Notes

Fission - Uranium 235 Too many neutrons
Atoms for Peace
Equipment and Technology were provided to schools, hospitals, and research institutions to help develop nuclear technology towards more peaceful goals.
Primary Goal - Electricity generation
Optimism for the new technology was very high
Lewis Strauss, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission

Nuclear Reactors

The porcess of converting nuclear energy into electricity is similair to that of using fossil fuels
Water is boiled, the steam is passed through a turbine, which spins a generator.

- Withdraw control rods, reaction increases = make more steam
- Insert conrtrol rods, reaction decreases = they block the neutrons

As with nuclear bombs, the primary fuel is uranium-235
- Uranium ore is enriched and formed into fuel pellets
- The fuel pellets are stacked into long, cylindrical fuel rods
- Control rods, made of neutron-absorbing material, are placed amongst the fuel rods
- Can be removed and inserted to adjust the rate of the chain reaction
Coal was quit dirt, created smog, air pollution and lung issues.

One big advantage to nuclear power is that, under normal conditions, it does not release any air pollution, only steam

- Iodine 131= we take up iodine thyrodan
- Strontium 38 = taken up by kids
- Xenon gas
- Barium
- Caesium

Kids of Reactors Cont'd

- Both reactor vessel and steam generator are housed in a special containment building preventing radiation from escaping, and providing extra security in case of accidents

It could have contamitated most of the drinking supply of eastern western Europe
High melting point to prevent the escape of nuclear meltdown waste

48k Years to get red of 3/4 Plutonium

Through the late 1970s many new reactors were constructed all over the United States
Since the intial boom, few new reactors have come online

A relief water valve stuck open,allowing water to esscape from the core
A meltdown when the fuel and control rods physically begin to melt due to the heat surge within the reacote, partially occured
No major leak to the enviroment occurred
Soviet time - RBMK Reactors

- Control Rods were fully removed
- At some point, the fission chain reaction began occurring uncontrollably.
- Build up of Xenon
- An explosion ripped apart the containment building, spreading radioactive fallout throughout the area and into the atmosphere

There were multiple design flaes at the Chernobyl plant:
- The containment build was inadequite
- Graphite was used as a moderator instead of water. When the meltdown occurred, it ignited releasing more fallout
- A water storage pool was located under the reactor if the corre had melted diwn into this pool, an even greater explosion would have occurred.{"P?lo9;.u