Bursic, 2:00
R03
NUCLEAR DESALINATION
Sara Saidman (sss64@pitt.edu)
THE GLOBAL NEED FOR WATER
As problem solvers of the modern world, engineers face
a vast array of issues to resolve. Each of these difficulties
requires special attention; however, 14 broader problems
have been selected as The National Academy of
Engineering’s 14 grand challenges. These 14 unsolved
problems pose as the biggest threat to the development of
the human race. As the global population increases, so does
the strain on natural resources, including water. One of the
most immediate threats and grand challenges of the NAE is
a lack of potable water for drinking and sanitation [1].
“Recent statistics show that currently 2.3 billion people live
in water stressed areas and among them 1.7 billion live in
water scarce areas” [2]. As the population continues to
increase, the problem of clean water will only worsen until
we find a solution. Simply put, people that do not receive
clean water for sanitation and consumption will die. This
basic reality makes it our ethical duty as engineers and a
scientific community to devote our resources and efforts to
make potable water available to the global population, and
in turn to stop people from dying and to improve the quality
of life on a large scale. I believe nuclear desalination should
be pursued in order to resolve this problem for a variety of
reasons. First, the issue is not a lack of water worldwide, but
rather that most abundance in water is located in areas that
have more water than needed by that population. Secondly,
nuclear desalination leads as a solution to this crisis by
purifying and utilizing saltwater through nuclear power as
opposed to nonrenewable fossil fuels. Furthermore, only 3%
of water in the world is freshwater. Because most water
scarce areas are surrounded by saltwater oceans, I believe
that nuclear desalination is the best and most effective way
to solve the widespread issue of a lack of potable water.
Educating young engineers on how to approach these types
of challenges is vital to a strong engineering education. The
ethical considerations regarding the issue of providing
sanitary water to those who need it involve many intricacies
and complexities. However, if the technology is
implemented under the Code of Ethics of the National
Society of Professional Engineers, nuclear desalination can
be executed properly to provide a widespread solution for
potable water and create clean, usable energy as a byproduct.
THE PROCESS: HOW IT WORKS
Nuclear desalination is the process of extracting the salt
from saltwater in order to make it viable for use. The process
of desalination uses nuclear fission to evaporate large
amounts of water by passing it through a flash tank. The
vapor then serves as a heating fluid, which allows it to be
used as a source of electrical energy for the nuclear
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
October 30, 2012
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generator [3]. After utilizing the vapor for energy, it recondenses into clean, distilled water. Thus, the nuclear
desalination process optimizes water and electricity
production.
HIGH QUALITY, LARGE QUANTITY
In comparison with other water distillation methods,
nuclear desalination best produces potable water on a large
scale [4]. The usage of nuclear fuel in nuclear desalination
makes it most efficient in producing large volumes of water
while complying with emission limitations. This large
production capacity is especially beneficial when viewing
the clean water shortage as a global issue. Nuclear
desalination provides the best option for requiring the least
amount of water distillation plants, while affording the most
people water. The quality of water produced through the
nuclear desalination process remains independent of the
initial water quality. Therefore, all of the water made
through this process can be used for drinking and sanitation.
PROVIDING FOR EVERYONE
While nuclear desalination most effectively benefits the
largest number of people in comparison with other
distillation methods, it does not provide a solution to water
scarcity for all villages and towns, as well as land-locked
areas or areas farther inland. However, nuclear desalination
can service the majority of the population in most countries,
and by association help expose the need for potable water to
other areas. After the majority of the population in each
larger area receives water security, the scientific community
can assess how to aid the smaller, unreached areas more
easily through other solutions because most problems
require many solutions.
A LONG-TERM SOLUTION
Many countries in need of clean water lack the funds or
resources to build nuclear power plants and distillation
facilities. Nuclear plants generally have a high capital cost
with long construction times, whereas other plants such as
fossil-fuelled plants generally have a low capital cost with
shorter construction times. However, despite the high initial
costs of the nuclear plants, they have lower electricity and
water costs than the costs of fossil fuel options [5]. Plus, as
previously mentioned, they have better output of water in
both quantity and quality. Thus, the long-term benefits of
nuclear plants far outweigh those of fossil-fuel plants,
especially in regards to effects on the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
Sara Saidman
The use of nuclear energy in the nuclear desalination
process provides benefits beyond merely providing potable
water for those in need. The nuclear process surpasses
processes that use other forms of energy because nuclear
energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints, and it
provides a long-term sustainable solution that will outlast the
use of limited fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants generate
low carbon electricity as well as a lot of waste heat. Nuclear
desalination plants can harness that extensive waste heat that
was otherwise lost to the heat sink. They can easily and
efficiently use it in the energy-intensive desalination
process. Because nuclear power produces the least amount
of greenhouse emissions in comparison to coal, oil, natural
gas, and solar power [6], nuclear desalination has the
smallest atmospheric and environmental impact. Not only is
nuclear power most environmentally friendly, but nuclear
plants also require the least amount of space on which to be
constructed. Nuclear power plants only require 3 km2 per
GW(e), while gas powered requires 6.5 km2, geothermal
requires 7 km2, wind requires 22 km2, and solar requires 1050 km2 [6]. Thus, nuclear desalination creates the lowest
cost means of producing large volumes of potable water with
the smallest environmental impact and longest time period
of sustainability.
the topic of nuclear desalination. Past nuclear catastrophes
have caused many people in the general population to fear
nuclear technology. This concern for safety should not stop
the implementation of nuclear desalination, but rather it
should cause nuclear engineers to concentrate on constraints
and testing of the technology before operation on a large
scale. This need to constantly ensure public welfare
coincides with the American Nuclear Society’s Code of
Ethics: “We will formally advise our employers, clients, or
any appropriate authority and, if warranted, consider further
disclosure, if and when we perceive that pursuit of our
professional duties might have adverse consequences for the
present or future public and fellow worker health and safety
or the environment” [8]. This statement from the ANS’s
Code of Ethics essentially means that nuclear engineers
working at a nuclear desalination plant must continually
advise others on the level of safety of their work. To give
further assurance of safety, the ANS’s Code goes on to say
that “we perform only those services that we are qualified by
training or experience to perform, and provide full disclosure
of our qualifications” [8]. Thus, when constructing and
operating a nuclear desalination plant, only those qualified to
asses safety and execute the technology are allowed to work
in it. The code also states that nuclear engineers must always
abide by applicable laws, report violations of said laws to
authorities, and strive to continuously improve competence
and prestige in their profession [8]. This code demands the
utmost proficiency and virtue from nuclear engineers
working in nuclear desalination plants. I believe that
engineers strictly follow these codes of ethics in order to
maintain the reputation of the profession and to help people
in need. Thus, I believe that people should not fear the use of
nuclear desalination. Instead, they should view it as the most
beneficial solution to combatting the global water shortage,
and they should feel reassured that the most qualified,
principled nuclear engineers strive continuously to prevent
any negative consequences.
PREEMPRTIVE METHODS
Another prominent issue is the release of pollutants from
energy production into the available freshwater supply.
Considering that only 3% of water in the world is
freshwater, we need to find a way to create energy without
polluting other resources. By using nuclear power for
electricity and water production, the use of production
methods that produce pollutants can stop. Thus, we can
eliminate the amount of pollutants that enter the clean,
freshwater supply. This preemptive approach to stop
contamination at the source contributes to actually solving
the problem in its entirety. By stopping contamination from
the start and preserving our natural resources, we have
reinforced the ethicality of implementing nuclear
desalination.
SCHOLASTIC BENEFITS OF RESEARCH
As a freshman engineer, I believe that my peers and I
benefit from knowing what type of work we will do upon
entering the workforce in our individual fields. Independent
projects and writing assignments, such as this, contribute
immensely to our growth as young, developing engineers.
The importance of learning about practical applications of
our engineering skills and the ethical codes we must follow
in our future careers has a multitude of benefits. First, it
helps us hone in on the specific aspects of certain fields of
engineering that interest us. This allows us to choose which
department of engineering we want to pursue, and more
specifically, it allows us to concentrate on a curriculum that
best contributes to our future career goals. Secondly, this
assignment gives us an opportunity to independently explore
the ethical guidelines that we must adhere to upon entering
the engineering workforce. While “codes can offer guidance
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
When engineers consider employing new processes and
technologies, they must strictly follow a code of ethics. Such
codes of ethics exist to ensure that engineers create
technologies that benefit the public, preserve public welfare,
and maintain a sense of integrity about the engineering
profession. The National Society of Professional Engineers
composed a main code of ethics for all engineers, and under
that code exist other codes that apply to specific branches of
engineering. This code has fundamental canons that
guarantee that engineers “hold paramount the safety, health,
and welfare of the public” [7]. The matter of public safety
remains the most publicized ethical issue when it comes to
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Sara Saidman
and common understanding of a commitment to ethics, they
cannot substitute for individual capabilities in solving ethical
dilemmas” [9]. I have personally discovered the validity of
the previous quotation in my general research of various
controversial engineering topics as well as my in-depth
research on the specific topic of nuclear desalination. In
reflecting on other general controversial topics, I have
realized that most ethical dilemmas have multifaceted
solutions. For example, industrial engineers strive for
efficiency for their respective companies, yet that efficiency
often times includes job layoffs for unnecessary workers.
The ethical dilemma of maximizing efficacy by maintaining
jobs has many complex components that require the
individual capability of the engineer to think analytically and
find the best solution. While writing this paper, I was
required to discuss the ethical considerations of my chosen
topic. In doing so, I had to think about the various aspects of
nuclear desalination that cause ethical dilemmas, and I had
to figure out how to solve them. Thus, I was not only
developing an understanding of my future commitment to an
ethical code, but I was also developing an individual set of
skills for solving an ethical dilemma through a combination
of research, application of an ethical code, and analytical
thought.
nuclear energy has inspired me to learn more in order to
write a comprehensive summary about the multitude of
benefits they have.
IMPACTS OF NUCLEAR DESALINATION
As young, developing engineers we have the power to
focus our efforts on specific engineering challenges in order
to benefit mankind. I believe that we have an ethical
obligation to improve the quality of life, and we should
strive to do so. In order to implement technologies that
progress mankind, we must learn to conduct our work in
strict accord with ethical guidelines. By doing so, we
maintain our integrity and honor, while also fulfilling our
duty as engineers to help those in need. We must educate
young engineers on how to research a challenge, analytically
think about all aspects of the challenge, and find the best
way to solve the challenge. I used this method while writing
this paper, and I have discovered that the creation of nuclear
desalination plants in water scarce areas would best provide
relief to billions of suffering people. I researched the
challenge and found that these plants have an unparalleled
ability to create a sustainable water supply in a quantity and
quality large enough to benefit the estimated two billion
people in need of potable water. I thought analytically about
the positive and negative aspects of nuclear desalination as
well as the ethical issues involved in its implementation; I
have concluded that nuclear desalination plants aid in
solving the water crisis, provide an environmentally safe
alternative to current pollutant-producing methods, offer
sustainable investment for those who utilize this method, and
are safe as long as the engineers operating the plants obey
ethical codes. Thus, nuclear desalination can benefit all of
humanity in multiple facets.
PROBLEM SOLVING THROUGH
RESEARCH
Our duty as engineers is to think analytically in order to
create new and various solutions to problems in our world.
These solutions should increase the quality of life, benefit
mankind as a whole, and obey ethical guidelines. For this
reason, I chose to focus on the important and prevalent topic
of the water supply. According to the UN, “overcoming the
crisis in water is one of the greatest human development
challenges of the early 21st century” [1]. As a future
engineer, I feel ethically and personally obligated to expose
the widespread potable water insecurity and to investigate
the best solution to this problem. I have come to three main
summations from my research. First, I found that the
benefits of nuclear desalination extend beyond that of
merely aiding in solving the water crisis; nuclear
desalination also gives clean energy as a byproduct. Second,
I discovered that solutions to problems are not allencompassing because often times multiple solutions are
needed to solve one problem; nuclear desalination cannot
single-handedly solve the water crisis because some water
scarce areas do not have access to a saltwater source. Third,
my research has taught me that the best solution to a
problem often has its own problems, such as cost to build or
maintain implemented nuclear desalination plants. However,
the capabilities of nuclear energy and nuclear desalination
plants far outweigh any potential downsides, and they can
theoretically solve the water scarcity crisis for the majority
of the population. Thus, researching nuclear desalination and
REFERENCES
[1] (2011). “Provide access to clean water.” National
Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for Engineering.
(Online
article).
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9142.aspx.
p.2
[2] J. Kupitz, B.M. Misra. (2004, August). “The role of
nuclear desalination in meeting the potable water needs in
water scarce areas for the next decades.” International
Atomic Energy Agency. (Online article). DOI:
10.1016/j.desal.2004.06.053. p.1
[3] S. Dardour, S. Nisan. (2007). “Economic evaluation of
nuclear desalination system.” Science Direct. (Online
arcticle).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00119164
06013804 p. 2-4
[4] M. Amidpour, K. Ansari, H. Sayyaadi. (2011). “A
comprehensive approach in optimization of a dual nuclear
power and desalination system.” Elsevier. (Online article).
DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2010.12.035. p. 3-5
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Sara Saidman
[5] J. Guo, L. Tian, Y. Wang. (2003). “A comparative
economic analysis of the contribution of nuclear seawater
desalination to environmental protection using clean
development mechanism (CDM).” Elsevier. (Online article).
DOI: 10.1016/S0011-9164(03)00408-9. p. 4-8
[6] V. Anastasov, I. Khamis. (2010). “Environmental Issues
Related to Nuclear Desalination.” World Academy of
Science, Engineering &Technology. (Online article).
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=39
d5393f-d433-4050-9a96c69c5302b7c0%40sessionmgr15&vid=19&hid=112 p. 2-3
[7] (2007). “Code of Ethics for Engineers.” National Society
of
Professional
Engineers.
(Online
Article).
http://www.nspe.org/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/Co
de-2007-July.pdf
[8] (2012). “Code of Ethics.” American Nuclear Society.
(Online Article). http://www.new.ans.org/about/coe/
[9] S. Fu, J. Li. (2012 July). “A Systematic Approach to
Engineering Ethics Education.” Science and Engineering
Ethics.
(Online
Article).
http://link.springer.com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/article/10.1007/s11
948-010-9249-8/fulltext.html
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to thank my father, a senior industrial engineer, for
guiding me in my engineering schooling and for giving me
ideas about a controversial engineering topic.
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