Environmental impacts of nuclear power plant on environment!

Nuclear power plant

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2. What is Nuclear Power Plant? A generating plant in which nuclear energy is converted into electrical energy is known as a Nuclear Power Plant. A nuclear power plant works in a similar way as a thermal power plant. Nuclear power plant uses Uranium and Plotonium as a fuels.

3. . Today there are about 439 Nuclear power plant in 31 countries. 1kg of Uranium can profuse as much energy as burn of 4500 tones of high variety grade of coal or 2000 tones of oil.

4. At what principle Nuclear Power Plant Works? Nuclear Power Plant works at the principle of Fission process.

5. What is Fission Process? Process in which a large atomic nuclei such as Uranium-235 or Plotonium-239 absorbs a neutron.It may undergo nuclear fission.The heavy nucleus splits into two or more lighter nucli(fission product) releasing Kinatic energy and free buttons. This process is called Fission process

6. C h a i n r e a ction :

7. Chain reaction A portion of these neutrons may be absorbed by other atoms and trigger further fission events which release more neutron and so on.This is known as a nuclear chain reaction.

8. How nuclear power plant produce energy?

9. I mpact of Nuclear Power Plant : ( 1 ) p o s i tive i m p a c ts :

10. N e g ative i m p acts : Environmental Impact One of the biggest issues is the environmental impact in relation to uranium. The process of mining and refining uranium hasn ’ t been clean. Actually transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants involves a pollution hazard. Also, once the fuel is used, you can ’ t simply take it to the landfill – it ’ s radioactive and dangerous

11. Radioactive waste The spent nuclear fuel from uranium-235 and plutonium-239 nuclear fission contains a wide variety of carcinogenic radionuclide isotopes such as strontium-90, iodine-131 and caesium-137, and includes some of the most long-lived transuranic elements such as americium-241 and isotopes of plutonium

12. Radioactive Waste Disposal As a rule, a nuclear power plant creates 20 metric tons of nuclear fuel per year, and with that comes a lot of nuclear waste. When you consider each nuclear plant on Earth, you will find that number jumps to approximately 2,000 metric tons a year. The greater part of this waste transmits radiation and high temperature, implying that it will inevitably consume any compartment that holds it. It can also cause damage to living things in and around the plants.

13. Radioactive waste decay Nuclear power plants create a lot of low-level radioactive waste as transmitted parts and supplies. Over time, used nuclear fuel decays to safe radioactive levels, however, this takes a countless number of years. Even low-level radioactive waste takes hundreds of years to achieve adequate levels of safety.

14. Nuclear Accidents The accident in Three Mile Island in 1979, the Chernobyl accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, was the worst nuclear accident in history. Then there was another accident that happened recently in Fukushima in Japan in 2011. Although the casualties were not that high, it caused serious environmental concerns. Its harmful effects on humans and ecology can still be seen today.

15. Uranium is Finite Typical renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are in infinite supply. Nuclear energy is not a renewable fuel source. Just like other sources of fuel, uranium is also finite and exists in a few of the countries. Uranium is in limited supply although currently abundant. There is still the risk of running out eventually. Unlike fossil fuels that are available to most of the countries, uranium is a very scarce resource and exists in only a few of the countries. Permissions of several international authorities are required before someone can even think of building a nuclear power plant.

16. The green house gas emission The greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear fission power are much smaller than those associated with coal, oil and gas, and the routine health risks are much smaller than those associated with coal. However, there is a "catastrophic risk" potential if containment fails,which in nuclear reactors can be brought about by overheated fuels melting and releasing large quantities of fission products into the environment. This potential risk could wipe out the benefits .

17. Cancer Numerous studies have been done on possible effect of nuclear power in causing cancer in both plant workers and surrounding populations during normal operations of nuclear plants and other parts of the nuclear power industry, as well as excess cancers in workers and the public due to accidental releases.There is also agreement that some workers in other parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, most notably uranium mining – at least in past decades – have had elevated rates of cancer.

18. Iodine Iodine-131 is potentially an important source of morbidity in accidental discharges because of its prevalence and because it settles on the ground. When iodine-131 is released, it can be inhaled or consumed after it enters the food chain, primarily through contaminated fruits, vegetables, milk, and groundwater. Iodine-131 in the body rapidly accumulates in the thyroid gland, becoming a source of beta radiation

19. Waste heat As with all thermoelectric plants, nuclear power plants need cooling systems. The most common systems for thermal power plants, including nuclear, are: Once-through cooling, in which water is drawn from a large body, passes through the cooling system, and then flows back into the water body. Cooling pond, in which water is drawn from a pond dedicated to the purpose, passes through the cooling system, then returns to the pond.

20. Greenhouse gas emissions Emittion of carbon dioxide and conventional pollutants by nuclear energy contributes a very small amount into the atmosphere which can cause many environmental problems such as global warming. All of the waste that comes from the fission of uranium stays in the plant and is therefore able to be disposed of in a safe way in which the uranium is kept out of the environment. Nuclear energy produces far less carbon dioxide than coal, 9 grams per kilowatt hour compared with 790 – 1017 grams per kilowatt hour for coal.