Today, we read https://www.nairaland.com/3236793/fg-set-generate-electricity-uranium about the move by the federal government to generate electricity from the element Uranium, i read how many people opposed it while some agreed to it, let us briefly highlight some things about the heavy element Uranium.

a., Uranium is a very heavy metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated energy .Uranium occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4 parts per million and is as common in the Earth's crust as tin, tungsten and molybdenum. Uranium occurs in seawater, and can be recovered from the oceans.

b.
Uranium was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, in the mineral called pitchblende. It was named after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered eight years earlier.
Uranium was apparently formed in supernovas about 6.6 billion years ago. While it is not common in the solar system, today its slow radioactive decay provides the main source of heat inside the Earth, causing convection and continental drift.


c.

The high density of uranium means that it also finds uses in the keels of yachts and as counterweights for aircraft control surfaces, as well as for radiation shielding.
Uranium has a melting point of 1132°C. The chemical symbol for uranium is U.

Let's keep going

Dedicated to my grandmother who left me to the world beyond today 20/7/2016 @ exactly 10:00 a.m. she was 72yrs, Till her death Oshiahu Rose Ngwuta was a peaceful woman. We will miss you.


http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/introduction/what-is-uranium-how-does-it-work.aspx

Energy from Uranium Element

The nucleus of the U-235 atom comprises 92 protons and 143 neutrons (92 + 143 = 235). When the nucleus of a U-235 atom captures a moving neutron it splits in two (fissions) and releases some energy in the form of heat, also two or three additional neutrons are thrown off. If enough of these expelled neutrons cause the nuclei of other U-235 atoms to split, releasing further neutrons, a fission 'chain reaction' can be achieved. When this happens over and over again, many millions of times, a very large amount of heat is produced from a relatively small amount of uranium.
It is this process, in effect "burning" uranium, which occurs in a nuclear reactor. The heat is used to make steam to produce electricity.

Who uses Nuclear power

About 12% of the world's electricity is generated from uranium in nuclear reactors. This amounts to over 2500 billion kWh each year, as much as from all sources of electricity worldwide in 1960.
It comes from some 430 nuclear reactors with a total output capacity of about 375 000 megawatts (MWe) operating in 31 countries. Over 70 more reactors are under construction and another 170 are planned.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine all get 30% or more of their electricity from nuclear reactors. The USA has 100 reactors operating, supplying 20% of its electricity. France gets three quarters of its electricity from uranium.

who has and who mines Uranium?

Uranium is widespread in many rocks, and even in seawater. However, like other metals, it is seldom sufficiently concentrated to be economically recoverable. Where it is, we speak of an orebody. In defining what is ore, assumptions are made about the cost of mining and the market price of the metal. Uranium reserves are therefore calculated as tonnes recoverable up to a certain cost.
Australia's known resources are over 1.6 million tonnes of uranium recoverable at up to US$130/kg U (currently a bit above the market 'spot' price), Kazakhstan's are over 600,000 tonnes of uranium and Canada's and Russia's are over 450,000 tU. Australia's resources in this category are almost one third of the world's total, Kazakhstan's are 12%, Canada's and Russia's each 9%.
Several countries have significant uranium resources. Apart from the top four, they are in order:Niger, South Africa, Brazil, Namibia, USA, China, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Jordan. Other countries have smaller deposits which could be mined if needed.
Kazakhstan is the world's top uranium producer, followed by Canada and then Australia as the main suppliers of uranium to world markets - now over 68,000 tU per year.
Uranium is sold only to countries which are signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and which allow international inspection to verify that it is used only for peaceful purposes.

How is Uranium mined?

Uranium ore can be mined by underground or open-cut methods, depending on its depth. After mining, the ore is crushed and ground up. Then it is treated with acid to dissolve the uranium, which is recovered from solution.
Uranium may also be mined by in situ leaching (ISL), where it is dissolved from a porous underground ore body in situ and pumped to the surface.
The end product of the mining and milling stages, or of ISL, is uranium oxide concentrate (U O ). This is the form in which uranium is sold.
Before it can be used in a reactor for electricity generation, however, it must undergo a series of processes to produce a useable fuel.
For most of the world's reactors, the next step in making the fuel is to convert the uranium oxide into a gas, uranium hexafluoride (UF ), which enables it to be enriched. Enrichment increases the proportion of the uranium-235 isotope from its natural level of 0.7% to 4 - 5%. This enables greater technical efficiency in reactor design and operation, particularly in larger reactors, and allows the use of ordinary water as a moderator.
After enrichment, the UF gas is converted to uranium dioxide (UO ) which is formed into fuel pellets. These fuel pellets are placed inside thin metal tubes which are assembled in bundles to become the fuel elements or assemblies for the core of the reactor.
For reactors which use natural uranium as their fuel (and hence which require graphite or heavy water as a moderator) the U O concentrate simply needs to be refined and converted directly to uranium dioxide.
When the uranium fuel has been in the reactor for about three years, the used fuel is removed, stored, and then either reprocessed or disposed of underground.

Uranium in the Reactor



Nuclear power stations and fossil-fuelled power stations of similar capacity have many features in common. Both require heat to produce steam to drive turbines and generators. In a nuclear power station, however, the fissioning of uranium atoms replaces the burning of coal or gas. In a nuclear reactor the uranium fuel is assembled in such a way that a controlled fission chain reaction can be achieved. The heat created by splitting the U-235 atoms is then used to make steam which spins a turbine to drive a generator, producing electricity.
The chain reaction that takes place in the core of a nuclear reactor is controlled by rods which absorb neutrons and which can be inserted or withdrawn to set the reactor at the required power level.
The fuel elements are surrounded by a substance called a moderator to slow the speed of the emitted neutrons and thus enable the chain reaction to continue. Water, graphite and heavy water are used as moderators in different types of reactors.
Because of the kind of fuel used (ie the concentration of U-235, see below), if there is a major uncorrected malfunction in a reactor the fuel may overheat and melt, but it cannot explode like a bomb.
A typical 1000 megawatt (MWe) reactor can provide enough electricity for a modern city of up to one million people.

Lalasticlala, seun, Ujsizzle how do we support science and technology?

let us give it the same media publicity we gave to Dino Melaye and Tinubu's wife saga.

Or Laura Ikeji's Bo.obs and pregnancy is better than this??

what's the state of Uranium mining in Nigeria??


The Nigeria Uranium Mining Company (NUMCO) was a parastatal organization that controlled the exploration and mining of uranium in Nigeria and was a public/private partnership with Total Compagnie Minière of France , which owned 40% of the company. In 1989, Total pulled out of the partnership, and in 1993 the government reassigned NUMCO's responsibilities to the Nigerian Geological Survey . The NUMCO corporation was dissolved in 1996, and the government is in the process of liquidating its remaining assets. [8]
Recently, several important uranium deposits were discovered in Cross River State , Adamawa State , Taraba State , Plateau State , Bauchi State , and
Kano State by the British Geological Survey .

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_industry_of_Nigeria

Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy


1. Radioactive Waste : The waste produced by nuclear reactors needs to be disposed off at a safe place since they are extremely hazardous and can leak radiations if not stored properly. Such kind of waste emits radiations from tens to hundreds of years. The storage of radioactive waste has been major bottleneck for the expansion of nuclear programs. The nuclear wastes contain radio isotopes with long half-lives. This means that the radio isotopes stay in the atmosphere in some form or the other. These reactive radicals make the sand or the water contaminated. It is known as mixed waste. The mixed wastes cause hazardous chemical reactions and leads to dangerous complications. The radioactive wastes are usually buried under sand and are known as vitrification. But these wastes can be used to make nuclear weapons.


2. Nuclear Accidents : While so many new technologies have been put in place to make sure that such disasters won’t happen again like the ones Chernobyl or more recently Fukushima but the risk associated with them are relatively high. Even small radiation leaks can cause devastating effects. Some of the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue. People who work at nuclear power plants and live near those areas are at high risk of facing nuclear radiations, if it happens.


3. Nuclear Radiation : There are power reactors called breeders. They produce plutonium. It is an element which is not found in the nature however it is a fissionable element. It is a by-product of the chain reaction and is very harmful if introduced in the nature. It is primarily used to produce nuclear weapons. Most likely, it is named as dirty bomb.

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Disadvantages_NuclearEnergy.php

4. National Risk : Nuclear energy has given us the power to produce more weapons than to produce things that can make the world a better place to live in. We have to become more careful and responsible while using nuclear energy to avoid any sort of major accidents. They are hot targets for militants and terrorist organizations. Security is a major concern here. A little lax in security can prove to be lethal and brutal for humans and even for this planet.


5. Impact on Aquatic Life : Eutrophication is another result of radioactive wastes. There are many seminars and conferences being held every year to look for a specific solution. But there is no outcome as of now. Reports say that radioactive wastes take almost 10,000 years to get back to the original form.


6. Major Impact on Human Life : We all remember the disaster caused during the Second World War after the nuclear bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even after five decades of the mishap, children are born with defects. This is primarily because of the nuclear effect. Do we have any remedy for this? The answer is still no.


7. Fuel Availability : Unlike fossil fuels which are available to most of the countries, uranium is very scarce resource and exist in only few of the countries. Permissions of several international authorities are required before someone can even thought of building a nuclear power plant.



8. Non Renewable : Nuclear energy uses uranium which is a scarce resource and is not found in many countries. Most of the countries rely on other countries for the constant supply of this fuel. It is mined and transported like any other metal. Supply will be available as long as it is there. Once all extracted, nuclear plants will not be of any use. Due to its hazardous effects and limited supply, it cannot be termed as renewable.

mrphysics:
mkmyers45 , UjSizzle, seun, lalasticlala


BTW, Tempakguy, Jonnydon22, explorer how do you see the governments move?? do you support it??

I think it's a quantum leap for Physics in Nigeria.

I'd rather prefer we utilize other sufficient forms of energy generation that are also safe and green.

Solar
wind

johnydon22:


I'd rather prefer we utilize other sufficient forms of energy generation that are also safe and green.

Solar
wind

Thinking so too. But even if we generate just 1000MW of electricity from Nuclear, it will help in developing the subject and increase research also.

Governments are not ready to do anything on that solar and wind energy, so if they have chosen Nuclear, it just have to favour research.

johnydon22:


I'd rather prefer we utilize other sufficient forms of energy generation that are also safe and green.

Solar
wind

Also, i suggest that other private companies who feel they can generate enough power easily from solar and wind should do it and sell. I think there is a license given to private power companies.

But Nuclear is what only government can sponsor

L for Lalasticlala, S for Seun.

What can you do with the thread?

Lets give Nairalanders the opportunity to brainstorm and discuss the issue. The world and government are watching us.

you spelled my moniker wrong.

Teempakguy:
you spelled my moniker wrong.

So sorry sir, it's a name so pardon me. your take on the issue. do you think the government is making a nice move?

How many megawatts this time?

Homer Simpson comes to mind, safety officer at nuclear plant

okay

Nuclear!

When I remember Avengers, I remember Hiroshima

...


Well this would be a brilliant idea, but requires a good deal of maintenance

Do we need to know? Jst provide the electricity n while we enjoy it, ensure d nuclear plants r all located in d north manned by northern engineers. Pls don't come n tel us d north's climate is too hot for d plant to be sited there. An advanced country like Japan has not recovered from its Fukushima incident, na Nigeria wey neva achieve food security wan de use nuclear.

As Nigeria has been categorized as one of terrorist nations, usage of uranium as source of power is not advisable in a terrorist nation like ours.



Those terrorists seems to be knowledgeable about it.

I love u marie curie

Op God rest your grandma peacefully. Amen

Thorium Power seems the best, more research should be made on it.

Any form alternative source of energy is good so far it improve electricity in Nigeria

Nigeria as a country does not have the capacity to manage the risk and disadvantages involved in nuclear energy....



I am not in support....




#Fukushima on my mind....