Nuclear
Power Plants A Coiring Reality Bra Morrow County
1 I f I iTURBitf
m.
1
CCAL CAS CIL FIE ED
B.gmntr.g in we U1 need -
Kirs .rb a
Jb? JSnSSli? loVrboTs mrisblti Output of nine new nuclear power plant,
" The demand for HtrWnr i. ZJeJ" &tf?AWiS
plant The heat from the burmne al ud to tSwdekSed bSck to water and returned to the boi or.
erstor producing eltnc Power Imourtt heat U med from tt steam. This heat is then put Into the coolinR
Dunne the condensing process rf h nmnL Onlv pTrt of the heat from the coal Is converted to electric-
water and winds up as thermal fcj'Hl"?n ZzZj to the cooline water. Thus, for every 1.000 megawatts
7rX iaAStteffiffiVW can be minimized by
mtii r irnratln Morrow County', arid lands, a multiple use).
, , . . ., UT1licirilble features It reouires about 10,000 tons of coal a day for a 1.000 megawatt
K Ja SHSM Wrf ?M
turned rne eoaL in "udv toSfby the Health. Education, and Welfare Department "was rented that a TVA coal fired
plant rave a rreater racuuion dose to the environment than a pressurized water reactor Power. April. 1970). The cast of
power trom a new coal fwd plant is about five mills per kilowatt hour.
INOIMCT CYCU fSSUifD HATfR POWTR PIAVT
(Till .. '
I
"1 !
i. r
i '
'rr
i i ' i . -
A Source
of
Irrigation
Water
Trrs d ac-arn is of a nuclear reactor power plant The main difference between the nuclear plant and the coal plant
is that the water to boiled bv usine the heat from nuclear fuel. The rest of the cycle is essentially identical. As In the coal
Plant the steam is condensed back to water and returned to the reactor to be reheated again. The nuclear plant cycle is
less efficient than the coal plant In the nuclear power plant about 33 of the heat from the reactor is converted to elec
tricity. The remaining 67Tr could be distributed in the irrigation water.
The nuclear power plant, which consumes four ounces of uranium oxide per day per megawatt, is cleaner than a coal
fired plant because the nuclear plant does not give off any air pollutants. It will produce electric power for about three to
four mills per kilowatt hour.
A variation of the nuclear power plant called a pressurized water reactor (PWR) is shown in this diagram. In this
cycle the water in the reactor Is under 2.000 psi pressure and does not boil. The water from the reactor passes through a
heat exchanger (called a steam generator) and causes the water in the secondary side to boil. Steam from the heat exchang
er then passes through the turbine.
The Trojan nuclear plant to be built by the Portland General Electric Company is an example of a Pressurized Water
Reactor.
Cooling towers presum
ably would not be used in
Morrow County instead
of cooling the water in
this tower it would be
used for irrigation.
Model of Portland Gen
cal Electric Trojan Nu
clear Power Plant
I
f T
The Atomic Energy Com
mission requires very
strong, leak tight, steel
and concrete structures
completely enclosing the
reactor; designed to con
tain radioacttvitr even if
all other usual safety fea
tures were to fail due to
accident, earthquake or
other hazards.
All thermal power plants will release heat. About one million gallons of water per minute are required for
cooling the condenwr. This water Is normally heated about 20 degrees F. In the future this heated water may be
used to grow greenhouse crops such as lettuce and tomatoes. The most promising beneficial use of the water m
the near future is for irrigation. A 1.000 megawatt plant can provide enough water to irrigate about 200,000 acres.
However, when sprayed into the air the heat dissipates quickly.
In order to use the water for irrigation it will be necessary to have a pressure system and a drainage system.
Another variation would be to build the reactor near a reservoir. The reactor could use the reservoir as a cooling
pond and also pump water from the river to the reservoir. Irrigation water could then be taken from the reservoir
but it would be limited.
In addition to the heat released in the water all nuclear power plants release small amounts of radio-active
material. This material consists mostly of radio-active gases of argonne. xenon, krypton, and iodine. Also, liquids
containing tritium and radio-active Iron and zinc are released. The dose of radiation to people In the area is yery low
from the reactor plants. The average dose from plants operating today is less than 5 millirem per year. In many
cases the dose is actually below one millirem per year. To put this in perspective let's compare this to other sources
of radiation in the environment.
The natural radiation In the environment (called the background) is about 125 millirem per year. Over 25
times as much as a reactor might add. An average chest X-ray gives about 200 millirem. A set of four dental bite
wing X-rays gives over 800 millirem. In Denver. Colorado, the background is about 250 millirem per year.
There are many ways one can get five millirem of radiation Instead of standing next to a reactor power plant
Four examples are listed below. Each of these will give you five millirem of radiation.
1. Fly by let from Portland to New York and return at 35.000 feet (Dose from cosmic radiation).
2. Spend ten days vacation at a mountain resort above 6,000 feet.
3. Go skiing five weekends above 6,000 feet.
4. Live across the street from the U. N. building. (Dose from the earth materials used in construction).
In summary, nuclear power Is the cleanest and cheapest form of thermal power we can build. Additionally,
it offers the possibilities of Irrigating large areas of land.
Source of Nuclear Material Dr. Alan H. Robinson. Associate Professor
Nuclear Engineering. Oregon State University
Morrow County
Nuclear Plant Siting Sanction Committee
JERRY SWEENEY. Chairman
Heppner
MARION CREEN
Heppner
CLARENCE ROSEWALL
Heppner
ROY
lone
UNDSTROM
Heppner, Oregon 97836
D. O. NELSON
Lexington
GENE PIERCE
Heppner
ELAINE GEORGE
Heppner
FORREST BURKENBLNE
Heppner
BENNY McCOY
Irrigon
HAROLD KERR
Heppner
ZEARL GILLESPIE
Boardman
RUPERT KENNEDY
Boardman
Morrow County's concepts of nuclear power plant siting with coolant water Irrigation
(shown below) employs many multiple uses of our natural resources. The coolant water can
also be used for recreation, fish and wildlife ponds, city and industrial water, ground water
recharge, fallow land recharge, greenhouses, frost control and possibly city heating.
This procedure is Oregon's best way to acquire its fair share of Columbia water soon
er, and to prevent export to other states.
1 jKJr 1 I I 1 1 I - I i
I i U.S. MVX k
VS; J " JL (to be releas sd , 1
. . SJWO HO LOW
j ' I ' ; w-- - :. ' 1
1 t t 1 ; ; m
; r Ease Line Eoal -I
" " ; . . . -i
Mfuclsar lower Park - Future ; jl
.1 .-
IONE
GARLAND SWANSON
President
OSCAR PETERSON
Vice President
JOHN R. (DICK) KREBS
Secretary
tPort of Morrow
MORROW COUNTY
CITY HALL
BOARDMAN. OREGON 97813
PHONE 431-2693
Area Code (503)
LAWRENCE LINDSAY
Treasurer
DEWEY W. WEST. JR.
Commissioner
RUPERT W. KENNEDY
Coordinator