protons for breakfast
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Protons for Breakfast. Week 6 Do we need nuclear power?. In the event of an alarm sounding…. Nuclear Power The UK Energy Scene. Security of Supply. Cost!. Carbon. Carbon. Carbon. Renewables versus Nuclear. Chernobyl. Carbon. Carbon. Carbon. Link to Weapons. Diversity of Supply. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Protons for Breakfast
Week 6
Do we need nuclear power?
In the event of an alarm sounding…
Nuclear PowerThe UK Energy Scene
Renewables versus
Nuclear
Diversity of Supply
Sustainability
Cost!
Carbon
Waste!
Security of Supply
Link to Weapons
ChernobylCarbon
Carbon
Carbon
Carbon
Carbon
Carbon
Carbon
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
• How is electricity generated?• How much electricity does Britain need and where does it come from?• Nuclear Power Stations are due for closure
– Energy Gap?
• How to replace the lost generating capacity? – Reduce demand, Wind Power, Tidal Barrage, Solar Power?
• Nuclear Power?– Radioactivity & Nuclear Fission– Pros and Cons
Tonight’s TalkElectricity generation in the UK
• How is electricity generated?
• How much electricity does Britain need and where does it come from?
• Nuclear Power Stations are due for closure
• How to replace the lost generating capacity? – Reduce demand, Wind Power, Tidal Barrage, Solar Power?
• Nuclear Power?– Radioactivity & Nuclear Fission– Pros and Cons
Does Britian need nuclear power?
Helpers Jonathan PearceLaurie WinklessLindsay ChapmanLloyd EnglandMateusz SzymanskiMatthew TedaldiNeelaksh SadhooPaul CarrollPeter QuestedPeter WoolliamsRainer WinklerRichard GilhamRobert GoddardRobin UnderwoodRuth MontgomerySharmila HansonStephanie BellThomas Korrison
Andrew HansonArzu ArincAveril HortonBufa ZhangClive ScogginsDaniel GittingsDavide Di MaioDeborah LeaEleanor BakhshandeiarEmma WoolliamsGianluca MemoliJacquie ElkinJames MiallJeff FlowersJenny WilkinsonJian WangJoanna LeeJohn MakepeaceJohn Mountford
ExpertsMartin Milton
Paul Quincy
Nigel Fox
Andrew Gregory
Andrew Beardmore
Bob Clarke
Kevin Lees
Alan DuSautoy
Alan Turnbull
Nigel Jennett
John Makepeace
Simon Jerome
Electricity
Eeeee - lec- tric-ity
Where does it come from?
Tonight’s Talk
How is electricity generated?
How is electricity generated? (1)
Nuclear Coil turning in a magnetic field
Turbine driven by hot steam
Nuclear Fission
U + n ???Stellar
Type of station
Electricity made by…
What makes coil turn?
Energy Source Ultimate Source
Coal Coil turning in a magnetic field
Turbine driven by hot steam
Chemical
C + O2 CO2Solar
Gas Coil turning in a magnetic field
Turbines driven by hot gas and steam
Chemical
CH4 + 2O2
CO2 + 2H20
Solar
Wind/Wave Coil turning in a magnetic field
Turbine driven by air or water
Nuclear Fusion 4H He Solar
Mamod Coil turning in a magnetic field
Pistons driven by steam
Chemical
C + O2 CO2?
Mamod
While the station powers up…
• Please take 10 minutes to fill out the feedback forms.• These forms are important• They help everyone involved in the course assess
whether it has been successful, and decide what to change and what to keep the same
Ticking the boxes is important, but your comments are especially valuable.
How much electricity do we need?
Electricity Generation in UK Daily variations in 2001/2002
gigawatt (GW) billion watts =109 W= 1000000000 W
=10 Million Light bulbs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0.00 6.00 12.00 18.00 24.00
Act
ual
Nat
ion
al G
rid
Dem
and
(G
W)
Time of day
Minimum Summer Demand
Typical Summer Demand
Sleep Work0
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30
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50
60
0.00 6.00 12.00 18.00 24.00
Act
ual
Nat
ion
al G
rid
Dem
and
(G
W)
Time of day
Sleep Work
Typical Winter Demand
Maximum Winter Demand
1 gigawatt (GW)
billion watts =109 W
=10 Million 100 W light bulbs
Roughly speaking 1 large power station
Electricity Demand 2001-2009Mmmm. Looks near to 60 GW peak demand!
Electricity Generation in UK Daily variations in 2001/2002
Required generating
capacity (GW)Summer Winter
Peak 45 60
Base 25 30
Daily Maximum- Daily Minimum 30
1 gigawatt (GW)
billion watts =109 W
=10 Million 100 W light bulbs
Roughly speaking 1 large power station
How do we meet this demand?
Energy Consumption Right Now!
Electricity Generation in UK
Typical Winter DemandThursday 6th December 2001Figure 2.5(b) - Typical Winter Demand (Thursday 6th December 2001)
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6:000
Nuclear
Gas (Combined Cycle)
Large Coal
12:00 18:00 24:00
10
Imports
0:00
OtherPower
(GW)
Time of Day
Electricity Generation in UK Data from 2004
Coal33%
Oil1%Gas
40%
Nuclear19%
Hydroelectric1%
Wind/Biomass/Landfill Gas3.5% Imports
2.5%
0
2
4
6
8
10
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1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Year
Ins
talle
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uc
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(G
We
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Total
Magnox
AGR
SGHWR
PFR
PWR
Current UK Nuclear CapacityHistory and Future
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1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Year
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(G
We
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Total
Magnox
AGR
SGHWR
PFR
PWR
FutureHistory
• Decline could be faster
• Energy Gap?
Electricity Generation in UK 2020
• Nuclear will decline
• Renewables will increase– but by how much?
• No shortage of coal and gas – See BP Energy Review– Cost? – Security of supply?
Coal33%
Oil1%Gas
40%
Hydroelectric1%
Wind/Biomass/Landfill Gas3.5% Imports
2.5%
Nuclear??????????????????????????????
http://www.bp.com/productlanding.do?categoryId=6929&contentId=7044622
Alternatives?
Is it possible to:
• Reduce Gas and Coal generation• Increase Renewables• Avoid replacing Nuclear Power
stations
Can we reduce demand?
50
40
30
20
10Nuclear
Gas &
Coal
Renewable60
Annualised Electricity Consumption
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43
Quarter
kW
h
LowPeakTotalSeries4Series5Series6Series7Series8
2008200720062005
What to do?Reduce Demand
• My family’s electricity usage for the last four years• Can we make people and businesses use less?
electricity? • Price• Rationing
2000 kWh20% reduction£260 a year
Electricity Usage in UK 2004
• Several easy wins
Domestic29%
Industry29%
Agriculture 1%Transport 2%
Public Adminsitration
5%
FuelIndustries
8%
Losses8%
Commercial18%
Lighting
Universal use of CF light bulbs will eliminate the need for
1 large power station
Alternatives?
So reducing demand could help.
What can wind provide?
Most people would think this is wildly optimistic!
50
40
30
20
10
60
Wind Power (1)UK Wind in 2007
• UK has some of the best sites in Europe
• Currently– 154 Projects– 1900 Turbines– 2.293 GW
• Plus1.3 GW under construction4.6 GW planning approved9.8 GW seeking approval
18 GW in a few years time
Wind Power Could we get 10% (5.3 GW) of electricity from wind?
• Retain 3 GW of coal fired capacity as ‘backup’
3 GW
13 GW
• Build 5000 of the largest wind turbines
•Wind has problems of
–availability
–variability
• On average generates only 5.3 GW• Sometimes more: Sometimes less!• Can’t control when!
5.3 GW
Alternatives?
So wind can provide a lot of power,
but we can’t control when it is generated
Could we store some of the power?
50
40
30
20
10
60
WIND
Very ambitious, but achievable…
Wind Power The Grid
• Electricity needs to be generated at exactly the time it is needed.
• Storage is possible, but difficult:• Variability limits likely maximum
wind contribution to about…– 10%? Yes– 20%? Arguably – 30%? Unlikely
Photo Credit Spencer Jarvis
Electricity Generation in UKPumped Storage
-1.5
-1.0
-0.5
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0.5
1.0
1.5
0 6 12 18 24
Pum
ped
Sto
rage
(G
W)
Time of Day
Energy Storage
Energy Use
0 to 1.3 GW in 12 seconds
Other Alternatives?
So reducing demand can help.
And wind and stored energy could help too
What about solar electricity?
50
40
30
20
10
60
WINDWIND
&STOR
Solar Photo VoltaicStep 1
• Put this on your roof• 9 m2 • Twickenham
Solar Photo Voltaic Step 2
• Put these in your house
Solar Photo VoltaicHey presto!
• Average: 3.5 kWh/day (1277.5 kWh/year)
• Saving: 3.5 x 13 pence per kWh = 46 p/day (£166 / year)
• Cost in: 2005: £9000
• Return on investment: 1.8 %
Daily generation rate
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
10 14 18 22 26 30 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
w eek #
kWh
/day
PLUS
GOVERNMENT
CASHBACK!
£0.35 for every unit
fed back to the grid!
AMAZING FACT!
In the summer months –
there is more solar energy
at UK latitude than EVER
reaches the Equator!
Other Alternatives?
So reducing demand can help.
And wind and stored energy could help too.
Even solar energy can help
Mainly in Summer…50
40
30
20
10
60
WINDWIND
&STOR
SUN
Severn Tidal Barrage
Could generate 10% of UK
demand
5 GW
£15B
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fusion What is it?
proton
neutron
deuteriumnucleus10,000 ºC1,000,000 ºC100,000,000 ºC
Fusion
JEThttp://www.jet.efda.org/
ITERhttp://www.iter.org/default.aspx
Probability of Success by 2025????25%????
Probability of Engineering Feasibility by 2100???? 5%????
Summary
50
40
30
20
10
60
WINDWIND
&STOR
SUN
TIDE
Action Effect (GW)Reducing demand 10
wind and stored energy 10tidal barrage or lagoons 10
Solar energy 3And there are many other
possibilities…?
Mmm…Every one of these figures looks
optimistic…
Nuclear PowerThe UK ContextThe UK is committed to
34% reduction in CO2
emission by 2020
Renewables versus Nuclear Energy costs
likely to rise in
long term
The UK is committed to
80% reduction in CO2
emission by 2050Sustainable and diverse supplies are more secureRenewables AND Nuclear
Carbon Crunch
50
40
30
20
10
60
WINDWIND
&STOR
SUN
TIDE
Method of generation
Kilograms of CO2 emitted for every 1
kWhe supplied:
Coal 1
Gas (CCGT) 0.5
Wind 0.01
Tide 0.01
Nuclear 0.01
Summary
• 11 GW of CO2-free generating capacity will be retiring in the next 17 years
• Even replacing it will not reduce CO2 emissions
So let’s find out about nuclear power!
50
40
30
20
10
60
WINDWIND
&STOR
SUN
TIDE
To understand nuclear power
and how it works
we first need to understand about
Radioactivity
Some radioactive things (10)
Let’s look at some radioactive things…Detectors
Cloud ChamberSupermarket Radioactivity
Remember this…
Electromagnetic waves
Atoms Heat
Electricity
‘Nuclear’ refersto the nucleus
of atoms
Powers of Ten Nuclear Power
Very Very
Large
100
103
106
109
1012
101510-3
10-6 1018 1024 1030 1036
1021 1027 103310-15 10-9
10-18 10-12
Very Very Small
Human Relationships
Distance to the Sun
Tallest Mountain
Diameter of the Earth
Atoms & molecules
Microbes
The issues surrounding nuclear power involve
physical processes with length scales spanning 25
powers of 10!
Nucleiof atoms
How are atoms made?
proton
Interact by the short range ‘strong’ force – not electrical
Electrical Repulsion
How are atoms made?
What is Radioactivity(2)…
• Normally nuclei act as heavy point-like centres for atoms
• More than 99.9% of the mass of every atom is made of nuclear matter
• More than 99.9% of the mass of your breakfast is made of nuclear matter
Nucleus
What is Radioactivity(3)…
• The number of protons (+) in the nucleus determines the number of electrons required to make the atom neutral
• This determines the chemical and physical properties of the atom
• But the number of neutrons in a nucleus can vary
Radioactive
0.01%
What is Radioactivity(4)Example 39K, 40K and 41K
• Potassium is 2.4% of the Earth’s crust• Natural potassium (symbol K) has three isotopes
39K19 protons
20 neutrons
20 + 19 = 39
Same number of protons
Different numbers of neutrons
40K19 protons
21 neutrons
21 + 19 = 40
41K19 protons
22 neutrons
22 + 19 = 41
93.3% 6.7%
What is Radioactivity(6)…
Three types of radioactivity • Named with the Greek a, b, c
alpha, beta, gamma• Nuclei with a ‘balanced’ number of protons and neutrons are stable
Isotopes with too many protons
Isotopes withtoo many neutrons
Alpha decay Beta decay
Emission of fast moving helium nucleus
Emission of fast moving electron
And gamma radiation And gamma radiation
Charge oscillations in nucleus
What is Radioactivity(8)Alpha () Decay
Alpha particlegamma ray
Nucleus with too many protons
Charge oscillations in nucleus
What is Radioactivity(8)Beta () Decay
gamma ray
Nucleus with too many neutrons
Beta particle
Radioactivity
What are the health risks
of ionising radiation?
Radioactive health risksIntroduction
• Radioactive emissions alpha, beta, gamma• If they pass living cells, they interact electrically and cause
damage.– Cells are killed– Can cause mutations and cancer– Very bad for you
• Fortunately we have evolved in a radioactive world
Radioactive health risksMeasurement units
Many ways of measuring radioactive dose• Optimal measure for effect on human health is the
Sievert
Radioactive health risksAnnual average UK dose
Source Dose (mSv)
Natural
Cosmic 0.26
Gamma rays 0.35
Internal 0.3
Radon 1.3
Artificial
Medical 0.37
Occupational 0.007
Fallout 0.005
Products 0.0004
Discharges 0.0002
Total 2.6
• Average annual dose to the UK population from all sources
• Average 0.0026 Sieverts• Average 2.6 milliSieverts• About 7 microSieverts /day
Radioactive health risksSources
From foodAbout 15 million
potassium 40 atoms and 7000 natural uranium
atoms disintegrate inside us each hour
From soil and building materialsOver 200 million gamma rays pass through the average individual each hour
From the airAbout 30,000 atoms disintegrate each hour in our lungs and give of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation
From the skyAbout 100,000 cosmic ray neutrons and 400,000 secondary cosmic rays penetrate the average individual every hour
What is Nuclear Power?
Nuclear Power
How does it work?
Nuclear Fission (1)‘Fission means splitting’
• Some heavy nuclei can be induced to fission i.e. split in two by the addition of a single neutron
• Nuclear fragments move very fast. As they interact with nearby atoms they cause tremendous heating One more ‘wafer thin’ neutron, Sir?
Nuclear Fission (2)Uranium
• Uranium has two common isotopes 238U and 235U– Uranium has 92 protons– The 238 or 235 is the total number of protons and neutrons
238U 235U
Fissile? No Yes
natural uranium. 99.3% 0.7%
neutrons 238 – 92 = 146 235 – 92 = 143
Nuclear Fission (3)Uranium Fission
• 235U + n >>> 236U + n
• After a short while
• 236U >>> fragments + 3 n
Nuclear Fission (4)Chain reaction
• 235U + n >>> 236U >>> Fragments + 3n
Nuclear Fission (5)Chain reaction
• Each fission produces 3 extra neutrons on average
– If more than one neutron produces an additional fission• The rate of fission increases• If uncontrolled leads to a nuclear explosion
– If less than one neutron produces an additional fission• Then the rate of fission decreases• Nuclear reactions will die out
– If exactly one neutron produces an additional fission• Sustainable nuclear reaction
Nuclear Power Stations
UK Nuclear Energy update
AREVA and Electricité de France's (EDF) European Pressurized Reactor (EPR)
Westinghouse Electric Company's (WEC) AP1000pressurized water reactor (PWR)
Westinghouse Link
What is Nuclear Power?
Nuclear Positives
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Radioactive Emissions
Energy Density
Very low CO2
emissionsReliability
Nuclear Fission (6)
• 1 kg natural uranium has a volume of 50 cm3
– Produces 40 thousand kWh– Equivalent to 16 tons of coal
• Nuclear energy is cleaner than coal– Lower radioactive emissions– Much less radioactive waste
• Conventional Power Stations– Cheaper than nuclear because they don’t pay to clean up their
waste (CO2)
• Reliability– One fifth of UK electricity supply for last 30 years
What is Nuclear Power?
Nuclear Negatives
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Waste!
Terrorism
Link to
Weapons
Chernobyl
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Chernobyl
Catastrophic ExplosionChernobyl
• 26 April 1986• 31 dead Immediately• Ultimate death toll
– 100?– 15,000?
Chernobyl Effect on UK
Chernobyl
Fall out from atmospheric
atomic weapons testing
Annual dose
(micro Sieverts)
1951 1988
Total radiation dose was 20 times less than the dose from the atmospheric bomb tests from 1945 to 1963.
Year
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Waste!
Nuclear Fission (4)Chain reaction
• 235U + n >>> 236U >>> Fragments + 3n
These fragments are intensely
radioactive
Waste (4)Carbon versus Nuclear
WasteRadioactive
WasteCarbon Waste
(CO2)
Cost Large, but calculable
Incalculable
Worldwide Physical Mass
<1 million tonnes cumulative total
>30 billion tonnes per year
Manageable Probably Probably not
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Link to
Weapons
Nuclear Fission (6)Chain reaction
• Nuclear phenomena has always been associated with great hopes and great fears.
• Chicago• 3:25 P.M. December 2,
1942• Nuclear Age began• Gain = 1.0006
Arthur Compton • One of the things that I shall not forget is the expressions
on the faces of some of the men. There was Fermi's face—one saw in him no sign of elation. The experiment had worked just as he had expected and that was that. But I remember best of all the face of Crawford Greenewalt. His eyes were shining. He had seen a miracle, and a miracle it was indeed. The dawn of a new age. As we walked back across the campus, he talked of his vision: endless supplies of power to turn the wheels of industry, new research techniques that would enrich the life of man, vast new possibilities yet hidden.
Nuclear Fission (6)Hopes
Leo Szillard
• There was a crowd there and when it dispersed, Fermi and I stayed there alone. Enrico Fermi and I remained. I shook hands with Fermi and I said that I thought this day would go down as a black day in the history of mankind.
• I was quite aware of the dangers. Not because I am so wise but because I have read a book written by H. G. Wells called The World Set Free. He wrote this before the First World War and described in it the development of atomic bombs, and the war fought by atomic bombs. So I was aware of these things.
• But I was also aware of the fact that something had to be done if the Germans get the bomb before we have it. They had knowledge. They had the people to do it and would have forced us to surrender if we didn't have bombs also.
• We had no choice, or we thought we had no choice.
Nuclear Fission (6)Fears
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
Terrorism
Nuclear terrorism (1)
• September 11, 2001? • What would happen if
terrorists flew an aeroplane into a nuclear reactor?
Do we need nuclear power?
We face a possible Energy Gap in the years to come.
We need to reduce Carbon emissions!
Difficult to see how we will sustain current levels of consumption without building new nuclear power.
But we still have a choice…
Summary
Nuclear PowerThe UK Context
The Answer!
The answer?
• Collect interstellar hydrogen and turn it into helium
• Build a fusion reactor bigger than the Earth!
• Position the reactor about 93 million miles away
• Call it the Super Universal Neutrino machine (or SUN)
UK Nuclear Energy update
AREVA and Electricité de France's (EDF) European Pressurized Reactor (EPR)
Westinghouse Electric Company's (WEC) AP1000pressurized water reactor (PWR)
Westinghouse Link
What is Nuclear Power?
Nuclear
Positives & Negatives
Nuclear Fission (6)Chain reaction
• Nuclear phenomena has always been associated with great hopes and great fears.
• Chicago• 3:25 P.M. December 2,
1942• Nuclear Age began• Gain = 1.0006
Arthur Compton • One of the things that I shall not forget is the expressions
on the faces of some of the men. There was Fermi's face—one saw in him no sign of elation. The experiment had worked just as he had expected and that was that. But I remember best of all the face of Crawford Greenewalt. His eyes were shining. He had seen a miracle, and a miracle it was indeed. The dawn of a new age. As we walked back across the campus, he talked of his vision: endless supplies of power to turn the wheels of industry, new research techniques that would enrich the life of man, vast new possibilities yet hidden.
Nuclear Fission (6)Hopes
Leo Szillard
• There was a crowd there and when it dispersed, Fermi and I stayed there alone. Enrico Fermi and I remained. I shook hands with Fermi and I said that I thought this day would go down as a black day in the history of mankind.
• I was quite aware of the dangers. Not because I am so wise but because I have read a book written by H. G. Wells called The World Set Free. He wrote this before the First World War and described in it the development of atomic bombs, and the war fought by atomic bombs. So I was aware of these things.
• But I was also aware of the fact that something had to be done if the Germans get the bomb before we have it. They had knowledge. They had the people to do it and would have forced us to surrender if we didn't have bombs also.
• We had no choice, or we thought we had no choice.
Nuclear Fission (6)Fears
What is Nuclear Power?
Sounds like a lot of trouble: Why bother?
Nuclear Fission (6)
• 1 kg natural uranium has a volume of 50 cm3
– Produces 40 thousand kWh– Equivalent to 16 tons of coal
• Nuclear energy is cleaner than coal– Lower radioactive emissions– Much less radioactive waste
• Conventional Power Stations– Cheaper than nuclear because they don’t pay to clean up
their waste (CO2)
What is Nuclear Power?
OK so nuclear power is quite interesting.Are there any downsides?
• Link to nuclear weapons• Possibility of catastrophic explosion• Radioactive waste• Possibility of nuclear terrorism
Catastrophic ExposionChernobyl
• 26 April 1986• 31 dead Immediately• Ultimate death toll
– 100?– 15,000?
Chernobyl Effect on UK
Chernobyl
Fall out from atmospheric
atomic weapons testing
Annual dose
(micro Sieverts)
1951 1988
Total radiation emissions were 20 times less than the emissions from the atmospheric bomb tests from 1945 to 1963.
Year
Radioactive waste (1)Low level waste
• Low level waste– Not very radioactive– Much of it is
‘precautionary’– No problem really
Radioactive waste (2)Intermediate level waste
• Intermediate level waste– Very radioactive– Quite a lot of it– Many different physical
forms– No problem with heat– Requires isolation for
thousands of years
Radioactive waste (3)High level waste
• High level waste– Used fuel rods– Intensely radioactive– Requires cooling– Chemical mess – Requires ‘management’
for around 50 years– Will remain intensely
radioactive for tens of thousands of years
Radioactive waste (4)Amounts in cubic metres
No permanent resting place has been found for the high level waste
Type of Waste
Year
2000
Year
2030
Low 424,000 1,411 ,000
Intermediate 100,000 260 ,000
High 1,200 3,000
Amounts in cubic metres
Nuclear terrorism (1)
• September 11, 2001? • What would happen if
terrorists flew an aeroplane into a nuclear reactor?
Do we need nuclear power?You need to decide?
Does Britian need nuclear power?
Consider • Our need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions• The risks & benefits of nuclear technology
– Do we want all countries to have nuclear power?• The effect on renewables
– Undermining or supporting?• The need to make decisions soon
– Build the next generation of nuclear power stations?– Or not?
Do we need nuclear power?
Does Britian need nuclear power?
Please find an answer!
FusionThe answer?
• Collect interstellar hydrogen and turn it into helium
• Build a fusion reactor bigger than the Earth!
• Position the reactor about 93 million miles away
• Call it the Super Universal Neutrino machine (or SUN)
The End
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The Abercorn ArmsChurch Road, Teddington
The Pub
Resources
Unused Slides
Electricity GenerationThe case for nuclear power
So maybe we should keep nuclear power for a while?
What if one considers the supply of oil…
World Oil Production(projections)Oil prices will rise
Table
World Oil ProductionWe are close to ‘the midpoint’
GigaBarrels of OilAnnual Production
World Oil Production(the gap)
Electricity GenerationThe case for nuclear power
But is oil relevant to this problem?
(still plenty of gas and coal)
Electricity Generation in UK Pros and Cons
Type Pros ConsCO2
Kg/kWh
NuclearWell suited to
supplying base loadNot popular
Waste Problem0.010
WindClean, plentiful,
available in the UKFluctuating Supply
Unsightly?0.001
Radioactive health risksRadon
Radioactive health risksHeight above sea level
0.01 mSv per hour
15 km
0.005 mSv per hour
10 km
0.001 mSv per hour
7 km
0.0001 mSv per hour
2.5 km
Mexico City
Himalayas
Coal89.5%
Crude Oil10.4%
Hydro0.1%
Electricity Generation in UK 1950
• Back in 1950– Basically just coal
Electricity GenerationCO2 Emissions
1990: 160 million tons
2005: 150 million tons
2010: target: 135 million tons
Wind PowerEnvironmental Change Institute
• Wind has problems of– availability– variability
• Availability– On average a 3MW turbine only
generates 1 MW– Sometimes, it generates nothing!– Needs conventional back up
• Variability– If wind speed changes– 40 to 30 mph: No problem– 30 to 20 mph: Output halves!
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60Per
cent
age
of m
axim
um g
ener
atio
n po
wer
Wind Speed (miles per hour)
Sustainable Development Commission
Sustainable Development CommissionThe government’s independent watchdog on sustainable developmentReport March 2006
“The two overriding concerns for Government are the need to:
• reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as part of efforts to tackle climate change, and
• increase confidence in the security of energy supply.”
“Nuclear power is not the answer to tackling climate change or security of supply”
What is Radioactivity(5)Isotopes
• Nuclei with the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes
• Nuclei with an ‘unbalanced’ ratio of protons and neutrons are unstable
• Instability is caused by electrical repulsion between protonsactually a couple more but don’t worry about them for now
• Only nuclei with a ‘balanced’ number of protons and neutrons are stable
What is Radioactivity (7)Summary
Isotopes with too many protons
Isotopes withtoo many neutrons
Alpha decay Beta decay
Emission of fast moving helium nucleus
Emission of fast moving electron
And gamma radiation And gamma radiation
Current UK Nuclear CapacityWith retirement dates
• Current capacity is 12.4 GW
• Most of this will be retired by 2023– Possibly much earlier
• If we don’t replace it with nuclear power, what should we replace it with? – Energy savings?– A CO2 free technology?
• If we don’t replace the power stations with something, there will be power cuts!
http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/nuclear/technology/history.shtml
Power Station Capacity GW Retirement
Calder Hall 0.194 2003
Chapelcross 0.196 2005
Sizewell A 0.420 2006
Dungeness A 0.450 2006
Oldbury 0.434 2008
Dungeness B 1.110 2008
Wylfa 0.980 2010
Hinkley Point B 1.220 2011
Hunterston B 1.190 2011
Hartlepool 1.210 2014
Heysham 1 1.150 2014
Heysham 2 1.250 2023
Torness 1.250 2023
Sizewell B 1.188 2035
Quiz
• 210Po is a radioactive isotope of polonium with 82 protons and 128 neutrons making a total of 210 nuclear particles
What is polonium 210?
• Po-lonium 210 caused Po™ to be a bit strange
• Polo-nium 210 is the key ingredient in Polo™ mints