316 POWER PLANT ENGINEERING10.4.8 Half Life, T
Time for half the atomic nuclei to spontaneously split. The amount decays exponentially
N = No exp (– t/T)
N = Amount of radioactive material,
No = Initial amount,
t = Elapsed time10.5 Ethical Problems in Nuclear Power Regulation
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), was formed to create a civilian nuclear energy industry,
and had conflicting responsibilities:
••••• Promoting Nuclear Power
—funded research in plant design
—subsidized production of nuclear fuel
••••• Regulating Plant Safety
—defined safety procedures, poor enforcement
—inspecting, certifying plants
—certifying operators, poor training
As a result of these conflicting interests
••••• No Long Term Waste Dispotal Plan was Completed
—wastes are still accumulating in temporary storage
—radioactive waste? NIMBY
••••• Future Termination/Cleanup Costs are not Factored into Current Electric Rates
••••• Power Companies are Largely Self-Regulated
—avoid reporting radiation release or do not monitor releases.
—avoid safety regulations to save money.
Internal conflicts of the AEC were supposed to be resolved by splitting the promotional and
regulatory duties between the new agencies:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) – safety and standards
Dept. of Energy (DOE) – research, promotion, waste disposal, and fuel rod production.10.6 Chemical and Nuclear Equations
Chemical reactions involve the combination or separation of whole atoms.
C + O 2 = CO 2
This reaction is accompanied by the release of about 4 electron volts (eV). An electron volt is a
unit of energy in common use in nuclear engineering. 1 eV = 1.6021 × 10–19 joules (J) = 1.519 × 10–22
Btu = 4.44 × 10–26 kWh. 1 million electron volts (1 MeV) = 106 eV.
In chemical reactions, each atom participates as a whole and retains its identity. The molecules
change. The only effect is a sharing or exchanging of valence electrons. The nuclei are unaffected. In