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Nuclear Power
Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, NY
The Facts:
• Located on 239 acres in Buchanan, NY– 35 miles North of NYC, 25 miles from AHS
• Two operating reactors built in 1974 and 1976– Licenses expire in 2013 and 2015
• Of the 31 states with nuclear capacity, NY ranks 4th
• Ranks 67th of the 100 largest US nuclear power plants• Employs 1500 people
Containment Building
Fuel
Control Rods
Turbine &Generator
Power Lines
Cooling Tower
Reactor
Condenser
Cooling Loop
Nuclear Power Plant Schematic
Parts of a Nuclear Power Plant
• Containment Structure:
• Fuel:
• Control Rods:
• Turbine & Generator:
• Cooling Loop & Tower:
Made of very thick steel and concrete – built to contain any radiation
Fissionable uranium or plutonium
Made of a material such as graphite, which readily absorbs neutrons – raised or lowered to regulate fissioning
Steam turns the turbine, which is used to generate electricity
Cools used steam and sends it back to the reactor to be reused
Power Generation Process
Fuel rods undergo fission
Heat energy is created
Control rods are raised and lowered in order to
regulate fission
Heat energy turns water Into steam
Turbine is turned, generating electricity
Electricity is transmitted
over power lines
Steam is cooled and condensed back in to
water
Nuclear Power Pros and Cons
Pro Con
Little Pollution – No release of greenhouse gases, no ozone depletion or acid rain
Abundant Fuel – Uranium and plutonium are much more available than fossil fuels
High Energy Output – More energy is created from less fuel, compared to coal or oil
Waste Disposal – Radioactive waste must be safely disposed of
Safety – An accident could be catastrophic
Waste Disposal
• When fuel rods no longer have enough fissionable material left they still contain many decay products– What type of radiation does Kr emit?
• Exposure to radiation is dangerous to humans, so nuclear waste must be buried underground until is has decayed in to something harmless – this can take thousands of years.
Beta
How Dangerous is Nuclear Power? US Coal Mining 1931-1995 33,134
Oil / Gas Industry 1992-1995 719
Chemical Manufacturing 1992-1995 201
US Automobile 1899-1995 2,903,036
Smoking per year 419,000
US Civil Aviation 1938-present +54,000
US Nuclear Power Historical 0
Fatality Comparison Statistics
In 2011 a tsunami and earthquake devastated the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Two workers
were killed in an explosion caused by a build-up of hydrogen and several
hundred died as an indirect result of the disaster. But so far there have been no reports of radiation-related deaths.
Source: energyforhumanity.org September 2014
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