Nuclear Energy in the U.S.

Juliet, Thurman, Conner, and Taylor

What is Nuclear Energy?• What is it?

– Capturing atomic nuclei for energy use for people

• Two kinds:1.Fission2.Fusion

• Most common form of fission involves splitting Uranium 235

Fission• What is it?

– Splitting of two atoms into smaller pieces– Fission produces smaller pieces of the atom, along with more energy, and

electromagnetic radiation– Fission of Uranium produces resources by;

Produces heat -> produces steam -> steam drives turbines to create electricity

Fusion• What is it?– Pairing small atoms together to become

one to release large amounts of energy

History

• 1939- development of nuclear fission began in labs• 1940- Manhattan project (secret military objective to

build the first nuclear weapon Atomic Bomb)• 1950’s-1980- popularity of nuclear energy was an

increased way of producing energy• 1980’s- popularity decreased due to cost restraints

Current Statistics in the U.S.

• 61 Nuclear Power Plants• 99 Nuclear Reactors• Spread among 30 states• Makes up about 19% of the U.S.

energy• No way to get rid of the waste

How Much Does the World Produce in

Nuclear Energy?

Waste from Nuclear Energy• Budget of $32 million set aside

for the storage of the waste• Stored underground and in the

reactors• Waste keeps piling up• Affects the surrounding

environment where it is stored

Waste from Nuclear Energy cont.• Low-level waste

– Includes items that have been contaminated by radioactive material

• Intermediate-level waste– Filters, steel components, other various parts of the reactor

• High-level waste

-Highly radioactive materials produced as a byproduct of the reaction from nuclear fission

How Waste Is Managed• Two acceptable and regulated methods

of storing nuclear waste– Spent Fuel Pools: are placed in the reactor

and contain at least 20 feet of water, there are neutron absorbing materials placed as a barrier in the fuel pool

– Dry Cask Storage: developed as an alternative when fuel pools began, allows waste that has spent a year in the fuel pool is placed in leak-confined steel cyclinders

Future of Nuclear Energy in the U.S.

• Use of nuclear power within the states appears limited• Optimists may believe there will be a surge with nuclear

power once again due to more efficient plants and safer more advanced equipment

• Nuclear power is quickly becoming outsourced as an energy resource by other forms of energy such as natural gas

• The cost of continuing to run nuclear power plants and stockpile the waste is beginning to outweigh the rewards and efficiency of nuclear energy

Works Cited• http://www.nei.org/Issues-Policy/Nuclear-Waste-Management• http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-was

te-management/

• http://vtdigger.org/2014/05/19/legacy-americas-nuclear-power-plants-spent-fuel-place-put/

• http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-wastes---myths-and-realities/

• http://fusioned.gat.com/what_is_fusion.html• http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/dry-cask-storage.html• http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/pools.html• http://www.nrc.gov/waste/low-level-waste.html• http://www.nrc.gov/waste/high-level-waste.html• http://www.nrc.gov/waste.html• http://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-basics/what-are-nuclear-wastes-/