TECHNOLOGY
Nuclear power stages comeback Power reactor orders so far this year reach 16, compared to seven reactors ordered in 1969 cost, and problems of air pollution from burning them have thus caused a turn-around in the outlook for nuclear power. All told, 16 nuclear power reactors have been ordered in the first eight months of this year, according to the Atomic Industrial Forum, for a total of nearly 16.7 million kw(e). In 1969, only seven reactors totaling about 7.2 million k w ( e ) . were ordered, following 13 orders for about 13 mil lion k w ( e ) . in 1968. Efforts are being made to stimulate the supply of fossil fuels. Paul W. McCracken, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisors, has called on the U.S. coal, oil, and rail road industries to deliver more fuel. Added incentives are the continuation of the fuel oil import program through 1971 and exemption of Canadian nat ural gas liquids from crude oil import quota limitations. Permits are being issued to import more liquefied petro leum gas from the Western Hemis phere, principally from Canada and Venezuela. To speed up coal deliver ies, the Interstate Commerce Commis
Nuclear power's future is bright again. After a sharp drop in 1969 the in dustry is riding a new wave of expan sion. The crisis in fossil fuel supply and relentless growth in energy de mand have overridden the pessimism generated by rising costs and construc tion problems and the occasional at tacks by conservationist groups. The Tennessee Valley Authority's decision to build two new nuclear generating facilities (C&EN, Sept. 7, page 47) is characteristic of the situa tion. Despite efforts to avert the short-term fossil fuel crisis, TVA has been unable to negotiate for adequate long-term coal deliveries. It has re sponded by ordering four nuclear power plants for its two facilities—two each from Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox. The plants won't be producing power for several years, but TVA doesn't expect things to get better. At last report, TVA's coal stockpile had dwindled to less than two weeks' sup ply. Scarcity of fossil fuels, their rising
sion has doubled demurrage charges on all hopper cars standing idle in loading and unloading zones. The Federal Government is also cooperat ing in implementing a power conser vation program. Access. The coal shortage may be worse than at first suspected. Abraham Gerber, a consultant with National Research Associates, Inc., agrees that U.S. coal resources are suf ficient to last for centuries at the pres ent rate of growth of consumption. Currently, however, only a fraction of the reserves are economically acces sible. Existing mining technology, ac cording to Mr. Gerber, is geared to the prime deposits and is applicable to only about half the 1.6 trillion tons of the U.S. coal reserve. Added to this picture is a distribu tion problem. Most of the coal re serve lies west of the Mississippi River. This should further increase transpor tation costs to the major consuming areas in the East. Mr. Gerber con cludes that the economically recover able coal reserves will be inadequate for decades to come. To a lesser degree, the status of the residual fuel oil supply is similar to that of coal. Present supplies can just about keep up with demands, but the next few years will see a deepening crisis in supply. The same is true of natural gas. Unless there are substan tial changes in both import programs and domestic production and refining operations, Mr. Gerber says, there is little alternative to nuclear power.
Nuclear plants will dominate power production Projected capacity (billions of kw(e).)
7
2.5
Projected capacity (billions of kw(e).)
6 2.0
Nuclear share (%)
5 1.5
4 3
1.0
76%
76%
2 0.5
65%
1 48% Ο 1970"
1980 b
1990
Advanced regions a b c d
48
Capacity Capacity Capacity Capacity
2000
2010
6
is 23.5 million kw(e)., of which 3 % is nuclear. will be 32.2 million kw(e)., of which 1 8 % will be nuclear. is 0.5 million kw(e).? of which 0.4% is nuclear. will be 22.5 million kw(e)., of which 7 % will be nuclear.
C & E N NOV. 9, 1970
0
1970 c
1980 d
25%
57%
1990
2000
Developing regions
2010
7
e Advanced regions include North America, western Europe, U.S.S.R., Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. f Data do not include mainland China. Source: International Atomic Energy Agency
AN INVITATION TO EXPERIMENT
We Philadelphia Electric's Peach Bottom nuclear p l a n t — o n e of 1 7 in operation
The dim outlook for fossil fuels is in sharp contrast to the nuclear fuel picture. Merrill J. Whitman, assistant director for program analysis in the Atomic Energy Commission's division of reactor development and technol ogy, tells C&EN that a current ex ploration program has nearly doubled prime reserves of U 3 0 8 , the most abun dant nuclear fuel raw material. Prime reserves are those minable at $10 per pound or less. The continuation of the exploration program is expected to make this price stable for some time to come, perhaps until the turn of the century. If advanced breeder reactors appear on schedule in the 1980's, the nuclear fuel picture will be even bet ter. Polls. Opposition to nuclear power centers on radiation hazards and en vironmental effects of waste heat dis charge. In describing most of the nu clear opposition as emotional, H. G. Slater of the Atomic Industrial Forum cites poll results to back him up. A Harris poll in Washington state in May 1970 indicated that 70% of the per sons polled were not against nuclear power. More broadly worded was an Edison Electric Institute poll of 1969 which indicated that 50% of those polled were for nuclear power and only 27% against it. In a more concrete response to the antinuclear forces AEC has established a new Office of Environmental Affairs. The nuclear industry has also re sponded with a concerted informa tion program. Power consumers are being increasingly represented by sev eral regional organizations. One of the more active is the Southern Inter state Nuclear Board. In addition to supplying expert advice to lawmakers and other public officials, SINB serves as an information source on nuclear development problems. Probably the most important nu clear dispute now facing the power in dustry is licensing of Northern States Power Co.'s Monticello nuclear plant in Minnesota. At the heart of the
dispute are the limits placed on the amount of radiation in plant effluent. The power company has gone to court to upset the radioactivity portion of the permit granted for plant construc tion by the Minnesota Pollution Con trol Agency on the grounds that the Federal Government has jurisdiction in the matter. The point at issue is which radiation standards are applic able—the state of Minnesota's or the Federal Government's. In view of the implications in the case, which has yet to be decided, the Atomic Industrial Forum hired an in dependent consultant to poll officials in other states on their attitudes in hope that similar difficulties might be avoided elsewhere. Officials in 45 states were contacted by the poll and the results were generally in favor of federal standards. Only 10 states re plied that they were in favor of con trols more strict than required by fed eral standards. However, 15 states said that they would consider revising their standards pending the outcome of the Minnesota case. The Minnesota case is more perti nent to some states than to others, says James R. Coleman, who conducted the poll for the Atomic Industrial Forum. The reason is that 47% of all operat ing reactors and 46% of all those un der construction are located in states that support the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's stricter standards. AEC, which is the source of federal standards on radiation levels in nuclear plant effluents, believes that the fed eral standards are more than adequate to prevent any danger. However, AEC is cooperating with local author ities at all levels to devise a uniform code. Public. Part of the problem in set ting standards and achieving greater acceptance of nuclear power is lack of public information. Some local com munity groups have objected to the short time between the announcement of planning for nuclear power and the beginning of construction.
a r e continually
molybdenum
chemicals
formulating f o r potential
use in n e w processes a n d p r o d u c t s . T w e n t y such c o m p o u n d s
are now
a v a i l a b l e f o r y o u r immediate investi gation. You can obtain data
sheets
c o n t a i n i n g basic i n f o r m a t i o n o n a l l o f them b y simply mailing us a post c a r d . W h e n y o u w o u l d like t o p r o b e
their
possibilities in specific situations, w e ' l l be g l a d t o supply research quantities without charge. There's a g o o d c h a n c e that
moly
chemicals m a y p u t y o u o n the track o f something new. W e h o p e they d o . You're invited t o experiment.
MoCU Mo02CI2 Mo(C 5 H 7 0 2 )3 Μοα4(05Η5Ν)2 M0OCI3 M0OCI4 (NH4)6 [C02M010O36] · x H 2 0 ( x = 6 - 1 0 ) (NH 4 ) 3 [CoMo 6 0 2 4H 6 ] · χ H 2 0 (χ = 5-7) (NH 4 ) 3 [AIMo 6 0 2 4H 6 ] · χ H 2 0 (x = 4 - 7 ) (NH 4 ) 3 [CrMo 6 0 2 4H 6 ] · χ Η 2 0 (x = 4 - 7 ) (NH4)4 [ΝίΜο 6 θ24Η 6 ) · χ Η2Ο (x = 4 - 6 ) M002(C 5 H 7 02)2 H2 [ M o 0 3 ( C 2 0 4 ) ( H 2 0 ) ] H 2 0 (NH 4 ) 6 [N1M09O32] · 6 . 5 H 2 0 (NH 4 ) 3 [FeMo 6 0 2 4H 6 ] · χ Η 2 0 (x = 5—10) H 3 [PMoi 2 O 4 0 ] · χ Η 2 0 (χ = 5 —29) H 4 [SiMoi 2 O 4 0 ] · x H 2 0 (x = 5 - 2 9 ) N a 4 [SiMo, 2 O 4 0 ] · x H 2 0 (x = 1 0 - 1 5 ) M0CI3 MoCI 3 (C 6 H 5 COO) 2
CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM COMPANY A DIVISION OF
AAAAX AMERICAN METAL CLIMAX, INC.
ONE GREENWICH PLAZA Greenwich, Conn. 0 6 8 3 0 · (203) 6 6 1 - 3 0 0 0
NOV. 9, 1970 C&EN 49
HIGHER PRICES for PRECIOUS METAL SCRAP! Engelhard's prices for precious metal scrap are higher because advanced refining methods yield high returns on spent metal catalysts and industrial residues.
Call (201) 242-2700 •^-^-'"••J.J ENGELHARD INDUSTRIES DIVISION ENGELHARD MINERALS8 CHEMICALS CORPORATION 113 A S T O R S T R E E T . N E W A R K . N E W J E R S E Y 07II4 An Equal Opportunity
Employer
PFB PHOSPHORUS PENTAFLUORIDE This versatile, gaseous Lewis acid catalyst is now available in development quantities at a fraction of previous cost.
HPF G HEXAFLUOROPHOSPHORIC ACID Available at 70-75%
