Background of our experiment

My group members, Bryan Vermes, Jessica Hickey, and I designed an experiment for our final project on temperature and heating. We focused on insulation effectiveness (R-value) and Heat Capacity (H). The purpose of this lab was to explore the relationship between different insulating materials and heat containment. The lab highlights the impact of specific heat figures and the amount of heat requited to raise temperature.

The experiment we put together used water as the constant liquid heated to explore insulation effectiveness. We designed this part of the lab to have four different types of insulation materials: cotton, wool, aluminum, and plastic. We wrapped each material once around a paper cup and used extra material to cover the cup when needed. Each cup would obtain the same amount of water and would be heated to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the water reached this temperature, it would be distributed evenly into each of the four cups, covered with the specific material, and left to sit for 10 minutes. After the time is up, the temperature would be measured again and the R value would be calculated using the formula:  change in temperature / the amount of temperature change per unit of time.

The second part of our lab was designed essentially the same way, but exploring the impact of the specific heat value of different liquids. We designed this lab to include milk,  vegetable oil, and water using cups wrapped with aluminum foil. After the steps above were repeated and finished, heat energy was calculated. In order to do we used the equation: H= (M)(C)(change in T)

Results in the Lab

Once our lab was performed, we collected the following data:

Part 1:

Cotton- start temp: 80 degrees F, end temp: 68 degrees F, R Value: 1.2

Plastic- start temp: 80 degrees F, end temp: 68 degrees F, R Value: 1.2

Aluminum- start temp:80 degrees F, end temp: 66 degrees F, R Value: 1.4

Wool- start temp: 80 degrees F, end temp: 53 degrees F, R Value: 2.7

According to this data plastic and cotton insulated the best, followed by aluminum, then wool.

Although this data does not yield results supporting our original hypothesis (aluminum and wool would insulate the best) it shows that insulating materials do matter in heat sustainability.

Some improvements that I believe would help yield more valid and reliable data would to have 4 thermometers instead of 2. If we had four, we would have been able to measure the liquids both as they were heating up and as we were measuring the final temperature after the 10 minutes, all at once,  instead of having to wait to measure one at a time. Because we only have two thermometers some of the water was left on the hot plate longer than others, so some may have been measured incorrectly. Also, when the time was up to measure all four of the cups after 10 minutes, the group had to measure each cups temperature one at a time, which could have led some of the other cups to cool down; making our data invalid. Next time, I would probably either have 4 thermometers or stagger the time so you can measure all the cups at once right as the time was up.

Part 2:

Water- temp start: 80 degrees F, end temp: 70 degrees, heat energy: 10

Milk- temp start: 80 degrees F, end temp: 66 degrees F, heat energy: 12.6

Vegetable oil- temp start: 80 degrees F, end temp: 57 degrees F, heat energy: 11.09

According to this data, Water held its heat the best followed by milk, then vegetable oil.

As you can see, water in aluminum during this part of the lab already shows that aluminum is a better insulator than any of the above insulation materials. Besides that, I think this part yields valid data. There was one less cup to measure, and during this part, the oil reached 80 degrees F first, so there were three different timers going on. Since the time was staggered, the measurements of temperature change were more accurate.

Reflection

Overall, I think this lab experience went very well. Bryan, Jessica and I split up the work and all bought different materials needed for the lab. We worked well together and found time outside of class to talk and prepare our materials before the experiment.

The lab itself utilized more time than we originally thought, which only allowed our experiment to be performed once during the lab time. The liquids took longer to heat up than we expected and we could only fit so many cups on the hot plate. Maybe if we had another hot plate and more equipment, the lab would have went by faster. There was a lot of sitting and waiting, but that is just a part of science!

I enjoyed this experience and enjoyed performing our classmates experience, I learned a lot in this class this semester!

The Keystone XL pipeline will allow the US to access safe, reliable, and affordable energy supplies from Canada, and reduce the need to import crude oil from other regions and countries in the world that are less stable. The Keystone XL pipeline has many benefits but is also controversial in some ways.

The Keystone XL pipeline project is a proposed 1,179 mile, 36-inch diameter crude oil pipeline that begins in Hardisty, Atla. Canada, and ending in Steele City, Nebraska. This pipeline is curtail for energy security in the US and the US economy. Not only will this pipeline allow us to import crude oil from Canada, but it will support the growth of crude oil production here in the US from producers in the Bakken region of Montana and North Dakota. This XL pipeline will be an extension to the existing Keystone pipeline that runs to Crushing, Oklahoma. Below is a map outline of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The pipeline will have the capacity to transport up to 830,000 battles of crude oil per day to the Gulf Coast and Midwest. This XL pipeline will reduce the US from depending on Venezuelan and Middle Eastern oil by about 40%. The pipeline is expected to contribute an estimated $3.4 billion in benefits to the US economy. The Keystone pipeline is the largest infrastructure project currently proposed in the US, costing $5.3 billion.

One of the benefits of the Keystone XL pipeline is the increase of jobs and economic benefits. The pipeline has the potential need for 9,000 workers for this shovel-ready infrastructure project. The US State Department’s Final Supplemental Environment Impact Statement found that the project would support more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide as well. The project is expected to create over seven million hours of labor, offering over 13,000 hours of labor. This new job is well-paid and has the opportunity to help thousands of American families who have been out of work or who need more sufficient funds. The project will provide jobs for welders, mechanics, electricians, pipe fitters, laborers, safety coordinators, heavy equipment operators and other construction related positions. Besides construction jobs, an estimated 7,000 US jobs are being supported just in manufacturing the steel pipe alone. According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute, the Keystone pipeline will add $172 billion American gross domestic product by 2015 and will create an additional 1.8 million person-years of employment in the US for the next 22 years.

The Keystone XL pipeline raises concern because of its environmental impact. TransCanada is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the pipeline along the proposed route. The pipelines are the most safest and efficient way of transporting fossil fuels, and TransCanada has one of the best safety records in the industry. Already in the US, there are more than 3.6 million miles of oil and natural gas pipelines that deliver 99.9998 % of their products safely and reliably every day. The Keystone XL is predicted to operate more safely  than the existing pipeline in the US. The XL pipeline technology will be the newest and most advanced pipeline built in the US, and TransCanada has agreed to incorporate 57 special safety conditions into the design and construction. This includes a higher number of remote-controlled shutoff valves, increased pipeline inspections, burying the pipe deeper in to the ground, and using thicker steel pipe at river crossings. Below is a before and after picture showing that the minimal impact of pipeline construction and the successful reconstruction of the land to its original condition.

Here is a link as well of a commercial used in promoting the safety of the XL pipeline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPotbBIjalgI2_MPYy84W3sVb6mPqJcDgo&v=z_qn8cc2_KA

The Keystone pipeline raises concern because of the environmental damage that may happen along the way. During the tar sands oil extraction process, large amounts of heat, water and chemicals are needed to separate the tarry substance (bitumen)  from sand, silt, and clay and flow up the pipeline. The water used in this process is so polluted after the process that the water must be stored in large pools, know as tailing pods. AS the heavy bitumen sinks to the bottom of these ponds, the toxic sludge, full of harmful substances like cyanide and ammonia, can work their way into neighboring clean water supplies. Deforestation is another result of the process because in order to dig up tar sands oil, thousands of trees are cut down and forests are destroyed.

Northern Alberta is the region where tar sands oil is extracted, but it is also home to many indigenous populations. Important parts of their cultural traditions and livelihood are coming under attack because of these operations. They have been forced off of their land, and living downstream from tailing ponds which increases their rate of rare cancers, which 1,200 residents have already died from. This will only get worse unless tar sands production is stopped.

Another disadvantage of the XL pipeline is the probability of spills. The XL pipeline will travel through six US states, and cross major rivers such as the Missouri River, Yellowstone river, and Red river. It will also cross through key sources of drinking and agricultural water such as the Ogallala Aquifer which supplies water to more than 1/4th of US irrigated land and drinking water to 2 million American’s. The likelihood of a pipeline spill is high and more threatening than conventional spills because tar sands oil sinks rather than floats, which makes cleanups more difficult and expensive.

Although these risks are severe, research has been going on for a long time regarding the Keystone XL pipeline. We have advanced technology and are able to catch errors fairly quickly and efficiently. I support the Keystone XL pipeline because it allowed the United States to access reliable and affordable energy supply and be able to produce it ourselves. The project will create millions of jobs and help our economy greatly.

Resources:

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-project/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPotbBIjalgI2_MPYy84W3sVb6mPqJcDgo&v=z_qn8cc2_KA

http://www.foe.org/projects/climate-and-energy/tar-sands/keystone-xl-pipeline

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/

My partners Jessica, Bryan and I had several ideas during our class discussion on Friday for our final experiment project. It was difficult for us to begin the brainstorm because we are not science majors, but we did brainstorm biased on the experiments we performed in our class and topics we learned during lectures. We decided that I will be the team leader of the group, but I know that we will all contribute to the project equally. We get along well, which led us to a few ideas.

During brainstorming we had to make sure that our ideas were simple enough so that other students could follow the instructions, but not too simple enough that the objective is obvious or at a high school level. Also we had to make sure that the materials required for our experiment were accessible and easy to bring to the classroom.

After brainstorming for awhile we came to a mutual decision of a favored experiment – heat/temperature change. We came up with the idea of testing insulting materials on heated water (and other substances) to see how temperature is effected and sustained based on the type of insulation. The tools we would need for this experiment are easy to get at the store, and borrow from the lab. The objectives of this experiment besides learning insulation of heat are, comparing different heat capacities of various liquids, and to analyze the results of this experiment for research of house hold items that require sustainability of a liquid’s temperature.

Incase we are unable to perform this experiment idea, we came up with various other experiments for back up plans. We explored topics regarding climate change and energy generation as well. We looked up ideas to come up with an experiment related to the greenhouse effect and energy levels from food and the effects on humans. I have experience from previous class experiments with food energy. I brought up an idea to test our reaction time through online tools/games before and after consuming an energy drink. It might also be interesting to do the test before eating breakfast and then a few hours after eating; but I’m not sure we would be able to have an experiment like this during the class time presentation.

I think that this final project will be very successful because my group members and I have good chemistry and we are looking forward to testing out our ideas!

The President’s climate action plan is a document that brings up vital ideas and actions for the future of climate protection. The plan discusses how to cut carbon pollution in America, how to prepare the US for the impacts of climate change, and how to lead international efforts to address global climate change. Within these three plans, there are three initiatives that I found the most interesting and most important. These include cutting energy waste in homes, businesses, and factories , leading at a federal level, and protecting our economy and natural resources.

Cutting Waste in Homes, Businesses, and Factories

This initiative is important to me because it applies to American’s on a personal level. The things we do in our daily lives both in and out of our homes are contributing to global warming. The only way we can take action in slowing down global warming is if we commit to cutting waste in our homes, businesses and factories. Not only will cutting waste reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will help to save families money and make our businesses more competitive. During President Obama’s first term in office, the Department of Housing and Urban Development made upgrades in more than one million homes, which saved many families more than $400 on their heating/cooling bills in the first year alone. President Obama is determined to achieve his goal of doubling energy productivity by 2030. During Obama’s first term, the Department of Energy established new minimum efficiency standards for dishwashers,refrigerators, and many other products. The plan leading up to 2030 is to cut  consumers’ electricity bills by hundreds of billions of dollars and safe enough electricity to power more than 85 million homes for 2 years. Saving energy in our homes with the most commonly used household products and help us to save money and cut down CO2 emissions. The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service has already made updates to its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program  to provide up to $250 million for dual utilities to finance efficiency investments. The President has a goal to have American commercial and industrial buildings be 20% more energy efficient in the next five years. Results are already showing improvements. If we can cut waste in our homes, will can help move towards cleaner air.

Leading at a Federal Level 

This initiative explains that the President and federal government must be the leaders in clean energy and energy efficiency. This is extremely important because someone must be the leader in this action in order for results to show. If the federal government does’t take energy efficiency and clean energy seriously, then no one will. The federal government needs to set an example and present these initiatives in order for businesses and homes to partake in change. The federal government must not only present these new ideas, but make action happen. Already under the Obama Administration, federal agencies have reduced greenhouse gas emission by more than 15% which is the equivalent of permanently taking 1.5 million cars off the road. The new goal presented in this initiative is that the Federal government will consume 20% of its electricity from renewable sources in the next 5 years. In 2011, President Obama signed a memorandum called “Implementation of Energy Savings Project and Performance-Based Contracting for Energy Savings.” This challenged federal agencies to enter into $2 billion worth of performance-based contracts within 2 years. The federal government is the only leader that can provide money for clean energy research and action. They are a vital leader in energy efficiency and clean energy.

Protecting our Economy and Natural Resources

It is obvious that global warming is happening now and its effects could drastically change the way we live in the future. Global warming is already affecting nearly every aspect of our society, and will only get worse unless we make some changes. The only thing we can do now to help slow down the effects of global warming is  by being more energy efficient, cutting down waste and protecting our economy and natural resources for the future. In 2013 the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior released several studies outlining the challenges a changing climate poses for America’s agricultural enterprise, forests, waters supply, wildlife, and public lands. Federal agencies are coming up with strategies to address these changes as well as efforts focusing on health, transportation, food supply, oceans, and coastal communities. The Department of Health and Human Services is working to launch an effort to create sustainable and resilient hospitals in the face of climate change.  It is important that our hospitals and medical systems are resilient to climate impacts. There will also be lessons to prepare communities for the health consequences of climate change including health risks and resilience measures. The importance of conservation of land and water resources is also mentioned in this initiative. Our ecosystems are critical to our nation’s economy and the lives and health of our citizens. It is important to preserve this resources because they will not only help ameliorate the impacts of climate change, but they are essential in our lives. It is also important that the federal government makes plans on managing drought, reducing wildfire risks, and preparing for future floods. I believe this initiative is very important because the effects of global warming are only going to get worse if we keep at the rate we are at now. Although most people don’t want to accept it, we must prepare for the future. Either we make changes now or suffer the consequences in the future. Although we may not be alive when these changes happen, we must have the best interest of our children (someday) in mind. The Federal government must take action on what their efforts will be for the future that way we can be prepared for what the effects of climate change may bring.

I really enjoyed this opportunity to visit the Museum of Science as a hands-on learning experience for our class. For me it is a great learning experience to step outside the classroom and apply what we learned with visuals and hands-on exhibits. Bryan and I had a great time not only viewing the exhibits required for the class, but exploring the museum on our own as well.

The first exhibit we visited was called “Catching the Wind” – this exhibit was all about wind energy. The first thing that caught my eye when we got there was the hand blower. If you placed your hand over the blower you could feel how strong wind needs to blow in order to turn most wind turbines. It was shocking to me to read feel that wind speed only breeds to be between 5 mph and 12 mph to function. I always thought wind speed had to be much faster because of the size of the wind turbines. Below is a picture of this interactive tool.

Another thing I learned from this exhibit was that wind is actually a form of solar energy. From reading the information at the exhibit, I learned that sunlight hitting the Earth heats the air evenly. This temperature difference starts moving the air, as warmer air rises and cooler air moves in to take its place. I never really knew that was how wind worked. This exhibit had many interactive components which made this one of my favorites. There were gears that you could spin using a dial attached to magnets to generate electricity. It made it obvious how easy it is to generate electricity with gears. The slow rotation of the large gears spin the small gears faster. The model they had at the museum showed how gears fit together to form part of the gearbox inside the nacelle of a wind turbine. I learned that the nacelle is the part that holds the turbine’s machinery on top of the tower. It sits on yaw motors that turn the turbine to face into the wind.

This exhibit also showed how much wind and renewable energy used in Massachusetts alone which I found very interesting and shocking because there was so much used!

The next exhibit we visited was “Energize!” This exhibit focused on solar energy. Like the pervious one, this exhibit was very hands-on and had a variety of interactive tools to understand solar energy. One of these tools that I found interesting was called make choices about energy sources.” Here, you could power the city using different amounts of energy sources. You had to do so to balance the amount of environmental destruction and the amount of energy produced. The blocks would fall down if the model was not balanced. It took us a few tries to figure out but we soon balanced the model and powered the city! Below is a picture of Bryan with this tool.

There was also a wall that displayed different types of solar collector shapes. I found this interesting because most of the models I found during my research for previous blogs were flat panels. It was interesting to see that there are other model types. Below is a picture of this different models.

The next exhibit we visited was Nanotechnology. Here, it showed the progress we had in using atoms as a resource to produce goods. I learned that nanotechnology could be used to various things such as cancer treatments, foo production, processing and packaging, Super-fine water filters, and new solar cells. Before visiting this exhibit I never knew what nanotechnology meant or was. The exhibit emphasized that nanotechnology will affect our economy, environment, and personal lives.  I also learned that nano is all around us, in nature and in technology. Nanotechnology is in products we used all the time such as computer chips and sunblock. Nature on the other hand provides many examples of nano phenomena. The iridescent color of some butterflies and the feet of geckos are both caused by tiny nano structures. The exhibit had a butterfly in a case where you could turn a light on to see the iridescent color. It was very interesting to see the glow of the butterfly’s winds under the light.

Lastly, we visited the “Conserve at home” exhibit. This exhibit showed how much energy is wasted on a daily basis in our homes, and how to help conserve energy. One of the tools in the exhibit showed how much power a hair dryer uses which was a very shocking 1,000 watts. I use a hairdryer everyday which I now feel bad about! Also, a hair dryer uses more power than a kitchen mixer (250 watts)!

There were recommendations in the exhibit of how to conserve energy. One suggestion was using rechargeable batteries. One rechargeable batter can save about 800 disposable batteries. Another suggestion was to use reusable bags – the average American uses about 500 plastic bags every year! I felt a little better about the hairdryer because I do use reusable bags! Another thing I found interesting in this exhibit was what can be made out of recycled daily items.  Milk bottles and other high0density polyethylene plastics can be recycled into plastic decking and furniture! Aluminum cans can be recoiled into window frames and rain gutters! Glass bottles can be recoiled into counter tops, and steel cans can be recoiled into steel bicycles! I never knew items were recycled for those purposes, I always thought they were just reused for the same purpose.

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip to the science museum. It allowed us to step away from the classroom and learn more about what we talked about in class, but through a hands-on experience. I hadn’t been to the science museum in a long time so it was a great experience to go back as an adult and learn valuable information!

In the film Pandora’s Promise, the topic of nuclear power is discussed in both a positive and negative light. At the very beginning of the film, the narrator discusses and shows activists who are against nuclear power to create energy. Activists talk about how dangerous nuclear power is and how is is killing millions of people every year.

Three nuclear disasters are discussed through out the film; the explosions at Fukushima, three mile island, and Chernobyl. Fukushima, as I discussed in a previous blog happened back in 2011 in Japan following a earthquake and tsunami. The narrator discusses the accident and very devastating images are shown of the area and the families living in refugees. Even a year after the accident, everything is still ruined and no one is allowed or wants to live near the region because everything is contaminated with radioactivity. A man interviewed from the refugee said that he didn’t even let his two children play outside for long because of the radioactive waste in the air. When the radioactive meter was shown on the screen while they were in the Fukushima region, the meter read 44 while pointed toward a plant on the street. That is pretty scary.

The majority of the film though is not bashing nuclear power – it is supporting it. One of the sources in the film stated: “to be anti-nuclear is to be in favor of burning fossil fuels.” Although these nuclear accidents caused so much damage and suffering, the narrator explained that the reason why all three of these accidents occurred was because of inadequate cooling in the reactor. Many of the sources throughout the film emphasized that nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide like fossil fuels do. Global warming is a huge issue and while some people are scared of nuclear energy, there reasoning for being scared isn’t so valid. It was mentioned in the film that there are 3 million deaths a year because of air pollution and fossil fuel plants. There are no deaths from nuclear power plants in the United States. It was also stated that you would get more radiation from eating one banana than if you drank all the water that goes through a nuclear power plant in one day. I found that very interesting and surprising.

Throughout the film, there are images of the radioactivity exposure meter in various locations. This was done to show that no matter where you are there will me natural radioactive exposure. Some regions are more than others, such as higher elevated places or up in a airplane. I was surprised when they showed the meter in Guarapari, Brazil. The soil on the beach showed 30.81 on the meter – while people were covering a man with the sand because they said it helped his pain. That reminded me of Tom Vales’s demonstration when he said that people used to take pills that were radioactive because they thought it helped them.

The explosion on Chernobyl was one of the most shocking to me. The images shown were almost haunting – seeing the abandoned city and everything ruined – not by the explosion but just by time its self. Some of the people refused to leave and were living there still. When interviewed they said that they had been living there for over 25 years and they were completely fine (in terms of health). 56 people died because of the explosion, and later 4,000 more deaths due to disease and cancer.

Although these numbers and accidents are scary, the film discusses that the issue of global warming is due to the burning of fossil fuels. The environmentalist in the film said that he is not worried about nuclear waste. Nuclear weapons are not being used by anyone in the world anymore and the old nuclear weapon accessories are being reused to make energy, which is a very big percentage of our overall energy production.

This film left me off with mixed feelings about nuclear energy. At the beginning of the film I felt completely against it. But more towards the middle and end of the film I was unsure about where I stand on this issue. I would consider myself as an advocate to help stop global warming. I know that fossil fuels produce an abundant amount of carbon dioxide which is contaminating our air. The film persuaded me towards supporting nuclear energy because it doesn’t release carbon dioxide and no one in the United States has died from it (so they say as of 2012). I’m not sure how accurate it is to say that no one has died from nuclear power because if radioactivity is all around us, and being released in accidents than the cause of cancer can be unknown for some people. But in terms of stopping the continuation of global warming I think nuclear energy is the right way to go. Solar and Wind energy were also mentioned in the film but more in a negative light. Yes solar and wind energy are a free source of energy, but it is not always available. Like the female in the film mentioned – you’re not going to depend of the sun to heat your home in the winter instead of oil.

This film was very eye-opening but has only made me more confused about where I stand. I think nuclear energy is a good thing because it helps in terms of global warming, but radioactivity is a scary thing to grasp just because of how dangerous it can be. But I don’t know what is more scary or dangerous, the effects of global warming in the the future, or using nuclear energy now.

Having the opportunity to tour MIT’s nuclear reactor was a great experience because i’ve never seen a nuclear reactor in person before! Before this class I had no idea that MIT had a nuclear reactor at all and used it for medical research. The tour was a great way to apply what I had learned in class about how nuclear reactors work and how they produce energy. The reactor its self was very interesting; like I said, I’ve never seen a nuclear reactor before so it is easier for me to understand how the reactor works now that i’ve seen one in person. When I initially found out that we were touring the MIT reactor, my first thought was that MIT used it for energy use. I soon learned that this was not the case – it is used strictly for research. I never knew that a nuclear reactor could be used for medical research. I also never knew how dangerous radiation was either. I knew it isn’t a good thing but after the tour I really understood how dangerous it was. The precautions the staff went through to make sure our group and the staff had no radioactive exposure were very serious. This is something I would have never known unless I toured a reactor like we did.

The tour guide was very informative and definitely knew what he was talking about. He explained everything in-depth and answered all of our questions. Although I am not a science major, it was very easy for me to understand what he was talking about and had it very clear what kind of research was performed at the MIT reactor.

Over all, I think this was a great experience. If it weren’t for this class, I don’t think I would have ever toured a nuclear reactor in my life. It’s interesting to be able to know how research for diseases and cancers are performed and where they are performed. Whenever I thought of medical research I would always just think it was performed in a hospital or a lab – not a nuclear reactor. This experienced opened my eyes to  new information that I would not have obtained from a lecture or a book. I’m glad I had this opportunity, and I took away a lot of information from the tour.

On March 11, 2011, a 15 metre tsunami after a major earthquake disabled the power and colling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident. All three cores largely melted in the first three days of the accident. The accident was rated a 7 on the INES scale, due to  high radioactive releases over days 4 to 6.

Eleven reactors at four nuclear power plants in the region were operating at the time of the eathquake and all shut done automatically. The operating units which shut down were Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco) Fukushima Daiichi 1, 2, 3, and Fukushima Daini 1, 2, 3, 4, Tohoku’s Onagawa 1, 2, 3, and Japco’s Tokai, total 9377 MWe net. Fukushima Daiichi units 4, 5 & 6 were not operating at the time, but were affected. The main problem initially centred on Fukushima Daiichi units 1-3. The tsunami was essentially the issue for the reactors, not the earthquake.

Power from the grid or backup gnerators was available to run the Residual Heat Removal system cooling pump. The three reactors at Fukushima Daiichi lost power an hour after the earthquake, when the entire site was flooded by the tsunami. This disables 12 of 13 backup generators on site and also the heat exchangers for dumping reactor watse heat and decay heat to the sea. The three units lost the ability to maintian proper reactor cooling and water circulation functions. Many weeks of hard work by hundreds fo Tepco employees centered on restoring heat removal from the reactors and coping with overheated spent fuel ponds. Some of the Tepco staff had lost homes, and even families in the tsunami, and were initially living in temporary accommodation under great difficulties and privation, with some personal risk. Three Tepco employees at the Daiichi and Daini plants were killed directly by the eathquake and tsunami, but none were killed from the nuclear accident.

The Fukushima Daiichi reactors are GE boiling water reactors. Below is a diagram of the reactor.

When the power failed at the site (about an hour after shutdown of the fission reactions), the reactor cores were still producting about 1.5% of their norminal thermal power from fission product decay. Without heat removal by circulation to an outside heat exchanger, this produced a lot of steam in the reactor pressure vessels housing the cores, and was released into the dry primary containment through saftey valves. Later this was accompanied by hydrogen, produced by the interaction of the fuel’s hot zirconium cladding with steam after the water level dropped.

The disaster at Fukushima has raised much internation concern about the future of nuclear energy, but Japan is working to improve their future by building a wall of ice to stem the Fukushima leak. the project is expected to be completed by March 2015, costing $320 million and using a substantial amount of power (enough power each day to run 3300 Japanese households). The country’s government decided a wall of ice is the best solution to stem the flow of radioactive water leaking from Fukushima Daiichi’s four stricken nuclear reactors. The wall will stop 400 tons of groundwater being containimated everyday. It is currently being stored in huge tanks.

three years after the accident, engineers working on site

Resources:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-january-7/blog/47827/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/world/asia/measuring-damage-at-fukushima-without-eyes-on-the-inside.html?_r=0

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24100-should-fukushimas-radioactive-water-be-dumped-at-sea.html

http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/costs-and-consequences-of-fukushima.html

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/

I am very glad I had the opportunity to see this demonstration by Mr. Vales. I learned a lot about radioactive elements and the elements that they give off. I was very surprised to hear how dangerous radioactive elements are and that people used to consume them in the past thinking it would cure them in some way!

First, I learned that Radioactive elements are constantly decaying and are unstable. Radioactive elements give off Alpha particles (2 protons, 2 nuetrons; positive charge), Beta particles (negatively charged), or Gamma Rays (have no mass or charge -are a form of electromagnetic radiation). Mr. Vales emphasized how dangerous these elements can be and I found it shocking that enough exposure to these radioactive elements could lead to death, and has killed many people in the past.

The objects that he presented to us were very interesting because I never knew that some objects were radioactive. He showed us Uranium glass, Fiestawear, a flower vase, a pocket watch, and many more objects. These items stood out to me because of how radioactive they were.

The uranium glass was a neon greenish/yellow candle holder. He explained to us that the uranium in the holder was what made the color. When he shined a UV light on the holder it made the color florecent. The Fiestawear and flower vase were similar to the candle holder. It was an orange plate that had uranium salt in the glaze to give it the orange color. It was scary to think that people would eat off of a plate such as the fiestawear orange one that was radioactive. Mr. Vales explained that if the plate chipped and you accidentally swallowed the chipped piece, it would stay with you forever and if you had enough radioactive exposure, you could die.

The last item that stood out to me was the pocket watch. He explained that it was from the 1940’s and the numbers on the dial were painted with radium; which makes the numbers glow. It was also shocking to me when he told us the story about how these pocket watches were made. He explained that young girls would be paid a significant amount of money to paint the numbers on the watches. They would dip the brush into the paint and then put it inbetween their lips to make the point finer. The girls got enough exposure to this radioactive paint and they all died – scary!

Over all,  I enjoyed the demonstration more than I thought I would. It was interesting to see all of the items that people used to have in their home and use daily that were radioactive! The fact that people would take pills that had radioactive elements in them is just shocking. It opened my eyes to how dangerous radioactivity is, and I’m very glad I got to hear this demonstration.

Now when I think of radioactive I won’t just think of the song.

Stirling heat Engine

A Stirling engine is a heat engine that operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gases at varying temperatures. Every stirling engine has a sealed cylinder with one part hot and the other cold. The working gas inside the engine (usually air, helium, or hydrogen) is moved by a mechanism from the hot side to the cold side. When the gas is on the hot side, it expands and pushes up on a piston. When it moves back to the cold side it contracts. Properly designed Stirling engines have two power pulses per revolution, which allows smooth running. Two of the more common types are two piston Stirling engines and displacer-type Stirling engines.

A displacer type engine has one piston and a displacer. The displacer controls when the gas chamber is heated and when it is cooled. This type of Stirling engine is sometimes used in classroom demonstrations. Below is a diagram of the displace type engine.

In order to run, the engine requires a temperature difference between the top and bottom of the large cylinder. Above, you can see a smaller piston at the top of the engine. This is a tightly-sealed piston that moves up as the gas inside the engine expands. The displacer is the large piston in the diagram above. This piston is very loose in its cylinder, so air can move easily between the heated and cooled sections of the engine as the piston moves up and down. The engine repeatedly heats and cools the gas, extracting energy from the gas’s expansion and contraction.

Below is a detailed diagram of this Displacer model and how it works.

Below is a short clip of a common class demonstration of the MM-1 Coffee Cup Stirling engine.

http://www.stirlingengine.com/graphics/videos/mm-1_hot.MPG

 In the Two-piston Stirling engine, the heated cylinder is heated by an external flame. The cooled cylinder is air-cooled, and has find on it to aid the cooling process. A rod stemming from each piston is connected to a small disc, which is connected to a larger flywheel. This keeps the pistons moving when no power is being generated by the engine. Below is a diagram of this two piston engine.

The Peltier Device

Thermoelectric modules are solid-state heat pumps that operate on the “Peltier effect” (the presence of heating or cooling at an electrified junction of two different conductors). A thermoelectric module consists of an array of “p” and “n” type semiconductor elements that have many electrical carriers. The elements are arranged into an array that is electrically connected in series, but thermally connected in parallel. This array is then affixed to two ceramic substrates.

The “p” type semiconductor is doped with certain atoms that have fewer electrons than necessary to complete the atomic bonds within the crystal lattice. When a voltage is applied, there’s a tendency for conduction electrons to complete the atomic bonds. When conduction electrons do this, they leave “holes” which are atoms with the crystal lattice that now have positive charges. Electrons are then continually dropping in and being bumped out of the hole and moving on to the next available hole. In effect, it’s the holes that are acting as the electrical carriers. Now, electrons move much easier in the copper conductors but not easily in the semiconductors. When electrons leave the p type and enter into the copper on the cold side, holes are created in the p type as the electrons jump out to a higher energy level to match the energy level of the electrons already moving in the copper. The extra energy to create these holes comes by absorbing heat. The newly created holes travel downwards to the copper on the hot side. Electrons from the hot side copper now move into the p type and drop into the holes, releasing the excess energy in the form of heat. The n-type semiconductor does essentially the same thing.

Below is a diagram of this device.

Thermoelectric modules have no moving parts and do not require the use of chloroflurocarbons. Therefore they are safe for the environment, reliable, and practically maintenance free. They can be operated in any orientation and are ideal for cooling devices that might be sensitive to mechanical vibration. Their compact size also makes them ideal for applications that are size or weight limited. Their ability to heat and cool by a simple reversal of current flow is useful for applications where both heating and cooling is necessary or where precise temperature control is critical.

Thermoelectric coolers are used for some of the most demanding industries such as medical, laboratory, aerospace, industrial, and consumer. Uses for these coolers could be as simple as a food or beverage cooler or for more sophisticated temperature control systems in missiles and space vehicles. A thermoelectric cooler permits lowering the temperature of an object below ambient as well as stabilizing the temperature of objects above ambient temperatures.

Resources:

Home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect

FAQ

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine3.htm