Nuclear Power
Dennis Silverman, U C Irvine
In the US, 20% of our
electricity is produced by
nuclear power. There are 103
US nuclear power plants.
California related reactors
Diablo Canyon, two reactors
San Onofre, two reactors
⅓ of Palo Verde 1, 2, & 3 in
Arizona
California Nuclear energy
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Each of the five reactors produces about 1,100
million watts (megawatts) of electricity
This is enough to power one million homes per
reactor
Each reactor’s production is equivalent to 15 million
barrels of oil or 3.5 million tons of coal a year.
The total 5,500 reactor produced megawatts is out
of a peak state electrical power of 30,000 – 40,000
megawatts.
Worldwide Nuclear Power
Reactors
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There are 440 nuclear power reactors in 31
countries.
30 more are under construction.
They account for 16% of the world’s
electricity.
They produce a total of 351 gigawatts (billion
watts) of electricity.
World Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Electricity Production by Countries
and Regions in Gigawatts
(World Total 350 Gigawatts)
US
97 Trend: declining
North America Region
109
France
63 Increasing
Germany
21 Being phased out
U. K.
12
Western Europe Region 126
Japan
44 Increasing
Asia Region
66 Increasing
Eastern Europe Region
11
Former Soviet U. Region 34
Production of Pu in Nuclear
Reactors
 239Pu
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is produced in nuclear reactors.
It also fissions by absorbing a thermal
neutron, and on average produces 1/3 of the
energy in a fuel cycle.
239Pu is relatively stable, with a half life of 24
thousand years.
It is used in nuclear weapons
It can be bred for nuclear reactors
Nuclear Weapons to Reactor
Fuel
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We are buying highly enriched uranium (20%
235U) from the former Soviet Union nuclear
weapons for 20 years from 1993--2013
Converting it to low enriched uranium (3%
235U) for reactor fuel
It will satisfy 9 years of US reactor fuel
demand
It comes from 6,855 Soviet nuclear warheads
so far
Nuclear Plant Future
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The countries of the world are each planning their
own course of nuclear plant development or decline
Nuclear power is competitive with fossil fuels
It is non-polluting
Newer designs are being sought to make them more
economical and safer
Nuclear fuel reprocessing makes disposal easier
Disposal of high level radioactive waste still being
studied