Nuclear Power Generation & Emergency Preparedness
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Transcript of Nuclear Power Generation & Emergency Preparedness
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Nuclear Power Generation& Emergency Preparedness
Health Physics SocietyPower Reactor Section
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103 Nuclear Power Reactors
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Steam Engines
HOW A NUCLEAR REACTOR WORKS
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Outline Electric Power Generation Why Nuclear? What About Accidents? Safety By Design and
Operation What About Drill Scenarios?
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Electricity: A Vital Resource
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Sources of Power
Gas17.9%
Oil2.3%
Nuclear20.4%
Hydro6.9%
Renewable2.2%
Coal50.3%
Source: EIA - Updated 11/03
(2002)
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Pros & Cons
COAL
HYDRO
NATURAL GAS
SOLAR & WIND
cheap and abundant but source of greenhouse gases
clean but seasonal and no new
sources
cleaner than coal but limited supply
renewable but expensive, low energy
density, and intermittent
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Why Nuclear?
NUCLEAR
high energy density
no air pollution
small, contained waste
But what about… safety, security, and waste
disposal ?
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High Energy Density Each person in the United States uses either:
4 tons of coal or a few ounces of uranium
1 pellet = 150 gallons gasoline 1780 pounds coal 16,000 ft3 natural gas 2.5 tons wood
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No Air Pollution
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
76% 22% 1.4% 0.7% 0.1%Nuclear Hydro Geothermal Wind Solar
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Waste Contained in Used Fuel Assemblies, Cooling-off In Pools
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Loaded into Steel Containers, Stored in Concrete Casks
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Steel Containers Buried Deep Underground
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Waste Hazard Decreases Over Time
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Nuclear Safety Record 440 civil nuclear reactors in 30 countries
sharing operating experiences (http://www.world-nuclear.org/index.htm)
Impressive safety record covering 12,000 reactor-years of operating experience
Two nuclear accidents: TMI (1979) Chernobyl (1986)
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Three Mile Island (TMI) March 28th 1979, Unit 2 reactor trips at 4 AM. (The
movie “China Syndrome” is playing in theaters)
Pressurer relief value sticks open, lose of cooling accident (LOCA) begins.
Hampered by inadequate training and instrumentation, operators shut off emergency core cooling.
By 6:30 AM, blocking value is closed, shutting off the loss of coolant but …
The water level has fallen below the top of the reactor core. The fuel rods containing the uranium fuel pellets melt and release radioactive gas into the Containment Building.
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TMI: Hydrogen “Bubble” When the fuel rods melt, hydrogen gas is generated. A “bubble” of hydrogen gas collects in the reactor
head. Fear that the hydrogen could explode result in
confusion, panic. About 150,000 people evacuate. However, the hydrogen explosion was never possible
(not enough oxygen)
Major lessons: Better operator training Better emergency planning
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TMI: Consequences
No one killed, no one injured. Offsite radiation is minimal, a small fraction of
natural background radiation. Public confidence is severely damaged. Many health effects studies have been conducted.
In 1996, a U.S. District Court dismisses all lawsuits finding no evidence of harm.
Improvements to operator training, instrumentation, and emergency plans are now required.
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Chernobyl
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Chernobyl April 1986 disaster at Chernobyl in the Ukraine was a
result of a dangerous reactor design and weak operational controls.
Weak Operational Control: Poorly trained operators were performing a dangerous
and unauthorized “test”. Dangerous Reactor Design:
A “positive” temperature coefficient of “reactivity” resulted in a huge power surge that cause water to flash to steam, blowing the cover plate off the top of the reactor…
Broken pipes spilled water onto the hot “graphite” moderator, which bursts into flames.
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Flawed Reactor Design graphite core & unstable reactor
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Environmental Pathways 82% of the iodine exposure was avoidable
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Chernobyl: Consequences
31 workers, mostly fire fighters are killed largely due to acute radiation exposure.
Huge release of radioactive material, distributed around Europe.
World confidence is severely damaged. The Whole Health Organization has linked hundreds
of child thyroid cancers to the accident (10 deaths), but no detectable increase in other cancers.
The greatest damage was from fear (psychological), NOT radiation.
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Can Chernobyl Happen Here?
Reactor Design: Apples & Oranges Positive temperature coefficients of reactivity Graphite core that catches fire and burns for days No containment building
Institutional Controls: Apples & Oranges No strict operating license No strict regulatory oversight
Lesson: Never Take Safety For Granted
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Nuclear Safety
Design and Construction Operation and Training
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Safety By Design: Low “Enrichment”
Fission “chain reaction”: E = m * c2
U-235 atoms fission. 5% in fuel, 95% in bombs.
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Safety By Design: Fuel Rods
Typical values:
The uranium fuel is made of solid ceramic pellets.
The fuel pellets are sealed inside 13’ long zirconium alloy rods.
236 rods in each assembly
217 assemblies in the reactor core
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Safety By Design: Reactor Vessel
Typical values:
Weight: 400 tons
Thickness: 8 inches
Fuel Assemblies (Core)
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Safety By Design: PWR Containment
Initial Construction
Completed Concrete Dome
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Layers of Protection Against 9/11
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Safety By Design: Reactor Control
Automatic shutdown system relies on gravity
Negative temperature & pressure coefficients of reactivity*
Controls rods maintain maximum shutdown potential
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Safety By Design:Redundant Safety Systems
Reactivity Control
Core Heat Removal
“RCS” Inventory Control
“RCS” Heat Removal
Containment Isolation
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Regulatory ControlNuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland
(www.nrc.gov)
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NRC Regulatory Functions
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This IS Rocket Science
Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) Volume 15: Accident Analysis Design Basis Accidents (Worst Case Scenarios):
Loss of Cooling Accident (LOCA) Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR)
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What Can Get Released?
Noble gas fission products Chemically inert (xenon)
Volatile fission products Chemically reactive (iodine)
All other fission products Remain in solid form
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Beyond “Worst Case Scenarios”
EP drills must exercise the emergency plan, requiring an unbelievable sequence of events.
Nuclear Engineering uses the science of: “Probabilistic Risk Assessment”
Probability of an typical “EP Scenario”: “1 in 10 billion”
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Summary Benefits of nuclear power include no air pollution and
low volume of contained waste. We’re here today because of the lessons-learned at TMI. Because of differences in design, the Chernobyl disaster
has little relevance to the safety of U.S. nuclear power plants.
U.S. nuclear plants are safe through design, operation, and strict regulatory control.
EP Drills must use unrealistic scenarios to exercise our Emergency Plan.
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Thanks…for your interest and patience !