Electric power Spain

The safety in the Spanish nuclear power plants. Nuclear Safety Council, Spain, May 1992. lOCFR Part 50 Appendix A, GDC 17, "Electric power systems. lOCFR Part 50 Appendix A, GDC 18, "Inspection and testing of electric power systems. 10CFR50.63, "Station blackout. ... 

Numerous examples of small fuel cell-based power units produced and used for domestic applications could be cited. Thus, the Vaillant Group, which has production facilities in a number of European countries, has developed a combined heat and power unit (CHP unit) designed for an electric power output of 4.6 kW and a heat output of 11 kW. Such units were installed in several countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal). The European Commission has supported 30% of the full project costs, estimated at 8.6 billion [Kommu-nalwirtschaft, No. 2, p. 107 (2004)]. 

PLUTONIUM. A man-made element, with atomic number 94 and symbol Pu. There are no stable isotopes of plutonium hence, all isotopes are radioactive. The most significant radioisotopes in the context of nuclear security are plutonium-238, plutonium-239, and plutonium-240. Plutonium-238 is used as a power source in satellites. Plutonium-239 is a fissile material. It has both thermal neutrons and fast neutrons, making it useful in both nuclear weapons and electric power production plants. Plutonium-239, which can be produced by neutron bombardment of uranium-238, is the primary isotope used in U.S. nuclear weapons. This isotope has a half-life of 24,360 years, meaning that any released as fallout or otherwise will persist in the environment for a lengthy period—which may account for the plutonium found in October 2006 among snails from areas associated with the 1966 Spain hydrogen bomb incident. Plutonium-240 is often present at 15 to 20 percent in plutonium used for electric power production. However, plutonium-240 has a high rate of spontaneous fission, and its presence increases the chances of preinitiation. For this reason, the plutonium used in nuclear weapons normally contains 7 percent or less plutonium-240. 

The fluohmic process is a third process for manufacturing hydrogen cyanide, which is being appHed in Spain and AustraUa. This process involves the reaction of ammonia with a hydrocarbon, usually propane or butane, in a fluidized bed of coke particles. The endothermic heat of reaction is suppHed electrically through electrodes immersed in the fluid bed. Yields from propane and ammonia are reportedly above 85% and the waste gas is essentially hydrogen, but the costs for electricity are high. Thus this process is appHcable only when there is an inexpensive source of power. 

In 2005, there were fonr coabbased IGCC power plants in operation in the world Tampa Electric in Polk County, Florida, based on a Texaco (now GE) gasifier Wabash repowering project in Indiana, based on E-Gas (now ConocoPhillips E-Gas) ancf Buggenum in The Netherlands and Pnertollano in Spain, both based on Shell gasifiers (N.A.H. Holt, IGCCTechnology—Statns, Opportunities, and Issnes, EM, Dec. 2004, pp. 18-26). 

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