Nuclear Power

1
Nuclear Power
Dennis Silverman, U C Irvine
In the US, 20 of our electricity is produced by
nuclear power. There are 103 US nuclear power
plants.
2
California related reactors
Diablo Canyon, two reactors
San Onofre, two reactors
? of Palo Verde 1, 2, 3 in Arizona
3
California Nuclear energy

• Each of the five reactors produces about 1,100
  million watts (megawatts) of electricity
• This is enough to power one million homes per
  reactor
• Each reactors production is equivalent to 15
  million barrels of oil or 3.5 million tons of
  coal a year.
• The total 5,500 reactor produced megawatts is out
  of a peak state electrical power of 30,000
  40,000 megawatts.

4
Worldwide Nuclear Power Reactors

• There are 440 nuclear power reactors in 31
  countries.
• 30 more are under construction.
• They account for 16 of the worlds electricity.
• They produce a total of 351 gigawatts (billion
  watts) of electricity.

5
World Nuclear Power Plants
6
Nuclear Electricity Production by Countries and
Regions in Gigawatts (World Total 350 Gigawatts)
US 97 Trend declining
North America Region 109
France 63 Increasing
Germany 21 Being phased out
U. K. 12
Western Europe Region 126
Japan 44 Increasing
Asia Region 66 Increasing
Eastern Europe Region 11
Former Soviet U. Region 34
7
Production of Pu in Nuclear Reactors

• 239Pu is produced in nuclear reactors.
• It also fissions by absorbing a thermal neutron,
  and on average produces 1/3 of the energy in a
  fuel cycle.
• 239Pu is relatively stable, with a half life of
  24 thousand years.
• It is used in nuclear weapons
• It can be bred for nuclear reactors

8
Nuclear Weapons to Reactor Fuel

• We are buying highly enriched uranium (20 235U)
  from the former Soviet Union nuclear weapons for
  20 years from 1993--2013
• Converting it to low enriched uranium (3 235U)
  for reactor fuel
• It will satisfy 9 years of US reactor fuel demand
• It comes from 6,855 Soviet nuclear warheads so far

9
Nuclear Plant Future

• The countries of the world are each planning
  their own course of nuclear plant development or
  decline
• Nuclear power is competitive with fossil fuels
• It is non-polluting
• Newer designs are being sought to make them more
  economical and safer
• Nuclear fuel reprocessing makes disposal easier
• Disposal of high level radioactive waste still
  being studied