Nuclear Energy fueled due to the scare of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and

issues of corruption.
- A powerful source of energy generated during
nuclear reaction, by change in the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear Fuels: Uranium and Uranium Processing
- The source of nuclear energy is the mass of the
- Nuclear Fuel – “highly enriched uranium”
nucleus and the energy generated is due to the
conversion of mass into energy - Uranium is a naturally occurring element with an
- Two ways to obtain nuclear energy: average concentration of 2.8 parts per million in the
Earth's crust
1) Nuclear Fusion - it involves the combination of
two light element to form a heavier element and - Mostly mined in Canada, Australia, Niger, Russia,
release uncontrollable energy. Kazakhstan and Namibia
2) Nuclear Fission - The nucleus of heavy Types of Uranium Mining
radioactive element (Uranium, plutonium and
thorium) splits up into smaller nuclei when - A hydrometallurgical process is used to produce
bombarded by low energy neutrons. uranium from uranium ore, using chemicals and
-The heat generated in this process is used in solutions to extract the uranium from the ore matrix.
nuclear power plants to generate heat - The process is complete when the final uranium
product, known as yellowcake, is produced in a
Nuclear Power sufficient high purity (typically 75 to 85 percent
- Nuclear power plants use heat produced during U3O8) so that it can be used in the remainder of the
nuclear fission (usually uranium) to boil water and nuclear fuel production cycle.
produce steam, which turns turbines to produce Types of Uranium Mining
electricity.
- Except for the reactor itself, nuclear power stations 1) Open Pit Mining
work like most coal or gas-fired power stations. 2) Underground Mining
a. Cut and Fill mining
b. Drift and fill mining
Advantages of Nuclear Power c. Room and pillar mining
d. Block caving
- Lower greenhouse emissions
Uranium Processing Types
- Powerful and efficient
- Reliable General:
- Cheap electricity
- Supply
- Low fuel cost
- Easy to transport

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power

- Radioactive waste
- Raw material
- Nuclear accidents
- Non-renewable energy
- Fuel availability
- Hot target for militants

Some of the world’s worst nuclear disasters:

 Chernobyl, Ukraine
- April 26 1986
- 1 out of 4 reactors exploded
 Fukushima, Daiichi
- March 11 2011
- Tsunami generated from magnitude-9.0 earthquake
damages 4 out of 6 reactors 1) Conventional Agitation Leach Process
- Step 1: Finely grind the ore to about 300-500
In the Philippines, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is the microns in size in a water-slurry mixture
only nuclear power plant in the country however it was never
- Step 2: Choice of a carbonate or leaching route.
- Step 3: The slurry is washed with acidified water for 4) Heap Leaching
the acid leach process, or water only in the case of the - Occurs when ore containing uranium is piled in a
alkaline leach option, in what is termed heap and fluid is distributed over the surface to leach
countercurrent decantation. metal from the heap over a period of months.
- Step 4: The washed solids, now referred to as
Nuclear Energy from Fuels
tailings, are generally neutralized with lime or other
alkaline material if acid leaching of the ore was  In a Pressurized Water Reactor:
employed to extract the uranium.
- Step 5: The clear liquid containing the uranium in - Step 1: The nuclear reaction is triggered. At the
solution is further purified using a solvent extraction reactor vessel, neutrons are fired at the uranium
or ion exchange technology. atoms causing them to split and release more
- Step 6: After uranium removal, the solution—known neutrons. These then hit other atoms, causing more
as “raffinate” or “barren solution”—is recycled splits, and so the chain reaction continues.
back to the filters or decantation process. - Step 2: Water is heated. Water is passed through the
- Step 7: The concentrated, purified uranium solution reactor vessel, where the chain reaction heats it to
(referred to as “pregnant solution” or “eluate”) is around 300degC. The water needs to stay in liquid
advanced to a precipitation stage using hydrogen form for the power station to work, so the pressurizer
peroxide, magnesium oxide, or sodium hydroxide. applied around 155 rimes atmospheric pressure, to
- Step 8: The resultant uranium precipitate is then stop it from boiling and evaporating.
filtered or centrifuged, dried or calcined, and - Step 3: Hot water is circulated. A coolant pump
packaged into suitable drums for shipping. then circulates the hot pressurized water from the
reactor vessel through to a steam generator.
- Step 4: Steam is created. This hot pressurized water
flows through thousands of looped pipes while a
second stream of water flows around the outside of
the pipes. This water is under much less pressure, so
the heat from the pipes boils it into steam.
- Step 5: Steam energy is converted to electrical
energy. The steam passes through a series of turbines
and causes them to spin. A shaft is connected to the
turbine to connect to the generator. The generator
uses an electromagnetic field to convert this
mechanical energy into electrical energy.
- Step 6: Electrical energy is passes to the national
grid. A transformer converts the electrical energy to
the high voltage needed by the national grid.
- Step 7: Electricity is sent through power lines to
homes. The national grid uses high voltages to
efficiently transmit electricity, but other transformers
reduce the voltage back down to a usable level.
- Step 8: The steam is cooled and recycled. The
steam is cooled by passing it over pipes full of cold
water pumped from the sea. These cool the steam and
condenses it back to the water. It is then piped back
to the steam generator where it can be reheated into
2) In-Situ Leaching Process steam again, keeping the turbines going and the
- Involves leaving the uranium ore in the ground, and electricity generation going.
recovering the uranium by dissolving it from the
uranium-bearing minerals by injecting carbonated
solution or mild acid and pumping the leached
uranium in a pregnant solution to the surface where a) Boiler Water Reactor
the metal can be recovered.
3) Recovery as by-product
- Byproduct uranium recovery occurs when other metal
production, such as gold, copper, or nickel, is the
primary product and uranium is recovered as a minor
byproduct.
b) Pressurized Water Reactor