The Chaotic-Neutron

Just got the hot news. I have cleared all three papers in my qualification exam ! I rock ! I am high with excitement now. If the world is going to collapse onto itself, please let it be now.

Good things aside, i still have a oral qualifier round to look forward to. I was told that i was a bit weak with Reactor Physics and so have 2 major Gods in nuclear department specializing in Xr physics on my committee for the oral.

Now this is going to be fun. Before even the thought of starting preparation for the oral, i am going out to party ! Woohoo …

Why nuclear power is not the answer

An excerpt from the article.

“Nuclear power is not a solution to climate change. It could only ever provide for a tiny proportion of our energy needs and this would be at great cost to the taxpayer, the environment and would pose a threat to the safety of the public. Clean technologies are available and they need the Government’s support. Tony Blair must stop talking to the nuclear lobby and speed up investment low -carbon, renewable and efficient energy technologies.”

What are those renewable energy sources which will both satisfy the rising energy needs and be economical as well as efficient ? I really would like to know. But Friends of the Earth Executive Director Tony Juniper fails to answer that.

Probably the biggest misconception on Nuclear power is that “Nuclear power has a poor safety record”. If you want to base that future safety of reactors are dictated by 2 accidents that happened more than 25 years back, then God help these people.

Maybe the Director needs to learn from how France satisfies its energy needs. More than 70% of power is produced from nuclear reactors and how many accidents have they had till now ?? Zilch. Take that for your record and stop brooding over Chernobyl and TMI already.

It is really sad that man’s prejudice overpowers logic (Well that applies to my comments too, but hey, this is my blog !).

Article By Charles Stein

I spent more years than I would care to admit writing about the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire. The Seabrook story was exhausting, but it taught me a valuable lesson: When it comes to energy, especially the price of energy, the future is very hard to see.

Seabrook was conceived in the late 1960s, a time of great optimism about nuclear power. Nuclear plants, the utilities promised, would produce electricity that was ”too cheap to meter.” When oil prices shot up in the 1970s, eventually reaching the unheard of price of $30 a barrel, Seabrook had another selling point: it would reduce New England’s dependence on costly foreign oil.

Things turned out differently. Like many of the nuclear plants in that era, Seabrook ran into engineering and political problems. Construction advanced at a snail’s pace. Every year, the plant’s estimated cost got higher and its completion date got pushed further into the future. When Seabrook finally went on line in 1990, its price tag had reached $6 billion.

The owners had to eat some of that money, because regulators refused to pass the costs along to consumers. Changes in the price of oil made Seabrook’s economics even worse. By 1990 oil was selling for less than $23 a barrel and the price fell even lower in the years that followed.

The verdict was clear: Nuclear power was a financial disaster; oil was a bargain.

Fast-forward to today. In case you hadn’t noticed, the price of oil has gone up a lot — to about $64 a barrel. The price of natural gas — the most popular fuel source in New England’s power plants — has gone up even more sharply. Utilities that venture out to buy electricity in the spot market are paying three times as much for power as they did a year ago. Consumers could pay about 20 percent more for electricity this winter, largely because of higher oil and gas prices.

And those ”white elephant” nuclear plants like Seabrook? It turns out they are sitting in the catbird seat. Their steep initial costs have been written off over time. Their cost of fuel is minuscule, according to Steven Taub, an executive at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a consulting firm. Even with all other costs thrown in, nuclear plants today produce power at less than half the cost of plants that burn natural gas or oil.

Like the Saudi Arabians, the owners of nuclear plants have plenty of cheap power that they can sell at high prices in deregulated energy markets, earning big profits in the process. Many of the plants, Seabrook included, were purchased by new owners in recent years who paid relatively little for the assets. In 2002, FPL Energy, a Florida company, bought a controlling interest in Seabrook for $836 million. ”In today’s market, many of those plants are worth significantly more,” Taub said.

The verdict is clear: Nuclear power is a bargain; oil and gas are a financial disaster.

There are plenty of specialists around who are firmly convinced that high oil and gas prices are here to stay. Richard Lester suggests we should be wary about such pronouncements. “Smart people don’t get this right,” said Lester, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor of nuclear science and engineering. In 2003, Lester and some colleagues wrote a report on the future of nuclear power. They assumed natural gas prices — the main competition — would stay in a range of $3 to $6 per million BTUs. Last week natural gas was selling for more than $12 per million BTUs.

The solution here is obvious: We need to be diversified. Investors spread their bets around because they don’t know which stocks will do well and which will do poorly. We need to do the same with sources of energy because, in truth, we don’t have a clue what will happen to their prices in the future. The cheap may become expensive and the expensive cheap.

When it comes to the energy future, a little humility goes a long way.

– Right on the head.

A very sensible article which analyzes the different sources of energy currently available and the options that are feasible to meet the growing energy needs. If you are an environmentalist at heart, you should read it and understand the current situation.

An excerpt from the article.

As usual, environmentalists are assuring everyone it can be done with renewables like wind, solar, and other alternative energies.
But there is no myth more damaging in diverting the nation’s attention from its energy problems. The universe has been pretty well explored by now there aren’t any alternative energies sitting around waiting to be discovered. We know all about solar radiation, about the winds that are driven by its heat (in conjunction with the earth’s rotation), about rivers and streams and how they can be harnessed to produce electricity. We also know about the chemical energy that is stored in the electrons at the periphery of the atom and can be tapped by burning organic compounds. And we know about the much more powerful energies that lie at the nucleus of the atom.

Well said my man ! The author nailed it right on the head. When will the people realize that it is already late and we need to start making changes today, if we desire to bring the Earth back from its brink of disaster. Wake up people. Wake up.

Solar power, Hydro-electricity and Wind power are not very dependable sources of energy and for any country, developed or developing, with a hunger for lots of electricity and power, there is no other feasible way than to tap into Nuclear Power which promises safe, clean and almost limitless power.

Go Nuclear. Save earth.

PS : If you liked the above article, then you might also like another article i linked to recently which is on the same lines with more arguments. Read it.

Exactly 15 more days left. I am feeling my guts churning out weird sounds and in queer ways. I am really scared about my qualifier exam. I guess, i am scared and excited, both at the same time. I don’t remember the last time i was this anxious to write an exam. Definitely not in REC or any of the other sem exams here. hmm. Maybe the IIT qualifiers after high school did come close. Anyway, this one is going to be different, i am sure and can’t wait to hit it head on.

Now officially, This is WAR.

After a couple of mails from different people wanting to see my SOP, I’ve decided to post it here to help them out and for anyone else who needs a sample or a direction for writing one. I am not entirely satisfied with what I have here but it did get me through 5 of the top 8 universities I applied for ! One thing I am proud of is that the SOP does speak out my mind clearly and I’ve not lied much about anything here. So anyway, read on if you want to know more about my passion and about me.

This is the SOP that I used for applying to graduate studies at TAMU.

Read more >>

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The greatest mystery is not that we have been flung at random between the profusion of matter and stars, but that within this Life, an accidental combination of chemicals, we can draw from ourselves images powerful enough to deny the nothingness.

Imagine the world we live in, if ‘Electricity’ had never been found. Or what if the simple screw was never ever thought of? Without such breakthroughs in the history of our evolution, what other factors would have created the future? I think often on such abstract thoughts and the consequences of it, which have invariably been the rationale behind every discovery till date. It is amazing to think about how the application of such seemingly insignificant things, developed under practical constraints of time and money has shaped our daily lives. Lofty visions to innovate, along with aspirations to go beyond the tangible limits have constantly pushed me to break the barriers ever since I was young and have led me to where I am right now.

I’ve learnt that interests and choices at the younger age are the decisive components of life. My interests towards chemistry experiments, making weird electronic equipments from worn out transistors at home, pushing the old PC-XT machine at the library to its limits by creating graphics programs in GWBASIC and trying to solve every mathematical problem I came across have brewed the passion in me to look at each scenario as an application of a construct and to create a working, practical reality out of it. It then wasn’t a difficult choice after high school to decide that I wanted to take up Engineering as my career.

I took up Engineering at the Regional Engineering College (REC), by securing a position in top 2% of students in the state, in my twelth grade. During the four years of my undergraduate studies, I have gained a lot of theoretical, as well as practical knowledge in the core areas of Chemical engineering. Also there were several incidents and opportunities that have dramatically changed my perceptions about research and plans for the future.

During my sophomore year, I had the privilege to present an internal seminar on ‘Atomic Power from Fission Energy’ for the Energy Engineering course. I discussed about the feasibility of operating a controlled Fusion reactor that could theoretically produce limitless energy. I did an in-depth research about the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton Institute’s Plasma Physics laboratory and the Super Kamiokande Reactor in Japan, which are pioneering organizations that are working on producing a controlled Fusion Reaction. The rudimentary knowledge that I obtained created a deep impact in me and the itch to learn more on the topic has lasted in me ever since. From then on, I have been constantly reading materials about nuclear engineering, Fission and Fusion, reactors and to some extent, Quantum physics. The very thought about energy gives me goose pimples, the feeling it puts across transcends limits and the fact that everything could boil down eventually into heat or light is just plainly beautiful.

My only intent then was to undergo training and to participate in the widely known, state-of-the-art research projects in nuclear science at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR). The training has enabled me to work with some of the best minds involved in nuclear research and has dramatically influenced my perception towards the industry. Although I was allowed to participate in limited experimental work, the projects made me realize the challenges involved and introduced me to the analytical, mathematical side of research and the use of computational methods in solving problems. Another important experience during that period was a lecture by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam a renowned scientist and the current President of India, on “Nuclear Power: A Boon or Bane”. The lecture was a major eye-opener regarding the avenues and myriad uses for which Nuclear Science could be applied and used.

I believe strongly that the application of computational methods to find solutions is definitely more effective than conventional methods. I have developed excellent programming skills in C, C++, Fortran and recently Microsoft.NET. One of my greatest strengths, identifying patterns and relationships that are not obvious to others, has helped me in many situations to solve complex mathematical problems. Additionally, the various other projects (refer Resume for details) I was involved with in Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and REC involving heavy calculations and programming have given me the opportunity to realize the advantages in real time problem solving using computers.

All the academics might typically characterize me as a geek, I know, but I’m not one. My interests in reading books from fiction to philosophy, movies, soccer, table tennis and a constant flame to find and try out new things have shaped my life in a radical style. I was part of the college soccer team and there is nothing even close to the joy I feel when I am playing. Soccer is my passion and the way I see it, soccer personifies me in every facet: the never-ending rush of energy, the coordination with the team, the feeling of responsibility when in control of the ball and finally the ecstasy after scoring a goal, everything revolving around that single goal or rather the aspiration in real life.

Aspirations never die.

In addition to my academic background, I am sure that my work experience at Dell Computers will play a vital role in helping me find success in my graduate studies. It has moulded me mentally and has been a source of terrific improvement over my analytical skills, divergent thinking and my interpersonal abilities. Even now, the passion and the vigor in me to learn more about nuclear engineering hasn’t lessened or else I would not be applying for graduate studies after 2 years of academic hiatus. Now as I approach the crossroads of my education, I have absolutely no doubt in pursuing graduate study in Nuclear Engineering and later, a career in Research.

I bring along a strong grasp of fundamentals in Chemical Engineering, an aptitude for research and teamwork, a zest for challenges and an enthusiastic desire to learn all I can. I am certain that my experience gained in the nuclear and software industry will help me succeed as a Nuclear Engineer. All said and done, it boils down to living my dream, the realization of which encompasses graduate studies as a gateway for a doctoral program, so that my foot is set firmly in the path of academics and research. I would be delighted to join the Nuclear Engineer’s Group in your University.

Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask for no other blessedness.
Thanks.

Read an article today “Chemist Tries to Solve World’s Energy Woes” at Livescience. Chemist Dr. Daniel Nocera at MIT is trying to use the bountiful energy in sunlight to split water into its basic components, hydrogen and oxygen.

Well the research is still underway and is probably far from being complete but there could be some potential here. If it works, is practical and feasible, then in the future, we might be able to use something like this. Although i very seriously doubt the use of sunlight as a perpetual energy source for such a reaction, i would love to be proved wrong.

Here is an excerpt from the article where Dr. Nocera talks about future energy needs.

Nocera cites a calculation by Caltech chemist Nathan Lewis that power demands in 2050 will be so great that just to keep carbon dioxide emissions at twice preindustrial levels, a nuclear plant would have to be built every two days. There’s not enough room on the planet’s surface for other widely touted solutions such as wind and biomass to have much impact.

I seriously do not know on why people are so skeptical about the use of nuclear energy for producing power. It is much much safer and foolproof than it used to be; We can get almost limitless and perpetual energy if we produce fuel rods in Breeder reactors; It is environmentally friendly and clean. History has taught us a bad lesson about reactors but isn’t it time to move forward and think about how not to repeat the history by making advanced safety measures to avoid any kind of catastrophe. And safety is one of the important aspects that we are being taught. The end result is not just about producing power but to produce clean, safe power. And we are getting there …

I for one, strongly believe that reactors are the cleanest answer available to us to meet all the energy needs of the future. It is vital to realize this fact and start building reactors and reduce the usage of fossil fuels as much as possible before we end up imposing doom on ourselves soon. But oh well since economics and politics are involved in this earth saving venture, i know that we will wait until the situation that Norcera portrays in the excerpt is reached …