RE: Nuclear Power vs CO2

["Weiner, Ruth" <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

Carbon dioxide is, of course, produced by complete burning  of carbon
compounds.  Thus, for example, natural gas (methane) would produce 2.75
pounds of CO2 per pound of methane (that's 44/16).  Burning octane (C8H16)
-- a surrogate for gasoline -- completely produces 3.15 pounds of CO2 per
pound of octane.  The amount of CO2 produced by burning coal or oil is
directly proportional to the amount (weight or number of carbon atoms) in
the fuel, and  that varies somewhat from coal to coal and a little from oil
to oil.  By contrast, the only CO2 produced in a nuclear power plant would
be if there were ancillary power (or heat) produced by burning a
carbonaceous fuel and maybe a little bit from oxidation of C-14 produced by
fission.  Heat for buildings, gasoline for workers to get there, and
essentially non-power-generating fuel combustion would of course be the same
for a nuclear power plant as a fossil fuel plant, as would the CO2 from
ordinary human breathing.  So there is no way a nuke could even come close.
In sum: CO2 production is an integral product of fossil fuel power
generation but only a very small incidental by-product of nuclear power
generation.

To calculate the CO2 from a coal-fired plant, figure that the thermal
efficiency is about 42% and the capacity is about 60%, look up the heat of
combustion of coal (BTU/pound or BTU per gram) and the carbon content of a
bituminous coal (kind of a US average), divide the energy output (kwh
converted to appropriate units) by 0.252, divide by the heat of combustion
to get grams unit time, and multiply by the fractional carbon content and
then by 44/12 (44 is the molecular weight of CO2).  I used to give this as a
final exam problem.

Clearly only my own opinion.

Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
Sandia National Laboratories 
MS 0718, POB 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
505-844-4791; fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov


-----Original Message-----
From: Al Tschaeche [mailto:antatnsu@pacbell.net]
Sent: December 22, 1999 5:46 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Nuclear Power vs CO2


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Has anyone knowledge of calculations that have been completed that set
forth the amount of CO2 the nuclear fuel cycle produces vs what a
natural gas or a coal fired power plant produces per megawatt?  We all
know that nuclear power plants don't produce CO2.  But all other parts
of the fuel cycle do.  I have been having arguments with people who
think the nuclear fuel cycle produces just as much CO2 as fossil
plants.  I can't believe that's true, but have no data to demonstrate
that it isn't.  NEI should have produced some good data perhaps?  Have a
happy holiday all you RADSAFERS.  Al Tschaeche antatnsu@pacbell.net

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