Energy and Place and Essential Questions
3. How are radioactive materials for nuclear power plants mined, milled and enriched? (Ashton C)
The mining of the uranium ore is mined a couple of different ways. One of the ways is just excavating it from the ground, this is split into two different methods where there is underground mining and then there is pit mining. The underground mining it for the deep deposits and the pit mining is for when the uranium is close to the surface. An increasing portion of the world is starting to move into ISL (In Situ Leaching) mining. Milling is usually close by the mine, Milling produces a uranium oxide concentrate which is shipped from the mill. It is sometimes referred to as 'yellowcake' and generally contains more than 80% uranium. The original ore may contain as little as 0.1% uranium, or even less. The ore is crushed and ground to a fine slurry which is leached in sulfuric acid (or sometimes a strong alkaline solution) to allow the separation of uranium from the waste rock. The uranium oxide product of a uranium mill is not directly usable as a fuel for a nuclear reactor and additional processing is required. Only 0.7% of natural uranium is capable of undergoing fission, the process by which energy is produced in a nuclear reactor. The form, or isotope, of uranium which is capable is the uranium-235 (U-235) isotope. The remainder is uranium-238 (U-238). For most kinds of reactor, the concentration of the capable uranium-235 isotope needs to be increased typically to between 3.5% and 5% U-235.
- What are environmental and safety issues associated with the mining and refining of nuclear fuel?
After ISL mining is completed, the quality of the remaining groundwater must be restored to a baseline standard determined before the start of the operation, so that any prior use can be resumed. Contaminated water drawn from the aquifer is either evaporated or treated before reinjection.The usual radiation safeguards are applied at an ISL mining operation, despite the fact that most of the ore radioactivity remains well underground and there is hence minimal increase in radon release and no ore dust. Employees are monitored for alpha radiation contamination and personal dosimeters are worn to measure exposure to gamma radiation. Routine monitoring of air, dust and surface contamination are undertaken.
- Where is uranium mined and approximately how much is available in the US? In the World?
In 2012 there was about 68,864 tonnes of U3O8 mined in the whole world and only 1596 tonnes of that came from the US.
- How much of our energy needs can uranium provide?
Typically, some 44 million kilowatt-hours of electricity are produced from one tonne of natural uranium. The production of this amount of electrical power from fossil fuels would require the burning of over 20,000 tonnes of black coal or 8.5 million cubic metres of gas.
11. What are the best estimates for the purely financial cost of nuclear power generated electricity? (Ashton C)
- What are the levelized costs per kWh?
The LOCE (Levelized Cost Of Electricity) system total is 96.1 MWh for an advanced nuclear plant.
- What are fuel costs annually or per kWh? Construction costs for a new plant? Operating and maintenance costs?
The average fuel cost at a nuclear power plant in 2012 was 0.75 cents / kWh. Construction for a new plant average over a couple billion dollars for everything that is needed for the process of the build. The average non-fuel O&M (Operations and Maintenance) cost for a nuclear power plant in 2012 was 1.65 cents / kWh.
"In Situ Leach (ISL) Mining of Uranium." In Situ Leach Mining (ISL) of Uranium. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"Costs: Fuel, Operation, Waste Disposal & Life Cycle." Nuclear Energy Institute -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"The Economics of Nuclear Power." Nuclear Power Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
The mining of the uranium ore is mined a couple of different ways. One of the ways is just excavating it from the ground, this is split into two different methods where there is underground mining and then there is pit mining. The underground mining it for the deep deposits and the pit mining is for when the uranium is close to the surface. An increasing portion of the world is starting to move into ISL (In Situ Leaching) mining. Milling is usually close by the mine, Milling produces a uranium oxide concentrate which is shipped from the mill. It is sometimes referred to as 'yellowcake' and generally contains more than 80% uranium. The original ore may contain as little as 0.1% uranium, or even less. The ore is crushed and ground to a fine slurry which is leached in sulfuric acid (or sometimes a strong alkaline solution) to allow the separation of uranium from the waste rock. The uranium oxide product of a uranium mill is not directly usable as a fuel for a nuclear reactor and additional processing is required. Only 0.7% of natural uranium is capable of undergoing fission, the process by which energy is produced in a nuclear reactor. The form, or isotope, of uranium which is capable is the uranium-235 (U-235) isotope. The remainder is uranium-238 (U-238). For most kinds of reactor, the concentration of the capable uranium-235 isotope needs to be increased typically to between 3.5% and 5% U-235.
- What are environmental and safety issues associated with the mining and refining of nuclear fuel?
After ISL mining is completed, the quality of the remaining groundwater must be restored to a baseline standard determined before the start of the operation, so that any prior use can be resumed. Contaminated water drawn from the aquifer is either evaporated or treated before reinjection.The usual radiation safeguards are applied at an ISL mining operation, despite the fact that most of the ore radioactivity remains well underground and there is hence minimal increase in radon release and no ore dust. Employees are monitored for alpha radiation contamination and personal dosimeters are worn to measure exposure to gamma radiation. Routine monitoring of air, dust and surface contamination are undertaken.
- Where is uranium mined and approximately how much is available in the US? In the World?
In 2012 there was about 68,864 tonnes of U3O8 mined in the whole world and only 1596 tonnes of that came from the US.
- How much of our energy needs can uranium provide?
Typically, some 44 million kilowatt-hours of electricity are produced from one tonne of natural uranium. The production of this amount of electrical power from fossil fuels would require the burning of over 20,000 tonnes of black coal or 8.5 million cubic metres of gas.
11. What are the best estimates for the purely financial cost of nuclear power generated electricity? (Ashton C)
- What are the levelized costs per kWh?
The LOCE (Levelized Cost Of Electricity) system total is 96.1 MWh for an advanced nuclear plant.
- What are fuel costs annually or per kWh? Construction costs for a new plant? Operating and maintenance costs?
The average fuel cost at a nuclear power plant in 2012 was 0.75 cents / kWh. Construction for a new plant average over a couple billion dollars for everything that is needed for the process of the build. The average non-fuel O&M (Operations and Maintenance) cost for a nuclear power plant in 2012 was 1.65 cents / kWh.
"In Situ Leach (ISL) Mining of Uranium." In Situ Leach Mining (ISL) of Uranium. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"Costs: Fuel, Operation, Waste Disposal & Life Cycle." Nuclear Energy Institute -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"The Economics of Nuclear Power." Nuclear Power Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Opening Statement
I have come to show you the dangers of mining, milling, and enriching of the uranium. When we mine we use in situ leach mining which is safer for miners but, these are acids that are pumped into the ground to melt down the uranium and then suck it back out of the ground. This is being done right by underground water. Then we put it through milling which leaves tailings that there only containment is to bury it in containers. These will be sitting there for longer then we will be around. People say that nuclear power doesn’t create CO2 emissions but the act of enriching it produces around 27,200 tonnes (2,204.6 pounds a tonnes) of CO2 emissions annually.
Closing Statement
Removing nuclear power has some many good things that would come from it. There would be less worry among people about having nuclear melt downs and it would have us look like less of a threat to other countries because we are not pumping out enriched uranium left and right. We are told that it is clean energy and that it doesn’t create CO2 emissions, which it doesn’t but the process of enriching it pumps loads of these emissions into the air. Nuclear power may be clean energy but it is not clean getting it from the ground into a mill then enriched to be used for energy rods in the reactors and then wasted around 95% of it. This takes up space and leaves highly nuclear waste that will last longer then we will be around to do anything about it.
I have come to show you the dangers of mining, milling, and enriching of the uranium. When we mine we use in situ leach mining which is safer for miners but, these are acids that are pumped into the ground to melt down the uranium and then suck it back out of the ground. This is being done right by underground water. Then we put it through milling which leaves tailings that there only containment is to bury it in containers. These will be sitting there for longer then we will be around. People say that nuclear power doesn’t create CO2 emissions but the act of enriching it produces around 27,200 tonnes (2,204.6 pounds a tonnes) of CO2 emissions annually.
Closing Statement
Removing nuclear power has some many good things that would come from it. There would be less worry among people about having nuclear melt downs and it would have us look like less of a threat to other countries because we are not pumping out enriched uranium left and right. We are told that it is clean energy and that it doesn’t create CO2 emissions, which it doesn’t but the process of enriching it pumps loads of these emissions into the air. Nuclear power may be clean energy but it is not clean getting it from the ground into a mill then enriched to be used for energy rods in the reactors and then wasted around 95% of it. This takes up space and leaves highly nuclear waste that will last longer then we will be around to do anything about it.
Reflection
I was arguing against nuclear power being put in the four corners area. My initial position on this debate was undecided for me. Once I started to look into the affects of nuclear power I started to see what the dangers of these reactors being around are. But I also saw what the good things about having these reactors. Looking at the two sides made it just as hard to really find out what side that I support, both have their own arguments about what side is right. I feel that the arguments about what to do with the waste of the unused uranium. A part that I would research farther would have been the process getting a reactor set up and built.
Materials Project
Ashton Cornett
New Age Repair Polymer
Have you ever dropped your phone and got a big crack in the side and had to pay to get it fixed. Well soon you may not have to pay to get it fixed you may only have to let it sit and it will fix itself. Soon it could be but not just for phones it could be used for so many things. This is no hoax it has been shown in video, they took a razor blade and cut a cylinder of it in half and set it back together and let it sit and in two hours it was 97% repaired and could not be pulled apart by hand. When it heals it acts as a Velcro-like sealant or adhesive when it comes to it healing.
The self-healing polymer named the terminator polymer after the T1000 from the movie the terminator with the robot that heals when hurt. This was created by Ibon Odriozola at CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in Spain this was their second attempt at creating a self-healing polymer. It was first announced September, 13 2013, so this is a fairly new thing to be created to change modern products.
This polymer was close to being done once before but it needed an applied external force and an expensive silver component for it to work. But now they have achieved their goal to prepare self-healing elastomers from common polymeric starting materials using a simple and inexpensive approach. This polymer when cut, works on mending themselves by repairing the broken cross linking bonds. Most of the other self-healing polymers that have been created have needed external stimulus to activate the cross-link healing. The stimulus that trigger repair would be energy input, such as heat or light. Polymers that can spontaneously heal themselves in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before now.
They found a way to make this polymer that doesn’t need an extra catalyst to activate the repairing process of what it is made into. This polymer has the possibility to be used for anything from cars, houses, electrical components, and biomaterials. If everyday things were made out of this polymer if a hail storm hits your car and destroys the outside then all you would have to do is wait for it to repair its self. You would not have to take your car to get it repaired and not have you could drive around in it and it would be fixing its self like new.
This could make so that we don’t have to worry about pay for everything to be fixed if something gets broken. This would be an important thing with construction with pipes, so when they break they do not need to replace the whole thing all they need to do is help put it back together so that it can reconnect with each other. The next step for the group is to work towards making stronger polymer materials due to this one being relativity soft.
New Age Repair Polymer
Have you ever dropped your phone and got a big crack in the side and had to pay to get it fixed. Well soon you may not have to pay to get it fixed you may only have to let it sit and it will fix itself. Soon it could be but not just for phones it could be used for so many things. This is no hoax it has been shown in video, they took a razor blade and cut a cylinder of it in half and set it back together and let it sit and in two hours it was 97% repaired and could not be pulled apart by hand. When it heals it acts as a Velcro-like sealant or adhesive when it comes to it healing.
The self-healing polymer named the terminator polymer after the T1000 from the movie the terminator with the robot that heals when hurt. This was created by Ibon Odriozola at CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in Spain this was their second attempt at creating a self-healing polymer. It was first announced September, 13 2013, so this is a fairly new thing to be created to change modern products.
This polymer was close to being done once before but it needed an applied external force and an expensive silver component for it to work. But now they have achieved their goal to prepare self-healing elastomers from common polymeric starting materials using a simple and inexpensive approach. This polymer when cut, works on mending themselves by repairing the broken cross linking bonds. Most of the other self-healing polymers that have been created have needed external stimulus to activate the cross-link healing. The stimulus that trigger repair would be energy input, such as heat or light. Polymers that can spontaneously heal themselves in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before now.
They found a way to make this polymer that doesn’t need an extra catalyst to activate the repairing process of what it is made into. This polymer has the possibility to be used for anything from cars, houses, electrical components, and biomaterials. If everyday things were made out of this polymer if a hail storm hits your car and destroys the outside then all you would have to do is wait for it to repair its self. You would not have to take your car to get it repaired and not have you could drive around in it and it would be fixing its self like new.
This could make so that we don’t have to worry about pay for everything to be fixed if something gets broken. This would be an important thing with construction with pipes, so when they break they do not need to replace the whole thing all they need to do is help put it back together so that it can reconnect with each other. The next step for the group is to work towards making stronger polymer materials due to this one being relativity soft.
Reflection
The chemistry of materials through out our past have change how we live our every day life. This could be any type of material that has been chemically made like some metals and other things like plastics and polymers. Through out time new materials are being created for the better of the world, from the past to the present materials have made
The chemistry of materials through out our past have change how we live our every day life. This could be any type of material that has been chemically made like some metals and other things like plastics and polymers. Through out time new materials are being created for the better of the world, from the past to the present materials have made