Mining for Uranium

According to the World Nuclear Association, the largest national share of nuclear reserve was Australia (1,243,000 tones, 23%), followed by Kazakhstan (817,000 t, 15%), Russia (546,000 t, 10%), South Africa (435,000 t, 8%), Canada (423,000 t, 8%), USA (342,000 t, 6%), Brazil (278,000 t, 5%), Namibia (275,000 t, 5%), Niger (274,000 t, 5%), Ukraine (200,000 t, 4%) and Jordan (112,000 t, 2%).

With current technology, there are three main techniques in use for uranium mining. These are open pit mining, underground mining, and in situ leach mining. In open pit mining, the land above the material is blasted and dug away to reveal the ore body. After they have found the fuel deposit, it will be blasted, excavated and removed with dump trucks. Underground mining is carried with access tunnels, and drilling and blasting. In situ leach mining involves drilling boreholes down into an ore body, pumping a leaching fluid into the ore and then pumping the resulting solution to the surface to extract the uranium. The leaching fluid is sometimes a combination of acids or sometimes alkaline solution. The type of the solution used depends on the type of the ore body.

Ranger Uranium Mining Plant in Kakadu, Australia

The future of nuclear? :D

taken from greennuclearbutterfly.blogspot.com

Nuclear Fuel Conversion

After the uranium deposits taken out from the earth, it will go through a process call conversion. The uranium deposits are not in its pure form but as Uranium Oxide (U₃O₈). This material is also known as yellow cake because of its bright yellow color. During conversion process, Uranium oxide will be converted into Uranium Hexafluoride (UF₆). Since at high temperature Uranium Hexafluoride will turn into gas substance but will change to solid form when at room temperature. This will make it easier to transport it or to process it. That is why most commercial uranium enrichment facilities use it. Before it is being send to the next process that is Enrichment, it will be turn to gaseous state first.

Iranian technicians at the Uranium Conversion Facilities in Isfahan

Nuclear Energy in Malaysia = No Support??

When we talk about nuclear energy, a stereotype person will always think about nuclear bomb, about radioactivity, about chernobyl or any kind of negative effects. We cannot blame them because the knowledge about the effectiveness of a nuclear energy are now well explained which many people have miss the actually functionality of this system. Hence, we think with a proper education system and a way better spread of information, we can teach and educate many people especially in Malaysia about the goods and advantages of having a nuclear power reactor to generate energy for electricity.

Malaysia is considering to build the first ever nuclear reactor on 2021, which means about 11 years from now. It seems Malaysia is serious in making this system works here. Although there are some voices who are very concern and neglect this system totally for Malaysia, we still think it is better for the future. So, how actually we want to educate the people in Malaysia to know the advantages of this nuclear energy system in 11 years time?

Well, with the concern of global warming, all people in Malaysia experience it. We can feel how the wheather changes everytime and how actually the temperature at certain area in Malaysia. The heat is too high to be conformed with! We seems to have drink at least 3 or 4 mineral waters per day just not to get dehydrated. This is because the global warming. This global warming occuring because the CO, CO2 or hydrocarbon gases that being released from many sources that include combustion, like our cars, the factory and now surprisingly, our own power plant which uses the coal as the main burner to generate heat for electricity.

With the no CO or CO2 emission will be emitted through out the heating process, nuclear energy is ideal for the environment. Maybe the effect will not be instantenously but with a smaller reduction percentage, it still can help the environment. Same with the automotive industries which there have develop the hybrid engine which still emiited CO and CO2 to the environment but with the concern from people for environment, the small percentage can still help the environment if all are using the system. And this is also same for nuclear energy.

According to some, even when accounting for the fossil fuel used in mining uranium, processing it, building and decommissioning of the nuclear plant, the picture remains good from this perspective. Less than one hundredth of carbon dioxide gases is produced by nuclear power plants compared to coal or gas-fired energy plants. This means nuclear energy also emits less greenhouse gas than renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, solar and biomass. Lower greenhouse gas, the lower the temperature will be.


Furthermore, nuclear energy is a very efficient energy source up to date. Why? Because with a very small amount of fuel (uranium, like have been mentioned before in the other post), the power generation is enormous! Enormous energy production = Efficient! Hence, there are a lot of energy can be produced to generate electricity. Can be reach about almost 1GW of energy, dependent on the system itself. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil. With the price hike of the oil and coal, nuclear can be said the ideal solution for Malaysia in the future.


"The same la, uranium also very expensive. So, no use of using nuclear.." It is true, uranium is also expensive because the source is not easily found. Furthermore, the demand now a days is high, which means the supplier need to rise up the price also, according to the demand. But if we compare the expenditure of uranium with the energy that nuclear would generated, with the expenditure of coal with the energy produced, nuclear energy will end up to be the most worthwhile energy source because of its high energy generation.

The only concern for the cost is for the construction of the reactor because it is hard to manufacture. But although it is expensive to manufacture, there is no different from any other power plant to build. But the space or compound require to build the nuclear power plant is quite smaller compare to other power plant like hydro. Smaller compound = smaller destruction to the environment. Hence, the environment also can be saved slowly by nuclear power plant.

These all information from us are definitely to try to change the misconception of the people around about nuclear, especially in Malaysia because it seems, this nuclear power plant is quite underestimate by the people. Although there are some pros and cons for nuclear energy, with the situation in Malaysia, it seems this is one on the proper way to really contribute to the environment. 11 years is quite a long period but with a proper education and the spread of information, we can change our own stereotype of thinking about the nuclear power plant. One failure does not mean the entire system is a failure. Sustainability is the way of improving things. The same with nuclear energy.

Go Nuclear for Malaysia 2021

The back-end of nuclear fuel cycle

Nuclear power is a gift to the human kind. Why? Because of the amazing fact that the nuclear fuel is renewable. It is renewable in a sense that it can be recycled over and over again. Can you recycle back coal? oil? gas? For that reason alone, nuclear power is special.

The used fuel or nuclear waste from a single 1000 megawatt nuclear plant that has been operated for 40 years is equal to energy of 130 million barrels of oil or 37 million tons of coal. Can you imagine that?

Used fuel rods can be process to remove the high radioactive fission products and separate the fissionable U-235 and plutonium. Plutonium can be used to make a mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) which is being used in reactors all over Europe. With new developed technology, all of the spent fuel can be made usable. It means no radioactive waste.

With this we can continue to develop nuclear fuel as a source of electricity and there is no limits to what we can achieve. Not to mention, with a cheap and clean source of power we can help to save our planet in the process. What good if we have all the electricity in the world but we don't have a a planet to live on.

In the future, as the world experience shortage in fossil fuel, plutonium will be more valuable as fuel for nuclear reactors than as weapons of mass destruction. Imagine a world where nuclear is only use for power generation.

So we as the future of our generation, must take matters with our own hands. Who are they to deny our rights for clean and cheap energy. It is us who will lead this country. Support nuclear in our country. Help reduce the emission of C02. Save our planet. For the future of our own country. Say yes to nuclear power. Say yes to our future.

Nuclear Power Plant

What is nuclear power plant (NPP)? Actually, it can be defined as an electrical generating facility using a nuclear reactor as its heat source to provide steam to a turbine generator. In our country Malaysia, there are many type of electricity-generating power station in Malaysia. The make use of hydro-power, gas-fired, coal-fired (combined gas/coal), oil fired, biomass and hybrid power are remain as the main sources to generate electricity. Our country has enough skilled labor to operate power plant. It is simple because we have experience about how to operate hydro-power, gas-fired, coal-fired and etc.The whole system of power plant including steam turbine generator also we are capable of. How about if we replace the others heat sources with nuclear reactor? The concept stills the same, the steam turbine generator still being used. The different is only the heat source. It is sound easy, but the acceptation of Malaysian about nuclear reactor need to be considered. They need to be provided with simple and true information about nuclear power plant. Nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear fission may be sustained and controlled in self-supporting nuclear reactor. It is heart of a nuclear power plant. A fissionable material of fuel, a moderating material, a reflector to conserve escaping neutrons, provisions of removal heat, measuring and controlling instruments and protective devices are include as parts of nuclear reactor. Figure above shows the general idea how to use nuclear reactor to produce the electricity.

What are the major components of nuclear reactors? There are 5 major components of nuclear reactor as listed as below.

ª Nuclear fuel

ª Moderator

ª Coolant

ª Reactivity Control Material

ª Structural Material

The nuclear fuel is used to undergo nuclear fission by neutrons. It must have high thermal conductivity, irradiation, chemical stability and also excellent nuclear characteristics. The example fuel that can be used is uranium, etc. The moderator is used to reduce neutron energy by scattering without significant capture. It must have desirable characteristics to function efficiently such as large scattering cross section, small absorption cross section, large energy per collision and low atomic number. The example of moderator can be used are Deuterium, graphite and etc. For coolant, it is use to remove the fission heat from the primary heat source such as a reactor core or breeding blanket. The coolant must have excellent heat transfer, chemical stability, small pumping requirement, irradiation stability and abundance (low cost).The most natural coolant is water. The reactivity control material is needed to control the neutron flux in the core by absorbing neutrons. It can be done by using control rod. The structural material is used to maintain geometry. The structural must has high strength, ductility, corrosion resistance, small absorption cross section and high thermal and irradiation resistance. Zircaloy can be used as material.

Picture above shows the basic components of nuclear power plant. The most common of nuclear reactor type that been used nowadays are Pressurize Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). The picture above shows the example of PWR nuclear reactor type.PWR and BWR and the other type of nuclear reactor that commonly used will be discussed in other post.

Malaysia Energy Option - part 2

Currently in Malaysia there is a lack of available competitive and sustainable alternative energy sources for the long term. At the moment we rely heavily on gas, oil, hydro and coal for our energy. As prices for gas and oil increases, so does the operating cost that will be burdened by the utilities companies. The same goes for coal, as our country import over 90% of its coal from other country such as Australia and Indonesia. Yet, coal seems unable to meet with the nation's ever increasing demand for electricity. Because of this, we need to enhance our national energy security due to depleting indigenous resources. We also need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

That's where nuclear energy comes in. Among the key point of nuclear power is the nuclear fuel is energy intensive. Also nuclear power refueling cycle is between 12 to 24 months. Which means that the nuclear plants can be operated without interruption for a few years. Also not to mention that nuclear power plant has zero carbon emission. This will go a long way in solving the world's CO2 emission problem.

It can be observed that countries with higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and energy consumption per capita than Malaysia have gone for nuclear power. But also some countries with lower GDP and energy consumption per capita than our country are thinking of nuclear power