Refuse-Derived Fuel
Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), known to some as Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), is the conversion of solid combustible into energy. The combustible waste consists mainly of municipal waste, eg. plastic, and biodegradable materials such as vegetable peels. Combustion occurs easily with carbon dense materials.
RDF goes through a process of refining before actual use. The process is best described in listed form:
1. Waste input: refuse placed in hopper
2. Classification/Separation: removes foreign and noncombustible waste
3. Primary crushing/shredding: shreds the combustible waste
4. Drying: increases storage capabilities once dried to correct levels
5. Secondary crushing/grinding: reduces volume by grinding into smaller particles
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Nuclear Energy
When an atom is split in two, fission, a lot of energy is released. If properly arranged in a machine, fission can cause a chain reaction of atoms splitting. This is done in what is called a nuclear reactor. The reactor converts nuclear energy into electricity.
The reactors consist of 5 main components: the core, coolant, turbine, containment and cooling towers. The core contains the nuclear fuel (generates all heat), control systems, low-enriched uranium and structural materials. The coolant, which is generally water or helium, passes through the core transferring the heat to the turbine. The turbine then converts the heat into electricity. The containment, which separates the structure from the environment, keeps the reactor from breaching. The law of thermodynamics restricts the excess heat from being converted into energy. They are the hyperbolic ions of nuclear energy. The towers only emit clean water
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The advantages of Nuclear energy are:
• Its clean – fission does not make CO2
• 24 hour dependable – 1 load in a reactor lasts ±18 months
• Its sustainable – enough nuclear fuel to power the earth for many years to come
• Safe disposal of nuclear weapons – the reactors peacefully destroy the warheads
The disadvantages of Nuclear energy are:
• Waste – products of fission contain radiation which needs to be isolated from the
Power plants burn fuel to produce heat to generate energy; however, nuclear power plants use the heat given off fission to turn water into steam. Nuclear energy is without a doubt a great way to power our homes because, Nuclear power plants are safer than other energy alternatives. Nuclear plants are safer than other energy alternatives. Coal is responsible for five times more deaths than nuclear power plants, coal also causes over one thousands more serious causes of illness than nuclear. Nuclear plants produce steam while coal plants, heat water by burning coal that produces greenhouse emissions.
In “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer,” Helen Caldicott argues that pursuing nuclear energy would be a detriment to the United States. According to Caldicott, nuclear power, contrary to what the industry claims, is not clean and green, but rather a pollutant and a strong contributor to the destruction of the ozone layer. Because of the availability of uranium ore steadily decreasing, the process is requiring more and more fossil fuels to extract the ore. Caldicott projects that within ten to twenty years, nuclear reactors will be counterproductive because of the amount of fossil fuel it will take to mine the remaining uranium. In addition to air pollution, nuclear power plants also emit radioactive gases and materials that have the potential
Facts, data, expert opinion: a) Low Pollution such as air pollution, water pollution - Nuclear power also has a lot fewer greenhouse emissions. It has been determined that the amount of greenhouse gases have decreased by almost half because of the prevalence in the utilization of nuclear power. Nuclear energy has the least effect on nature since it doesn’t discharge any gasses like methane and carbon dioxide b) Low Operating Costs - The cost of the uranium, which is utilized as a fuel in this process, is low. Also, even though the expense of setting up nuclear power plants is moderately high, the expense of running them is quite low. The normal life of nuclear reactor is anywhere from 40-60 years, depending on how often it is used and how it is being
The general attitude by the public towards nuclear reactors is that of fear or disapproval simply due to its name or the rumors. Nuclear reactors are merely devices that sustain chain reactions, in which only one of the emitted neutrons hits another nucleus to create fission. Though nuclear reactors cannot become a weapon or a bomb, some of the dangers relate to our lives to the extent that we may need to seek alternatives, as demonstrated by the reactors in Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Nuclear reactors operate on chain reaction, which does not grow due to neutron multiplications of 1. They depend on slow neutrons—in explosion, they are only as powerful as TNT.
“What is a breeder reactor?” A breeder reactor produces more material capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction than it consumes to generate energy. Using fission, atomic nuclei split into two or more smaller nuclei. This process converts a small amount of mass into energy. A breeder reactor utilizes uranium-238 or thorium, two readily available materials.
Nuclear power produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional energy sources because energy is not produced by burning molecules but splitting atoms. ‘An energy mix including nuclear power has the lowest impact on wildlife and Ecosystems’ as shown by a Conservation Biology paper. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by nearly half which shows the benefits and popularity of nuclear power use. Nuclear power has many environmental benefits such as small waste production, leaves no adverse effect on water, land or any habitats. By reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to Nuclear Energy, we will sustain the environment, quality of air, improving the overall quality of
The great challenges and Engineering solutions to the problems of the 21st century Title: Nuclear fusion Author: Ashley Pinto (B00078756) Date: 28-09-2012 Introduction: In this essay I hope to talk to you about nuclear fusion. I will do this by outlining a few important aspects to take into consideration when talking about nuclear fusion.
Nuclear energy has numerous world benefits that other forms of energy creation just don’t, and its pros are truly unprecedented by any other source of energy. Nuclear power plants are inexpensive to run, which means they can easily be maintained and sustained at a low cost. And while the reactors themselves may be expensive, with government grants the materials can be much more easily purchased and built. The most expensive part of the nuclear reactor process is the uranium, which again, isn’t hard to get as it’s used in few other applications and can be acquired through government programs. Additionally, the energy emitted from these power plants compared to their cost is immense and an extremely worthwhile investment for governments and private businesses.
Nuclear energy only creates minimal negative effects to the environment. Nuclear energy produces steam and low levels of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy is also beneficial seeing that it produces a large amount of energy for a low cost. Nuclear reactors generate energy at a lower cost than oil, gas or coal. This nuclear energy will be a stable source of energy seeing that it is a base load source and it is synergistic with other renewable resources.
In this diagram, a neutron is absorbed by a uranium-235 nucleus, as a result, it turns of a small period of time to an excited uranium-236 nucleus, with the excitation energy provided by the kinetic energy of the neutron plus the forces that bind to the neutron. The uranium-236 then splits into two, smaller, lighter, fast-moving elements (these are known as fission products) and releases three free neutrons as well as gamma rays. Fusion and fission are nuclear reactions. Fusion is the binding of two atoms to produce a heavier atom while fission is splitting of an atom. Fusion releases more energy than fission and powers the stars.
This violent splitting creates a lot of heat, which we use to create steam, and therefore, energy. This is perhaps the easiest nuclear reaction we can create, as we use neutrons, which
Nuclear energy may be the solution that eliminates our concern for energy production in the future, but it still remains a huge issue for the environment. Despite its wide use in many developed countries, nuclear energy poses many threats to both the
Probably words like radiation, mutations and Homer Simpson pop into your head. However, that is not the case. According to Mark A. Jones, Director of Nuclear Operations and Engineering at Hutchinson Island Nuclear Power Plant, during our interview stated: “Nuclear energy compared to solar energy brings less of an impact because nuclear energy doesn 't emit air pollution unlike other forms of energy. It also only needs the fraction of land the salon energy needs and self-contain its own waste from polluting the environment.”
The potential is limitless, and it should be realized as they have low greenhouse gas emissions, are efficient, powerful, cheap and reliable. Positives outweigh the negatives, and we should keep on using nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power generation has low greenhouse gas emissions, which make it good for the environment. The actual fission
01 June 2015. Since some of them might offer a partial position on the topic, pro or against nuclear energy I will try to compare their data every time I am talking about a specific event or situation in order to provide data that are as objective as possible. Even though a thesis should be used to demonstrate a position it is politically correct to list the same data from different sources and not just by the one that is more similar to my position. 8. Main Objectives Nuclear energy has become an integral part our lives.