Nuclear_Effect

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EEPB 353 POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS 1 ESSAY ASSIGNMENT MOHD BADRULNIZAL BIN ABU BAKAR EP 081073 AIMI FARID BIN RUSDIN EE082597 SECTION : 03 LECTURER : DR. MISZAINA OSMAN Introduction Nuclear Power is an alternative power source that obtain sustain nuclear fission to generate heat. Which is energy can be produced by generated heat water and steam from the nuclear fission. But by using Nuclear fission, there is some disadvantages by using this method to generates energy sources. By using nuclear fission there is generates more radioactive waste and slightly dangerous rather than using Nuclear Fusion. These reaction appear more workable and likely to get survived but there is a problem to created this method on a scale that could be used in a functional power plant during short lived radioactivity of product waste, low carbon emissions and prospective power output. As we know, nuclear reactor technology usually using very highly hazardous chemical such as uranium and plutonium for nuclear fission and fusion power advocates commonly propose to used deuterium and tritium or both isotopes of hydrogen as fuel. Which is all the material are not renewable in future. Some serious nuclear leakage and radiation have occurred for example the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and Fukushima nuclear accidents in Japan after hit by tsunami. Every power plant reactor has a cooling system to removes heat that produced from reactor core and the thermal energy are used to generates electricity. The Malaysian government lately announced that the country considering to build two nuclear power plant that generates 1000 megawatts each by 2020 and making it as primary power sources in electricity. Malaysia now on are depending on fossil fuel for its electricity supply , which is gas accounting more than 60% of Malaysia’s total energy production and the rest coming from other sources such as coal and hydro. Lately Russia, one the leading countries in nuclear energy production has offered Malaysia to build with highly safe power plant and undertake technical study for managing nuclear power by their expertise. Nuclear power plant reactor are very costly project to build because of the building the plant structure but reducing the total usage of fuel. Discussion Health impacts Nuclear reactors have serious environmental and public health impacts. Radioactive air and water pollution is released through the routine operation of all nuclear reactors. A wide range of radioactive isotopes are released with varying radioactive and chemical properties – some toxic, some not, some more radioactive than others, some lasting minutes, some lasting billions of years. A study in Mainz, Germany shows the risk of getting cancer, particularly leukemia, is increasing for children growing up in the neighborhood of a nuclear power station.   The result showed a significantly higher risk to get cancer if the children lived within a circle of less than 5 km around a nuclear power plant. There were 77 cases of cancer (60% more than expected in normal statistical values) and 37 cases of leukemia (117% more than expected).           Radioactive waste The nuclear chain begins with uranium mining, a polluting activity that devastates large areas. Uranium ore can contain as little as 500 grammes recoverable uranium per million grammes of earth. Enormous amounts of rock have to be dug up, crushed and chemically processed to extract the uranium. The remaining wastes or ‘tailings’, still contain large amounts of radioactivity and are often stored in poor condition, resulting in the contamination of surface and groundwater. Radioactive wastes are produced continually in reactors.  High-level nuclear waste (also called irradiated or “spent” fuel) is more radioactive than when the fuel rods were loaded into the reactor. This waste is so lethal that standing near it without shielding causes fatality within minutes. This waste is hazardous for years and no technology exists to keep it isolated for long. Irradiated fuel rods are stored in storage pools inside reactor buildings.  If someone accidentally drained the water from the pool, the "spent fuel" would spontaneously burst into flame and burn out of control for days, releasing clouds of highly-radioactive material all the while. Besides this, in case of leakage, what is going to happen to the radioactively contaminated water' Where will the massive volume of water outflow' Another type of waste is low-level radioactive waste which is all other radioactive waste from reactors.  Large amounts of this waste has to be buried and over the years may leak and contaminate groundwater. Reactor accidents and leaks Of all electricity generation technologies, nuclear power is one which is capable of catastrophic accidents. Does Malaysia have the capacity to deal with a catastrophic event such as a reactor meltdown or leak' Is the public willing to accept this risk when cheaper and safer energy alternatives are available'   Although the probability of a nuclear explosion is minor, there is a significant risk of core meltdown and for steam and chemical explosions. This would lead to a release of a large fraction of its radioactive inventory. For example in 1979 a combination of technical faults and operator errors led to loss of coolant and a partial meltdown of the core of the nuclear power station at Three Mile Island in the USA where limited quantity of radiation was released. The worst accident at a nuclear power station was at Chernobyl in the Ukraine in 1986. A combination of operator errors, inadequate safety procedures and poor reactor design led to explosions of steam and hydrogen that released vast quantities of radioactive materials over the Ukraine, Belarus and much of Europe.  Millions of people in the Northern hemisphere have suffered and will continue to suffer from the Chernobyl catastrophe due to exposure to radiation. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reported that at least 27 of America's 104 licensed reactors are now leaking radioactive tritium. The worst case is reported to be Entergy's Vermont Yankee. High levels of contamination have been found in test wells around the reactor, and experts believe the Connecticut River is at serious risk. Water use harms aquatic life Reactors require huge amounts of cooling water, which is why they are often located near rivers, lakes or oceans. The initial devastation of marine life and ecosystems stems from the powerful intake of water into the nuclear reactor. Marine life, ranging from fish larvae to microscopic planktonic organisms vital to the ocean ecosystem, is sucked irresistibly into the reactor cooling system. Some of these animals are killed when trapped against filters, grates, and other structures. An equally huge volume of wastewater is discharged at temperatures hotter than the water into which it flows and this would also be detrimental to aquatic life. Expensive Nuclear power is the most expensive form of power and could not exist without massive subsidies. As it is so expensive to build, the price of the electricity they produce would be exorbitant too. Besides this, a great deal of money has to be spent and accumulate large amounts of interest before there is any revenue.  Would this cost ultimately be transferred to consumers through a price hike'   Nuclear energy would also be heavily subsidised but most of these subsidies are hidden. For instance the nuclear industry does not pay the full cost of insuring against a catastrophic accident such as in Chernobyl.   Another subsidy for the industry is when the federal government normally pick ups the tab when accidents or leakages occur.   Green house gas emissions Nuclear energy proponents state that green house gas emissions can be reduced. Nuclear reactors, which produce energy based on the fissioning of uranium atoms, do not directly emit greenhouse gases (GHGs). Nevertheless each step of the nuclear fuel cycle, right from uranium ore mining and processing, to fuel fabrication and reactor construction, from spent fuel reprocessing to eventual decommissioning and waste storage, involves emissions, including GHG. Conclusion Studies had shown that nuclear power is not as cost-effective as it is being portrayed. Experts had estimated the cost projections of nuclear power at an average of RM0.50/kWh, higher than the energy generation cost of Malaysia which is RM0.30/kWh. Studies had also shown that the cost of electricity from some forms of renewable energy, like concentrating solar thermal, could be as cheap as RM0.15/kWh by 2020. Instead of investing in nuclear power which neither makes environmental nor economic sense, Malaysia should seriously consider alternatives such as renewable energy. Moreover, most nuclear plants in the world have suffered significant profit delay and cost overrun. For example, South Korea and Japan have seen a 25 per cent increase in average costs for nuclear energy, in Finland that figure is 90 per cent, and the cost is trending upwards. Could it be a viable industry in Malaysia, given our bad track record in corruption and mega-project failures' The Malaysian government should take the incident in Japan as a lesson and review its nuclear project. Malaysian government should consider realistically the capability of Malaysia to operate nuclear energy generation – in which the plant works like the huge boiling pot, and more so, to handle it safely and ensure that no accident will occur. If in a developed country like Japan, with nearly 60 years of experience in nuclear technology, miscalculations and accidents could occur, is Malaysia confident enough to handle nuclear plant' The pros and cons of nuclear project should be carefully studied and weighed upon – this is no laughing matter, as it concerns human lives. Other safer method of energy generation should be relied upon before we embarked on this high-risk venture. Many countries had called for a halt for nuclear energy, including in Poland, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. To date, Malaysian Cabinet has been adamant about the pursuit of the project, with the deputy prime minister’s statement that Malaysia aim to proceed with the nuclear ambition, while the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Peter Chin Fah Kui, is avoiding the issue. Malaysian Government should learn the lesson from the nuclear catastrophe in Japan and should not risk the people’s safety because of policy carelessness. Reference * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power#Economics * http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-to-have-nuclear-power-plant-by-2021/ * http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp'file=/2009/5/30/business/4004635&sec=business * http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/should-malaysia-build-a-nuclear-power-plant-62114949.htm * http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm * http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/fission_power/fission_power.html