Comparative health and safety assessment of the satellite power system and other electrical generation alternatives

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6680192· OSTI ID:6680192

The work reported here is an analysis of existing data on the health and safety risks of a satellite power system and six electrical generation systems: a combined-cycle coal power system with a low-Btu gasifier and open-cycle gas turbine; a light water fission power system without fuel reprocessing; a liquid-metal, fast-breeder fission reactor; a centralized and decentralized, terrestrial, solar-photovoltaic power system; and a first-generation design for a fusion power system. The systems are compared on the basis of expected deaths and person-days lost per year associated with 1000 MW of average electricity generation. Risks are estimated and uncertainties indicated for all phases of the energy production cycle, including fuel and raw material extraction and processing, direct and indirect component manufacture, on-site construction, and system operation and maintenance. Also discussed is the potential significance of related major health and safety issues that remain largely unquantifiable. The appendices provide more detailed information on risks, uncertainties, additional research needed, and references for the identified impacts of each system.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6680192
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER-0091
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
14 SOLAR ENERGY
140400 -- Solar Energy-- Environmental Aspects
140600 -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220500 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Environmental Aspects
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
292000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
560151 -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700206 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Environmental Aspects
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BREEDER REACTORS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
COMBINED-CYCLE POWER PLANTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC POWER
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS
GASES
GASIFICATION
INFORMATION
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
LOW BTU GAS
MATERIALS
MORTALITY
NUMERICAL DATA
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OPEN-CYCLE SYSTEMS
ORBITAL SOLAR POWER PLANTS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS
POWER
POWER PLANTS
PUBLIC HEALTH
REACTORS
RECOMMENDATIONS
REPROCESSING
REVIEWS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS