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Gold/Mining/Energy : Big Dog's Boom Boom Room -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dave who wrote (117726)	2/13/2009 11:55:53 AM
From: axial	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 206182

Hi Dave - Appreciate the comments, but I tried to use very cautious phrasing: "emerging possibilities". Meaning new, not certain - but showing some promise. Re: " I assume the 25megawatts of power are electrical and not nuclear, the reactor is now on the order 40 MW. The system would need a small/medium sized power plant consisting of a turbine, condenser, water treatment, electrical switch gear to mention a few things. Again, I assume a pressurized system is what they are considering so as to prevent radioactive water from going to the turbine. another problem for such a small system is controlling the reactor for varying power loads. A nuclear plant, small or large, is normally designed for a steady load." Reasonable assumptions. We've all learned to take the statements about emerging technology with a bag of salt ;) The following Wikipedia entry is not authoritative, but gives more information: en.wikipedia.org "According to the aforementioned patent application, the reactor design in question begins producing power when hydrogen gas at a sufficient temperature and pressure is admitted to the core (made up of granulated uranium metal) and reacts with the uranium metal to form uranium hydride. Uranium hydride is both a nuclear fuel and a nuclear moderator; apparently it, like other nuclear moderators, will slow neutrons sufficiently to allow for fission reactions to take place; the uranium-235 atoms within the hydride also serve as the nuclear fuel. Once the nuclear reaction has started, it will continue until it reaches a certain temperature, approximately 800 degrees Celsius, where, due to the chemical properties of uranium hydride, it chemically decomposes and turns into hydrogen gas and uranium metal. The loss of neutron moderation due to the chemical decomposition of the uranium hydride will consequently slow--and eventually halt--the reaction. When temperature returns to an acceptable level, the hydrogen will again combine with the uranium metal, forming uranium hydride, restoring moderation and the nuclear reaction will start again. This makes the reactor a self-regulating, dynamical system, as with a rise in temperature, nuclear reactivity will substantially decrease, and with a fall in temperature, nuclear reactivity will substantially increase. Thus, this reactor design is self-regulating, meltdown is impossible, and the design is inherently safe. --- There's a good analysis of Toshiba's ABWR reactors here (especially WRT operation and maintenance of steam loops): atomicinsights.com --- There are so many emerging alternatives; it would take months to discuss them all. I particularly like China's approach to pebble-bed nuclear, in which they propose to go with modular, scalable and standardized plants. But nobody is suggesting that we accept the newer technologies as a "done deal", ready to go. Jim