First-ever compact nuclear reactor runs for 8 years without water

[THX1138]

First-ever compact nuclear reactor runs for 8 years without water:MSN

 

[Robert Zwilling]

It is only practical if it is used for decentralized remote locations otherwise getting rid of the nuclear waste becomes impractical. Might be okay for space exploration but the weight is 35 tons which is to much for one rocket to carry. Getting rid of the unit after 8 years would still be a problem.

 

[Swank]

It is only practical if it is used for decentralized remote locations otherwise getting rid of the nuclear waste becomes impractical. Might be okay for space exploration but the weight is 35 tons which is to much for one rocket to carry. Getting rid of the unit after 8 years would still be a problem.

The part you get rid fits on a truck and has no fluids. Why is that a problem?

 

[CupofJoe]

It looks like Rolls Royce are planning something similar.

https://www.rolls-royce-smr.com/

 

[Robert Zwilling]

If you just have a few units to deal with its not a problem. Just one small typical city with a population of 90,000 would need a minimum of 100 units.

 

[NovaKinklu]

Right now, according to the first hit I got on a web search, the average US retail cost for electricity is 19 cents per kilowatt hour. This plant should produce, assuming it hits its 5MW rating and 100% uptime, about $66million in retail-value electricity over its 8 year lifetime (0.19X8X24X365X5000). $80Million CAD, which is the cost of this unit, is about $59Million USD. Utilities don't buy at retail. This project is just a proof of concept, as there is no way it can be financially viable until costs come down. Perhaps much of that $80Million CAD is research and development.

 

[paranoid marvin]

The only way forward with power plants is the use of infinite resources such as water, wind and the Sun.

Anything else is just creating more and more problems for future generations. The main issue is not the size or power of these devices, but what you do and where you store them once they have expired.

 

[Swank]

The only way forward with power plants is the use of infinite resources such as water, wind and the Sun.

Anything else is just creating more and more problems for future generations. The main issue is not the size or power of these devices, but what you do and where you store them once they have expired.

You could store quite a bit of fission waste and have no real impact on the environment.

Fusion has no waste, yet isn't water, wind or Sun.

 

[Foxbat]

When it comes to dismantling/decommissioning it’s worth noting that the article states the fuel pellets are encased in a ceramic coating. Normally fuel pellet cladding is metal - in the UK Magnesium oxide alloy (in old Magnox reactors ) and in AGRs (advanced gas cooled reactors) stainless steel. One of the big problems that can be encountered is a burst can (so called because each pellet looks like a tiny tin can). When this happens, fission products can leak into the reactor and coolant. As long as the fuel cladding is intact, all fission products from the used fuel will be contained.

A burst can possibility is especially a problem where higher temperatures are involved, which can increase the likelyhood of an occurence. Ceramics can stand very high temperatures and this will greatly reduce the possibility of a burst can and uncontrolled leakage of nuclear material. This should mean that when the reactor reaches the end of its life, it could simply be removed in one piece and replaced by a new one. Automated burst can detection systems are fairly simple affairs so I've no doubt one would be installed in each reactor and this would indicate any fuel leakage from the cladding fairly quickly and efficiently. Dealing with a burst can is possible but it is expensive (if memory serves me correctly, I think it runs at about £100000 per burst can for an AGR).

There are plenty of articles here on the subject of radioactive waste storage

Waste & Recycling - World Nuclear News

The latest news and articles from the Waste & Recycling category.

www.world-nuclear-news.org

Finland to open the world’s first final repository for spent nuclear fuel

The Finnish final repository for spent nuclear fuel is being built using the method developed by Swedish Nuclear Fuel Management Company SKB. The repository is expected to receive its first spent fuel in the middle of the 2020s and will thus be the first of its kind in the world.

group.vattenfall.com

 

[Robert Zwilling]

I have found very little information about the mechanics of the micro reactor. Besides ceramic pellets and the uranium is High-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). It can be up to four times more enriched than the fuel used in existing reactors. HALEU fuel is more attractive for theft because it can be more easily converted into weapons-grade uranium. The waste fuel is more radioactive than conventional fuel.

The designs are supposed to shut down automatically if thermal runaway happens.

They could turn out to be extremely useful but way overused. Instead of buying them, they get leased and someone else gets stuck with the disposal.

Current fusion designs do produce a small amount of low level radioactive waste. Basically its the container that the fusion reaction happens in. Stray neutrons hit the container and create isotopes, non of which are very dangerous, low half lives.

For the amount of power the micro reactors create other natural sources would do a much better job. They would be useful at the bottom of the ocean for powering working and living conditions.

 

[Montero]

The only way forward with power plants is the use of infinite resources such as water, wind and the Sun.

Sadly those resources are not infinite. Every time the wind turns a turbine, it is transferring energy. Put up enough, and you start affecting the wind. Even on a small scale you can have local effects downwind of a turbine with warm and cold layers of air mixed unexpectedly.

Water power usage, whether tidal or from rivers, is still taking energy out of the flow. In the UK the environment agency strictly regulates how much water is taken by a turbine or a water mill, and how many of these can be built on a stretch of river.

The sun is a lot closer to infinite, but collecting the energy can cover up good growing ground. I'm all for putting solar panels on the roofs of buildings, and on solar canopies over car parks, major roads and in hot countries over irrigation canals as is already being done in places - helps protect the cars, helps reduce canal water evaporation and so on.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Yes some good comments, and a few things I hadn't thoight about.

I do think that (in most respects) world policies tend to concentrate on those currently alive today, and precious little on those to come over the next few centuries who must reap what we sow.

So concentrate on renewable resources: not necessarily on producing more, but on improving and enhancing what we have, abd making sure that we don't leave a legacy which future generations have to deal with, such as nuclear waste.

 

[Montero]

Well, chemical waste and pollution is also a problem, and far less well regulated in some countries than nuclear waste is in this country. The electromagnets in the heads of turbines need rare earth metals, as do solar panels, and mining for both has turned areas of farmland in China into polluted seas of mud. I haven't come across the original article I read on this written a number of years ago, but I did find this one.

How Rare-Earth Mining Has Devastated China's Environment | Earth.Org

Rare-earth mining is notorious for the environmental hazards it poses but researchers in China are making breakthroughs that could turn the tide.

earth.org

I think one of the keys is using less and being flexible. The Island of Eigg is a great example of careful usage - they started with diesel generators at each property but now they have a renewable network, with back up from one diesel generator. There are strict limits on how much each household can use at once, and on how much in total, and there is daily monitoring of water levels in the hydropower dam. It is also interesting how when they have a surplus of power, they use it for heating public buildings whenever the surplus happens, not necessarily when they are in use. It keeps them nicely dried out.

Eigg Electric - The Isle of Eigg

Eigg is not connected to the mainland electricity supply. After decades of diesel generators, Eigg Electric provided 24 hour power for the first time in February 2008. Eigg Electric is a community owned, managed and maintained company which provides electricity for all island residents from...

isleofeigg.org

In terms of using less, advances in technology and the uses thereof have both helped and hindered. LED bulbs, flat screens not CRT - great. But then there are the massive server farms for BitCoins and the like. Sigh. I don't know how much energy all those LED Christmas lights take, or the strips people like to decorate their gardens with, obviously less than doing the same with old incandescent bulbs, but still people are splashing it around.

 

[paranoid marvin]

At aome point we will have to decide between all the fancy gadgets and mod cons, or the the survival of our species. I already know what the answer will be.

In the past we were heading towards a precipice, blissfully unaware of the consequences of our actions.

Now we know.

And are we slowly down, or putting the brakes on? No; if anything we are pushing our pwdal to the metal.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. How will future generations judge us?

 

[Robert Zwilling]

The led Christmas strings are around 5 watts. Funny thing is no matter how much I cut back on commercial supplied electricity, the bill still goes way up.

Every time the wind turns a turbine, it is transferring energy.

Our actions are causing the crust and the atmosphere to warm up. That's extra energy that wasn't there yesterday. If we aren't going to quit adding energy than we might as well make use of it.

The wind is getting kind of strange. In some places, the average everyday wind speeds are slowing down. But when the wind blows hard, it is quite likely to be more powerful than it was in the past. Sort of like conservation of energy. It slows down there and speeds up over there.

The rains are doing the same thing. Some places have been getting noticeably less water while other places are getting way too much. When the weather surges there is a phenomenal amount of power literally going up in smoke. About the only thing we can catch and hold onto is the excess water that over flows and runs off of everything. Other than water barrels that only hold a fraction of what comes down we are not capturing very much excess energy. Some ancient cities had underground cisterns that were refilled when it rained by catching street run off.

 

[Swank]

For many reasons, I would like to see the adoption of orbiting solar stations and microwave downlinks.

 

[Danny McG]

. Every time the wind turns a turbine, it is transferring energy. Put up enough, and you start affecting the wind.

Just watch these 2 guys for a minute, one of them genuinely thinks the wind turbines are there for global warming - he thinks they are giant fans that are set up to cool down the planet!

 

[Swank]

Just watch these 2 guys for a minute, one of them genuinely thinks the wind turbines are there for global warming - he thinks they are giant fans that are set up to cool down the planet!

Kind of amazing that athletes and people with Youtube channels aren't more familiar with science.