जन जागरूकता ई-संवाद प...india's chandrayaan-2 mission has caught...
TRANSCRIPT
-
��य पाठक�,यह अक् तूबर कुछ �विशष् ट रहा । यह 50वां अक् तूबर था, जब भारत ने अपना �थम वा�ण�ज् य क नािभक�य �व�ुत उत् पादन तारापुर, महाराष् � म� शुरू �कया। तारापुर म� दो क् वथन जल �रएक् टर (�त् येक 160 मेगावाट) जो देश को नािभक�य �व�ुत युग म� लेकर गए, आज भी राष् � क� सेवा कर रहे ह�। इन इकाइय� �ारा अब तक लगभग एक लाख िमिलयन यूिनट ह�रत �व�ुत का आपूितर् �कया जा चुका है। 50 वषर् एवं अब तक गणना जार� है ! एिशया म� सबस ेपुराना ताप�बघ-1व2, नािभक�य �व�ुत उत् पादन म� भारत के िनष् कलंक संरक्षा �रकॉडर् का �माण ह�। पढ़कर आनं�दत ह�…
अध् यक्ष, जन जागरूकता सिमित
कुल उत् पा�दत �व�ुत इकाई 37, 960िमिलयन यूिनट
केकेएनपीपी �ारा कुल CO2 उत् सजर्न म� कमी 32,607,920 टननोट: कोयल ेएवं नािभक�य ऊजार् के औसत जीवन च� �ीन हाउस गैस उत् सजर्न �मश: 888 एव ं29 (टन/गीगावाट घंटा) है।
जलवाय ु प�रवतर्न आज व�ै�क पयार्वरण म�ु� म� सवार्िधक महत् वपणूर् है। नािभक�य �व�तु न् यनूतम काबर्न �ौ�ोिग�कय� म� से एक है जो बढ़ती हुई आबाद� एवं सामा�जक-आिथर्क �वकास के िलए �व�तु उत् पादन करते हुए �ीन हाउस गैस� (जीएचजी) के उत् सजर्न (अिधकतर CO2) म� कमी लाती है।CO2 के उत् सजर्न म� कमी लाने म� केकेएनपीपी का योगदान (�दनांक 31 अक् तूबर 2019 को) अब तक इस �कार है।
अक् तूबर 2019 के �विशष् ट �बंदु
केकेएनपीपी का जलवायु प�रवतर्न के न् यूनकरण म� योगदान
1
2
74,007 जन जागरूकता �काशन �वत�रत �कए गए3
1,536 घंट� का जन संपकर् , 8,353 लोग� से संपकर्
केकेएनपीपी स् थल पर 20 और स् थल के बाहर 4 जन सपंकर् कायर्�म आयो�जत �कए गए
तयैारकतार् एव ंसपंादक:
के.बी. जाशी, �भार� अिधकार�, ट�एलड� �योगशाला [email protected]
पनुर�क्षणकतार् :
पी. पण् डारम, सदस् य सिचव, जन जागरूकता सिमित[email protected]
आर. रामदास, �िशक्षण अधीक्षक एव ंअध् यक्ष, जन जागरूकता सिमित [email protected]
जार�कतार्:
सजंय कुमार, स् थल िनदेशक, केकेएनपीपी स् थल
जन जागरूकता ई-सवंाद प�कुडनकुलम न् यू�क्लयर पॉवर �ोजेक् ट
अक् तबूर 2019 अकं – 88
इस अंक म�:
नािभक�य समाचार
नािभक�य नारे
माह के दौरान पीए गित�विधयां
�वशेष आलेख
नािभक�य सामान् य ज्ञान
तकनीक� स�
नािभक�य आकंड़ा कोश
शब् द कोश
जनता का �वचार
-
Public Awareness e-NewsletterKudankulam Nuclear Power Project
October 2019 Issue – 88
Dear Readers,
This October was something special. It was the 50thOctober since India began its first commercial nuclearpower generation at Tarapur in Maharastra. The two BoilingWater Reactors (160 MWe each) in Tarapur that heraldedthe country into an era of nuclear power are serving thenation even today. About one lakh million units of greenpower have been supplied by these units so far. 50 yearsand still counting! TAPS-1&2, oldest in Asia, are testimonyto India’s unblemished safety record in nuclear powergeneration. Read on happily.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-Chairm an, PA Com m it tee
Scientific classificationKingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Orthotomus
Species: O.sutoriusBinomial name:
Orthotomus sutorius
In this issue:
Public voiceTechnical session
Nuclear Database
Nuclear NewsNuclear Slogan
PA activity during the month
Feature article
Nuclear Trivia
Lexicon
No.of units of electricity generated
37,960Million Units
Total CO2 emissions avoided by KKNPP
32,607,920Tonnes
Note: Average lifecycle GHG emissions for Coal &Nuclear is 888 & 29 (tonnes/GWh) respectively.
Climate change is the foremost globalenvironmental issue today. Nuclear power isone of the low carbon technologies that cancontribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions (mostly CO2) while generatingelectricity for growing populations andsocioeconomic development. KKNPPscontribution in preventing the CO2 emissions tillnow (As on Oct 31, 2019) is given below.
Spotlight of October 2019
KKNPP ‘s contribution to climate change mitigation
A glimpse of Tailorbirdat KK Site
1
2
74,007 PA Publications distributed3
1,536 hours of PublicOutreach, reaching 8,353 people
20 on-site & 4 Off-site outreachprogramme organised
Myths linked to nuclear energy
should be busted
Photography by K.B.Jashi, OIC, TLD Laboratory, KKNPP
Sh Jitendra SinghUnion Minister for
Atomic Energy and Space
(Source : Wikipedia, www.financialexpre
ss.com dated Oct 19, 2019)
“With rising focus onreducing thedependency oncarbon-based fuel forelectricitygeneration, nuclearpower should begiven moreimportance, andawareness needs tobe created amongthe public to bust themyths associatedwith the use ofnuclear energy.
"
-
Page 2 of 15
Site visit commences witha structured lectureprogramme for about twohours on nuclear energy &safety features of KKNPPwith relevance to theevents at Fukushima andalso addresses the queriesmainly related toprotection of marineorganism and handling ofwaste. They are then takento Model room forfamiliarization of sitelayout, simulator facility tovisualize the functioningof safety systems andhealth physics trainingfacility to understand theconcept of radiation safetyduring normal operation& abnormal situation.Subsequently they aretaken to the Intakestructure and Desalinationplant. This programmeconcludes with a feedbacksession. Two of thefeedback received fromthe visitors are given inthis section.
Public Voice
-
Page 3 of 15
NPCIL Mission:To develop nuclear powertechnology and to produceNuclear Power as asafe, environmentally benignand economically viablesource of electrical energy tomeet the increasing needs ofcountry.
Technical session - VVER Technology
(Source: S.S. Bajaj, et al. (The Indian PHWR, Sep 2005; www.sciencedirect.com )
Poland’s richest man teams up with GE Hitachi
on nuclear reactor
To be continued in Nov 2019
Continued fromSep 2019
Indian PHWR design and its evolution:
Michal SolowowPolish businessman &
rally driverSource: www.ft.com, https://echodnia.eu
"Small modular reactors canplay a significant role inaddressing Poland’s energychallenges, the modernisation ofthe nation’s energy sector and inachieving necessary andresponsible deepdecarbonisation.
Utilising small modular reactorsto generate clean energy willimprove our chances to moveaway from coal and have apositive impact on our industryand nation.”
Siting and plant layout:
Typical plant layout for Indian PHWRs is based on a twin-unitconcept. Fig. 1 shows the layout of the 540MWe PHWRStation (Tarapur Atomic Power Plant #3 and 4). Most plantsystems including all systems important to safety are unitizedto enable independence of each unit.
Some of the principles adopted in the layout are outlinedbelow:(i) The plant areas are separated into nuclear and non-
nuclear islands.(ii) All safety related systems and components have been
appropriately grouped and placed in structures ofappropriate safety class.
(iii) The seismic class of structures is commensurate with theseismic class of equipment housed in them.
-
Page 4 of 15
Regional Distribution of Nuclear Power Plants:
New connections to the grid: (Year 2019)
Source: https://pris.iaea.org/PRISUpdated as on November 14, 2019
Current Status:
449
398 887 MWe
53
NUCLEAR POWER REACTORSIN OPERATION
TOTAL NET INSTALLEDCAPACITY
NUCLEAR POWER REACTORSUNDER CONSTRUCTION
Country No. of Reactors MWe
ARGENTINA 3 1633ARMENIA 1 375BELGIUM 7 5918BRAZIL 2 1884BULGARIA 2 1966CANADA 19 13554CHINA 48 45518CZECH REPUBLIC 6 3932FINLAND 4 2784FRANCE 58 63130GERMANY 7 9515HUNGARY 4 1902INDIA 22 6255IRAN 1 915JAPAN 37 35947KOREA 25 23784MEXICO 2 1552NETHERLANDS 1 482PAKISTAN 5 1318ROMANIA 2 1300RUSSIA 36 28355SLOVAKIA 4 1814SLOVENIA 1 688SOUTH AFRICA 2 1860SPAIN 7 7121SWEDEN 8 8613SWITZERLAND 5 3333TAIWAN 4 3844UKRAINE 15 13107UK 15 8923USA 96 97565Total 449 398887
18 253REACTOR-YEARS OFOPERATION
Nuclear Database
Source: https://pris.iaea.org/PRIS
NOVOVORONEZH 2-2 PWR, Model: VVER V-392M, RUSSIA
1114 MW(e)First Criticality Date: 22 Mar 2019First Grid Connection: 1 May 2019
SHIN-KORI-4 PWR; Model : APR-1400, REP OF KOREA
1340 MW(e)First Criticality Date: 08 Apr 2019First Grid Connection: 22 Apr 2019
TAISHAN-2 PWR, CHINA
(1660 MW(e)First Criticality Date: 28 May, 2019First Grid Connection: 23 Jun, 2019
YANGJIANG-6 PWR, CHINA
(1000 MW(e), First Criticality Date: 22 Jun, 2019First Grid Connection: 29 Jun, 2019
https://pris.iaea.org/PRIShttps://pris.iaea.org/PRIS
-
Page 5 of 15
Kozloduy unit 6 clear to operate for another 10 years Oct 02
Nuclear News
India's Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter at the Moon Is Now Tracking SolarFlares Oct 11
Source: www.itnonline.com
Bulgaria’s Nuclear RegulatoryAgency (NRA) has granted a 10-year extension to the operatinglicence of unit 6 at the Kozloduynuclear power unit. The Russiandesign VVER-1000 in northernBulgaria started operation in 1991and can now continue generatingelectricity until October 2029.
The Kozloduy plant has six pressurised water reactors. Unit 5, which alsohas a capacity of 1000 MWe, was connected to the grid in 1987, and in2017 its service life was extended until 2027.
CNL charts path to microgrids, the 'Holiest Grail' in clean energy Oct 09Canadian Nuclear Laboratories(CNL) is working towards thefuture of nuclear by enhancingexisting technology; developingadvanced technologies, such assmall modular reactors (SMRs);and assessing how all low-carbontechnologies can be integratedwithin 'microgrids', CNL
India's Chandrayaan-2 mission hascaught measurements of a fewsolar flares on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.The measurements come courtesyof an instrument designed to helpidentify elements on the lunarsurface. The Chandrayaan-2instrument that gathered themeasurements is called the Solar X-ray Monitor, which partners with an
instrument called Chandrayaan-2 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer, orCLASS. Both devices measure X-rays; the Solar X-ray Monitor directlymeasures those coming from the sun, and CLASS measures those bouncingoff the moon. By comparing the two measurements when the spacecraft ismore or less directly between the sun and the moon, scientists candetermine how the lunar surface responds to X-ray light and, in turn, whichelements are present. Source: www.space.com
Source: www.world-nuclear-news.org
Czech Republic needs morenuclear units, report shows
Oct 22
President and CEO Mark Lesinski said today. The use of hydrogen formicrogrids is CNL's "highest aspiration, the Holiest Grail", he tolddelegates at the International Conference on Climate Change and theRole of Nuclear Power being held this week at the International AtomicEnergy Agency's headquarters in Vienna.
The Czech Republic will need tobuild not only one new unit atits Dukovany nuclear powerplant, but also more reactors atTemelín if it is to avoidbecoming dependent onelectricity imports from2030, Deputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Industry andTrade Karel Havlíček saidyesterday. Havlíček cited thelatest Mid-term AdequacyForecast (MAF CZ 2019)published on 18 October byhigh-voltage grid operatorČEPS.Source: www.world-nuclear-news.org/
Source: www.world-nuclear-news.org
The reaction yielded 46 trillionneutrons per second, eclipsingthe previous record by nearly25 % and setting a newstandard for neutron generatortechnology that is expected toenable further advances inmedicine, manufacturing andclean energy. The world-recordproves the acceleratortechnology is suitable toproduce medical isotopes at thescale required to support arobust business case.
Kostov presenting the licence to Mihov yesterday (Image: NRA)
CNL's Mark Lensinski speaking at the IAEA conference (Image: J Cobb)
Dukovany nuclear power plant (Image: ČEZ)
World Record for Strongest NuclearFusion Reaction in a Steady-StateSystem Achieved by Phoenix andShine Oct 25
An artist's depiction of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft orbiting the moon. (Image: © ISRO)
http://www.itnonline.com/
-
Page 6 of 15
As a part of Public Awareness programme, Students and staff ofSchools and Colleges and public from Tirunelveli, Tuticorin andKanyakumari districts and also from Kerala state visited KKNPP Site.They were familiarized with the nuclear power plant and Safetyfeatures of KKNPP in particular reference to the events at Fukhushima(Japan) and radiation safety during normal and abnormal operation ofNuclear power plant.
Reactor construction starts in 2018
Nuclear Slogan
PA activity conducted at KKNPP SiteAt
site
Source: world-nuclear-news.org, www.conservationinstitute.org
Source: World Nuclear Association
With a combined capacityof 6,279 MWe, constructionstarted on five reactors in2018, including Akkuyu1, the first reactor in Turkeyand Hinkley Point C-1, thefirst reactor to beginconstruction in the UK sinceSizewell B, 30 yearspreviously. Rooppur 2 isBangladesh’s secondnuclear reactor underconstruction, following itssister unit, which startedconstruction in 2017.Reactor/
TypeCountry/Capacity
Start of construction
Akkuyu 1
VVER
Turkey
1114 MWe
3 Apr 2018
Hinkley Point C-1
PWR
United Kingdom
1630 MWe
11 Dec 2018
Kursk II-1
VVER
Russia
1115 MWe
29 Apr 2018
Rooppur2
VVER
Bangladesh
1080 MWe
14 Jul 2018
Shin Kori6
PWR
South Korea
1340 MWe
20 Sep 20185
1
4
8
2
199
52
84
465
103
1856
169
768
5304
890
1 10 100 1000 10000
Engineering College
Management Education
Public
School
Science College
Publications distributed No.of participants Program organised
-
Page 7 of 15 At site
Few glimpses from Site Visit
Nadar Matric. Hr.Sec. School,Rajapalayam,
Virudhunagar (October 03)
Control Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology,
Chennai (October 03)
Army personnel stationedat KK Site, Kudankulam, Tirunelveli (October 08)
Family members of KKNPP staff, Tirunelveli
(October 08)
Staffs from NCC XI TN BN, Nagercoil,Nagercoil,
Kanyakumari (October 01)
J.K.K. Munirajah College of Technology, Erode
(October 09)
-
Page 8 of 15 At site
Few glimpses from Site Visit
Vivekanada College ofArts & Science for Women,
Namakkal (October 16)
Senaithalaivar Hr.Sec.School, V K Puram, Tirunelveli (October 17)
Dr.Kumaraswami Health Centre-college of
Nursing, Kottaram, Kanyakumari (October 15)
Udaya School of Engineering, Vellamodi,
Kanyakumari (October 11)
Vivekanada College of Arts & Science for
Women, Namakkal(October 10)
Trinity college of Engineering, Trivandrum,
Kerala (October 14)
-
Page 9 of 15 At site
Few glimpses from Site Visit
Staffs from TWS (Tamil Nadu Water Supply),
Tuticorin (October 19)
Staffs from Johns Central School, Anjugramam,
Kanyakumari (October 19)
Visit of subcollector, Cheranmahadevi
(October 17)
Green Valley School, Bengaluru (October 18)
KVT Matriculation Hr.Sec.School,
Madurai (October 22)
-
Page 10 of 15 At site
Few glimpses from Site Visit
Govt. Hr.Sec. School, Mudaliyarpatti, Tirunelveli (October 29)
Kanyakumari Public School, Kanyakumari
(October 24)
Johns Central School, Anjugramam,
Kanyakumari (October 30)
Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education,
Kumarakovil, Kanyakumari (October 25)
Guhan Matriculation Hr.Sec.School,
Madurai (October 23)
-
Page 11 of 15
MWNuclear
Terminology
More on MW
Lexicon
Megawatt, million times the power unit of watt (W).1 MW = 1 000 kW = 1 000 000 W.
Many events or machines produce or sustain the conversion ofenergy on this scale, including large electric motors; largewarships such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, and submarines;large server farms or data centers; and some scientific researchequipment, such as supercolliders, and the output pulses ofvery large lasers. A large residential or commercial building mayuse several megawatts in electric power and heat. Onrailways, modern high-powered electric locomotives typicallyhave a peak power output of 5 or 6 MW, while some producemuch more. The Eurostar, for example, uses more than12 MW, while heavy diesel-electric locomotives typicallyproduce/use 3 to 5 MW. U.S. nuclear power plants have netsummer capacities between about 500 and 1300 MW.
The watt is named after theScottish inventor JamesWatt.
The watt (symbol: W) is aunit of power. In theInternational System of Units(SI) it is defined as a derivedunit of 1 joule persecond, and is used toquantify the rate of energytransfer. In dimensionalanalysis, power is describedby M L 2 T − 3.
In terms ofelectromagnetism, one wattis the rate at which electricalwork is performed when acurrent of one ampere (A)flows across an electricalpotential difference of onevolt (V), meaning the watt isequivalent to the volt-ampere.
1 W = 1 V x 1 A
Conventions in the electric powerindustry:In the electric powerindustry, megawatt electrical (MWe)refers by convention to the electricpower produced by a generator,
while megawatt thermal or thermalmegawatt (MWt, or MWth) refers tothermal power produced by the plant.
Each unit of Kudankulam nuclear power plant generate3000 MWt (i.e. heat), which produce steam to drive aturbine, which generates 1000 MWe (i.e. electricity).
Source: www.euronuclear.org , Wikipedia
Portrait of James Watt (1736–1819)by Carl Frederik von Breda
-
Page 12 of 15
Date Organisation No of participantsPublications distributed
Oct 03-05 Nandha Engineering College 4000 35510Oct 14-15 Rohini College of Engineering 2800 29510
Oct 21 Manonmaniam SundaranarUniversity 150 -
Oct 25 Balaiah Marthandam Matric. HSC 500 -
Total 7450 65020
Outside KKNPP
PA outreach programme conducted outside KKNPP:
Few glimpses
As a part of PA outreachactivity, Seminars, Workshop, Lectures andexhibitions wereconducted atEducational Institutionsand Organizations.
PA Exhibition at Nandha Engineering College, Erodeduring Oct 03-05, 2019
KKNPP established a stallduring the celebration ofInnovation Day at NandhaEngineering College(Autonomous), Erode todemonstrate the importanceof Nuclear Energy & Safetyfeatures of KKNPP.S.Anandan, OIC, NIC, KKNPPdelivered a guest lectureduring the programme.
PA Exhibition at Nandha
Engineering College, Erode
No.of participants 4000Publications distribute 35510
PA Exhibition at Rohini College of Engineering and Technology,Kanyakumari during Oct 14-15, 2019
Date: Oct 03-05, 2019
Rohini College ofEngineering &Technology, Kanyakumariorganised a science &technology competition andexhibition. KKNPP exhibiteda model and exhibits duringthe exhibition todisseminate the importanceof Nuclear Energy.
No.ofparticipants 2800
Publications distribute 29510
PA exhibition at Rohini College
of Engineering and Technology,
Kanyakumari
-
Page 13 of 15Few glimpses
M.S University, Tirunelveliorganised Inspire programduring Oct 18-21, 2019 forschool children topopularize the benefits ofscience to society.
Sh P. Panadaram,Scientific Officer-G, TLDLaboratory, KKNPPdelivered an inspirationalspeech to the students onNuclear Science on Oct21, 2019 during theprogram. About 150students participatedduring the programme.
PA lecture at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University On Oct 21, 2019
Date: Oct 21, 2019
Outside KKNPP
School Day was celebratedat Balaiah MarthandamMatric. HSS, Avaraikulam,Tirunelveli on Oct 25, 2019.
Shri B. Vijayakumar, OIC,ESL, KKNPP delivered amotivational lecture to thestudents on “NuclearEnergy & Environments”during the function. About500 students participatedduring the programme.
PA lecture at Balaiah Marthandam Matric. HSS, Avaraikulamon Oct 25, 2019
PA lectureat
ManonmaniamSundaranarUniversity
PA lectureAt Balaiah
MarthandamMatric. HSSAvaraikulam
-
Page 14 of 15
Did you know? Source: World Nuclear Association
'Clean Coal' Technologies
Source: https://www.skepticalscience.com
Feature article
Thorium fuel cycle —Potential benefits
To be continued in Nov 2019Source: International Atomic Energy Agency
Continued from Sep 2019
North America:
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has said that fundingwould be made available to assist other projects that aim toadd carbon capture and storage (CCS) to existing coalplants, but will no longer include hydrogen production aspart of the project. Over half of the CO2 capture projects indevelopment or operation globally are in North America, andall but one of these is oriented to provide CO2 for enhancedoil recovery (EOR).Duke Energy Corp in the USA is building a $3 billion, 618MWe, IGCC plant at Edwardsport, Indiana ($4850/kW). Thisis a regulated plant, but Duke says that consumers will not beasked to pay for more than $2.72 billion of its finalconstruction cost, excluding financing.
In Texas, the Petra Nova project near Houston, a partnershipof the US DOE, NRG Energy and JX Nippon, is set up tocapture 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year (90%) from NRG'sWA Parish 240 MWe power plant and use it for enhanced oilrecovery. In a post-combustion process the flue gas is cooledand the CO2 removed by amine scrubbing. The CO2 isreleased from the solvent with low-pressure steam. ThePetra Nova Parish plant started up late in 2016 on time andon budget, and is the largest post-combustion carboncapture project installed on an existing coal-fuelled powerplant.
Other demonstration projects:
The integrated gasification combined cycle technology on site. Photo courtesy of Duke Energy, Source: www.power-eng.com
Better thermo-physical properties and chemical stability of ThO2, as compared to UO2, which ensures better in-pile performance and a more stable waste form
Lesser long lived minor actinides than the traditional uranium fuel cycle
Superior plutonium incineration in (Th, Pu)O2 fuel as compared to (U, Pu)O2
Intrinsic proliferation resistance of thorium fuel cycle due to the presence of 232U
Attractive features of thorium related to accelerated driven system (ADS) and energy amplifier (EA)
https://www.skepticalscience.com/http://www.power-eng.com/http://www.power-eng.com/http://www.power-eng.com/
-
Prepared & Edited by:
K.B.Jashi, OIC, TLD Lab [email protected]
Reviewed by:
P.Pandaram, Member Secretary, PA [email protected]
R. RamdossTraining Superintendent & Chairman, PA Committee [email protected]
Issued by:
Sanjay Kumar Site Director, KK Site
Contact details:
Public Awareness Committee Kudankulam Nuclear Power ProjectKudankulam-627106 E-Mail: [email protected]
Page 15 of 15
What is a coronal massejection (CME)?
Trivia
Coronal mass ejections (or CMEs) are hugebubbles of gas threaded with magnetic field linesthat are ejected from the Sun over the course ofseveral hours. They often follow solar flares andare normally present during a solarprominence eruption. The plasma is released intothe solar wind, and can be observedin coronagraph imagery.
Nuclear Trivia
. Source: https://earthsky.org/Wikipedia, NASA,
The Difference BetweenFlares and CMEs:
The differences betweenthe two types of explosionscan be seen through solartelescopes, with flaresappearing as a bright lightand CMEs appearing asenormous fans of gasswelling into space.Flares and CMEs havedifferent effects at Earth aswell. The energy from aflare can disrupt the areaof the atmosphere throughwhich radio waves travel.This can lead todegradation and, atworst, temporaryblackouts in navigation andcommunications signals.
On the other hand, CMEscan funnel particles intonear-Earth space. A CMEcan jostle Earth’s magneticfields creating currentsthat drive particles downtoward Earth's poles.When these react withoxygen and nitrogen, theyhelp create the aurora.Additionally, the magneticchanges can affect avariety of humantechnologies. Highfrequency radio waves canbe degraded: Radiostransmit static, and GPScoordinates stray by a fewyards. The magneticoscillations can also createelectrical currents in utilitygrids on Earth that canoverload electrical systemswhen power companiesare not prepared.
Coronal mass ejections release largequantities of matter and electromagneticradiation into space above the Sun'ssurface, The ejected material is a magnetizedplasma consisting primarilyof electrons and protons. While theterrestrial effects of solar flares are very fast(limited by the speed of light), CMEs arerelatively slow, developing at the Alfvénspeed. There are many kinds of eruptions onthe sun. Solar flares and coronal massejections both involve gigantic explosions ofenergy, but are otherwise quite different. Thestrongest flares are almost always correlatedwith coronal mass ejections. Flares can lastminutes to hours and they containtremendous amounts of energy. Traveling atthe speed of light, it takes eight minutes forthe light from a solar flare to reach Earth.
Coronal mass ejection of February 27, 2000. Adisk is being used to block out the light of thesun. The white circle indicates the sun’ssurface. Image via NASA’s Solar andHeliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
Slide Number 1Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Slide Number 5Slide Number 6Slide Number 7Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16