Nuclear Power
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Environmental Impacts of Uranium Mining in Australia History, Progress and Current Practice
A policy paper commissioned MAY 2017 by the Minerals Council of Australia Environmental impacts of uranium mining in Australia History, progress and current practice Ben Heard POLICY PAPER Environmental impacts of uranium mining in Australia History, progress and current practice Ben Heard is a doctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide, focusing on clean energy systems and the potential role of nuclear technologies. He holds a Masters in Corporate Environmental and Sustainability Management from Monash University and was an environmental sustainability consultant from 2005-2016. He has taught several units of the Masters of Sustainability at the University of Adelaide and is an honourary member of the Leaders Institute of South Australia. His most recent research paper Burden of proof: A comprehensive review of the feasibility of 100% renewable-electricity systems was published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The Minerals Council of Australia is the peak national body representing Australia’s exploration, mining and minerals processing industry, nationally and internationally, in its contribution to sustainable economic, and social development. This publication is part of the overall program of the MCA, as endorsed by its Board of Directors, but does not necessarily reflect the views of individual members of the Board. Minerals Council of Australia Level 3, 44 Sydney Ave, Forrest ACT 2603 (PO Box 4497, Kingston ACT Australia 2604) P. + 61 2 6233 0600 | F. + 61 2 6233 0699 www.minerals.org.au | [email protected] Copyright © 2017 Minerals Council of Australia. All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright holders. -
Dollars for Death Say No to Uranium Mining & Nuclear Power
Dollars for Death Say No to Uranium Mining & Nuclear Power Jim Green & Others 2 Dollars for Death Contents Preface by Jim Green............................................................................3 Uranium Mining ...................................................................................5 Uranium Mining in Australia by Friends of the Earth, Australia..........................5 In Situ Leach Uranium Mining Far From ‘Benign’ by Gavin Mudd.....................8 How Low Can Australia’s Uranium Export Policy Go? by Jim Green................10 Uranium & Nuclear Weapons Proliferation by Jim Falk & Bill Williams..........13 Nuclear Power ...................................................................................16 Ten Reasons to Say ‘No’ to Nuclear Power in Australia by Friends of the Earth, Australia...................................................................16 How to Make Nuclear Power Safe in Seven Easy Steps! by Friends of the Earth, Australia...................................................................18 Japan: One Year After Fukushima, People Speak Out by Daniel P. Aldrich......20 Nuclear Power & Water Scarcity by Sue Wareham & Jim Green........................23 James Lovelock & the Big Bang by Jim Green......................................................25 Nuclear Waste ....................................................................................28 Nuclear Power: Watt a Waste .............................................................................28 Nuclear Racism .................................................................................31 -
Tailings and Their Component Radionuclides from the Biosphere-Some Earth Science Perspectives
Tailings and Their Component Radionuclides From the Biosphere-Some Earth Science Perspectives Isolation of Uranium Mill Tailings and Their Component Radionuclides From the Biosphere-Some Earth Science Perspectives By Edward Landa GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 814 A critical review of the literature dealing with uranium mill tailings, with emphasis on the geologic and geochemical processes affecting the long-term containment of radionuclides 1980 United States Department of the Interior CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary Geological Survey H. William Menard, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 79-600148 Free on application to Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological Survey 1200 South Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202 CONTENTS Page Abstract 1 Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Acknowledginents ---------_----------------------------------------------- 2 Quantity and location of the tailings -------------------------------------- 2 Radioactivity in tailings -------------------------------------------------- 4 Sources of potential human radiation exposure from uranium mill tailings ------ 6 Radon emanation ----------------------------------------------------- 6 VVind transport ------------------------------------------------------- 6 Surface water transport and leaching ----------------------------------- 7 External gamma radiation ------------------------------------------- 8 Contamination of terrestrial and aquatic vegetation ---------------------- 8 Seepage ----------------------------------------------------~-------- -
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
THE COLLECTION > From the uranium mine> toI wNTasRtOeD dUisCpToIsOaN l 1 > The atom 2 > Radioactivity 3 > Radiation and man 4 > Energy 5 > Nuclear energy: fusion and fission 6 > How a nuclear reactor works 7 > The nuclear fuel cycle 7 > The nuclear fuel cycle FROM RESEARCH 8 > Microelectronics 9 > The laser: a concentrate of light TO INDUSTRY 10 > Medical imaging 11 > Nuclear astrophysics 12 > Hydrogen 7 >>TThhee nnuucclleeaarr ffuueell ccyyccllee UPSTREAM THE REACTOR: PREPARING THE FUEL IN THE REACTOR: FUEL CONSUMPTION DOWNSTREAM THE REACTOR: REPROCESSING NUCLEAR WASTE NUCLEAR WASTE © Commissariat à l’’Énergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, 2005 Communication Division Bâtiment Siège - 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex www.cea.fr ISSN 1637-5408. From the uranium mine to waste disposal 7 > The nuclear fuel cycle From the uranium mine to waste disposal 7 > The nuclear fuel cycle 2 > CONTENTS > INTRODUCTION 3 Uranium ore is extracted from open-pit mines – such as the McClear mines in Canada seen here – or underground workings. a m e g o C © “The nuclear fuel cycle includes an erray UPSTREAM THE REACTOR: of industrial operations, from uranium PREPARING THE FUEL 4 e mining to the disposal of radioactive l Extracting uranium from the ore 5 waste.” c Concentrating and refining uranium 6 y Enriching uranium 6 c Enrichment methods 8 l introduction uel is a material that can be burnt to pro - IN THE REACTOR: FUEL CONSUMPTION 9 Fvide heat. The most familiar fuels are wood, e Preparing fuel assemblies 10 coal, natural gas and oil. By analogy, the ura - e g a nium used in nuclear power plants is called Per unit or mass (e.g. -
Uranium Mining and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Program
Uranium Mining and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Program Uranium Mining and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Program By Robert Alvarez Formed over 6 billion years ago, uranium, a dense, silvery-white metal, was created “during the fiery lifetimes and explosive deaths in stars in the heavens around us,” stated Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias.1 With a radioactive half-life of about 4.5 billion years, uranium-238 is the most dominant of several unstable uranium isotopes in nature and has enabled scientists to understand how our planet was created and formed. For at least the last 2 billion years, uranium shifted from deep in the earth to the rocky shell-like mantle, and then was driven by volcanic processes further up to oceans and to the continental crusts. The Colorado Plateau at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where some of the nation’s largest uranium deposits exist, began to be formed some 300 million years ago, followed later by melting glaciers, and erosion which left behind exposed layers of sand, silt and mud. One of these was a canary-yellow sediment that would figure prominently in the nuclear age. From 1942 to 1971, the United States nuclear weapons program purchased about 250,000 metric tons of uranium concentrated from more than 100 million tons of ore.2 Although more than half came from other nations, the uranium industry heavily depended on Indian miners in the Colorado Plateau. Until recently,3 their importance remained overlooked by historians of the atomic age. There is little doubt their efforts were essential for the United States to amass one of the most destructive nuclear arsenals in the world. -
Uranium Mining in Virginia
Nontechnical Summary Uranium Mining in Virginia In recent years, there has been renewed interest in mining uranium in the Common- wealth of Virginia. However, before any mining can begin, Virginia’s General Assembly would have to rescind a statewide moratorium on uranium mining that has been in effect since 1982. The National Research Council was commissioned to provide an independent review of the scientific, environmental, human health and safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, processing, and reclamation in Virginia to help inform the public discussion about uranium mining and to assist Virginia’s lawmakers in their deliberations. eneath Virginia’s convene an independent rolling hills, there committee of experts to Bare occurrences of write a report that described uranium—a naturally occur- the scientific, environmental, ring radioactive element that human health and safety, and can be used to make fuel for regulatory aspects of mining nuclear power plants. In the and processing Virginia’s 1970s and early 1980s, work to uranium resources. Addi- explore these resources led to tional letters supporting this the discovery of a request were received from large uranium deposit at Coles U.S. Senators Mark Warner Hill, which is located in and Jim Webb and from Pittsylvania County in southern Governor Kaine. The Virginia. However, in 1982 the National Research Council Commonwealth of Virginia study was funded under a enacted a moratorium on contract with the Virginia uranium mining, and interest in Center for Coal and Energy further exploring the Coles Hill Research at Virginia deposit waned. Polytechnic Institute and In 2007, two families living in the vicinity of State University (Virginia Tech). -
VT Branch Anti-Nuclear Resources
1 LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND THE PUBLIC LOCAL Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Burlington VT Branch: WILPF was founded in 1915 during World War I, with Jane Addams as its first president. Through peaceful means, WILPF works to achieve world disarmament, full rights for women, racial and economic justice, an end to all forms of violence, and to establish those political, social, and psychological conditions which can assure peace, freedom, and justice for all. We invite you to become a part of the Burlington, Vermont Chapter of WILPF. We meet on the second Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 7 PM at the Peace and Justice Center, 60 Lake St #1C, Burlington. For more information, contact Robin Lloyd at [email protected] or 802-862-4929 or Marguerite Adelman: [email protected] or 518-561-3939. Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Vermont: Founded in 1961 by to raise awareness of worldwide radioactive pollution from atomic bomb testing, its work led to the 1962 partial nuclear test ban treaty. Resurrected by Helen Caldicott in the late 1970s, Physicians for Social Responsibility is the largest physician- led organization in the US working to protect the public from the threats of nuclear proliferation, climate change, and environmental toxins. Our local group is led by Dr. John Reuwer. He can be reached at [email protected] or 540-267-4317. Peace & Justice Center (PJC): Since 1979 the Peace & Justice Center has been a leader in social justice activism in Vermont. Our Board and Staff work with community members, local businesses, non-profit organizations, activists, and volunteers to help all Vermonters achieve self-sufficiency and shared prosperity. -
The Legacy of Uranium Development on Or Near Indian Reservations and Health Implications Rekindling Public Awareness
Geosciences 2015, 5, 15-29; doi:10.3390/geosciences5010015 OPEN ACCESS geosciences ISSN 2076-3263 www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences Review The Legacy of Uranium Development on or Near Indian Reservations and Health Implications Rekindling Public Awareness Anita Moore-Nall Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] or [email protected]; Tel.: +1-406-587-9769 Academic Editors: Jose A. Centeno, Robert B. Finkelman and Olle Selinus Received: 1 January 2015 / Accepted: 26 January 2015 / Published: 3 February 2015 Abstract: Uranium occurrence and development has left a legacy of long-lived health effects for many Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States. Some Native American communities have been impacted by processing and development while others are living with naturally occurring sources of uranium. The uranium production peak spanned from approximately 1948 to the 1980s. Thousands of mines, mainly on the Colorado Plateau, were developed in the western U.S. during the uranium boom. Many of these mines were abandoned and have not been reclaimed. Native Americans in the Colorado Plateau area including the Navajo, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Hopi, Zuni, Laguna, Acoma, and several other Pueblo nations, with their intimate knowledge of the land, often led miners to uranium resources during this exploration boom. As a result of the mining activity many Indian Nations residing near areas of mining or milling have had and continue to have their health compromised. This short review aims to rekindle the public awareness of the plight of Native American communities living with the legacy of uranium procurement, including mining, milling, down winders, nuclear weapon development and long term nuclear waste storage. -
Monitoring Uranium Mining and Milling Using Commercial Observation Satellites
Monitoring Uranium Mining and Milling using Commercial Observation Satellites Lalitha Sundaresan1, Chandrashekar Srinivasan1 and Bhupendra Jasani2 1. Visiting Professors, International Strategic and Security Studies Programme, National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, India 2. Department of War Studies, King’s College London, London, UK E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: As several states have signed the Additional Protocol to their Safeguards Agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), they will need to declare their nuclear activities in considerable detail, including their operational and shut down uranium mines. This could significantly increase the burden on the resources of the IAEA in carrying out its safeguards procedures. The IAEA could use space-based high-resolution panchromatic, multi-spectral and hyper-spectral sensors to verify some aspects of uranium mining and milling. Such techniques could reduce the overall costs. The availability of such data cost free on the Google Earth web site and commercially from various imagery providers makes it possible for analysts to make assessments concerning the nuclear fuel cycle activities of various countries of interest. The mining of uranium and its conversion through a milling process into U3O8 (yellowcake) is the first step of a complex conversion cycle that determines how the mined material will be used. Our study discusses the possible use of satellite imagery for identifying and monitoring uranium mining and milling activities. In the study an attempt is made to answer the following questions: 1. Can we identify uranium mines using openly available satellite imagery? 2. Can we use various steps in uranium milling operations to identify such mills across the world? 3. -
Prof. Barry Brook − Brave New Climate
PROF. BARRY BROOK − BRAVE NEW CLIMATE March 2012 Jim Green National nuclear campaigner − Friends of the Earth, Australia [email protected] 0417 318368 PO Box 222, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065 www.foe.org.au 1. Introduction 2. Energy options 3. Nuclear power and WMD proliferation 4. Ionising radiation and Chernobyl 5. Safety and Fukushima 6. Terra Nullius 7. Radioactive waste 8. The responsible nuclear advocate 9. Conclusion 1. INTRODUCTION This is a review of the nuclear power advocacy of Prof. Barry Brook, a conservation biology / climate change scientist/academic at Adelaide Uni who runs the Brave New Climate (BNC) website. Prof. Brook has over 170 peer-reviewed publications to his name and expertise across a range of scientific disciplines and sub-disciplines. 1 His interest in energy debates stems from his interest in and concern about climate change. He isn't in any way connected to − or in the pay of − the nuclear industry. 2. ENERGY OPTIONS Prof. Brook's view is that "it's nuclear power or it's climate change". Here is a brief outline of how greenhouse emissions can be sharply reduced without recourse to nuclear power in Australia. One of the most practical Australian studies was produced by a group of scientists for the Clean Energy Future Group (CEFG). 2 It is practical in that it makes virtually no allowance for technical innovation, restricting itself to technologies that were commercially available in 2004. It factors in official projections of economic growth and population growth. It stands at the opposite end of the spectrum to studies which make heroic assumptions about technological developments and cost reductions, and those which assume heroic reductions in energy consumption through energy efficiency and conservation. -
Environmental Activities in Uranium Mining and Milling
Nuclear Development Environmental Activities in Uranium Mining and Milling A Joint NEA/IAEAReport NUCLEAR•ENERGY•AGENCY OECD, 1999. Software: 1987-1996, Acrobat is a trademark of ADOBE. All rights reserved. OECD grants you the right to use one copy of this Program for your personal use only. Unauthorised reproduction, lending, hiring, transmission or distribution of any data or software is prohibited. You must treat the Program and associated materials and any elements thereof like any other copyrighted material. All requests should be made to: Head of Publications Service, OECD Publications Service, 2, rue AndrÂe-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES IN URANIUM MINING AND MILLING A JOINT REPORT BY THE OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: ± to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining ®nancial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; ± to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and ± to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. -
Perceptions and Realities in Modern Uranium Mining
Nuclear Development 2014 Perceptions and Realities in Modern Uranium Mining Extended Summary NEA Nuclear Development Perceptions and Realities in Modern Uranium Mining Extended Summary © OECD 2014 NEA No. 7063 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT PERCEPTIONS AND REALITIES IN MODERN URANIUM MINING Perceptions and Realities in Modern Uranium Mining Introduction Producing uranium in a safe and environmentally responsible manner is not only important to the producers and consumers of the product, but also to society at large. Given expectations of growth in nuclear generating capacity and associated uranium demand in the coming decades – particularly in the developing world – enhancing awareness of leading practice in uranium mining is important. This extended summary of the report Managing Environmental and Health Impacts of Uranium Mining provides a brief outline of the driving forces behind the significant evolution of uranium mining practices from the time that uranium was first mined for military purposes until today. Uranium mining remains controversial principally because of legacy environmental and health issues created during the early phase of the industry. Today, uranium mining is conducted under significantly different circumstances and is now the most regulated and one of the safest forms of mining in the world. The report compares historic uranium mining practices with leading practices in the modern era, and provides an overview of the considerable evolution of regulations and mining practices that have occurred in the last few decades. Case studies of past and current practices are included to highlight these developments and to contrast the outcomes of historic and modern practices. With over 430 reactors operational worldwide at the end of 2013, more than 70 under construction and many more under consideration, providing fuel for these long-lived facilities will be essential for the uninterrupted generation of significant amounts of baseload electricity for decades to come.