New nuclear reactors set to be OK'd for Georgia

CNN Money ^

[U-238]

I agree. DARPA is working on a nuclear battery using nuclear waste.There is revival of interest in small and simpler units for generating electricity from nuclear power, and for process heat

[Repeal The 17th]

“...Name one Nuclear Reactor Design that is inherently safe...”
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Name anything that is inherently safe.

[GraceG]

[ Thorium reactors are supposed to be much safer in that regard. Google TechTalks on YouTube has a good presentation on that. ]

Liquid Thorium Fluoride Salt Reactors. We have a winner.

The Liquid reactants are held in the core by use of a “Frost Plug” when the power dies the active cooling to the frost plug ends and the liquid reactants flow via gravity into a baffled drain tank where they solidify and become inert. Since the liquid fuel is bound ionically to the most reactive halogen ie. Florine they will not react with Oxygen meaning fire risk is drastically reduced.

[waynesa98]

there are breeders that can make weapons grade plutonium. the plant killed by jimmah was claimed to potentially create weaponable plutonium. Interestingly many of the breeder designs leave nothing but lead behind, gate’s design needs just a little enriched material and a pile of yellow cake. looks like the development work will be done in china cuze you can’t do that here.

[Ditto]

Name one Nuclear Reactor Design that is inherently safe when the power goes out in Facility? Meaning power goes out reactor just shuts down and doesn’t explode.

The AP1000® pressurized water reactor works on the simple concept that, in the event of a design-basis accident (such as a coolant pipe break), the plant is designed to achieve and maintain safe shutdown condition without any operator action and without the need for ac power or pumps. Instead of relying on active components such as diesel generators and pumps, the AP1000 relies on the natural forces of gravity, natural circulation and compressed gases to keep the core and containment from overheating.

This is the plant that will be built in Georgia.

[Ditto]

Pebble bed reactor using helium as the working fluid. It just goes to sleep. It is also known as a “self-damping reactor.”

Pebble Beds have a lot of unresolved safety issues. Notice that the South Africans who were investing heavily in Pebble Bed technology have shut their entire project down.

For the foreseeable future, Light Water Reactors are the only proven commercially viable technology.

[GraceG]

The AP1000® pressurized water reactor works on the simple concept that, in the event of a design-basis accident (such as a coolant pipe break), the plant is designed to achieve and maintain safe shutdown condition without any operator action and without the need for ac power or pumps. Instead of relying on active components such as diesel generators and pumps, the AP1000 relies on the natural forces of gravity, natural circulation and compressed gases to keep the core and containment from overheating.

That is good, but the greenies would rather stall a reactor like this replacing current reactors. They would rather have us rely on old unsafe designs because it fits their anti-nuclear agenda.

[kidd]

I just got confirmation that Southern Nuclear has received their COL (combined construction and operating license) for Vogtle-3 and -4.

This was the last hoop to jump through.

We’re building nuclear plants again!

[Ditto]

That is good, but the greenies would rather stall a reactor like this replacing current reactors. They would rather have us rely on old unsafe designs because it fits their anti-nuclear agenda.

Looks like the Greenies are out of luck on this one. Once the NRC License is issued, they only way they can stop it is if the utility screws up.

The NRC licensing process was changed about 10 years ago. It used to be a two step process... first a construction license and then after construction, an operating license. That gave the anti-nukes many opportunities to throw monkey wrenches into the process to delay things, for expensive (and often needless changes) and run-up costs. (Remember Seabrook and Shorham?)

Today, it's different. Once the design is approved, and a combined construction/operating license is issued, all they have to do is build it exactly as designed and they are good to go. If they start today, that plant will be operating in five years or less and the kooks won't be able to stop it.

Here's a good article one the one step licensing process.

[chimera]

The fuel cycle for commercial breeder reactors is incompatible with the breeding cycle for weapons-grade plutonium. Commercial breeders can make reactor-grade plutonium, but that won't work in a weapon because of the 240Pu concentration. The material is simply irradiated for too long of a time to avoid the 240Pu production. And once it's in there, it isn't coming out. Its not a problem in reactor fuel but is pure poison in a fission weapon.