NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE

The components of the nuclear fuel cycle are organized as follows:

The front end

• Uranium Metallurgy, Conversion to Uranium Hexafluoride, and Fabrication of Fuel Rods
• Uranium Enrichment

The service period

• Nuclear Reactors

The back end

• Reprocessing Spent Fuel
• Nuclear Waste

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE

REACTOR COOLANT PUMP

Reactor coolant pump (RCP) is the main pumps that circulate the reactor coolant through the core, loop piping and steam generators. RCP circulates reactor coolant to remove heat from the reactor core at a constant flow rate. Reactor coolant piping interconnects the reactor vessel, steam generator and reactor coolant pump in a circulating loop configuration. The average design flow for reactor coolant pump as the one below ranges up to 100000 gallons per minute.

AP1000 Reactor Coolant Pump

NUCLEAR POWER CONSIDERED AS RENEWABLE

Although nuclear considered a low carbon generation source, its legal inclusion with renewable energy power sources has been the subject of debate. The American Petroleum institute does not consider conventional nuclear fission as renewable, but states that nuclear fission in breeder reactor is considered sustainable and renewable. Conventional nuclear power uses uranium as its source of fuel. Uranium is a non-renewable resource and when used at present rates, it would eventually be exhausted. Nuclear power involving breeder reactors, which creates more fissile isotopes than they consume during their operation, has a stronger case for being considered as renewable resource.

THORIUM NUCLEAR POWERED CAR – EMMNEWS.COM

Thorium nuclear powered car – EMMNEWS.COM

NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT

The aim of enrichment is to increase the proportion of fissile uranium-235 atoms within uranium. For uranium used in nuclear reactor [ electricity generating nuclear power plant] it must be enriched to contain 2-3% uranium-235. However for weapon of mass destruction [nuclear bomb], the uranium must be enriched to 90% or more.

THERMAL REACTORS

THERMAL REACTORS

A nuclear reactor is a system that contains that contains and controls sustained nuclear chain reaction. Nuclear fuel (Uranium-235) made up of heavy atoms that splits when they absorb neutron is placed into the reactor vessel.

ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

NUKE ADV TECH: ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT:

INTRODUCTION
Nuclear Power has been one of the major sources of energy to countries whom have accepted nuclear technology. Their dependence on nuclear power has contributed very much to the development and growth of their nation economically. Even though there are public uncertainty through international organizations and people towards the energy source, the widespread development of nuclear technology has never being stopped due to its greater potentials that are being overseen by many.  For the past centuries, coal, gas and fossils have been the major source of power to the world, leading to the slowly rather nearly to the depletion of these resources. As fossils are non-renewable resources, its trend of scarcity and towards depletion has opened the door for nations after nations to consider nuclear power energy source alternative.

With the implementation of sustainability and environment conservations other sources of energy such as hydro, wind, solar and biomass have been sought and developed globally. However, big countries have also experience the rapid increase in energy consumption due to further developments, commercial growths and increase in population. In trying to meet the energy demand, a few energy sources would certainly be unstable compared to a variety of sources being adopted and implemented. Nowadays Nuclear power has been one of the energy sources that many countries are slowly embarked on for their future as they begin to encountered complexities in the conventional energy sources such as coal, gas and fossil fuel in terms of prices and availability.

Base on the history of nuclear energy...

NUCLEAR EMISSIONS

Picture: Nuclear Vs Coal

The picture above is meant to compare the emissions produced by Nuclear Power plant and Coal Powered steam Turbine Power plant.Power generation accounts for about one quarter of total emissions of CO₂, the main culprit in global warming. But generally, now people concerned about climate change lacked information about the emissions of different types of power plant.

With coal, when it is burned, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released. For that reason, coal fired boilers are required to have control devices to reduce the amount of emissions are released. The average emission rates in the US from coal fired generation are: 2249 lbs/MWh of carbon dioxide, 13 lbs/MWh of sulphur dioxide and 6 lbs/MWh nitrogen oxide. In addition to emission is the mining, cleaning and transporting of coal to power plants.

HOW NUCLEAR ENERGY WORKS

    

VIDEO I: NUCLEAR ENERGY

  

VIDEO 2: URANIUM PELLET [NUCLEAR FUEL]

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT