The History and Development of an Underground Nuclear Power Plant Essay Example

is not known and does not vary with time (Curie, 246).

On the other hand thorium and its compound consists of similar properties. Studies showed that of all chemical substances prepared or used in the laboratory, the only substances that are capable of emitting large amounts of Becquerel rays are those which contains uranium and thorium. These substances are called radioactive (Meshik, 94).

Therefore radioactivity presents itself as atomic property of both uranium and thorium. Minerals which contains uranium or thorium are all radioactive. Studies shows that uranium has various hypothetical substances such as uranium ore, pitchblende (Duffaut, 41). Conducting chemical analysis of these mineral substances have found high radioactive substance whose chemical properties are close to bismuth which is called polonium and the other radioactive substances are close to barium which is called radium. The other radioactive substance belongs to group of rare each called actinium (Duffaut, 53).

Needs Build an Underground Nuclear Reactor

Building underground reactors deep enough helps to cover discharge of radioactive substances to the atmosphere even during worst case accidents (Curie, 249). Underground nuclear reactors offers containment of all radioactive fluids safe so as to regain confidence in nuclear power during earthquakes and tsunami. Also the main goal which is attained by the underground nuclear reactors is provision of safety against breaches of pipes and vessels.

Underground nuclear reactors are also required to provide protection against external aggression which includes bombing and aircraft crash (Meshik, 94). It also minimizes constraints from earth apace and activities hence conserving floor space. With underground reactors makes it easy to protect against intrusion as well as removal of fuel and any important parts thus closing all accesses. As the

technicality of the activity become delicate and concentrated, the more the need to build underground nuclear reactors (Duffaut, 61). Integration of underground nuclear reactors can eradicate the issue of discharging cooling water to rivers hence increasing water temperatures. The nuclear reactors which are used for electrical generation of power can also be used for heating.

How Earth could sustain an Underground Nuclear Reactor

There are a number of basic requirements which earth should display to make sure that the earth is able to sustain the nuclear reactor (Sandström, 1-2). The earth is supposed to some waters which are mostly found in area where many rivers, seas and big lakes converge. The earth is supposed to have certain massive rock which is enough for the maintenance of underground works Constance for a long period of time (Sandström, 5).

For the earth to be able to sustain the nuclear reactors it is not supposed to be subject for leach. The project can be established within the areas with steep hills or just mountains which have flat basement grounds which preserves for reservoir from where the project can be established (Sandström, 56). The leaching ground is not required for the establishment of the project since the leached water will not be able to make reservoir which is responsible for the establishment and sustainability of the nuclear reactor project.

Earth makes sure that the nuclear park occurs in the areas with rock salt which mostly host reactors in concern to nuclear. The area has got stored fuel within the rocks which are responsible for re-depository of the wastes from the nuclear (Sandström, 87-88). There are some geographical criteria which through which earth undergoes

supporting the nuclear reactors. The structure of rock should have no defects such as cracks through which the cracked rocks will not effectively enhance the mechanism of the reactors in the nuclear.

Water from the ground is needed for the process of nuclear reaction to take place from which cooling water is required as cooling agent during the process cooling in the nuclear plant. The earth relief is another factor which is mostly considered during setting of the plant (Sandström, 98). Earth contains bedrock in which small reactors could be buried in perhaps around forty meters underground.

The granite on the earth layer provides natural containment which acts as cement to access tunnels going deep in the facility (Ball, 37). Although going underground increases cost of reactors, burying of conventional large scale reactors could be cost effective. Nuclear reactor which burns deep beneath can make uranium sufficiently concentrated at the core of mantle layer thus igniting self-sustainable nuclear fission to be used in man-made reactor. Also superheating of the earth mantle generates power that ultimately drive the drift of tectonic plates at the surface thus resulting to earthquakes (Ball, 44).

Benefits of an Underground Nuclear Reactor for the Environment

There are some advantages which are found to realize from nuclear reactor to the environment. The nuclear process is responsible for the release of the nuclear nitrogen.

The nitrogen gas components which are produced into the environment are very important since having high level of temperature will mostly enable the production of this gas nitrogen. The gas is very important in the biodiversity factors such as plants in the living environment. (Myers & Elkins, 245). The process of nuclear process has

got another advantage to the environment following the fact that it is waste management process through which there is controversial (Forsberg & Kress, 123). The process involves solve some processes in disposal mechanisms which the waste materials within the environment to be cleared out. There are also fuel cycle mechanisms which are realized through processing mechanism in the project (Myers & Elkins, 246).

Drawbacks in Underground Nuclear Reactors for the Environment

There are some drawbacks which are impacted by the reactors to the environment through which mostly impact the life of human (Forsberg & Kress, 125). There elements which are as result of the reactions of the nuclear reactors affect people’s breathing mechanism. Through observation of the aquatic life, radioactivity wastes affects the life in water through which once the water in water bodies are mixed with those chemicals living organisms which are living in those habitant may die (Myers & Elkins, 249).

Earth’s Future for Underground Nuclear Reactors

There future earth underground reactors which are realized to exist in future period of time. In future, TWR is expected to reduce carbon dioxide and make sure that there is provision of energy with exception of producing greenhouse gases (Forsberg & Kress, 127). There are other struggles for establishment of high temperatures which will raise the level of thermal for electric generation. Through the analysis, there will be massive concentration of the uranium which cannot be a nuclear reactor (Myers & Elkins, 254).

The reason behind this is that uranium 235 concentration is said to be less than one percentage low. The isotope is expected to be radioactive in future and it is suggested to be about six times more reactive

than the uranium 238 in future times to come (Forsberg & Kress, 130).

Conclusion

The process of nuclear reactor is found to be complex through the way the processes are deflected in the paper. The process being so complex, it requires so much of process through which high level of technology is required for the establishment of plant. There process of establishment has been discussed in the paper based on the steps which is required for the successful progressive of the process. Different concepts of the process have been discussed based on the diagrams and drawings to elaborate the process of nuclear reactors.

Cited Works

1. Ball, Philip. "Are there nuclear reactors at Earth's core" Fission reactors may have been burning for billions of years. Published online 15 (2008).27-65.
2. C. W. FORSBERG AND T. KRESS, “Underground Reactor Containments: An Option for the Future,” Paper No. 159, 2nd International Topical Meeting on Advanced Reactor Safety, American Nuclear Society, Orlando, Florida, June 1 – 4, 1997 (1997). 123-234
3. C. W. Myers and N. Z. Elkins Underground Collocation of Nuclear Power Reactors and Repository to Facilitate the Post-Rennaissance Expansion of Nuclear Power – (2003): 245-372
4. Curie, Pierre. "Radioactive substances, especially radium." Nobel lecture (1905).231-257.
5. Duffaut, P., and P. Vaskou. "Geological and Geographical Criteria for Underground Siting of Nuclear Reactors." ISRM International Symposium-8th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium. International Society for Rock Mechanics, 2014.37-72.
6. KamLAND Collaboration. "Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements." Nature Geoscience 4.9 (2011): 647-651.
7. Meshik, Alex P. "The workings of an ancient nuclear reactor." Scientific American 293.5 (2005): 82-91.
8. Sandström S. Operating Experience at the Ågesta Nuclear Power Station (1996): 1-104
9. http://terrapower.com/
10. http://www.nucleardemolition.com/research.html