Fission and Fusion

Name: Dr. Wei Ji

Department: MANE at R.P.I.

Topic: Nuclear Energy

Date:January 19, 2016

Social Value:

Energy is an important part of our daily lives.  It’s how we heat our homes, run our electronic devices, and get from place to place.  Our society relies on fossil fuels for most of our energy, however, eventually these will run out.  We have to start relying on other forms of energy so that we are better prepared for when they run out.  Nuclear energy is a possible solution to this because it is abundant, more cost effective, and doesn’t cause air pollution.  It is impacted socially though by the fear of past nuclear scares like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima.  Because of these, not many people are eager to increase our reliance on nuclear power.

Government Connection:

Energy production is monitored and regulated by the Department of Energy which is part of the federal government. Government policy also has a huge influence on energy development. The government can use subsidies and taxes to strongly influence the type of energy used in the nation. For example a tax on carbon emission would have a huge negatie impact on the economic sustainability of coal and natural gas power plants, making nuclear power seem more financially appealing. Also, the government could ease zoning restrictions and use tax incentives to make way for nuclear power plants.    Energy also correlates with government candidates.  A politician running for office who is pro-environment will get different supporters than someone who is pushing for infrastructure build up.  The government  also affects how much money will go towards energy research and support in the federal budget.  As energy continues to change in what is primarily used, the amount in the budget may also need to change.

Economics Connection:

• Federal Budget Change (as said before)
• Gas prices will increase as the supply decreases (supply and demand)
• Nuclear fuel is more cost effective if used instead of fossil fuels(if start up costs and nuclear waste storage are not included.)

Guest Connections:

• Dr. Borton- alternate energy and economies of scale
• Dr. Katz- climate change and possible solutions

Terms/Concepts:

• Control rods
• Cladding
• Spent fuel
• Reprocessing
• Condenser
• Turbine
• Nuclear fission- If the nucleus of a heavy atom (Uranium, Thorium) absorbs a neutron, the nucleus becomes unstable and splits.
• Nuclear fusion- Tritium + Deuterium becomes neutron +Helium (Happens on the sun)
• Uranium -Heavy atom used in fission reactions
• U235 – isotope that undergoes fission
• U238 – non fissionable. The majority of mined U is U 238.  To concentrate enough U235, we need to “enrich” uranium.
• Thorium-Heavy atom used in fission reactions (can’t create nuclear weapons)
• **Critical- The plant is at a normal level – just enough to sustain a controlled nuclear reaction
• Sub-critical- The energy output is not efficient enough to sustain nuclear fission
• **Super Critical- Too muh energy is being produced, usually not a safe point. – uncontrolled fission (melt down possible)
• Boiling Water Reactor- One reactor that changes water density and temperature to produce energy (usually for electricity) Radioactive water comes in direct contact with turbine, but not with environment.http://www.nrc.gov/images/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/student-bwr.gif

• Pressurized Water Reactor- A thermal reactor where steam is produced through heat exchange rather than the core so that radioactive water does not come into direct contact with the turbine (also usually for electricity)https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/PressurizedWaterReactor.gif
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• Containment- One of the most critical parts of a nuclear power plant.  Usually a building around the reactor
• Fuushima- Location of nuclear meltdown in Japan where the cooling system failed
• TOKAMEK- First fusion test reactor in Russia
• ITER- International project involving building a fusion reactor to test the concept. This is taking decades to build and is funded by many nations, This is a ”TOKAMEK” type of  fusion reactormeaning it means a particular type of magnetic confinement to get plasma up to 150 degrees C
• Reactor Core- Part of the reactor that contains the fuel and allows reactions to take place

Questions to think about (from Tammie):

·        

• How is a nuclear power plant like a coffee pot?
• ***How is electrical energy made from heat in general? How do turbines, steam, generators, and heat exchangers play a role? This corresponds to what you learned on your energy posters too!***
• ·    What is a heat exchanger and how does it work (in a very general sense)
• **** We can break apart nuclei to get energy (fission). We can combine nuclei to get energy (fusion).How can that be? It would seem that we should be able to get energy out only one way or the other – putting things together or taking them apart. What gives?  Hint: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/nucbin.html http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch23/graphics/23_7fig.gif

Just FYI from the Smithsonian, “The Kola Superdeep Borehole was just 9 inches in diameter, but at 40,230 feet (12,262 meters) reigns as the deepest hole. It took almost 20 years to reach that 7.5-mile depth—only half the distance or less to the mantle. Among the more interesting discoveries: microscopic plankton fossils found at four miles down. The Kola hole was abandoned in 1992 when drillers encountered higher-than-expected temperatures—356 degrees Fahrenheit, not the 212 degrees that had been mapped.”