Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Storing Nuclear Waste Near Lake Huron - Part 1

The Kincardine Nuclear Plant
Although not as dominant as coal, or natural gas energy plants, nuclear energy plays an important role in today's energy production.  The World Nuclear Association states that as of December 2013, nuclear energy provides approximately 15% of Canada's electricity.  15% is no small amount, and it's certain that nuclear energy is going to keep evolving as a leading provider of energy in Canada.

Of all 19 nuclear power plants found in Canada, the focus of this blog post will be on the Bruce nuclear plant in Kincardine, Ontario.  Kincardine is a relatively small town located near the shores of Lake Huron.  Consequently, the Bruce nuclear plant is also located right along the shores of Lake Huron.     

An aerial view of the Bruce Power nuclear generating station in Kincardine, Ont.
Bruce nuclear plant in Kincardine, Ontario, situated along the shores of Lake Huron.

Before getting to the exact issue concerning the Kincardine nuclear plant, I will explain a few things in regards to nuclear energy for anyone who may not quite know a lot about nuclear energy.  :]



HEUraniumC.jpg

"Uranium metal highly enriched in uranium-235"





Nuclear plants use the same basic principles as other thermal power plants in order to create electricity. Essentially,  the base method for producing electricity is as follows: Heat/Thermal energy is created and then used to heat water, the water then vaporizes.  Following this, the water vapour is used to turn a turbine which then powers a generator which produces electricity.  All thermal power plants follow this basic principle.  The primary way in which they differ, is through the fuel source used to produce the heat.  In the case of nuclear energy, that fuel typically consists of uranium-235, an isotope of uranium, which is a radioactive element.    

While nuclear energy plants don't produce any of the environmentally harmful byproducts that other thermal energy plants do, such as carbon monoxide, they do produce their own harmful byproduct, radioactive waste.  Radioactive waste generally refers to the used uranium or fuel after it has gone through the fission process (process which creates thermal energy from the fuel).  The used fuel is highly radioactive after undergoing the nuclear fission process and is extremely dangerous.  Without going into any specifics, it should be known that there is no way of rendering radioactive waste non-radioactive.  The only thing that can be done is to simply wait for the radioactivity to gradually decrease over long periods of time.

Because of this, and because of the danger which radioactive waste poses to organic life, it must be contained and put away until it's radioactivity is either non existent.  Depending on the amount of radioactivity of the waste, this can take thousands of years.  And so, adequate locations are needed and sought after in order to safely contain these wastes.  A good example of a location in which nuclear waste can be stored would be an exhausted mine.  However, the location and manor in which the nuclear waste is kept also depends on the radioactivity of the waste.  Nuclear waste that is deemed to be dangerous for the next thousand years is not stored in the same way as waste that is deemed to be dangerous for the next two hundred years.

Radioactive-Waste-Disposal
Low level nuclear waste storage.
The final thing that needs to be discussed before going into detail on the current issue at the Kincardine nuclear plant, is that radioactive waste can be transmitted to other things.  This leads to the fact that any object that has come into contact with, or has been in the vicinity of radioactive waste or other radioactive object absorbs some of the radiation and becomes itself radioactive, to a lesser extent.  Radioactive waste then, not only refers to the used fuel, but also to mops, gloves, apparel, brushes, pencils, etc... anything that has been unprotected within a certain vicinity of anything radioactive in the nuclear plant.  Of course, these other radioactive wastes, although not as dangerous as the used fuel, must be disposed of in a safe manner.

When constructing a nuclear plant, wherever it may be, there are always many health and environmental risks involved.  And when that nuclear plant is constructed near a major water source; be it a river, lake, or ocean; as many nuclear plants are, the risks are even greater.  Logically, I assume that in view of economical and practical standpoints, the benefits of having a nuclear plant next to water outweigh the greater risks they pose.  I say benefits, but the benefits all really stem from one thing: the fact that nuclear plants require large amounts of water in order to function.  The Bruce nuclear plant in Kincardine, being so near to Lake Huron has all of the lake's water readily available for the plant's needs.  While I completely understand the benefits offered by building a plant near a water source, one must not forget the risks.  If an accident were to occur at the Kincardine plant which would result in any radioactive waste or water to enter Lake Huron, the effects would be devastating.  After entering the lake, some of the radioactive substances could easily traverse and spread across the Great Lakes basin ecosystem before any quarantine could be attempted.  Although I'm sure they have designated protocols to follow at the plant in case of just such an event, I can't imagine such protocols could stop a nuclear waste spill in it's tracks.




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