Nuclear Power: Fission, Uranium Isotopes and Challenges

• Many nuclear power plants are aging, resulting in debates about whether to invest in fixing them.
• Companies are hesitant to invest in new nuclear plants due to the high costs (billions of dollars).
• This financial hesitation is a major factor limiting the growth of nuclear energy.
• A fission reaction, the splitting of nuclei, generates heat and boils water in nuclear plants, which spins a turbine and produces electricity.
• Nuclear power does not use fossil fuels.
• Uranium-235 is a key uranium isotope, less stable than regular uranium, providing more energy.
• Isotopes are forms of an element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
• Uranium-238 is the most common uranium isotope.
• An atom is the simplest form of an element that retains its characteristics.
• The mass number of an atom is the number of protons and neutrons.
• U-235, more reactive than U-238, is packed into fuel rods to produce energy.
• U-235 has a half-life of 700 million years and is more stable than other isotopes.
• A radioactive isotope decays and releases subatomic particles and decay rate is measured by half-life.
• After one half-life, 50% of the parent material remains; after two, 25% remains, and so on.
• Surface mining for U-235 requires mining a lot of rock because U-235 is a small percentage of the uranium found.
• Fuel rods are placed in an assembly for fission.
• Control rods absorb neutrons to manage the fission chain reaction.
• Fuel rods of uranium create heat.
• Radioactive U-235 nuclei in the rods break up, releasing a huge amount of heat in nuclear fission.
• Neutrons are shot and break apart causing splitting in 2 or more pieces.
• Released neutrons hit other atoms and create a chain reaction, which can exponentially increase the heat.
• Control rods are used to absorb neutrons to keep the chain reaction steady.
• A boiling water reactor has all water interacting with radiation and is uncommon.
• A pressurized water reactor is more common and water does not contact uranium, so it remains non-radioactive.
• Alpha radiation (2 protons and 2 neutrons lost) cannot pass through skin, but is dangerous if ingested.
• Beta radiation (electron lost) is more dangerous than Alpha because it goes though other materials.
• Gamma radiation (electromagnetic radiation) is very dangerous because it can pass through lead and thick concrete.
• It is short waved and very strong.
• The primary concern in nuclear reactions is fission radiation produced from uranium breaking down, not the uranium itself.
• Radioactive waste must be stored for extended periods due to the varying half-lives of its byproducts, which can range from years to hours.
• Low-level waste is clothing, fibers, and gloves exposed to radiation can be disposed of as regular trash once it is no longer radioactive.
• High-level waste with longer half-lives is stored in underground casks.
• Some examples of High-level waste is high radioactivity and putting it into dry cask storage.
• USA has no permanent long-term storage facility.
• The Nuclear Waste Management Organization selected Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and Township of Ignace, Ontario
• They where picked as of November 2024.
• The location will be deep underground for thousands of years.
• The community agreed to have it in their territory.
• The transportation of nuclear waste can be an issue and Will take a decade if not more.
• Nuclear energy is relatively clean and minimizes footprint.
• Trade offs of nuclear energy is being very efficient, with less mining, and no particulate matter, mercury, or sulfur oxide.
• The out put of the big pipes is steam not smoke.
• There is a very low risk of melt downs that would be disastrous.
• Nuclear energy has very expensive start-up costs.
• Cooling water can cause pollution when it is evaporated or put back into the environment.
• The ozone layer is thinning not a hole. Located primarily in Antarctica but can reach Australia.
• Earth is a system comprised of many subsystems.
• Energy enters and leaves Earth, but matter does not. Earths atmosphere is
• Multiple layers, extending into space
• The exosphere is the last layer that enters into space, hosting satellites and space exploration.
• The thermosphere creates the Northern Lights.
• The mesosphere causes anything coming from space to fireball.
• The stratosphere contains the ozone and is critical for survival.
• The troposphere interacts with nature and humans, influencing weather.
• Temperature decreases with altitude but warms again in the ozone layer.
• Ozone protects Earth's surface from UV radiation.
• Ozone on the surface of earth can be safe and helpful but can cause different problems.
• Stratospheric ozone is viewed as "good", while tropospheric ozone is "bad."
• Measure of the suns energy by electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.
• Electromagnetic (EM) energy is a measurement of wavelengths of energy sources.
• UV light is an invisible small percentage and becomes damaging if increased.
• Infrared and visible light heat the Earth.
• UV photons damage DNA, leading to mutations, skin cancer, and vision problems.
• Excessive UV radiation can harm marine organisms in shallow water and their eggs, or juveniles.
• Excessive UV radiation impacts photosynthesis in plants and phytoplankton, which base for food chain.
• Ozone's chemical formula is O3, naturally forms in the stratosphere, with a balanced rate of forming and breaking down.
• O2 splits into two single oxygens upon UV-C contact. UV-B breaks down 03 into O and Oxygen.
• A single oxygen then combines with O2 to form ozone and this process continually repeats, maintaining constant ozone levels.
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), non-toxic coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners, were used as propellants in hairspray.
• All chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are called ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).
• CFCs made their way into the stratosphere and where long lived.
• UV-B radiation breaks CFCs apart, releasing chlorine atoms.
• Chlorine atom break down and release again.
• The Antarctic spring (Sept/Oct) intensifies ozone depletion.
• In Oct 1979, ozone appeared normal until it becomes reactive and forms chlorine monoxide (ClO) from an ozone molecule, leaving oxygen gas.
• A chain reaction occurs, breaking down tens to hundreds of thousands of ozone molecules per released chlorine atom.
• Chlorine exists in the atmosphere as CFCs from human activity.
• CFCs accumulating for decades caused a significant thinning of the ozone layer by October 2018, though concentrations weren't zero.
• Polar Vortex in the winter causes a circular wind pattern and collects dark, colder air, forming polar stratospheric clouds with ice crystals.
• Sunlight in the spring restarts the process and decreases the concentation of ozone.

Alternative Oil Sources

• As easy-to-access oil diminishes, non-conventional sources are tapped.
• Coal forms as peat in swampy conditions where organic matter partially decomposes over millions of years in many locations.
• Oil forms deeper underground as marine organisms' remains are buried under sediment and transformed by time, heat, and pressure, often with natural gas pockets.
• It was easy to find and access oil, however it now requires different equipment, lengths, and ways.
• Oil and natural gas are the primary fuel.
• Extraction started in the 1850's
• Oil forms in a narrow window that is deeper than coal.
• Forms a oil by drilling, finding evidence, and seismic activity.
• Offshore drilling creates gas and oil.
• There are many different types of platforms with different materials used for drilling.
• Natural pressure pushes the oil and seawater is injected.
• Tertiary production uses the same injection well, with additional oil being extracted using steam, natural gas, or CO2.
• The petrochemical industry uses oil to formulate raw materials for industrial.
• Natural gas has been recently used more widely.
• Can be burned in power plants and heat water but, more main stream
• Growth may increase here.
• Is fairly abundant.
• Carbon dioxide is less abundant than Coal and oil.
• It gas the fewest impurities.
• Leads to habit loss and more.
• Air Pollution can lead to oil and methane.
• Habit fragmentation occurs with pipelines that split habitat.
• Unconventional oil reserves are Alberta oil sands which have a lot of oil and is the 4th largest.
• Extracted from surface that is buried in water with film and bitumen.
• You must seperate thick oil from grains.
• Lots of heat and water needs used.
• This gives rise to waste water that is stored above ground.
• Canada exports most crude oil to the US.

Sustainability Metrics

• Ecolabels indicate it is certified organic and recycled.
• Greenwashing.
• Support methods that promotes fair trade.
• Life Cycle Assessment (Guest Lecture: Peter Tyedmers)
• Outputs in environment.
• Energy Intro (Guest Lecture: Michael Metzger)

Cost of energy sources

• Cost or energy really matters for renewable recourses.
• New metric is more useful.

Non-renewable Sources

• The source formed is formed slowly than the sources or present or in a finite supply.
• Some additional compounds added, such has sulfur and oxygen.
• Forms peat and compression with different materials.
• Cycle assessment leads to more impact.
• More invested.
• The dirtiest recourse is coal.
• Mining for coal is difficult and is bad for the community and environment.
• They now remove coal and preserve it.
• The social impact now cost more due to black ling in the ventilation.
• Exploding mountains for access.
• Dump rocks down.

Water Pollution

• Increased with acid rain and workers.
• Can make dangerous to drink.

Benefits of Coal

• Creates heat and boils water.
• This can create energy.
• Coal burns and heat and creates matter.
• Creates most oxygen.
• Very little geological pressure.
• High energy.
• Offers many jobs. Affordable that is reliable with ecological footprint.
• Measure performance.
• Help analyze improvements.
• inform public.
• Cheese with land, nutrients, fertilizer, pesticides, electricity, waste management.
• Greenhouse emissions
• Ozone depletion
• Air and aquatic toxicitys
• salmon fishing, purse siene, gillnet.
• Feed the fish in feed lot.
• Use less emissions and energy.
• Feed for farm fish and farmed in UK.
• Boats and fishing for big and big.
• Climate can help determine quantities, severity, temp, precipitation.
• A shifts in the biome for shift and adaption.
• 1C since over last centuries.

Paleoclimate

• Study from a time.
• Measurements with bubbles, growth, and record.
• International and in the atmosphere.
• Not as equal over the average.
• 10-12C is change in high rates.
• climate forcer changes of solar radiation.
• Gases leads increased.
• CFC damage for replace and greenhouse.
• Climate changes in contribution.

Industrial Revolution

• Shifted that are burned in the now the atmosphere.
• Is now an increase of co2 of natural.
• Transportation
• Industry and deforestation.
• The atmosphere, water and fertilizer.
• Co2 has been higher.
• Water decreases.
• More increased high temps.
• Precipitation records.

Ozone

• Is doing big in the past.
• Has all key terms. Can breakdown once formed.
• 180 countries had decreased.
• The ozone.
• Communication.
• smoke stack of oil.
• Pollution damages.
• decreases to goverment.
• Impact with some other source.

Types of pollution

• Primary and anthropongenic with small particles.
• Pollutant reaction.
• Rain sources
• Aluminum release.
• the soil that they need.
• Decreasded eggs and larvae.
• Damages trees more frequently.
• Western had better soil.

Different types of chemistry

• Governs act is protected.
• Listed an decline
• Cause climate.
• Prevents and used if not needed.
• Cap if the amount or what that will need work and trade.
• Smog is the most damaging.
• Cases of pollution.
• Photochemical is sun damages.
• the mix.
• More policies and better quality.