U.S. Analytical Studies
Site Permits: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
confirmed that applications for early site permits were received on September
25, 2003, from Dominion Power and Exelon. Exelon plans to build a new reactor
at its
Clinton power plant in Illinois, and Dominion Power is considering
adding a third reactor at its
North Anna plant in Virginia. No new commercial reactors have come on
line in the United States since 1998.
New Analytical Features
New Reactor Designs
(Update 5/10/05)
Nuclear power is undergoing a period of rapid change. Vendors are rapidly
preparing new reactor designs for the market.
New Reactor Designs summarizes many of the new designs that are being
proposed.
Careers in the
Nuclear Industry
The Nuclear Energy Institute web site lists various
opportunities, and there is a new web site that focuses on
opportunities for
graduating engineers.
Emissions
Emissions levels for the 50 States and the
District of Columbia are reported in a
table for the year 2002. The table provides data on nitrous oxide,
sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide levels.
Environment
This EIA presentation
summarizes the key environmental issues impacting on the nuclear market.
Although nuclear power does not contribute significantly to global warming,
there continues to be debate over control of the solid waste. The author looks
at how nuclear power producers and fossil fuel users are dealing with the
unique environmental characteristics of either.
Formulas for Determining Energy Equivalents
Formulas for converting uranium to oil equivalent, and for
converting nuclear power to energy equivalent appear in the paper,
Thermal Energy Conversions of Nuclear Fuels.
Formula for Estimating Separative Work
Units (SWU) for Uranium Enrichment
SWU is a measure of the amount of work required to enrich a given amount
(product) uranium. Standard equations are provided below.
Feed
Component Equations:
Unit of feed per unit of product: (XP-XW) / (XF-XW),
where
XF = feed assay (W/O)
XP = product assay (W/O)
XW=tails assay (W/O)
Separative work
component equations:
Separative work per unit of product = V(XP) - V (XW) -
F/P * [V(XF) - V(XW)]
V(S) = (2*S - 100) * LOG (S/(100-S)]
F/P = (XP- XW)/(XF-XW), where
XF = feed assay (W/O)
XP = product assay (W/O)
XW = tails assay (W/O)
V = separation potential
S = XF, XP, or XW
F/P = feed to product ratio
Nuclear Power: 12
percent of America's Generating Capacity, 20 percent of the Electricity
(March 5, 2003)
This EIA presentation for the Electric
Power 2003 Conference in Houston, Texas, examines an energy trend unique to the
nuclear industry. By operating at nearly 90 percent of capacity, the U.S.
nuclear industry continues to supply one fifth of the Nation's total energy
supply. It is a trend that might never be possible to fully explain, but author
Ron Hagen summarizes and analyzes related data. The charts
and the text provide information on plant
ownership, costs, license extensions, and future trends.
Other Web Sites with Useful Information
The Environmental Protection Agency concluded in the 2001
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks that carbon
dioxide "emissions
from fossil fuels would have been roughly 1.9 percent higher if weather
conditions and nuclear power generation had remained at normal levels (in
1999)."
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