There are two basic different forms of nuclear waste. Each has its own criteria for storage, and these illustrate how long it lasts.
Low level waste is not particularly radioactive and may not last very long as waste. An example is tritiated water, which can be considered nuclear waste at fairly low levels of radioactivity. In this form, it can be stored while the tritium decays into stable helium. Natural tritium is replenished by cosmic rays as quickly as it decays. In storage, however, it is not replenished, and in a few centuries, the water that had been nuclear waste will have less tritium, and be less radioactive, than water found in nature. There are other forms of low level waste, but their characteristics are in large degree similar.
For spent fuel and similar high level waste, however, the answer is different. I have heard many people talk of this, usually citing such numbers as the half life of some isotope. Such a number is not useful. A more accurate and understandable figure can be based on a criterion put into use by nuclear scientists in Europe, which is that waste may be considered safe when it has decayed to the point that it is no more radioactive than naturally occurring uranium ore. According to this criterion, spent fuel is safe in about 6,000,000 years.
it depends on how many atoms there are! A2, no, it doesn't, however many atoms there are the radiation decays at the same rate. This rate depends on the particular isotope in question, there is not much of a pattern and you just have to look up the details for the isotopes concerned. The rate of decay for any one isotope is constant and is called the half life, which is obviously the time taken to decay to one half of the initial number of atoms. This type of decay is called exponential. The half life can be anything from seconds to thousands of years.
I think what you are getting to isto the half life of Plutonium atoms which is used in nuclear fission. In that case, here are some facts: The longest-lived are plutonium-244, with a half-life of 80.8 million years, plutonium-242, with a half-life of 373,300 years, and plutonium-239, with a half-life of 24,110 years. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 7,000 years. This element also has eight Meta_state, though none are stable and all have half-lives less than one second.
To make the story short, radiation content after exposure to a nuclear explosion can have long lasting consequences.
Nuclear power does not last forever. A nuclear power plant in a large ship last approx. 25 years.
Nuclear power creates toxic waste that must be stored forever
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104 at the last count (ie number of nuclear reactors). See www.nrc.gov
As far as I know the last failure requiring a write off of the reactor was at Chernobyl in 1986.
Radioactive wastes that can last thousands of years
Nuclear power creates toxic waste that must be stored forever
Forever
About 100 years.
Fukushima Daiichi, on March 11, 2011.
See www.world-nuclear.org for country by country information:INFORMATION PAPERSNUCLEAR BASICSOutline History of Nuclear Energy The Nuclear Debate GlossaryFACTS AND FIGURESWorld Nuclear Power Reactors 2008-09 and Uranium Requirements Nuclear share figures, 1998-2008 - May 2009 Uranium production figures, 1998-2008 - June 2009COUNTRY AND REGIONAL BRIEFINGSUranium in Africa Nuclear Power in Argentina Nuclear Power in Armenia Australia's Uranium Nuclear Energy Prospects in Australia Nuclear Power in Belgium Nuclear Power in Brazil Nuclear Power in Bulgaria California's Electricity Nuclear Power in Canada Nuclear Power in Canada Appendix 1: Ontario Energy Policy Nuclear Power in Canada Appendix 2: Alberta Tar Sands Uranium in Canada Uranium in Canada Appendix 1: Brief History of Uranium Mining in Canada Uranium in Central Asia Nuclear Power in China Nuclear Power in China Appendix 1: Government Structure and Ownership China's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Nuclear Power in Czech Republic Nuclear Energy in Denmark Nuclear Power in Finland Nuclear Power in France Nuclear Power in Germany Nuclear Power in Hungary Nuclear Power in India Nuclear Energy in Iran Nuclear Power in Italy Nuclear Power in Japan Uranium and Nuclear Power in Kazakhstan Nuclear Power in Korea Nuclear Power in Lithuania Nuclear Power in Mexico Uranium in Namibia Nuclear Energy Prospects in New Zealand Nuclear Power in the Netherlands Uranium in Niger Nuclear Power in Pakistan Nuclear Power in Romania Nuclear Power in Russia Nuclear Power in Slovakia Nuclear Power in Slovenia Nuclear Power in South Africa Nuclear Power in Spain Nuclear Power in Sweden Nuclear Power in Sweden Appendix 1: Barsebäck Closure Nuclear Power in Switzerland Nuclear Power in Taiwan Nuclear Power in the United Kingdom Nuclear Power in Ukraine Nuclear Power in United Arab Emirates Nuclear Power in the USA Nuclear Power in the USA Appendix 1: US Operating Nuclear Reactors Nuclear Power in the USA Appendix 2 Power Plant Purchases: Nuclear Power in the USA Appendix 3: COL Applications US Nuclear Fuel Cycle US Nuclear Fuel Cycle Appendix 1: US Uranium Mining and Exploration US Nuclear Power Policy Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries
104 at the last count (ie number of nuclear reactors). See www.nrc.gov
The last nuclear power plant built in Georgia, USA, was the Alvin W. Vogtle facility in Burke county, Georgia. It is a two unit Westinghouse PWR, completed in 1987 (Unit I) and 1989 (Unit II), rated 1215 MWe each. There are no nuclear power plants in Georgia, the country.
No. To start, the sun is not truly made of fire; it is driven by nuclear fusion rather than combustion. Regardless, it will not last forever. In about 7 billion years the sun will essentially burn out.
Yes, evil will last forever. However if the power of good is greater than evil the good will canceal out the evil to make it seem like there is less evil in the world.
nuclear power
by nuclear power ¬.¬
Iowa's main source of energy is nuclear power. There are over 50 nuclear stations called mps (nuclear power station). And has only had 50 accidents in teh last ten years!