#RadioactiveWaste - Used fuel that’s no longer efficient in producing electricity**
We cannot just put it on the trash 🗑‘cause is still very hot (& radioactive ofc) & requires special handling.
NPP #RadioactiveWaste will eventually decay to harmless materials, but it could take between 30-24,000 yrs! So we need a plan to cool down, storage and dispose it 🤔
Unlike ANY other energy generating industry, the #NuclearSector takes full responsibility for all of its waste 👇
Yes, you guessed right! 🫵
I’m talking about the spent fuel pool and the fuel dry storage.
Used fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor & they initially cool down in a pool. Here, #NuclearWaste stays under water for 2-5 yrs.
Storing spent fuel assemblies under ~20ft of water provides adequate shielding for anyone near the pool.
Have you seen one of those? 👇
Bet you are wondering what happened after those yrs under water🤔
Time to transfer them to the dry cask storage!
Casks are large steel-reinforced concrete containers, designed for long term storage until permanent disposal is available
They’re safe enough to walk up to & touch
And there are many other options under development👉 like new nuclear reactors capable of using ‘spent’ fuel from other plants, by recycling nuclear waste🤯
We are getting closer to have a closed fuel cycle!
Am I the only one that wonders what would happen if I fell into those pools where spent nuclear fuel rods are cooled down?
How would falling in here affect our health? And could we actually survive this?
Let’s evaluate this possibility. 🤔
So, I’ve just accidentally fallen into a spent fuel pool. But what is it?
While powering a nuclear reactor, the fuel rods become very hot. We’re talking 1k°C (1832°F), so this pool of crystal clear water is meant to cool spent fuel rods after they come out of a nuclear reactor.
Spent fuel rods typically stay in the spent fuel pool (SFP) for 2–5 years, stored under ~20 feet of water for cooling and shielding.
Recent news about the planned release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi NPS into the ocean has sparked concern & debate.
As someone who cares about the environment & public health, let’s talk about the water discharge & the Advanced Liquid Processing System behind it.
But first: Where is this water coming from?
After the March 2011 accident, using water to cool the melted fuel & debris at Fukushima Daiichi NPS has been necessary.
Aside from this, when groundwater & rainwater comes into contact with melted fuel/debris, it becomes polluted.
After becoming contaminated, the water undergoes filtration through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which eliminates a significant portion of the radioactivity before it is put into storage.
Am I the only one that wonders what would happen if I fell into those pools where spent nuclear fuel rods are cooled down?
How would falling in here affect our health? And could we actually survive this?
Let’s evaluate this possibility together.🤔
So, I’ve just accidentally fallen into a spent fuel pool. But what is it?
While powering a nuclear reactor, the fuel rods become very hot. We’re talking 1k°C (1832°F), so this pool of crystal clear water is meant to cool spent fuel rods after they come out of a nuclear reactor.
Spent fuel rods stay in the SFP typically for 2-5 yrs and are stored under ~20ft of water.
According to @NEI , the U.S. avoided ~471M metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2020, equivalent of removing 100 million cars from the road & more than all other clean energy sources combined.
There are 54 commercially operating NPP with 92 nuclear power reactors in 28 U.S. states.
Of the currently operating nuclear power plants, 19 plants have 1 reactor, 32 plants have 2 reactors, and 3 plants have 3 reactors.
The Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona is the LARGEST nuclear plant, and it has 3 powerful reactors with a combined net summer electricity generating capacity of 3,937 MW.
The R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in New York is the smallest nuclear plant, and it has one reactor with a net summer electricity generating capacity of about 581 MW.
This beauty is the part of the NPP which is used to produce steam to supply the turbine generator units, which in turn generate electricity.
Let’s analyze this system together by using a 4-Loop PWR system by @WECnuclear as an example 👇
Included within the NSSS are the reactor coolant system (primary loop), auxiliary fluid systems & major electrical instrumentation required for the operation & control of the nuclear systems.
The NSSS is also known as the nuclear island.
Can you identify the primary loop?👇
The Reactor Coolant System (RCS) is used to remove energy from the reactor core & transfer that energy either directly or indirectly to the steam turbine, as described by the @NRCgov