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It must be understood that the nuclear waste produced is contained in the spent fuel discharged from the reactor, and in physical terms it comes out looking just the same as the new fuel put in (but you would be very unwise to look at it except by remote means). A large PWR or BWR will contain about 75 tonnes of fuel and about 1/3 of this is discharged every refuelling outage which occurs at intervals of 18 months to two years, depending on the reactor's load factor while running. So you could say about 25 tonnes of waste every 2 years, in round figures.
Now this 'waste' in composition is still mainly uranium 238, which if separated is almost harmless. The dangerous part is the active fission products, which will be about 3 percent of the total weight. There is also the remaining U235 which has not been burned up, probably about 1 percent, and some plutonium formed from the U238, again about 1 percent.
At present in the US all the spent fuel is stored intact, but if reprocessing was carried out, the amount of actual waste would be reduced to the fission products, if a use could be found for the uranium and plutonium, so the weight per reactor of waste would come down to about 750 kg/ 2 years. This would be stored in some sort of sealed containers, perhaps mixed with molten glass (vitrified), and then buried in a long term repository.
What else can I help you with?
What kind of plant has radioactive waste?
A nuclear power plant
Where are some places you can find radioactive smoke?
by a nuclear power plant
What does a nuclear power plant provide?
A nuclear power plant provides electricity by harnessing the heat generated from nuclear reactions in its reactor core to produce steam, which then drives turbines connected to generators to produce electricity. Additionally, nuclear power plants help reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel power plants.
Which country has the highest percentage of its electricity generated from nuclear power plant?
France
What are some of the negative impacts o f a nuclear power plant?
Radioactive waste, nuclear accident, public disapproval's
What type of reactions or fuel did the Chernobyl nuclear plant use?
The Chernobyl nuclear plant used enriched uranium as fuel in its reactor. The accident at the plant resulted in a nuclear chain reaction, leading to a catastrophic explosion and release of radioactive materials.
Enviromental impact of nuclear power plant?
A nuclear power plant is considered safe and does not emit toxic fumes into the air. However, in case of a disaster such as an earthquake, a nuclear power plant may be damaged and it will leak radioactive particles into the air.
How does decommissioning affect the overall cost of electricity generated using nuclear fuels?
Decommissioning can increase the cost of electricity generated using nuclear fuels, as it involves dismantling and cleaning up the retired nuclear plant, managing radioactive waste, and restoring the site. These decommissioning costs are significant and must be factored into the overall cost of nuclear energy generation. Proper planning and funds set aside for decommissioning can help mitigate the impact on electricity costs.
Where does radioactive waste go after it leaves the nuclear energy power plant.?
nowhere to kev yoxall
Is nuclear waste radioactive?
is coal ash, clinker, and smoke hot when it leaves to coal plant/
Is coal a nonrenewable nuclear power source?
Cola is a renewable thermal fuel power source. It is not radioactive in the sense of nuclear plant fuel.
What Element stays radioactive for millions of years?
The element that can stay radioactive for millions of years is plutonium. This is where most nuclear power plant energy comes from.
