Reference, Questions and Help > Nuke Q&A
Expanding USA Nuclear Power
thenuttyneutron:
I want to see the move to different fuel cycles and advanced reactor designs. I like the Modular High Temperature Gas Reactors. These are so safe that in the event of the worst case scenario the reactor will shut down with no operator input and the fuel physically can't melt. The highest temperature possible in the reactor is below the melt point of the carbon/ceramic fuel blocks. The efficiency is a little above 50% thanks to the natural gas fired plant technology. Get one of these on an advanced fuel cycle like a thorium based breeder cycle and I think we can bring the world cheap, clean and safe electricity that is very resistant to malicious intents. I think about Iran and am not sure what to believe. With a thorium based cycle we would not have to worry too much about them trying to do bad things. We could deploy many of these into third world countries and train people to care for them with ease.
Best of all at about 500 MWe per plant and the factory based production these could be deployed with ease and treated almost like batteries in the electrical grid. After 10 years of burning take it out and replace it. The old reactor can be salvaged in a reprocessing. Thorium has a half-life that is huge and Th-232 is very abundant in the earth's crust.
I like the fast reactor concept but want them to research it more. These fast reactors will allow the use of fertile isotopes as fuels but they must operate in a critical condition. The ability to use more fuels is good for long term energy solutions. The problem is that they have a positive temperature reactivity coefficient and therefor are unstable. I think coupling duel neutron spectrums in the reactor could solve this. Have the hard spectrum be the primary source of the neutrons and have it at a barely sub-critical mode and then have a low energy neutron emitting seed surrounded by a small blanket of fissile fuel in the center. If the reactor is running as designed the fissile blanket will provide the additional neutrons to make the reactor critical. If the reactor gets too hot the slow neutrons from the seed will be raised in energy and the fissile blanket will produce less fast neutrons. Without the added fast neutrons from that seed blanket, the reactor will become sub-critical and self correct itself. Now we need to engineer the idea into a real world solution.
raymcginnis:
--- Quote ---I like the Modular High Temperature Gas Reactors. These are so safe that in the event of the worst case scenario the reactor will shut down with no operator input and the fuel physically can't melt.
--- End quote ---
Are their Internet or magazine artcles on this that you would reccomend? I would like to read them. I don't purport to be able to understand them totally, but I can understand what I understand. I am an HP engineer, but I have many nuclear engineering contacts. This would be an interesting subject to discuss with them.
darkmatter:
Its a tossup as to a sodium design or pebble-bed reactor in my mind. Although it will probably be an upgraded PWR and/or BWR design if the politics allow it.
I like the nuclear space concepts with NASA, it should of happened in the 60's.
bmr176:
I believe the AP 1000 is one of the designs being considered.
Here is a link with some info:
http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/D2.asp
From what I have heard and understand with my limited knowlege is 1 plant will be able to be built on a site and started up while another plant is being built on that site. This way companies will be able to get up and running and paying on their investments before the second plant is completed.
Rad Sponge:
All this great technology should be on the TV every week if not every day on the major networks. I'd like to even see a cable channel funded by the major players for the purpose of educating and debating the fundamental issues of nuclear power.
I'd rather see this than 24/7 coverage of some girl in Aruba (I bet you'd never hear of it if she wasn't a babe) or a shark attack or whichever source of media candy flavor of the day that is hypnotizing America into stupidity.
If any of you upper-up nuclear players are out there, seriously consider my idea of getting some air time to educate the general public of the future of nuclear power.
R/ Sponge
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