Energy and Transportation Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century (2003) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
8. A Renaissance for Nuclear Power?
8. A Renaissance for Nuclear Power?
Pages 49-55
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 49... ...
Additionally, nuclear fuel has a limited use to mankind, while fossil fuels have a wide variety of applications, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, and petroleum. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases like fossil fuel burning plants.
|
From page 50... ...
No material is recovered or recycled; therefore, in the short term this power production method is the most economical since no costly chemical processing plant is required. It is also the safest regarding proliferation potential because the fissile material the fuel is "protected against diversion" by an intense radiation field.
|
From page 51... ...
Chemists and chemical engineers are challenged to improve the PUREX process in modern plants, to improve the selectivity of reagents and optimize the reaction kinetics, to minimize solvent degradation and improve the recycle of solvents and reagents, and generally to reduce the number and volume of secondary waste streams. In the reprocessing fuel cycle, the initial motivation for the fast reactor cycle was to "breed" plutonium from uranium to maximize uranium fuel utilization.
|
From page 52... ...
Nonaqueous processes are much more radiation resistant compared with aqueous processes and thus can be used to reprocess spent fuel after considerably shorter cooling periods. Other advantages of nonaqueous processes include the potential to produce small volumes of secondary waste, waste that is more suitable for long-term disposal, ease of reagent recycle, compactness of equipment, and reduced costs due to a smaller required plant footprint.
|
From page 53... ...
Otherwise, the United States could lose on many fronts its leadership in nuclear science and technology, its ability to influence Third World or emerging nations, and its ability to safely manage the existing nuclear enterprise. Without a properly trained work force, in the future the United States will not be able to preserve its options involving nuclear technology and nuclear energy.
|
From page 54... ...
Regardless of public opinion, the United States has long-term nuclear issues that require expertise in nuclear science, and chemists and chemical engineers need to ensure that we have that expertise.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.