MIT NUCLEAR REACTOR

   I really enjoyed our trip to the MIT nuclear reactor. Although science isn’t my best subject, and some of what the tour guide was saying went over my head, I was engaged with actually seeing what we’ve been learning about. I found it interesting that they gave us small geiger counters to measure our radiation exposure before and after we went into the area with the reactor.

  I liked the fact that we got to actually go into the different elements of the reactor. The control room seemed a bit overwhelming but very important. I was interesting to see that some of the original elements of the 1970s reactor are still in use today. I liked that we got to see these elements working alongside the new elements being tested and installed today.

I really enjoyed learning about what they were doing to help cancer patients. As someone with cancer in their family, I found it fascinating to learn exactly how patients can be helped by nuclear energy.

Overall I think this was a unique experience for our class. Everything we have been learning about is in this building. I enjoyed being able to be right in the action and even see some engineers at work while we had our tour.

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI DISASTER

The Fukushima Daiichi disaster is known as the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude triggered a tsunami to hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.This caused all three of the plant’s nuclear reactors to meltdown because their cores melted when the tsunami cut off power supply and their cooling system. Heat exchangers then started dumping reactor waste and decay to the ocean. There were many visible explosions caused by hydrogen gas in units 1 and 3 and a suspected explosion in unit 2 caused radiation to be released.  The next day, the plant began releasing radioactive material and more than 100,000 people were evacuated from their homes to make sure that no one would be exposed to the radiation. There was possible radiation in food, water and air supply to be polluted with radiation.

I found a video from One Year Later that I found to be very interesting. It shows the affects of Fukushima and how it is still a problem even after one year.

   Now almost four years later, the affects of Fukushima are still prevalent. Radiation from this disaster has spread across the ocean because of the waste that was in the sea. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has began to focus on restarting nuclear power plants and decreasing reliance on international trade. Japan is working to improve building a wall of ice. A wall of ice is the best solution to reduce the flow of radioactive water leaking from Fukushima. The wall will stop 400 tons of groundwater being containimated everyday.The project is expected to be completed by March 2015 and has costed $320 million.

Resources

1. http://www.4thmedia.org/2013/03/the-severity-of-the-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-disaster-comparing-chernobyl-and-fukushima/

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

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

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN ICELAND

Geothermal power facilities generate 25% of Iceland’s total electricity production. About 84% of Iceland’s  energy use comes from renewable resources and 66% of that was geothermal. Iceland’s energy supply uses only 1% from fossil fuels, making the country extremely environmentally efficient. One example of geothermal energy are underground reservoirs of steam and hot water used to generate electricity.

To produce geothermal-generated electricity, underground wells that extend to nearly a mile deep or more are drilled into the reservoirs to tap steam and  hot water that drive turbines linked to electricity generators

This video is from someone’s visit to the hot spring known as the “Blue Lagoon.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTNh-PHj6vc

Volcanoes also are used in geothermal production in Iceland. Because there are over 200 volcanoes across the country, high-temperature areas containing steam fields with underground temperatures reaching 250°C within 1,000 m depth can be used to also generate electricity.

The largest geothermal power station in the world is . It has the capacity to produce 303 MW of electricity and 400 MW of hot water. It uses turbines and a low pressure steam to extract thermal energy through pressurized steam.

One of the biggest advantages that Iceland has taken advantage of is that geothermal energy can be produced without burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas, or oil. The fields produce only about 1/6 of the carbon dioxide that a  clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces. Also, geothermal energy can be produced any time of year as opposed to solar and wind energy.

Resources:

1. http://www.nea.is/geothermal/

2. http://www.nea.is/geothermal/the-resource/

3. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-profile/

4. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/iceland-geothermal-power/

5. http://www.icelandgeothermal.is/

STIRLING HEAT ENGINE/PELTIER DEVICE

The Stirling Heat Engine uses internal-combustion for power invented by Scottish inventor Rev. Robert Sterling in 1816. Today, it uses the Stirling cycle to power vehicles such as submarines and auxiliary power generators for yachts.

• The gasses inside the engine never leave the engine which means there are no explosions taking place. The Stirling cycle uses an outside heat source such as gasoline tor solar energy to the heat. Because of this, it is more efficient than diesel and gasoline engines.

Here is a link that I found helpful as to the process of the Stirling cycle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rym_LB9tIi8

 Though these engines are extremely efficient, they still are not used in cars yet. For one, it takes some time for the cycle to begin and gain the speed necessary to move a car. In the past, automotive companies such as Ford, GM, and American Motors Corp. have invested in the development of these engines, but unfortunately nothing was ever made for mass production. It is possible that these engines may be used for conventional purposes, but for now it is mainly applied to Stirling machines.

The Peltier Device is a thermoelectric heat pump that transfers heat from one side of the device to the other.  If electric energy is applied, one side will heat up the other one will get cold and if heat is applied on one side and cold to the other side, electric energy will be generated.
Reversing the applied current’s polarity causes the temperatures will also reverse.

This video was really helpful for me to understand the reversed polarities.

https://tetech.com/peltier-thermoelectric-cooler-modules/

The Peltier Device is typically used commercially in portable coolers and cooling electronic devices and small instruments. The cooling effect of Peltier heat pumps can also be used to extract water from the air in dehumidifiers. 

Resources: 

1. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine#History

3. http://www.stirlingengine.com/faq/

4. https://tetech.com/peltier-thermoelectric-cooler-modules/

SOLAR ENERGY LAB

The purpose of this lab was to determine different voltages of a solar cell depending on color and distance of light. 

In the first experiment, we were given a solar cell to test the relationship of light intensity (distance) and voltage output of the solar cell.

    First, we held no light to the solar cell so that it measured complete darkness. Second, we held light directly onto the solar cell. I think our data may have been off because both of these results were similar in number as seen in the chart above. I originally hypothesized that no light would create the lowest voltage, when in our experiment it produced one of the highest. I think that aspect may need to be retested for more data. We saw the voltage decrease as our distance of light grew.

Though some data was a bit skewed, we ultimately found that the closer the distance of light to the solar cell,

the higher the voltage would be produced.

In the second experiment, we explored the relationship between the wavelength of light (filters) and the voltage output of the solar cell.

    We used four different colored filters to see which would produce the highest voltage at a distance of 0cm. This part of the experiment was to help us understand the different wavelengths of energy.

We found that the blue filtered light had a higher voltage produced than expected.

We originally hypothesized that the orange or red filters would produce the highest voltages.

Overall, I enjoyed this experiment because it was a simple way to prove a larger hypothesis on a smaller scale. 

SOLAR POWER AROUND THE WORLD

Solar power is becoming widely used as a source of inexpensive, clean energy. Electricity is created when sunlight is converted using photovoltaics. (PV) Large beams of sunlight are focused onto smaller lenses or mirrors which convert light into electric current. This is called the photovoltaic effect. Solar power is extremely inexpensive, as the only cost is of the installation of the panels. It also gives no harmful affect to the environment because it does not depend on the burning of fossil fuels to create energy.

As of this year, the equivalent of 12 nuclear power plants worth of solar power plants have been installed across the globe. 

    The United States is one of the leading developers of solar power and solar powered systems. Most of our solar plants are located in the west because of it’s hot, dry climate. Panel plants are located in California, Arizona, Nevada, and others will be installed in the coming years. The United States use utility-scale power plants as well as panels to provide energy for individual homes.

     The county with the largest amount of PV installations is currently Germany. Germany also utilizes large-scale power plants, most of which are located in  “solar parks.” 74% of Germany’s power generation is renewable energy and there there are over 1.4 million PV systems across the country.

     Unlike the United States and Germany, SouthAfrica is still in the beginning stages of installing PV plants. This year, three plants have begun construction which will power over 90,000 homes.

Resources:

1. http://www.ibtimes.com/world-solar-power-2014-countries-installing-equivalent-12-nuclear-power-plants-worth-solar-1701119

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power#Economics

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country#United_States

4. http://www.bls.gov/green/solar_power/

5. http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/solar-power?source=relatedvideo

ROBOT BLOG: WHEEL ROTATION

The purpose of this lab was to determine the velocity of the robot’s wheel rotation different time intervals and power levels.

Velocity is measured as distance over time.

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The circumference of the wheel (C= 3.14Xd) was 0.18 m.

We found that the higher the power, the higher the velocity.

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Percentage of error was fairly low, meaning our results were very close to the actual results determined by the LabView program.

ELECTRICITY GENERATION

Electricity is essential to our everyday lives in 2014. As stated previously, energy is used everyday. One could say it is even appropriate to call us the “Electricity Generation” because of the amount of electricity we generate. From work to play, technological advances have used electricity to make activities much easier than ever before. Three ways electricity is generated are coal-fired, nuclear gas, and nuclear power plants.

COAL FIRED: The process of creating electricity starts by creating heat. Coal is turned into talcum powder and is burned. Then it’s mixed with hot air and blown into the boiler. Then water is pumped through pipes inside the boiler, which turns into steam (1,000 degrees). Next, the steam is pressurized to move a turbine for the generator. This turbine is what moves to create the electricity in the generator. After the energy is created, the steam is moved into a condenser where millions of gallons of cool water from a natural source are pumped through tubes. The cool water in the tubes converts the steam  to be reused without contamination. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released into the air.

NATURAL GAS: Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. To generate electricity, natural gas is extracted by wells are drilling into the ground. Then it is treated to remove impurities and transported to the power plants. Finally, it is combusted in boilers and turbines to generate electricity.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS: Electricity is generated in nuclear power plants through the process of fission. Uranium-rich water is turned into steam and pressure then drives the turbine generators to produce the electricity. The heat to make the steam at a nuclear power plant is created when uranium atoms split. The source of heat is different from natural gas and coal fired so there is no combustion. The water heats, but does not boil by using a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR).This means that the steamed water can be fed back into a lake or river, making it a renewable resource.

CONCLUSION: Coal-fired electricity is economically the best choice. However, it has the greatest impact on the environment by releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Natural gas has been proven to be the best environmental option, but it is nonrenewable. Nuclear power plants, however, have been developed so that the water being used can be replaced back into natural water sources. In my opinion, nuclear power plants are the best option for our planet and, ultimately, economy!

Resources: 

1. http://www.tva.com/power/coalart.htm

2. http://www.cpsenergy.com/Services/Natural_Gas/natgas_generation.asp

3. http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/nuclear.html

GENERATOR EXPERIMENT: FARADAY’S LAW

The purpose of this lab was to test power generation using Faraday’s Law.

Faraday’s Law states that changing magnetic fluxes through coiled wires generate electricity (currents and voltage).

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To test this Law, we used a flashlight shake generator with a magnet inside that moves in and out of a coiled wire.

The generator was shaken for 30 seconds at different speeds for 5 trials.

    For my first trial I shook the generator fairly slowly, only shaking it 45 times and therefore creating a low voltage. The sum of the squares for the first trial was 4.72084. My final trial was the fastest at 150 shakes. The sum of the squares for this trial was very high at 138.1018.

I found that the faster the generator shook, the more current and therefore higher voltage was created.

TESLA + FISKER ELECTRIC VEHICLES

 Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular across the country. Americans are trying their best to reduce their carbon footprint, so they turn to Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, the leading developers of electric vehicles. The electric vehicles can use one or more electric motor or traction motors and contain can a battery or generator to convert fuel to electricity. As seen to the left, a direct current (DC) of electricity is transferred into a DC/AC inverter where it is converted to alternating current. (AC) This AC electricity is connected to a 3-phase AC motor. Though EV’s have been ridiculed as expensive to purchase, their maintenance is very inexpensive. What stands out the most for people is the fact that they are not facing the high prices at the pump, rather just plugging in to the electric grid. The process of charging can take hours, so charging overnight is highly encouraged. However, there is also an option of replacing the battery manually.

The four types of EVs are:

• The hybrid electric vehicle,  which uses a small electric battery that increases fuel efficiency by about 25% from conventional vehicles. (Fisker)
• The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, which has both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
• The extended-range electric vehicle,  which uses an internal combustion engine to power an electric generator that charges the battery system in a linear process — the engine powers a generator, which in turn charges the battery.
• The battery electric vehicles, which are all electric and must be plugged in to charge. (Tesla)

Fisker Automotive is recognized for producing the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric car in 2011. (FISKER KARMA)

Resources: 

1. http://www.tva.gov/environment/technology/car_vehicles.htm#erev

2. http://www.boston.com/cars/newsandreviews/overdrive/2012/06/driving_an_electric_car_in_bos.html

3. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evsbs.shtml

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisker_Automotive