Uses of Nuclear Technology

Most spacecrafts are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).

Often times, "space batteries" or radioisotope heater units (RHUs) are used to keep equipment warm enough to function.

Astronauts also measure radiation levels of planets, stars, and in space.

The stable isotope of water H2O18 and radioactive tritium H3, as well as C14 (that allowed dating of the water through half life calculations) and dissolved noble gases are used a tracers. A tracer is a substance in low concentration that is used to track change.

Water moves around throughout the hydrosphere in the water cycle. Understanding where water has been, for how long, and where it traveled will help scientists understand weather patterns, droughts, climate change, and other water issues.

By measuring the ration of heavy to light isotopes using fractionation techniques that occurred during condensation and evaporation of water, hydrologists can determine the path of the water, since each place origin would have a unique fingerprint of how the molecules arranged themselves during the process.

Thank you! We hope you learned a few things. Have any questions??

Uses of Nuclear Technology

Water

Medical

Household Use

Desalinization

Smoke detectors utilize nuclear technologies to save lives and warn when smoke or other harmful gases are in the air of our homes.

Imaging Technology

CT Scanning

http://imgarcade.com/1/smoke-detector-png/

• Imaging technology helps medical professionals look closely at humans’ organs.
• This technology uses a radioisotope.
• A radioisotope is a chemical element that produces radiation
• This process helps in diagnosing diseases early, to avoid serious consequences.
• Kidney Scans, Bone Scans, Myocardial Perfusion Imaging maps, Detects Heart and Lung Cancer

Not only is water essential to life from a chemistry standpoint, but also for all of the life, including people and their ecosystems, on Earth. About one fifth of the world does not have access to clean, safe drinking water. About seventy percent of the earth is covered in water, but only once of this is fresh. Starting to see the problem? Scientists have found an effective way to desalinate ocean water to provide clean safe drinking water for coastal communities through nuclear power.

• Computer Tomography Scan
• is used to get detailed images of inside the human body, it helps guide treatment for car-accident injuries, cancer, blood clots, and many other conditions
• helpful for medical procedures, medical professionals can clearly see what is occurring inside the body, this gets rid of the need of exploratory surgery
• 68 million CT scans were performed in the USA in 2006 (this number is a lot bigger now)

Environmental Tracing

How does it work??

How Does This Process Work?

The process of reverse osmosis removes the salt from water by utilizing heat produced in nuclear reactions to push water up against osmotic pressure.

Relatively recently, scientists realized the methods of nuclear physics for the detection of isotopes could have useful applications in hydrology, specifically dealing with isotopes of water or dissolved noble gases to track and trace water.

How It Works

Why Nuclear?

• A CT scan is a type of x-ray that takes images of inside the body(taken just like an x-ray)

• Improved technology has enabled scanners to proctor a specific dose of radiation depending on the exam type and individual

The element Americium (atomic number 95) was discovered in 1945 during the Manhattan Project in USA.

This process requires a lot of energy- up to 6 kWh of electricity per cubic meter of water produced.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/images/articles/153/153201/ct-scanner.jpg.

Inside a smoke detector, there are two metal plates with opposite charges attached to the battery.

Air molecules are ionized by the larger alpha particles of the radioactive isotope Americium-241. This creates Oxygen and Nitrogen positive ions, leaving free electrons. The movement of those ions creates a small, steady electrical current between the two plates.

http://www.managedmedicalimaging.com/images/medical_imaging_technology34.gif.

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/ottawa-student-could-make-water-desalination-600-700-more-efficient.html

How It Works

• Medical professionals inject a small amount of radioisotope into the patient's body.
• The radioisotope is picked up by a certain organ and this enables special camera that takes a detailed picture of the organ.

http://doctorspiller.com/images/Dental%20radiology/CT_scan.jpg.

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/nimishapagare-1941367-use-radioisotopes-medicine/.

There are currently around 15,000 desalinization plants, most in the Middle East and North Africa. However most of these run off fossil fuels, and pollute the environment.

Places like Argentina, China, South Korea, India, Japan and Kazakhstan have switched to a nuclear energy facilities, generating not only desalinated water, but process heat and electricity as well.

Scientists believe using nuclear energy would be a cost efficient, more productive solution.

Despite public concern, radiation is not released into the water- and this process is entirely safe.

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/smoke_ion.html

https://waterenergymatters.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/onearth_creattica_desalination-process.jpg?w=385&h=386

Sterilization

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http://johnemsley.com/images/elements/Americium400x400.jpg.

When smoke enters the smoke detector, it interrupts the electrical current by de-ionizing the particles back to their neutral state, where they can no longer conduct electricity back and forth. The sensor goes off when the electrical current stops.

• This is the process of killing germs and bacteria on medical equipment
• Medical Products can be sterilized by gamma rays from a cobalt-60 source
• It is much more cheaper and effective than steam heat sterilization
• Radiation can be used to sterilize a lot of heat sensitive items like biological preparations used for tissue grafts

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/smoke_ion.html

http://www.hydrochemistry.eu/exmpls/istp1.png,

Radiation emitted is very low, and is deemed safe for household use. The isotope used (241) has a half life of 432 years, and is therefore very stable and will not harm us.

https://www.prestigemedical.com/Product%20Images/121-ROY_400.jpg.

Food & Agriculture

How it Works

• Gamma-rays are electromagnetic waves that can only be stopped by thick lead
• These pass through the medical equipment
• As these rays pass through the packaging, they kill any living tissues like viruses and bacteria

*Notice the equipment still stays in its packaging

Space

Radiation Breeding

Nuclear Energy is used in food and agriculture to improve the quality of foods.

• Nuclear radiation helps breed new seeds with higher yields, like ‘miracle’ rice.
• Higher yield seeds can allow crops to grow during tough weather conditions.
• These crops help feed thousands of people in third-world countries
• Radiation also eradicated 10 species of pests, including Mediterranean fruit fly and the screwworm fly

Food Irradiation

• The Food and Drug Administration has approved of a process of irradiation.
• Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to a source of energy that is capable of stripping electrons from individual atoms.
• This radiation is called ionizing radiation.
• This process kills bacteria like salmonella, trichinosis, and cholera.
• More than 76 million americans are affected by food borne illnesses and more than 5000 of them die
• Irradiation can slow the rate of spoilage and increase the time the food can be stored.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/science/28crop.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

How it Works:

• Radiation is used to generate mutations
• The plants that need this process are usually put into atomic gardens, where they are exposed to radiation.
• The radiation affects the nucleotides in the plant, which causes changes to genetic makeup of the plant to change

How do RTGs and RHUs Work?

Why Are They Used?

http://img.medicalxpress.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2011/notedscience.jpg.

Works Cited

How It Works:

• Food is exposed to a specific amount of intense ionizing radiation.
• This process is completed in a special room for a specific amount of time.
• Food irradiation breaks chemical bonds, and kills the bacteria on the food.
• This leaves the food fresh and healthy.

As radioactive isotopes like Plutonium-238 or Americium-241 decay, the nuclear fission that occurs causes heat to be generated.

Plutonium produces 0.56 Watts per gram, and Americium produces about 0.15 Watts per gram.

Plutonium is relatively stable- has a half life of 88 years, does not emit high amounts of harmful radiation,so it is more reliable than bringing tons of fuel or relying on solar power for deep space exploration.

http://people.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/nuclear/pics/fruit.gif.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJRg4yvuH-U2QsIU3vJoPaJfF1ch1UAX2kNyiES3fYPaoPLQkR

http://www.edenbrothers.com/store/media/_GroupPages/Corn.jpg.

Engineers have harnessed this energy by using devices called thermocouples to power navigation, heat, sensing, and processing systems of spacecraft.

A typical RTG produces about 300 watts of electricity and can continue to function unattended for many years, powering unmanned mission.

The power systems of RHUs last for much longer than any other kind, therefore more data can be collected from new and far away places. Space equipment needs a lot of power, and these nuclear technologies allow for safe, stable, and reliable power sources

The nuclear reaction produces heat, which heats the ship interior, equipment, and thrust/navigation systems.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Cutdrawing_of_an_GPHS-RTG.jpg/450px-Cutdrawing_of_an_GPHS-RTG.jpg.

Are They Important?

YES!!!!!!!!!!

The rover Curiosity measured radiation in space on its way to Mars and found two types of radiation in space.

• Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), particles caused by supernova explosions and other high-energy events outside the solar system.
• Solar energetic particles (SEPs) associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun

http://powerof3info.fatcow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/strawberries1.jpg.

Aeschbach-Hertig, Werner. "Chapter 1 Introduction to Isotopes and Hydrolog." Physics of

Aquatic Systems II. N.p.: Wahlfach Umweltphysik, n.d. 1-14. Print.

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. "Fact Sheet: Smoke Detectors and

Health." (n.d.): n. pag. Arpansa.gov. Australian Government. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Food & Agriculture." - Nuclear Energy Institute. Web. 14 May 2015.

IAEA. "Nuclear Technology Sustainable Future." International Atomic Energy Agency (2012): n.

pag. June 2012. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Ionization Technology." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 27 June 2012. Web. 14 May

2015.

McDonnell, Jeff. "Chapter 11 Stable Isotope Tracers in Watershed Hydrology." Stable Isotopes

in Ecology and Environmental Science. By Kevin McGuire. 2nd ed. N.p.: Blackwell, n.d. 334-74. Print.

"Medical Uses." - Nuclear Energy Institute. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Nuclear Desalination." WNA. World Nuclear Association, Apr. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Space Exploration." NEI. Nuclear Energy Institute, 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

NASA uses RTGs to power Apollo Lunar Surface Experimental Packages, Pioneer 10 and 11, two Viking Mars craft, two Voyagers, and the Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini and New Horizons spacecrafts well as military and technological satellites.

Most of the recent significant discoveries in space have been powered by these generators and batteries.

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/card_page_banner/public/nh_banner.png?itok=inPMMk-U.