An island council is choosing a replacement for an ageing diesel power station. Fig. 3 compares two possible designs. Both designs use moving steam to rotat...
Question 1 Report
An island council is choosing a replacement for an ageing diesel power station. Fig. 3 compares two possible designs. Both designs use moving steam to rotate a turbine, then a generator produces an electric current for homes. The council also needs to consider waste, fuel deliveries and the effect of each option on the atmosphere. In the fission design, a small fuel assembly remains in the reactor for several years. In the diesel design, fuel ships must arrive every week.
A proposed fission station would use 18 kg of fuel each year. This fuel contains 1.4 × 1015 J of usable energy. The island needs 7.0 × 1014 J of electrical energy each year.
(a) Describe two features of electricity generation that are common to both designs in Fig. 3. [2]
(b) Which design releases carbon dioxide directly while generating electricity? Give one reason why this can affect Earth’s climate. [2]
(c) Explain why radioactive waste from the fission station needs careful storage after it has been removed from the reactor. [3]
(d) Calculate the minimum overall efficiency needed for the proposed fission station to meet the island’s annual electrical-energy demand. [3]
(e) Give two factors, other than efficiency, that the council should consider before selecting the fission design. [2]
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