Perspective

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(Image Source:http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/the-triumph-of-coal-marketing.html)

Recently, the San Onofre Nuclear plant in California has come under extreme public scrutiny due to damage that occurred in steam tubes. These tubes were subject to some wear due to a computer design flaw. Due to this incident, the plant was shut down for investigation. It’s interesting to note that the main cause of this incident was due to an error in the computational analysis conducted by Mitsubishi that resulted in a miscalculation regarding the steam and water flow in the reactor [3]. The leak from the tube did release a tiny amount of radiation, which was why the plant was shut down, and Southern California Edison does maintain that the amount released is “insignificant or extremely small” [1]. Yes, the error was caught a bit too late, but it was addressed as soon as plant operators were made aware.

A concern that plagues the public regarding the status of the plant is the safety factor. In my opinion, the main reason the plant is receiving so much negative reception from the public is due to the fact that its associated with the word “nuclear”. Lets put some facts in perspective. Sure, there have been serious incidents and accidents that have occurred as a result of nuclear power accidents, but how many of these have resulted in injury to the public? How does Nuclear power compare to other forms of power industries when it comes to risk and fatalities? Why are minor nuclear-related accidents blown so out of proportion in the media, and other accidents caused by coal and gas that cause fatalities on the order of many more order of magnitudes not emphasized the same?

The image shown above (see reference [2]) shows a proportional image that should hopefully put some things into perspective. The image basically estimates that for every 1 death in a directly induced nuclear industry fatality, 4,000 people die from a coal power induced fatality. The graphic below from September 2010 shows a numerical summary of accidents that have occurred from various power sources. Although this was compiled before the incident in Japan last year, which has only 1 directly related nuclear death and 2 others from the tsunami itself. Taking this into account doesn’t really change data presented here.

(Image Source: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=28325)

The reason why people are so easily scared when it comes to the nuclear power industry is because of the word ‘nuclear’ and its controversial role in wars, etc. Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power plants have one of the strictest safety requirements and structures and follow the “Defense in Depth” approach. This consists of various safety barriers that are monitored regularly.

What the public fails to understand is to dissociate the image of a mushroom cloud from the word ‘nuclear’ every time it’s mentioned in the news and media. The media needs to make a more conscientious effort to educate the public on facts rather than feed them bits and pieces that leave crucial pieces of information out. The technology to build newer and safer plants already exists. The only factor that stands in the way of acceptance of safe nuclear technology is the lack of public confidence. Government legislation, policy makers and the media influence this public attitude. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future, the media and public can come to the same understanding as statistical findings and scientific data and see that nuclear energy industry incidents are so rare and cause the least damage to the public because no other industry takes more safety precautions.

For more thorough reading, the World Nuclear Association site provides a more comprehensive article that details the background of all the nuclear accidents to date and analyzes the safety records of each of the incidents. (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf06.html).

The NEA put out another report I think is useful. It details the safety principles behind nuclear power plants, the past performance of plants, risks associated with accidents and statistical frequencies, and compares them to other major sources of energy in the world today. (http://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/reports/2010/nea6862-comparing-risks.pdf)

(1) http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/article_c11de105-a550-5e37-b202-e2c6e14f4177.html
(2) http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/03/deaths-per-twh-by-energy-source.html
(3) http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/energy/nuclear/computer-design-flaw-does-in-california-nuclear-power-plant

The Youth of Nuclear

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Recently I have been thinking a lot about my last few years at Berkeley and what made it so special. For the last two years especially, being a part of my local ANS chapter has been an instrumental part of my life. It was where I met most of my friends and peers, got the opportunity to be involved in our department and participate in outreach activities. ANS has become such an integral part of my undergraduate career, and I will dearly miss being a part of such an amazing team, but at the same time I plan on continuing to be involved in the organization during my graduate career as well. A lot of the friends I made through ANS and my department will continue to be some of the best friends I have and will eventually go on to being my colleagues in the future. A goal of mine is to motivate more young professionals and engineers in this field to be active members of ANS, since it is the largest platform available to our small community to reach out to the public and unify the field.

I hope by reading this post, more young members will be motivated to take on an active role in their local sections or even the national chapter! As I mentioned earlier, ANS is a way for the scientific community to come together in an organized fashion to help promote nuclear science and technology. I was amazed at the variety of opportunities that are available to members of the organization; from networking with professionals, to getting involved in outreach projects. My personal experience with ANS has been very enriching and beneficial in helping me meet industry professionals and get internship opportunities in national labs. Not only this, but ANS gave me the opportunity to present my research to scientists from other institutions. ANS hosts yearly conferences and they encourage students to attend and participate. Students are encouraged to give technical presentations or present posters in front of experienced professionals and their peers. I believe this is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about research and technologies being developed across various institutions and share their own work to possibly gain a new perspective. I have been attending these conferences for the past two years, and have gained a lot from doing so. A lot of recent graduates and students don’t know where to look for jobs and career opportunities. These conferences host career fairs where people from all facets of the nuclear industry, from medicine to power, come to look for possible new hires.

The nuclear community is relatively small compared to the other engineering networks, and as a result, it is necessary for us to come together and collaborate on a way to advance our field. One major aspect that I was inspired to be a part of, and is close to my heart was outreach. After attending these conferences, and interacting with various professionals, I did realize that a major hindrance faced by the nuclear industry isn’t the technology necessary, but the politics and public opinion. If it weren’t for ANS, I would have never had the opportunity to work with the PopAtomic Studios team or be involved in the Nuclear Literacy Project!

At the most recent conference hosted by University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I had the pleasure of speaking with President elect Dr. Eric Loewen and asked him what we can do as students and young professionals to help bolster the nuclear industry through ANS or otherwise. He made it a point to reiterate that the youth are the future, and we need to have the motivation to set goals and further the field. I agree with his stance in saying that nuclear energy technologies need to be promoted in a more positive light. In order to erase the unfortunate stigma associated with the word ‘nuclear’ it is necessary to educate the public about the benefits such as the potential for economic growth and a feasible energy alternative. ANS chapters across the nation have taken this message to heart and have made efforts to reach out to the public and help share information about nuclear energy technologies by visiting local high schools, working with Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and by having young children visit local Nuclear Engineering departments to teach them basics of nuclear physics.

In short, I want to encourage anyone considering a career in Nuclear Engineering to get involved in his or her local ANS chapter. It opened a lot of doors for me, and helped me make long lasting friendships and connections at various institutions, and I believe it is an excellent way for young professionals to network and to learn from some of the leading nuclear technology experts. It is our responsibility as the future faces of the nuclear industry to help eradicate this fear present in the average lay person’s mind regarding the nuclear industry, and to help them and the world understand the rewards that can be gained by such an environmentally sustainable technology.

What it means to me to be a Nuclear Scientist

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Vermont Yankee has been in the headlines a lot lately because of the antinuclear protesters that have been demonstrating and getting arrested at the plant site. Certain of them told reporters that the events at Fukushima had strengthened their opinions opposing nuclear energy, and that they were afraid that something similar might happen in their [...] Read more »