Nuclear advocates eye former coal plant sites for small reactors

[Ksheed]

Great idea that is probably as far off from happening as a permanent spent fuel disposal site. While they argue that a large portion of the infrastructure is already in place at these sites, I would believe that the condition of the existing infrastructure items may not be in the best of shape.


http://midwestenergynews.com/2016/07/13/nuclear-advocates-eye-former-coal-plant-sites-for-small-reactors/

[Rerun]

Wont ever happen

[hamsamich]

I think everyone knows the majority of these things being posted won't ever happen.  They are interesting ideas though.  That is the reason they are being posted.  This is a nuclear power forum.  Just in case you didn't know.  We all already know there is a very slim chance they will ever happen.

[Rerun]

Then why post. Be a realist.

[Ksheed]

Then why post. Be a realist.

The initial post states the unlikeliness of it ever coming to fruition. Why post? How about for discussion sake? It is news. There are lawmakers discussing it. It's relative  to the SMR discussion.

[hamsamich]

Because they are just ideas.  Interesting to people part of a nuclear power forum.  Since you are very negative on nuclear power, what would be interesting on your part would be a NEW idea on WHY this would fail, how about a "stopper" that none of us ever thought of?  That would be interesting and get some juices flowing.  Most of us already know the basics: .  It would probably be too expensive to do this due to infrastructure issues.  Failure is a part of life whenever a group is brainstorming on what might solve a problem.  A problem in the world is always going to be enough energy production for everyone and how to go about getting more.

Here are some reasons why it's ok not to be a "realist" when entertaining new ideas that seem like they probably won't work.  Old Forbes article.

Failure is a part of almost everyone's journey. Founders, inventors, great athletes, it doesn't matter – everyone's success is built on a previous failure. Even I've failed -multiple times – but I've never let it stop me. Here are eight successful products that only exist because someone failed – and dared to keep going.
WD-40
Have you ever wondered where this useful lubricant got its name? The name comes from the fact that the formula represents the 40th attempt to create a degreaser and rust protection solvent. Although it was originally used in the aerospace industry, it became so popular among employees that it was packaged into aerosol cans and introduced to retail in 1958. Can you imagine if the lab had given up after 39 tries?
Bubble Wrap
Interestingly, engineers Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding created bubble wrap in 1960 in an attempt to create a trendy new textured wallpaper. This was a total failure, as was a later attempt to market it as housing insulation. When the wrap was eventually used by IBM to package a newly launched computer during transport, it suddenly became an overnight success. Today, few people even realize that bubble wrap began as an abject failure.
Pacemaker
Pacemakers used to be huge – the size of televisions. Then Wilson Greatbach made a mistake that revolutionized medicine. When building a heart rhythm recording device, he pulled out the wrong sized resistor and plugged it into the circuit. When it was installed he realized it sounded like a human heartbeat. With some work, he miniaturized the device to two cubic inches. The result was an implantable pacemaker, which has since saved thousands of lives.
Apple
If you've read anything about founder Steve Jobs, you might already know that this wildly-successful consumer electronics company has been through an amazing number of ups and downs. Founded in 1976, the company had its share of failed products – even ousting its founder during a downturn in 1985. The iMac and iPod turned everything around, with Steve Jobs returned in 1997 and becoming an icon of the industry. But without the hard times and failures that preceded these successes, Apple would never have become what it is today.
Nintendo
Today, Nintendo is known as the gaming company that launched an era, but it certainly didn't start out as a success. Nintendo's first offering, the Famicom console, had to be recalled after only a few months. Atari's failure in the mid-1980's left the American video game market a mess, and the Nintendo NES barely sold when it was introduced in 1985. By the end of 1986, however, two little characters named Mario and Luigi had changed the history of American gaming forever.
Dyson Vacuums
Currently, Dyson is one of the top-selling vacuums of all time. However, founder James Dyson's road to the top was lined with failure. He tested 5,271 prototypes before finally found a vacuum that worked – but even then, he couldn't find an American or European company to license and manufacture his product. As a result, in 1993, he created his own manufacturing operation. Just two years later, Dyson vacuums were a worldwide sensation, demonstrating that it pays to never give up.
Synthetic Dye
In 1856, dyes were made from natural materials – and 18-year-old chemist William Perkin wasn't out to change that. Initially, he was focused on creating an artificial version of the malarial drug, quinine. Unfortunately, his experiments weren't successful, leaving behind a dark, oily sludge. But then, he noticed the sludge turned silk a striking shade of purple – a color more vibrant than he'd seen before. Perkin's synthetic dye became the hit of the global fashion scene, and his work with dye inspired German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich to pioneer immunology and win a Nobel Prize.
Wheaties
Breakfast of Champions, right? Not always. One day, a dietician working at The Washburn Crosby Company – which produced bran gruel – spilled some of the product on the stovetop. The gruel crackled into flakes, which tasted far better than the original product. After 36 tries, the company was able to develop a tasty flake that wouldn't crumble when boxed. By the 1930s, the cereal was a household name – thanks in large part to a pioneering marketing partnership with professional baseball.

[Rerun]

It will never happen so it isnt an idea. Its a pipe dream

[hamsamich]

If you would have read the post you would know the first part of your post doesn't matter.  Pipe dreams are where reality is made.

[Marlin]

It will never happen so it isnt an idea. Its a pipe dream

   The Forum is named Nuclear Discusion not Nuclear Proclamation. I don't know and maybe are perfectly good responses. Most of the articles you condemn come from people much higher on the food chain than a lowly operator, they are scientists and entrepenuers. Utilizing existing sites, though maybe not a coal site, seems like a reasonable approach but that requires a little imagination on that potential. Cooling water sources and electrical distribution infrastucture would seem to be a plus and those would be at an old coal plant sufficient for the new SMRs being considered. Come to think of it this May TVA submitted an Early Site Permit for the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge the old site of a fast breeder reactor. Someone with money and the knowledge required is putting time and effort in the potential for the future of nuclear power.



   


Full Definition of discussion

   
• 1:  consideration of a question in open and usually informal debate
• 2:  a formal treatment of a topic in speech or writing