In the middle of March, students who are currently enrolled in AP Environmental Science had the opportunity to take a trip to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating System, also known as SONGS.
The main purpose of this trip was for students to get a closer look at what is going on behind the scenes of the power plant, and what environmental factors are taken into consideration.
Students were escorted off the buses and put in neon-colored vests and hard helmets to ensure safety around the premises of the power plant.
The power plant was proposed in the late 1950s by President Eisenhower, who had second thoughts and ended up deferring the plan to build nuclear energy in Southern California to military commanders. However, President John F. Kennedy strongly supported nuclear energy and had the power plant set to be built.
The first unit and dome failed, however, units two and three, which are the iconic domes passed by on the way to San Diego, were up and running at the time and can be still seen today.
The containment domes have rebar, a heavy metal that supports the structure of the domes and contains the radiation.
John Mourer Jr, one of the tour guides, has been working at SONGS for over 20 years. He brought lots of insight to the students about the history and the future of SONGS. Mourer Jr. explained how one of the biggest questions at the time of construction was, “How can we (the workers and engineers) prevent an event like Chernobyl in Europe?” Mourer Jr. was referencing the huge nuclear disaster in Europe which made one of the reactors, similar to the domes, explode, causing lots of radioactive leakage and hazardous waste to leak out.
One of the biggest changes that the power plant had to make was to refine uranium from one percent to four percent to make it more condensed and fissionable, in this case producing more energy.
Outside of the domes, 120,000 volts get sent out as electricity, supplying one-third of California’s energy.
The domes are also well protected, as they can withstand a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
A neat feature of the power plant is that it uses the water from the ocean to pressurize a reactor and make electricity. The water can still keep liquid form at 608 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than its boiling point due to the pressure from the reactor. One-third of the energy is produced for the power lines while the other two-thirds is sent back to the ocean.
On the right side of the domes, there is a large space for nuclear fuel storage.
An advantage of using nuclear energy compared to fossil fuels is its cost efficiency. One uranium pellet is worth ten dollars, which can fuel ten tanks of gasoline in a car.
Due to defects in replacement steam generators, the power plant was shut down and is currently in the process of decommissioning. Decommissioning is long and difficult because there are lots of precautions needed to take place to safely remove toxic used nuclear fuel and to store it someplace else.
All fuel used is paid for and owned by the government, however, SONGS is currently working with a third party to release the used nuclear fuel for some time, which can get complicated between the two respective parties. The decommission of SONGS is expected to wrap up around 2028.
The students had a great time at the power plant, being able to get a first-person perspective of what it is like to work there, and how AP Environmental Science can be used in current, real-world situations.
Dane Larson, one of the students who went on the trip gave his thoughts on the trip to San Onofre, “I thought it was a great experience for everyone who signed up. It was cool being able to see what exactly is going on with the two domes, as I only see it when driving to San Diego. The tour guides were really good and explained a lot of information to the group. Definitely would recommend going.”
