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BIOL 381 > Nuclear Power > Flashcards

Nuclear Power Flashcards

1
Q

what are 4 major sources of public exposure to natural radiation?

A
  1. cosmic radiation (eg. sun)- fast-moving particles from space
  2. terrestrial radiation (eg minerals like uranium)
  3. inhalation (gases/ minerals)
  4. ingestion (eg. groundwater running through radioactive minerals)

*most exposure is through inhalation

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2
Q

radiation exposure can damage DNA. What are 3 things this can lead to?

A
  1. nothing (cells repair properly)
  2. cell dies because DNA is too damaged
  3. the cell repairs itself improperly (or doesn’t repair fully) b/c of the damaged DNA= risk of cancer
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3
Q

Risks from radiation sickness:
- Brain:
- Thyroid Gland:
- Lungs:
- GI Tract:
- Bone marrow/ blood vessels:
- Skin:

A
  • Brain: seizures
  • Thyroid Gland: absorbs radioactive iodine= thyroid cancer risk
  • Lungs: inflammation, scarring, possible cancer risk
  • GI Tract: internal bleeding
  • Bone marrow/ blood vessels: loss of white blood cells= risk of infection
  • Skin: burns from acute exposure
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4
Q

what was the effect on the following organisms after the nuclear disaster in Ukraine?
- Moose:
- Trees:
- Birds:

A
  • Moose= nothing
  • Trees= died
  • Birds= abnormalities
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5
Q

What is Nuclear Fission? Nuclear Power?

A

Nuclear Fission= the splitting apart of atomic nuclei

Nuclear Power= the forcing together of atomic nuclei (opposite of nuclear fission)

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6
Q

moderator=

A

substance used to slow down neutrons bombarding the uranium (nuclear fuel), usually water or graphite.
Also used to transfer heat energy (mixed with the fuel)

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7
Q

control rods=

A

used to absorb excess neutrons to slow down reactions, usually made of a metal (silver, cadmium)
= reactions don’t happen too fast (prevents further fission)

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8
Q

containment structure=

A

building housing the reactor, core, reactor vessel, and steam generator.
Usually super thick concrete and steel

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9
Q

How does a “Standard” Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) work?

A

Ur235 (in the reactor vessel) has a neutron added to it
- this forms Ur236 (excited form) which splits and produces energy

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10
Q

What’s the biggest advantage of a CANDU type reactor over a PWR?

A

PWR must be shut down to refuel
CANDU can be refueled (w Ur) without shutting it down, and the process is overall more efficient

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11
Q

How do CANDU type reactors work?

A

fission inside the reactor (Ur atoms split, releasing energy and radiation)

Heavy water is used as a moderator and coolant

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12
Q

CANDU reactors:
Function is similar to PWR, except:

  • safer b/c less _____
  • fewer ___ absorbed by heavy water
  • can use ____ uranium as fuel
  • The excess ___ can absorb a neutron, to form ___, which can also be used as fuel
  • can be ___ while operating at full power
A
  • pressurized
  • neutrons
  • unenriched
  • U238, Pu239
  • refueled
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13
Q

T/F
U of A had a nuclear reactor (for research purposes) until Aug 2017!

A

true
SLOWPOKE-2

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14
Q

What are the top 4 methods of mining Uranium?
(most-least used)

A
  1. In-Situ leaching
  2. Underground Mining
  3. Open Pit Mining
  4. Heap leaching
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15
Q

Explain the process of mining uranium to using it for energy

A
  1. uranium extracted from mines and crushed up at mills
  2. uranium oxide is processed to get:
  3. uranium hexafluoride is enriched to get:
  4. enriched UF6 undergoes fuel fabrication to get:
  5. uranium fuel (U238 or U236)
  6. fuel is taken to the power plant, used to generate electricity
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16
Q

T/F
Canada has the largest % of Uranium production in the world

A

true!
(sask)
produces 1/3 of the world’s U

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17
Q

Where’s the largest Uranium mine in the world?

A

McArthur River, Saskatchewan (underground mine)

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18
Q

give an example of an accident involving Uranium tailings

A

drinking water contamination in Navajo Nation, USA from Uranium tailing ponds (during cold war)

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19
Q

What happens to uranium tailings?

A

stored in water to prevent oxidation & contain radiation
- excess water is treated as nuclear waste
- must be maintained properly, leaks are very dangerous

20
Q

give some examples of radioactive waste components

A
  • spent fuel rods
  • used PPE
  • old equipment
  • contaminated soil and water
21
Q

Waste is categorized by its radioactivity, what are the categories?

A
  1. Low level: items exposed to radiation that require <300 yrs to lose radioactivity
  2. Intermediate Level: items exposed to radiation that require >300 yrs to lose radioactivity
  3. High level: spent nuclear fuel (huge amount of radioactivity)
22
Q

Low and Intermediate level waste makes up ___% of nuclear waste. How/ where is it stored?

A

98%
- producers of the waste are responsible for its disposal
1. store on site
2. when can’t store on site, pay Canadian nuclear laboratories to take care of it

23
Q

how long do medical isotopes usually take to decay?

A

a few days

24
Q

How is high-level radioactive waste stored?

A

Two-step process:

  1. wet storage
    - initial storage after use: held in water tanks at power plants for 7-10 yrs (makes it safer to transport later)
  2. dry storage
    - long-term storage in concrete canisters/steel dry storage (up to 100yrs)
25
Q

How do we move high-level radioactive waste?

A

done robotically b/c we can’t touch it
- in a container that can withstand drops, extreme heat, and deep water

26
Q

How do you store radioactive waste after the 100yrs in the dry storage containers?

A

we’re still figuring it out
need to figure something out soon!

27
Q

what’s a proposed solution for storing radioactive waste for a very long time?

A

bury it!
= deep geological repository
- 500m deep, very well insulated, durable, and monitored

28
Q

what kind of rocks would the deep geological repository be in? why?

A

crystalline (metamorphic) or sedimentary rocks because they’re the least permeable (surface is protected from the radiation)

29
Q

why are all of Canada’s nuclear plants in the east and not the west?

A

tectonic activity in the west is hazardous for nuclear accidents (caused by earthquakes etc)

30
Q

describe an example of a deep geological repository project that was started

A

Yucca Mountain, Nevada
- construction began in 2008, shut down in 2010
- worries about groundwater contamination
-“Not in my backyard”

31
Q

In Canada, we’re down to __ locations that seem suitable for a deep geological repository (list the locations)

A

2

-Ignace, Ontario
- South Bruce, Ontario

32
Q

How many nuclear power accidents (&fatalities) have there been in Canada? USA?

A

Canada: 10 accidents, no fatalities
US: 56 accidents, 12 fatalities

33
Q

What’s the difference between an incident and an accident?
At what level (of international nuclear event scale) does it become an accident?

A

incident= no significant harm or death
accident= significant harm or deaths

incidents= level 1-3
accidents= level 4-7

34
Q

Name the 2 nuclear power accidents that had widespread, measurable environmental damage (and dates)

A
  1. Chernobyl (April 1986)
  2. Fukushima Daiichi (March 2011)
35
Q

What caused the accident in Fukushima Daiichi?

A
  • plant was damaged by a tsunami (after an eq) in March 2011
  • disabled generators cooling, causing them to overheat
  • lead to 3 reactor meltdowns, and one wet storage pool overheating

fuel rods shouldn’t have been stored in the same place as reactions!

36
Q

Any fatalities caused by Fukushima accident?

A

not yet
- fatalities from cancers expected to come

37
Q

List some environmental impacts of the Fukushima accident

A
  • high levels of radioactive isotopes measured in the waters off the coast on Fukushima (short half-lives, but some are continuously being leaked b/c of structural damages to reactors)
  • ocean currents moved contaminated waters throughout the whole pacific ocean
  • high radiation levels measured in bluefin tuna (they’re migratory- transporting this radiation)
  • scientists are still trying to figure out the impacts
38
Q

How could the Fukushima accident have been avoided? 2 ways

A
  1. fail-safe power backups for all cooling devices
    - now required b/c of this accident
  2. don’t build nuclear power plants in geologically active areas!
39
Q

What’s the worst nuclear accident in history?
How did it happen?

A

Chernobyl, Ukraine

  • workers turned off safety systems during a test, then a power surge occurred
40
Q

How many fatalities from Chernobyl?

A

49 direct fatalities
+ 1000s of related cancer cases

41
Q

A ____ at the Chornobyl plant was active for 10 days, and ___ spread throughout Europe

The area in and around Chernobyl is still ____ and ____

A

fire, ash

irradiated, inhabitable

42
Q

what was done in chernobyl to try and contain radioactivity after the accident?

A

the plant was immediately covered up by a huge building/ wall that went over the whole thing

43
Q

How have forests around Chernobyl been impacted by the accident?

A

“The Red Forest”
- trees have died and are not decaying b/c the radioactivity has killed decomposers
- a huge forest fire the next year destroyed the rest of the forest and released more radioactivity

44
Q

How have local wildlife been impacted by Chernobyl?

A
  • evidence of some defects, which are selected against
  • some wildlife populations are now thriving b/c of no humans
  • some abnormalities in birds
  • effects of radiation smaller in wildlife than in humans
45
Q

Which organisms actually like radiation?

A
  • yeast
  • fungi

they use it as an energy source!
- new species like this are being discovered in areas like Chernobyl

46
Q

Name and briefly describe 2 smaller nuclear accidents that occurred in Canada (Chalk River, Ontario)

A
  1. NRX (national research experimental)
    - overheated b/c cooling system was disabled for a test
  2. NRU (national research universal)
    - fire damage
47
Q

What are 3 other nuclear concerns? give examples

A
  1. leakage
    - eg Vermont nuclear power plant= not properly maintained, and radioactive isotopes are leaking into the area
  2. Nuclear bombs and weapon testing
    - eg. Hiroshima, secret weapon testing releasing unknown amounts of radiation
  3. downwinders
    = civilians unknowingly being exposed to radiation from nuclear weapon testing= cancer (mainly in Arizona, Utah, Nevada)

BIOL 381 (22 decks)

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