What is uranium? Hey Engineering Lovers, my name is Igor Felipe and today we are going to talk about a very important and controversial material, and its uses can be both for the benefit of the population and for harm, uranium. But what is uranium?
Uranium is a chemical element that belongs to the heavy metal family and is identified by the chemical symbol U in the periodic table. It is one of the best known elements because of its use in the production of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. It is a radioactive element and emits alpha, beta and gamma particles.
This property of emitting radiation is what makes uranium useful in the production of nuclear energy. For example, the nuclear fission of uranium is used to generate heat that is converted into electricity in nuclear power plants. Uranium is found naturally in the earth's crust and, incredible as it may seem, it is one of the most abundant elements on the planet.
However, it is not found in its pure form, but in minerals such as pitchblende and carnotite. The world's largest uranium reserves are concentrated in a few countries, including Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa and the United States. These countries are responsible for most of the world's uranium production.
The way in which uranium is found in nature depends on the type of mineral deposit in which it is found and, as well as its form, its extraction process also depends on the type of deposit in which it is located. There are three main types of uranium deposits: igneous rock deposits, sand deposits and sedimentary rock deposits. Igneous rock deposits are formed when uranium becomes concentrated in igneous rocks such as granite and rhyolite.
These deposits are found in areas with volcanic activity, and extracting uranium from these deposits often involves underground mining. Sand deposits are formed when uranium is concentrated in sediments, such as sand and gravel, in areas such as beaches and even deserts. These deposits are often found in areas with an arid climate, such as the Sahara desert, and extracting uranium from these deposits often involves washing sediments to separate the uranium.
Sand deposits are also found in other parts of the world such as India and even Brazil. For those who have already heard about Praia da Areia preta in Guarapari in Espírito Santo, you know that it is possible to produce uranium 233 through the thorium that is found on this beach. Sedimentary rock deposits are formed when uranium becomes concentrated in sedimentary rocks such as limestone and shale.
Extracting uranium from these deposits usually involves open pit mining as well as underground mining. It is important to highlight that uranium extraction must be carried out carefully and responsibly in order to minimize both environmental and human health impacts. Mining companies must follow strict regulations and standards to ensure the safety of their workers and local communities, as well as to minimize environmental impacts.
Once mined, the removal of the mineral containing uranium begins. After the uranium is mined, it is processed to remove impurities and increase its concentration into enriched uranium. But, if it is a hazardous material, how is it mined without posing risks to workers?
Uranium mining can be done safely if proper measures are taken to ensure the safety of workers. During the mining process, radioactive gases such as radon and radioactive particles can be released, which can be inhaled by workers or released into the environment. In addition, excessive exposure to radiation can lead to health problems such as cancer and other diseases.
To ensure the safety of uranium mining, adequate protective measures are needed, such as the use of personal protective equipment by workers, adequate ventilation in workplaces and regular monitoring of radiation exposure. It is also important for mining companies to follow applicable safety regulations and standards, as well as to invest in training and training of workers to deal with mining risks. But what is a radioactive material and why is uranium radioactive?
A radioactive material is one that contains unstable atoms, which means that their atomic nuclei tend to spontaneously disintegrate and emit radioactive particles such as alpha, beta and gamma particles. These particles can be harmful to human health and the environment, depending on the amount and type of radiation emitted. Uranium is radioactive precisely because it has these unstable atomic nuclei.
Specifically, uranium-235 is an unstable isotope of uranium that is used in the production of nuclear energy, because it can be fissioned by neutrons of any energy, but preferably those of low energy, which we call thermal neutrals or slow neutrons. Uranium-238, on the other hand, is an unstable isotope that is found naturally in the Earth's crust and is less used in the production of nuclear energy, because it can only be fissioned by neutrons of high kinetic energy, or fast neutrons. But what are those numbers after uranium?
This has to do with its mass number, where uranium 235 has 92 protons and 143 neutrons in the nucleus, and adding the two, we have a mass of 235. Uranium 238 already has 92 ready and 146 neutrons, and adding up, we have its mass number equal to 238. When the nucleus of a uranium atom disintegrates, it emits radioactive particles that can be dangerous to human health and the environment.
For example, alpha particles can be blocked by a sheet of paper, but beta and gamma particles can penetrate the human body and cause damage to cells and DNA. For this reason, it is important to take proper safety measures when handling radioactive materials, including uranium. If you like series, I highly recommend HBO's Chernobyl series, where it explains what happened in the nuclear power plant accident there in Ukraine, and the damage that radiation can do to people and the place where it hits.
But where is uranium used? As I already mentioned at the beginning of the video, uranium is mainly used as fuel in nuclear reactors to generate electrical energy. When uranium is bombarded with neutrons in a nuclear reactor, a chain reaction occurs that releases a large amount of thermal energy.
This energy is then used to generate steam, which drives turbines and generators to produce electricity. We already made a video explaining how a nuclear power plant works and if you 're interested, I'll leave a card for this video at the end of this one for you to check out. Uranium is also used to produce nuclear weapons.
This occurs when uranium-235 is enriched to increase its concentration, and using the same concept as nuclear fission, once it is bombarded with neutrals, it starts a chain reaction that releases a lot of energy. In addition to generating electricity and producing nuclear bombs, uranium has several other uses in different areas, such as medicine. Nuclear medicine uses uranium radioisotopes, either for diagnosis or treatment of diseases.
For example, the same uranium-235 is used to produce radioactive isotopes that can be used in imaging tests such as tomography and scintigraphy. Uranium-238, on the other hand, is used in cancer therapy, since the radiation released is capable of destroying cancer cells. Uranium is also used as fuel in some types of spacecraft propulsion, such as small-scale nuclear reactors.
The energy released by nuclear fission is used to heat a fluid, which expands and pushes the turbines, generating mechanical energy for propulsion. It is also used in different industries, for example in the production of ceramics and glass, where it is used as a pigment to produce color and gloss effects. Also, uranium is an important chemical element for scientific and technological research, being used in various experiments and studies, such as to investigate the structure of the atomic nucleus.
It can even be used in the production of fluorescent paints, in nuclear batteries and even in central heating systems. Despite having several uses, it is important to emphasize that the use of uranium is highly regulated and controlled, since it is a highly radioactive substance. And you, did you know about all these uses of uranium?
Do you think we should use this element more to produce electricity? Leave it here in the comments I want to know I'm going to leave two videos here on the side that you might like too, and one of them is exactly the video I talked about nuclear power plants. If you liked the video, leave your like, subscribe to the channel, and share the video so that more people know about uranium.
And that's it engineering lovers, a big hug and see you in the next video.
