuclear fusion is many times greater than a fission reaction
True
T/F: There is as yet no permanent solution to the storage of high-level waste
True
In 1942, _____ who had earlier discovered the fission potential of uranium, produced the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction
Enrich Fermi
The US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) served more as a ____ than a _____
Advocate than a watchdog
____ have an identical nucleus to a helium atom and contain two protons and two electrons
Alpha Particles
What is the result of nuclear fusion ?
An atom of a heavier element and a release of energy
In 1946, the United States established the ______ to oversee the development of peaceful civilian uses for nuclear energy as well as military uses
Atomic Energy Commission
Both ___ and _____ raced to harness the energy released in a fission reaction to create an atomic bomb
Axis and allied countries
How is a nuclear power plant much like one powered by fossil fuels ?
Because a heat sources produces steam which drives a turbine to generate electricity, the only difference is the source of heat for a nuclear power plant is the heat released from the fission reaction
Why are none of them operating for civilian purposes ?
Because due to the fear that separated plutonium could fall into the wrong hands
In 1917, Rutherford made another important discovery, that it was possible to split the nuclear of the atom by _____
Bombarding it with alpha particles
What happened with the Fukushima Disaster ?
Both cooling systems failed and pressures were build up to a point where radioactive gases breached the containment zone
Unlike fossil fuel plants, there is no _____ and therefore are no emissions at the electric generating stage
Burning of fuel
Regulations also require that they set aside funds each year towards eventual plant ______
Decommissioning
____ includes reducing remaining radioactivity in the land and discontaminating and dismantling the structures
Decommissioning
The alpha particle would occasionally ______, changing it into a different element
Dislodge a proton in the nucleus of the original atom
To date, _____ dictates that nuclear plants are large
Economies of scale
____ damages an electricity system
Electromagnetic pulses
In 2005, with the advocacy of the NRC, the ______ extended price-Anderson through 2025
Energy Policy Act
It can also increase _____ for countries such as the U.S. that have an abundant uranium supply
Energy security
_____ is the splitting of atoms and the reaction releases energy (in the form of radiation)
Fission
_____ where nuclear energy accounts for the largest percentage of electricity at 70-80% of electricity production, is among a small number of countries that reprocessesits nuclear waste
France
What nuclear accident in 2011 caused a halt to the nuclear renaissance?
Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Plant in Japan
Aside: What did the Energy Policy Act also do ?
Gave industry production tax credits and offered loan of guarantees for construction of new plants
If the atom is one of ____ such as uranium or plutonium then the reaction releases at least two neutrons along with the energy
Heavier elements
_____ are the by-products of the nuclear reactions
High Level Radioactive Waste
When did the United States build most of its nuclear plants and why ?
In the 1960s and 1950s, reinforced by the goal of energy security in the wake of the Middle East oil embargo
At current prices of uranium, reprocessing _____ the cost of generating electricity
Increases
What is the outcome of the capture theory of regulation ?
Instead of promoting overall social welfare, regulators favor the industry they regulate
The price of uranium is at _____
Historically low levels
When did commercial use of nuclear energy began ?
In the 1950's
With the attack of 2001, there was talk of a _____, a return to building new nuclear plants, to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy security
Nuclear renaissance
There is considerable evidence the japan has a ____ which a culture of coziness between the company and government- leading to tax regulation
Nuclear village
Where do they store this radioactive waste now ?
On site
In conventional designs, _____ is the moderator and the coolant, as it slows down the reaction and keeps the fuel from overheating
Ordinary (light) water
The cost as if the plant was built overnight so that there would be no financing cost
Overnight cost
While reprocessing has the disadvantage of creating pure plutonium, what is the advantage ?
Reduces the amount of spent fuel and nuclear waste
An alternative is to _____ nuclear fuel, recycling spent fue; and using it to generate additional fuel
Reprocess
After nuclear fuel has been used to generate electricity , it is possible to ______ the unturned fuel and extract the remaining uranium and plutonium
Reprocess (Recycle)
What happens of the fission process is left unchecked ?
Results in a violent explosion, releasing tremendous amounts of radiation, thermal energy, pressure waves, radioactive particles and electromagnetic pulses
Thus ____ occurs
Self sustaining nuclear chain reaction
In 1957, the worlds first-large scale nuclear plant began operations in ______
Shippenport, Pennsylvania
Rutherfords models resembled the _____, with a dense nucleus that contained protons and neutrons surround by orbits of electrons
Solar system
A consortium of power companies led by the _______ is building Vogtle units 3 and 4, which will be the first new nuclear plants to be build in the United States since the 3 mile island accident
Southern company of Georgia
_____ are contained in ponds with about 40 feet of water of water encased by reinforced concrete several feet thick with steel liners
Spent fuel rods
What is the temporary solution to spent fuel ?
Store waste at the reactor site
What is the case for nuclear energy ?
That it is a reliable large sourcew of carbon free baseload power, with plants built to supply electricity throughout the day and night
The _____ proffered loan guarantees to electric utilities willing to build new plants with more advanced designs than existing plants
The US Department of Energy (DOE)
Where has the United States proposed to store this radioactive waste as a permanent-site?
The Yuca Mountains in Nevada
The _____ threatened the competition of the four new plants
The bankruptcy of the Westinghouse
While succeeding president Ronald Reagan lifted the ban in 1981 because _____
The cost of reprocessing exceeds using the cost of using new fuel as long as the price of uranium remains low
These factors combine to make _____
The cost per unit of electricity higher than the cost of other alternative fuels
What is the case against uranium ?
The high cost as well as safety issues
The fission process happens in _____
Within a fraction of a second
