Nuclear power plant explodes like a nuclear bomb?

Atom Bomb Explosion

The idea of a nuclear power plant going off like a bomb likely came from our collective imaginations after seeing years of images of nuclear bomb test footage. First, there's a flash of light, followed by the rush of the concussion and a rising mushroom cloud. When the smoke clears, the power plant and the neighboring city have been flattened, right? Not really. Nuclear plants aren't identical to nuclear bombs. The fuel in a nuclear plant does not contain the materials necessary to explode like a bomb, nor can its components form what is known as a "super critical" shape in order to explode.

As the world witnessed at Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear plants will experience a meltdown rather than blowing up. The real threat in a nuclear meltdown is not the event of an explosion. The greater concern is radiation leaking from the plant. Once airborne, it can contaminate huge swaths of landslide. The radiation can reach around the world, though its levels become weaker due to dissipation.

Chemical Reaction Behind a Nuclear Power Plant

What do you know about chemical reaction that takes place in a nuclear power plant? Yes of course there will the fission reaction of the uranium to produce power. There are also the neutron capture, which the two are the main process focuses on. But do you know there are also the sides dishes that is essentials in controlling and maintaining the plan? These side reaction are the reaction of the water chemistry as it being used as a coolant for the reactor pure.

Raw Uranium

Uranium plays a very important role in the production of energy through nuclear power. A heavy element located in the Actinide series it has 92 protons as indicated by its atomic number. Uranium has many different isotopes; different configurations of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. Not all of its isotopes are stable. Nuclear Power is produced when a nucleus absorbs a neutron and splits into two lighter nuclei. This releases enormous amounts of energy which in turn produces heat. In fact the Uranium, which is the most common element used to produce nuclear power today, has an energy content about 3 million times greater than that of fossil fuel. Nuclear reactors harness the heat which is produced from the energy released when the atom splits and convert it into electrical energy.

Uranium 239

Neutron capture is a term used for the scenario where a neutron comes close to a nucleus (in this case uranium) and the nucleus captures it and becomes a different nucleus. In this case when uranium-238 captures a neutron it becomes uranium-239. After uranium-239 emits a beta particle (electron) it becomes neptunium-239. Then, neptunium-239 emits a beta particle and becomes plutonium-239. The plutonium can also be used as nuclear fuel.

 Nuclear Reactor Coolant

A nuclear reactor coolant is a coolant in a nuclear reactor used to remove heat from the nuclear reactor core and transfer it to electrical generators and the environment. Frequently, a chain of two coolant loops are used because the primary coolant loop takes on short-term radioactivity from the reactor. Almost all currently operating nuclear power plants are light water reactors using ordinary water under high pressure as coolant and neutron moderator. Heavy water reactors use deuterium oxide which has similar properties to ordinary water but much lower neutron capture, allowing more thorough moderation. However these water also has it bad effects. The effects are the corrosion in coolant circuits. Also it does effect on the corrosion of copper alloys and zirconium at an operating nuclear power plants.

               

The Future of Nuclear Power

• Nuclear technology, despite the challenges it faces, is an important option for Malaysia and the world to meet future energy needs without emitting carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other atmospheric pollutants. 
• Other options include increased efficiency, renewable, and sequestration. It is believe that all options should be preserved as nations develop strategies that provide energy while meeting important environmental challenges. 
• The nuclear power option will only be exercised, however, if the technology demonstrates better economics, improved safety, successful waste management, and low proliferation risk, and if public policies place a significant value on electricity production that does not produce CO₂.

• Over the next 50 years, unless patterns change dramatically, energy production and use will contribute to global warming through large scale greenhouse gas emissions — hundreds of billions of tonnes of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide.  
• Nuclear power could be one option for reducing carbon emissions. The generation of electricity from fossil fuels, notably natural gas and coal, is a major and growing contributor to the emission of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.

Nuclear Power Plant Safety Regulations

• License and Inspections 

All nuclear power plants must be licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC). Before a new reactor is built, the U.S. NRC must approve the construction plans. The construction of the new reactor is monitored while in progress, and a final inspection is required when the new reactor is finished. After passing this initial inspection, nuclear power plants must submit to future inspections by the U.S. NRC and other regulatory agencies at least every other year. Nuclear power plant inspections are quite thorough and check not only the physical condition of the plant but also compliance with laws regarding plant maintenance, employee training, operating procedures, emergency preparedness and security.

• Storage Containers

Eventually, the uranium used to produce energy in a nuclear reactor ages and is no longer useful. This spent uranium is not able to continue producing energy, but it is still very radioactive. The spent uranium is placed into storage containers and may be stored at the plant or shipped to a storage facility. The storage containers used to store and transport uranium must pass a series of safety tests to ensure that they will not open or leak. The containers are dropped onto a hard surface from a height of 30 feet. They must be able to tolerate this drop on both a flat surface and an uneven surface without puncturing or opening. Next the container is subjected to a fire for 30 minutes. The fire must be 1,475 degrees F. Finally, the container is immersed in water. Containers must pass all of these tests without opening or leaking in order to be used for uranium storage.

• Transportation

Trucks, trains, airplanes and boats are all used to transport nuclear materials. When radioactive material is transported, additional safety precautions are taken. Even though there are strict rules regarding how these materials are to be packaged at the nuclear power plant, it is impossible to guarantee beyond any doubt that an unforeseen accident won't ever cause harm to a container containing radioactive material. Because of this, the U.S. NRC and Department of Transportation have established rules limiting the quantity of radioactive material that can be transported at one time. This ensures that even if radioactive material escaped its container during transport, the amount of radioactivity that people and the environment were exposed to would be minimal.

• Fire Safety

In 1975, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama had a fire that damaged many of the electrical cables leading to plant safety equipment. Because of this, nuclear power plants must now have methods in place to quickly detect and extinguish fires any fires that do occur. To achieve this goal, the plants install fire resistant insulation to keep fires from spreading. Sensitive fire alarms and automatic sprinkler systems are also used to detect and extinguish fires. Fire detection is so important that plants not having adequate fire monitoring equipment are required to have a team of individuals dedicated to the job of watching for fires. In addition, nuclear power plants are required to have at least one control station completely protected against fire from which workers can safely shut down the nuclear reactor if necessary.

• Reports

Nuclear power plants must report certain events to the U.S. NRC even if these events occur as a part of the plant's normal operations. Plants must file a report every time the plant is shut down for any reason. Any problems with plant safety or security equipment should also be reported. Any event that might negatively affect plant safety must be reported, even if this event is outside the borders and control of the nuclear power facility. An example of this type of problem may be severe weather conditions. Any airborne or liquid release of radioactive material must be reported to the U.S. NRC if it exceeds a predetermined amount.