Naval Nuclear Power

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Naval Nuclear Power

• MM1(SS) Ryan Reed
• Nuclear Field Coordinator
• NRD Michigan

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POWER GENERATION BREAKDOWN

• 55 COAL
• 22 NUCLEAR
• 10 NATURAL GAS
• 9 HYDRO
• 3 PETROL.
• 1 SOLAR, WIND, BIOMASS, GEOTHERMAL

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What is nuclear power?

• Extracting usable energy from atomic nuclei via
  controlled nuclear reactions.

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History

• Fission experimentally achieved by Enrico Fermi
  in 1934 by bombarding uranium with neutrons.
• First nuclear power plant used for civil purpose
  was launched in 1954
• The Navys first nuclear powered ship USS
  Nautilus was put to sea in 1955

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So why would the Navy want to use Nuclear Power?

• Efficiency
• Zero emissions
• Longevity

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ENERGY EQUIVALENCY
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CONS OF FOSSIL FUEL SOURCES

• COAL
• NATURAL GAS
• OIL

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PROS CONS OF RENEWABLE SOURCES

• SOLAR
• WIND
• BIO-MASS
• GEO-THERMAL

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Coal vs. Nuclear Power

• How long can one pound of coal light one 100 watt
  light bulb, once all of its energy is converted
  to electricity?
• Approximately 9 hours
• How long can one pound of uranium light the same
  bulb?

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3,000 YEARS!!!!!
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Nuclear power plants use a series of physical
barriers to make sure radioactive material cannot
escape. In todays water-cooled reactors, the
first barrier is the fuel itself the solid
ceramic uranium pellets.
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The pellets are sealed in zirconium rods.
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Why do you think the Navy takes advantage of this
technology?

• Prior to this, submarines relied on diesel
  generators to charge the ships batteries. This
  limited the submarine submergence time to a
  maximum of 12 hours before it would have to
  resurface and recharge. Today, submarines have
  the ability to stay submerged and perform several
  types of missions without being detected for up
  to 90 days (limited on food and supplies)!!

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Longevity

• Navys nuclear ships can run for decades without
  refueling.
• Allowing our submarines to remain submerged, and
  aircraft carriers to stay on station without
  having to return to port to refuel.

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Why can an atom produce so much energy?

• First, consider the type of reaction that is
  taking place?
• Second, what are the individual particles that
  make-up the atom?
• Which particles are in the nucleus and what
  electrical charge do they possess?
• What holds the nucleus together?

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Nuclear PhysicsNuclear Strongforce

• The nucleus always has a smaller total mass than
  the sum of its component masses.
• That is if you weighed the protons and neutrons
  individually they would weigh a total of 235
  atomic mass units.
• However, when grouped to form the nucleus some of
  the mass is converted to energy (nuclear
  strongforce) holding it together which makes it
  weigh less. This is derived from
  E mc2

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Nuclear PhysicsFission

• What causes fission to occur?

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Nuclear PhysicsFission

• Addition of a neutron to the nucleus, causes it
  to become unstable. In order for the nucleus to
  reach stability again, it fissions (breaks apart)
  releasing the energy (nuclear strongforce) in the
  form heat.
• Also, 2 to 3 more neutrons are released.

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Basic fission reaction
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Nuclear PhysicsFission

• Are the neutrons born from fission important?
• Yes!
• They go on to cause more fissions to keep the
  chain reaction continuing.

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Basic Nuclear Reaction (Fission)
U 235
U 235
U 235
Neutron
energy released (heat)
Fission Products
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Nuclear Physics

• If one neutron produces one fission and three
  neutrons are born and they cause three fissions
  to occur how many do we having at the beginning
  of the third generation?
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• Fourth and so on?
• 27, 81, 243, 729, 2187
• How is the reactor responding to this increase in
  neutron population per generation?
• It is increasing at an exponential rate,
  resulting in the reactor to operate near or above
  its designed limits.

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Nuclear Physics

• To control the neutron population within the
  reactor, operators use control rods which are
  made of non-fissionable materials such as Boron
  or Hafnium. These elements are neutron sponges
  they can absorb neutrons, to prevent them from
  interacting with Uranium.
• The control rods are remotely controlled and can
  be raised and lowered to control the neutron
  population within the reactor.
• At steady state levels of operation, one neutron
  causes a fission, an only 1 of 3 born from
  fission goes onto to cause another fission. This
  is called criticality.

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CONTROL ROD
THREADED SHAFT FOR DRIVE MOTOR
CONTROL RODS ARE MADE OF A MATERIAL WITH A VERY
HIGH PROBABILITY OF NEUTRON ABSORPTION, USUALLY
BORON OR HAFNIUM. THIS ALLOWS THE CONTROL RODS TO
BE RAISED AND LOWERED IN THE REACTOR CORE TO
CONTROL THE RATE AT WHICH FISSION OF U-235
OCCURS. THE RODS ARE CONTROLLED AS A GROUP BY
MOTORS AND ELECTRONICS FROM A LOCATION AWAY FROM
THE REACTOR.
CONTROL ROD
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TOP VIEW OF REACTOR CORE WITH CONTROL RODS AND
FUEL CELLS
IN
OUT
CRDM
CONTROL ROD
FUEL CELL
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How do we do it???
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The Nuclear Reactor

• Made of Corrosion Resistant Stainless Steel
• Built to withstand high temperature and pressure
• Initial Containment for radioactive material

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We then convert the heat from the fission
reaction to steam in a steam generator. The
primary coolant passes through tubes which have
cooler secondary coolant sprayed on them. The
secondary coolant flashes to high pressure steam.
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The steam then flows down a pipe where it will
turn generators to generate electricity and on
ships to turbines. The steam will spin the
turbines at a high rate of speed. This will be
reduced by reduction gears to a useful speed to
turn the shaft and ultimately the screw on a ship
or submarine to propel the vessel through the
water.
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Completing the Cycle

• The steam, which is now low pressure and
  exhausted of its energy, is condensed back to
  secondary coolant.
• This secondary coolant is pumped back into the
  steam generator to be used again.
• The primary coolant, after transferring its
  energy, is pumped back through the core repeating
  the cycle.

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NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATION
STEAM
SECONDARY SHIELD
TURBINE
SW OUT
CONDENSER
STEAM GENERATOR
REACTOR
SW IN
PRIMARY SHIELD
COOLANT PUMP
CONDENSATE PUMP
REACTOR COMPARTMENT
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Common concerns regarding nuclear energy

• Explosions
• Meltdowns
• Radiation
• Toxic Waste
• Mutations

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TYPES OF RADIATION

• GAMMA RAYS - no electric charge,
  
• most penetrating.
• ALPHA PARTICLES - identical to a
  
• Helium-4 atom, ingestion hazard.
• BETA PARTICLES - electron with a
• - or charge.
• NEUTRON - no electric charge.

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BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS

• KILL OR DESTROY
  CELLS.
• GENETIC DEFECTS.
• CANCER
• NOTHING.

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RADIATION LIMITS EXPOSURE
GOVERNMENT
NAVY 5,000mrem/yr
500mrem/yr Average exposure working with
nuclear power 150mrem/yr Average exposure
received in the United States
360mrem/yr Medical X-rays
60mrem/dose
Smokers
1300mrem/yr
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HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADIATION EXPOSURE

• 0-25 Rem None detectable
• 25-100 Rem Minor blood changes, nausea,
  fatigue
• 100-200 Rem Disability, blood changes, vomiting.
  Several weeks to recover
• 200-600 Rem Blood changes, internal
  hemorrhaging, disability, vomiting. 50 die
  w/o treatment
• 600-1000 Rem Accelerated symptoms. Death may
  occur w/in 2 weeks, with delayed mortality of
  100 w/o medical treatment
• 1000-2000 Rem 100 fatality w/o medical treatment
• 1 Rem 1000mRem

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CHERNOBYL AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

• Boiling Water Reactor
• Runaway Reactor gt 7 to 50 in 3 sec
• Slow Control Rods
• Loss of coolant due to operator error
• Graphite Moderator vice water
• No Containment

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RECENT NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS

• CHERNOBYL-1986

• TECHNICIANS REMOVE ALL 30 CONTROL RODS, LOSE
  CONTROL OF ENERGY
• ATTEMPT TO SHUT DOWN REACTOR, ONLY INSERT 6
  CONTROL RODS
• RAPID INCREASE OF HEAT CAUSES COOLANT TO EXPLODE
  INTO STEAM, RUPTURING REACTOR VESSEL
• CONTAIMENT BUILDING RUPTURES RELEASING
  RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

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CHERNOBYL AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN
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RECENT NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS

• THREE MILE ISLAND- 1979

• WORKERS DISABLE CONTROL AIR SYSTEM
• SECONDARY SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN, LOSS OF WATER IN
  STEAM GENERATORS
• REACTOR SCRAMS, PRIMARY SYSTEM OVERHEATS, RELIEF
  VALVE GETS STUCK OPEN
• LOSS OF COOLANT IN PRIMARY SYSTEM, CORE IS
  UNCOVERED
• FUEL RODS BREAK DOWN RELEASING HYDROGEN INTO
  REACTOR VESSEL AND BLDG
• GASES RELEASED TO ATMOSPHERE TO PREVENT HYDROGEN
  EXPLOSION

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Three Mile Island

• Maintenance stopped feedwater to Steam Generators
  gt Rx automatically shutdown
• Emergency Core Cooling System malfunction
• Leaking pressure relief valve
• Partial Meltdown
• Almost fully contained
• Turned the tide on public sentiment for Nuclear
  Power

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Public Radiation Exposure From Three Mile Island

• Highest whole body dose to any one individual
  lt100 millirems
• Dose rate within a 10-mile radius lt1.5 mr
• Dose rate within a 50-mile radius lt.5 mr

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Radioactive Decay Particles

• a alpha particle gt Helium nucleus with a
  penetrating power in air of 1-3 cm. Shielded by
  paper, clothing, dead skin cells.
• b- Beta minus gt High energy electron with a
  penetrating power of 17-24cm. Shielded by thick
  clothing, aluminum foil.
• g gamma gt photon with an infinite penetrating
  power, shielded by lead
• n neutron gt nucleic particle with a high
  penetrating power, shielding by water

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The Cookie Question If you had an alpha, a
beta, a gamma, and a neutron cookie, which would
you

• throw away
• put in your pocket
• eat
• hold in your hand

• a Alpha particle
• b- Beta particle
• g gamma
• n neutron

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Cookie Question Answer

• Alpha particle Hold in your hand because it is
  shielded by dead skin cells.
• Beta particle Put in your pocket because it is
  shielded by thick clothing.
• Gamma Eat, because one gamma is very small,
  and the chances are low that it will even contact
  any part of your body.
• Neutron Throw away because we use water to
  either moderate or shield neutrons, and your body
  is made of 70 water.

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NNPTC
CHARLESTON, SC
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Training Pipeline

• Upon completion of basic training A school
  for 13-26 weeks depending on rate.
• Nuclear Power school for 6 months.
• Naval Nuclear Prototype training for 6 months in
  either SC or NY.

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BENEFITS

• Entry level bonus- 12,000 cash
• Advanced promotion to E-3 upon graduation from
  basic training
• Advancement to E-4 within 6-9 months (More )
• College level credit - 80 credits worth
• Re-enlistment bonus- up to 120,000, and first
  time advancement to E-5 (MORE )
• Technical experience, leadership skills, a
  security clearance level of Secret, and Highly
  specialized training
• Great opportunities for Officer selection

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Any Questions???

• MM1(SS) Ryan Reed
• Phone [phone]
• Email ryan.t.reed_at_navy.mil