Preventing Nuclear TerrorMateo O-CAnd Jacob C

Overview

• Nuclear Power• Why is it a Grand Challenge?• Pros• Cons• Who uses it?• How is it used?• Future Plans

Nuclear Power

• Nuclear power is an alternative power source that creates heat through the use of nuclear fission of uranium. This creates electricity through a heat transfer mechanism and/or turbines.

Why is it a Grand Challenge?

• The makings for a nuclear bomb are not difficult to attain• One of the most dangerous types of weapons in the world• Only a small amount can cause massive destruction• Very difficult to trace and assign blame

Pros• Today nuclear energy provides almost 14% of the world's electricity

• More than all electricity produced worldwide in 1960.

• Over 10,000 hospitals worldwide use radioisotopes in medicine.

• There are some 18 million nuclear medicine procedures per year among 311 million people in the US, and in Europe about 10 million among 500 million people.

• The use of radiopharmaceuticals in diagnosis is growing at over 10% per year.

Pros (Cont.)• Renewable resource• Won’t run out in short term• Doesn’t use fossil fuels• It is a reliable process that can be used for many years.• Small waste amount(Amount of waste would cover a table)• Waste is kept in capsules to ensure the safety of others.• Power plants supply thousands of jobs

Cons

• “Nuclear terrorism is one of the most serious threats to the security of the United States.” says armscontrolcenter.org’s John Isaacs• In 2010, President Obama hosted the first Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism. A second Summit was held in Seoul in 2012 and a third is planned for the Netherlands in 2014.

Cons (Cont.)

• Pollutes radioactive waste• Possibility of radiation leakage or plant meltdown• Very few nuclear power plants across the world• Nuclear reactors are very expensive to purchase and install.• Nuclear power plants will have to be shutdown for maintenance at

one point in time.

Who uses it?• Scientists and Medical professionals can make

nuclear power very useful and helpful.• Many people get the electricity they live off of

every day from nuclear power.

• Terrorists can easily use this power against us.• Very unstable and dangerous conditions can

cause careless people to hurt others.

How is it used?

• Used to produce electricity that is 20,000 times more than what can be produced from coal• Used to power generators for the City of Cape Town in case of a

blackout• The theories of nuclear fission are used in medicines• The idea of splitting atoms has lead to development in treatments for

cancer patients

Future Plans

• Nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases, it’s always on, it doesn't face the price volatility that natural gas does, and it actually has a better safety record than the coal industry.

• BUT, nuclear energy also faces many challenges, including sky-high costs, safety concerns, waste disposal and the threat of proliferation.

Review

• Nuclear Power• Why is it a Grand Challenge?• Pros• Cons• Who uses it?• Future Plans

Sources

• http://www.physics4thecool.com/2011/04/rethinking-nuclear-power.html• http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Ov

erview/The-Many-Uses-of-Nuclear-Technology/• http://armscontrolcenter.org/issues/nuclearterrorism/• http://

online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304906704579115510865908136• http://cdn2.spiegel.de/images/image-322451-panoV9-hspr.jpg• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Sequoyah_Nucle

ar_Power_Plant.JPG• http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01335/nuclear.htm